Captain Plaid, an especially surly and snarky Scot from the East Alabama Highlands, takes on the Big Mules of the Yellowhammer State. Ventures beyond the borderlands, across the river to the East most frequently, will also be necessary. From Goat Hill to The ATL to The Smokies to the Gulf Coast, it's Peace ... or War!
David White of The B'ham News provides a super nice summary of the many PACs in Alabama. I'll give it to you in print view. Scary way of doing business since PAC to PAC transfers allow money to be hidden. Simple disclosure seems foundational yet Alabama politicians continue to pander for votes on "family values" and other distractions rather than tackling real reform. Peace ... or War!
Garry Mitchell o the WaPo reports "Alabama Literary Town To Open Capote Exhibit" referencing of course Monroeville.
Rare family photos and a collection of writer Truman Capote's letters to his favorite aunt in Alabama -- on topics ranging from Harper Lee to Tallulah Bankhead to his longing for down-home butter beans -- are going on permanent display in Alabama's literary capital, where the writer spent some of his boyhood.
The collection is a coup for the town that was spun into memorable works by Capote and, under the name Maycomb, by Lee, his childhood friend and neighbor. It was assembled by Capote's cousin Jennings Faulk Carter, who donated the collection to the Monroe County Heritage Museums for an exhibit that opens April 27 in Monroeville's Old Courthouse on the town square.
Bu$hCo's "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) is not the start of conservatism finishing off public education yet it might be the last straw. While the idea of having "highly qualified" teachers makes some sense, it is perhaps more form than substance. Still, it is interesting to see reporting by Greg Wright in The Mongomery Advertiser entitled "State fails to get best teachers" where he, in part writes,
This last paragraph was especially relevant for me. Teaching in a very poor school, even across the river in Georgia, makes me appreciate the demands those teachers and students and communities face. With Georgia paying a little higher than Alabama, the differences might be even more extreme. I personally favor a radical approach toward education with a dumping of the common canned curriculum and meaningless measurement supplied by NCLB. I'll explain, probably on Captain Plaid, how I'd do education if ever given the power. Peace ... or WarWhen it came to getting qualified people to teach children essential subjects such as math and English, Alabama had one of the lowest success rates in the nation in 2004-05, according to U.S. Education Department data.
Alabama had teachers rated highly qualified in 82 percent of core academic classes such as math and English. That was below the national rate of 91 percent and ranks the state 39th out of 49 states and the District of Columbia. Figures for Delaware were not available.
Alabama children who live in poorer areas had even lower odds of having teachers who know their subject, the department said. For instance, 67 percent of Alabama secondary school core academic classes at schools in high-poverty areas had highly qualified teachers, compared to 84 percent in low-poverty areas, the department said.
I'd previously posted on Tom Parker facing ethics charges for his newspaper opinion on the Alabama Supreme Court following the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court on not executing children. Today we learn that the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission has rejected the complaint. Tacky article at best. Peace ... or War!
Going across the pond to The Guardian, relying on AP reporter John Hailprin, we see that Alabama Power has finally been forced to deal with pollution concerns. Although the Bu$h administration has hardly been agressive in dealing with any pollution concern I am pleased to see some action in this area. Peace ... or War!
I've already posted a scolding on Goat Hill passing the ridiculous NRA sponsored "self-defense" legislation, with Governor Riley apparently supportive and certainly signing, even if the pandering politicians would have likely pushed this disaster on regardless of his position. Yet pandering is part of the process it appears. The National Rifle Association has announced that it will endorse Riley in the general election this year. In accepting the endorsement, Governor Riley disengenously claims,
"Ladies and gentlemen all across the country, and it has been for a long time, there has been an attack, an attack on our rights to own and bear arms," Riley said. "Well, if you grew up in Alabama, that is a way of life. It's part of our culture."I know this is part of the ReThuglican playbook Governor yet this is a LIE! Quit lying! Stop the madness and get real. The GOP and the NRA and the Religious Right and ... has to be challenged for their LIES. Their slick marketing and direct mailing and ... would make Karl Rove jealous, although I expect Karl often helps them in their efforts. While polls are not looking good for the Democrats this fall, with Lucy not running a campaign worth a darn it seems as she's even with The Don, I'll pull the lever under the Rooster this fall. Your LIE above is reason enough. Peace ... or War!
