Well, what can I say about all the things going on at City Hall? What can anybody say?

How about what Mayor Pro Tem Betty Beard said? "I just want it to go away."

That's pretty good.

But it won't. Hard drives and hard words will continue this week, with Commissioner Calvin Holland's camp pushing to have Augusta commissioners rescind the censure they voted to give him over Computergate.

An independent attorney concluded Mr. Holland didn't break the law when he asked for Administrator Fred Russell's hard drive, but he did violate its intent.

Although it's not what they were saying before the censure, the six commissioners who voted for the censure now say the issue was not whether he broke the law but the "sneaky" way he waited until Mr. Russell went on vacation to ask for the hard drive. That and the precedent he set by investigating the administrator without even telling them. They're adamant about this.

Mr. Holland said he won't push to have the censure rescinded even though he placed an item to discuss it on Tuesday's commission agenda.

He said he heard Mayor Deke Copenhaver say on TV that if he found out Mr. Holland did no wrong, he'd push for rescinding it himself. We don't know whether that's what the mayor said or not because he's on vacation, but Mr. Holland said he's waiting to see if the mayor is a man of his word.

Also next week, a second letter from the independent Atlanta attorney who reviewed Commissioner Marion Williams' Freedom of Information request for Mr. Russell's hard drive will be released denying the request because it was not specific enough.

Mr. Williams says that's just a smokescreen.

"They're trying to hide something, or they already would have showed it," he said.

Now Marion, just because you're not showing something doesn't mean you're hiding it. It might mean you don't want the whole world to see it.

PRAY FOR A CEASE-FIRE: Mr. Copenhaver's call for a prayer vigil around the Marble Palace next Tuesday morning reminds me of something I heard one time about this man who told a friend he had a problem and was going to pray about it, and the friend said, "That bad, huh?"

MAYBE THEY COULD GET SOMEBODY SOME COFFEE: Well, here's a funny thing. Both staff attorney Vanessa Flournoy and General Counsel Eugene Jessup, who confiscated the hard drive from Ms. Flournoy's computer and insisted she be fired after he found evidence she'd been doing real-estate closings on it, are on administrative leave with pay. Mr. Jessup was asked to resign last week after only a couple of months on the job. So the in-house legal department commissioners created has no attorneys, but it does have three secretaries still on the payroll.

Wonder what they're doing?

"SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO CUT YOUR LOSSES": Mr. Copenhaver spoke to the Exchange Club of Augusta last week and assured everyone they shouldn't judge what's going on in the community by its politics.

The mayor said some commissioners are acting out because they aren't getting their way. During the question and answer period, Dr. Randy Smith asked Mr. Copenhaver if he had ever called those commissioners in and talked to them privately in an effort to improve communication.

"Many, many times," the mayor said. "And I will tell you this. I have spent a lot of time doing that, but one thing I have realized is I'm not going to change the mind and mentality of a 60-something-year-old man, or woman for that matter. I can't waste time anymore trying to do that. Ultimately, I do think we need to change the structure of the government. I honestly do. And I think we will get there. Our latest situation speaks to that. There's no centralized authority, so there's no centralized accountability."

THERE WERE LIGHTER MOMENTS: After being introduced by John McCollum, Mr. Copenhaver said that was the second Exchange Club he'd spoken to that week.

"I spoke to the group at the Country Club on Tuesday and was introduced by John B. Chandler, who is a fraternity brother of mine and John's," the mayor said. "And let me tell you the sheer terror that goes through me to have two fraternity brothers from the University of Georgia introduce me in the same week, just knowing what they could have said."

At the end of the meeting, Club President Nick Carter, following club tradition, gave Mr. Copenhaver a token gift - a copy of Marion Williams' hard drive. At least, that's what he said.

EVERYBODY'S GETTING INTO THE ACT: At Thursday's Downtown Development Authority meeting, board member Paul King couldn't resist telling Commissioner J.R. Hatney that his computer was having problems.

"Would you mind looking at my hard drive?" he asked.

The Rev. Hatney maintained his sense of humor though, laughing and replying with a simple, "That's cute."

HECK NO, THEY CAN'T GO: Dr. Dan Rahn, the president of MCG, continues to make the civic club rounds, trying to stay positive while explaining a controversial plan that sends students to Athens.

Dr. Rahn has already been grilled by both the Augusta and Augusta West Rotary clubs. Last week he was on the Kiwanis program.

Maybe he needs to schedule time with the Optimists. It would take an optimist not to believe Athens will end up with MCG.

SECTION 8 BY THE CANAL GATE: Remember that controversial mixed-income housing project that got kicked out of the Deans Bridge Road area? Look for it to metamorphose on the banks of the Augusta Canal in an old mill.

HOW THIS MOTHER TAMED BABY SISTER'S BAD COUGH: I became a mother at the age of 7. That's when Mama brought home the first of four babies that arrived during the next eight years. After years of being terrorized by big sister June and brother Johnny, who gave my cats Milk of Magnesia and taunted me for being the spoiled baby, it was a new beginning.

I gave my little sisters and brother their baths and put them to bed. When sister Pat couldn't learn her ABCs or count to 10, I set up a blackboard and tutored her. I bandaged Danny's stumped toes and mecurochromed Kay's skinned knees.

One night, when Jan was coughing every other breath, I got up and found a bottle of Creomulsion, woke her up and gave her a big tablespoonful. The next morning, Mama came in and said, "What is this bottle of Tame cream rinse doing beside this bed?"

I said, "It's cough medicine I gave Jan last night."

"No, it's not," Mama screamed. "It's Tame cream rinse."

Somebody had put Tame cream rinse in a Creomulsion bottle. Fortunately, it didn't kill Jan. But it did stop her cough.

When I grew up, I became a mother twice and discovered what love was really all about.

Then when my children grew up and left home, I met Ernie. He's younger than I am, and I would say he's a big baby, but he'd pout.

Actually he's been a trooper since he jumped out of the playhouse last year and ruined his foot, but still, it's taken a lot of fetching and hauling just to get by the past year, one month and 13 days.

Now don't get me wrong, I thank God every single day I'm able to do everything I do, but today, this mother is taking the day off. And I hope all you other mothers out there do the same.

City Ink thanks Metro Editor Bill Kirby and Staff Writer Laura Youngs for their contributions to this week's column.

Reach Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228 or sylvia.cooper@augustachronicle.com.