As I look out on this sea of young faces ...

-- Graduation speech opener

Colleges across Georgia are holding graduation ceremonies this month, and that means a lot of inspiring speeches from graduation speakers.

Or not.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was kind enough to run a really long list of state private and public colleges and the speakers scheduled to inspire new graduates.

It is a list heavy on educators, politicians and business achievers, which is a nice way of saying nobody very glamorous is speaking to Georgia grads. In fact, Valdosta State, which graduated Friday, had no speaker, which probably indicates the students had a say in the program.

About the closest thing I could find to a celebrity on the list was CNN legal commentator Nancy Grace, who is speaking at Mercer University this Saturday.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is probably the biggest name speaker. He'll be at UGA, also on Saturday.

Elsewhere, former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell will address graduates of the John Marshall School of Law, and former U.N. Ambassador (and ex-Atlanta Mayor) Andy Young will speak to Georgia State University. Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot, will speak to Emory grads.

Then it sort of falls off.

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss is speaking to two graduating classes -- Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Berry College. Senate colleague Johnny Isakson will charm Georgia Southern.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin speaks to Agnes Scott College, and Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver speaks to Augusta State.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle will speak to Truett-McConnell College, but it appears from this list that nobody has asked Gov. Sonny Perdue to drop in and share some wisdom.

I mention this because Life University in Marietta has yet to choose a speaker for its June 20 ceremony. Maybe we should get them together.

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MORE MAIL: Dori s and Marty Charnock send a card from the World War II Memorial and write: "Studying/visiting memorials and museums in DC and Mount Vernon."

Sandra and Shirley Johnson send a postcard from Las Vegas, and Phyllis Wright is having a great time in Guam, visiting her daughter at the Anderson Air Force Base. She says it's hot and very green.

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TODAY'S JOKE: Brenda Maddox at MCG shares this one:

A woman was complaining to her preacher that she did not know who had the parrot before her, but the parrot she has only speaks one phrase, "Hey, good looking. Want to party?"

The preacher said that he had a parrot that only bows his head and mumbles prayers and plays with rosary beads, and she should have her parrot spend some time with his pious bird and maybe his could help hers.

So they put the two parrots together and as soon as the female parrot got in the cage she said, "Hey, good looking. Want to party?" The male parrot looked up and said, "Prayer works."