I'm reading that the White House and the ReThuglicans are heading right for the base in the face of the 2006 elections as the GOP leadership knows that if the Democrats get control of either chamber then the game is up. Leadership shifts and subpoena powers will allow a complete investigation of the Bu$h cabal. So we can expect "family values" to be part of the push. So it is interesting to see "Red state depravity" from today's Anniston Star. I also understand a strong correlation exists between education and progressivism. Peace ... or War!
Surely no Alabama Politician down at Goat Hill would "ignore rationality and practicality for political purposes" as suggested by The Hunstville Times. In their op-ed from Friday the 21st of April, David Prather gives us "Real prison reform" where he, in part, writes,
One effort referenced by Mr. Prather is the DOJ's Commission on Girls and Women in the Criminal Justice System. Worth a visit to this detailed study yet I'm linking to the summary. On Tuesday I posted on a meeting in Randolph County dealing with these same issues. The meeting often came down to limited funding and canned materials as we even do alternative sentencing, and surely education, on the cheap here in Alabama. Peace ... or War!Too many women are behind bars - and too many men as well.
Alabamians like to put criminals behind bars. Politicians know this. So they enact laws that put people in prisons and jails more easily and keep them there longer.
Putting more people in prison isn't cutting the crime rate, though. It is, however, increasing dramatically the costs of warehousing criminals.
But Alabamians don't want to pay higher taxes to run the prisons. That's leading to an inevitable confrontation between jurists, both federal and state, and corrections officials, both state and local. It's a good bet it also will inevitably lead to mayhem and worse at overcrowded facilities that are inadequately staffed. ...
But there is the larger issue that involves both male and female prisoners: There's no need for a great many of them to be housed, fed and clothed at public expense. It would be far more effective, and far cheaper, to have them on parole or under house arrest or re-entering society under reasonable supervision.
To do that, though, politicians are going to have to get enough nerve to say that rehabilitative efforts for nonviolent criminals make more sense than throwing the book at them and putting people in prison who don't need to be there to ensure public safety. ...
Clay County's DINO Gerald Dial is singled out for his inexcusable actions in amending to death an effort to establish an executive agency like every other Southern state uses to help rural areas. The Mobile Register Op-Ed from the 20th of April points out that the Alabama Development Office has had their chance to help our 1.2 million rural citizens. Additionally, studies and common sense shows that rural areas have special circumstances that require a different approach than what ADO offers. It is time the 13th had a Senator that was not a tool of the Big Mules but rather looked out for the branchheads. I'm not sure what the Governor's position was on the CRD but given that he's also from Clay County I think he has some 'splaining to do as well. Gerald Dial's time for excuses has long ago passed. Peace ... or War!
The Montgomery Advertiser, in their April 20, 2006, edition printed a "Letter to the Editor" titled "Lawsuits scare away business prospects". The letter was from Alabama Voters Against Lawsuit Abuse Board Member Kerry Kelly. I'll come back on a day when I have time and destroy their arguments with FACTS but for now I'll tell a story from "back in the day".
The AJC's Heather Vogell reports "AJC cartoonist Mike Luckovich wins 2nd Pulitzer". More of his work can be found on The AJC's Opinion pages. I've been working in Georgia for nearly five years now and I've bought an AJC nearly every morning that I've crossed the river. I've enjoyed his work and will continue to thank him for helping us think. Having him working out of the AJC is especially enjoyable. Peace ... or War!
Kim Chandler of The B'ham News reports "Moore accuses Bush of trying to stop him from winning primary" with Alabama's favorite theocrat seeminly demonstrating that he can't count past Ten. As in commandments of course. CROD member Roy Moore claimed,
"This visit is political payback in exchange for his complete cooperation with George W. Bush and shows his great concern for the upcoming primary election on June 6. Both the state Republican leadership and now the president himself have wrongfully attempted to interfere in this Republican primary and it won't work," a statement from Moore's campaign read.One recent poll has you down by 44% and Bu$h is down to 33% approval from a poll released today by Faux News. Your former colleague Justice Woodall claimed just recently that you had but an "average legal mind" but surely you learned to count.
Erica Pippins of The Montgomery Advertiser tell us "President Bush talks technology in Tuskegee". Only serios Red States might have their GOP leadership appear with Bu$hCo with his poll numbers in the tank. In "Pink States" candidates run the other way when Dubyah comes calling. Bob Riley and Mike Rogers must be feeling rather safe.
