ATLANTA— State Rep. Ben Harbin of the Augusta suburb of Evans, a Republican who is chairman of the House Appropritions Committee -- and a native of Vidalia, incidentally -- may have been the first "Equal Time" author to cause The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to back-track on an editorial it had written.

The paper routinely allows "Equal Time" to some involved individual with a viewpoint different from that expressed in one of its editorials. "Equal Time" involves the writing of an "Op-Ed" column challenging the paper's position. And when the paper severely criticized Harbin for having "secretly" inserted into a House bill "at the last minute" a provision that the paper said would "sabotage" a planned commuter rail line on Atlanta's south side, Harbin himself was the one allowed to have "Equal Time."

Harbin took advantage of the opportunity to write that the language he inserted in the bill would have no effect on projects, such as the one in question, that were already funded but would apply only to future projects. In a follow-up editorial the next day, the paper, in essence, acknowledged that Harbin was right.

Harbin, widely considered one of the young up-and-comers of the Republican Party in Georgia, is the son of Montgomery County native Bennie Harbin, who was living in Vidalia when son Ben was born.

Two years ago this week, I wrote a column headed "What Vidalian Sang at Her Own Funeral?" The column drew several reponses from readers, some of whom were aware I was referring to the legendary Lula Mae Leverett. Miss Leverett had recorded the song specifically for that purpose, and the recording in fact was played at her funeral.

Something similar happened again recently, and once more there's a Vidalia angle. It involved Rev. Richard F. Cook, who died in Hogansville at age 85 on April 30. But Rev. Cook, an ordained minister whose career was spent mostly in music ministry did not sing at his own funeral. Instead, he played "How Great Thou Art" on the piano at the conclusion of the service.

A Boston native who received a BA degree in music at Westminster Choir College and a master's in religious education at New York University, Rev. Cook was an accomplished pianist and organist. He served 11 churches, including the large and well-heeled Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta, during his career.

Has Vidalia's Rocky Creek Golf Club become that famous?

In reporting that Lovett School of Atlanta had won the state Class AA high school golf tournament, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the school secured its "first state golf title with a team total of 305 at Rocky Creek." The writer didn't bother to name at that point the city where Rocky Creek was located, seeming to put the course in the same category was Baltusrol, Sawgrass, Winged Foot and other courses so renowned and famous that stating their location is considered superfluous.

Rock Creek's location later was revealed in the AJC story when the paper reported that "host" Vidalia High School was the runner-up for the state title...

Back when Norman Vincent Peale was a household name throughout America, an Atlanta stripper began billing herself as Norma Vincent Peel. At least that's what I read somewhere, for, no, I never caught her act. And now I've read that an Atlanta drag queen is billing herself (himself?) as Coretta Scott Queen.

People are funnier than anybody.

E-mail: raytapley@juno.com

The Advance, Wednesday, May 31, 2006, page 7L.