The North Georgia representative, a tall, broad-shouldered man who speaks in a slow, Southern drawl he jokingly calls 'Bubbonics,' is preaching spending restraint as he seeks the office responsible for presiding over the state Senate and appointing Senate committees.

It would be interesting to hear what local teachers really think of the Ebonics idea, though it probably will not be easy to get many of them to say. One thing for sure, the formal school board recognition of Ebonics as a sure-enough language will be a great boon to every sixth-grade sea lawyer who wants to appeal the red marks on his English paper.

You can trust me on this, since I was once one of that species, although of the redneck, rather than the African-American branch. If Ebonics is an authentic second language, who can deny that Bubbonics will soon gain the same classy status?