The only reason I ask is that one of my students, who swears he lives near the Klan HQ over here in West Georgia, told me that this group is using Latino labor in their new building efforts. Should the story be true as to ethnicity, with me having no doubt that the KKK is alive and well in Heard County despite their ommission from this map from the SPLC, these workers could very well be American citizens or possess a valid green card. At least this kid's tale let me lay into this nasty hate group with a vengeance. Georgia has just passed the toughest legislation on providing social services to undocumented people. I've found Heard County to be hardly the most "progressive" community plus did not think the Hoods would really want to use Hispanics yet ... Lots of paradoxes here.
Admittedly the 2008 Olympics are not going to have this event. Plus the Olympics are being held in Beijing so I doubt this Good Free Market American Patriot would go to The People's Republic of China, even if the PRC now owns most of our debt thanks in large part to his comrades of conservatism screwing up the surplus trends from essentially eight years of sanity. But if they did have shilling as an event, we'd have a possible champion right here in the South.
In his final year as governor of Florida, Jeb Bush is going down swinging.The Tool even got a dig in at Democrats in the Georgia House blocking legislation to "change twelve" words as they "locked down as a voting bloc". Jim, do you write your columns straight from the talking points they send you? Do you weave the same old arguments from the voucher boys with those from the Bu$hCo boys and your other patrons to get essentially the same old same old agenda? I'll return for the snark and the facts as I'm tired (Some folks don't get paid to pander!) and need some rest. Good night Jim. I'll see you soon. Peace ... or War!
Faced with a state Supreme Court ruling that a school voucher program for children in chronically failing schools is unconstitutional, Bush is putting it on the line in his last year as governor, trying to convince the Florida Legislature to amend the state constitution.
Bush's efforts there offer a lesson to those who seek to provide parents alternatives to traditional public schools for their children.
The lesson is that any reform of public education that involves something other than pouring more tax dollars into it requires resilience and, as with the war in Iraq, a willingness to change tactics in response to entrenched opposition. When one approach is blocked, try another. ...
The Florida Supreme Court — the liberal Florida Supreme Court that forced the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the state's hanging chad election controversy in 2000 — struck down Opportunity Scholarships affecting about 700 children in January.
Phillips Rawls of the AP appears in The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer with “Alabama no battleground in fight for control of Congress” and I’m a bit frustrated. Not really at Mr. Rawls I guess but there are so many things that could have made it into this work. Even the few folks that actually read anymore might not know things they ought to understand.
Can’t anybody mention gerrymandering by packing, cracking, and kidnapping? Districts have been made so refined that the party in power in the state can often craft “safe” districts whenever they get power rather than just every ten years. The idea that the Big Mules on Goat Hill are going to hammer out a Texas stunt like Hot Tub Tom DeLay is probably not realistic but nationally it is happening. Software is out there that makes it cheap and easy now. The Department of Justice is filled with Bu$hCo cronies that will overrule the professionals even. These seats are hardly hard to fight for and in fact I’d argue that Joe could have easily won his race if the Democrats had helped him just a little more. Don’t get me started on how the GOP can overspend. They will play dirty, even against Vietnam Vet and triple amputee Max Cleland from next door in Georgia! They have a built in organization via the fundamentalist and Dobsonites. They have tons of influence with the media.… John Giles of the Alabama Christian Coalition claims “It’s the strength of the candidates.” …
David Lanoue, chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said none of Alabama's congressional incumbents have been tainted by scandal and are considered vulnerable. But the Alabama Democratic Party is carrying out the strategy of the party's national chairman, Howard Dean, to try to place a Democrat in every race to wave the party's flag even if there is no likelihood of winning, he said. … Democrats signed up to challenge all of the Republican incumbents except Rep. Spencer Bachus of Birmingham in the 6th Congressional District."
They're good people, but they will be underdogs," said Joe Turnham, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party. The reason they're viewed as underdogs is money. "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had a strategy not to target Alabama," said Turnham, who became the party chairman after running unsuccessfully for Congress.
Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said she would have loved to have found strong candidates to put up against the two Democratic incumbents, but with the GOP already holding five of the seven seats in the U.S. House, the party's best use of its resources was to focus on other races. …
With perhaps a little too much emphasis on the wealthy, Brendan Casey, a writer living in Sandy Spring, gives us via the AJC “The cult of the child : They're the elite; they're spoiled; they run the show . . . and ruin it”. The work resonates with me in seeing how a great nephew behaved just yesterday. “What part of no don’t you understand.” My ten year old is hardly perfect but damned if he will ignore me. I’ve failed in several ways as a parent but my boy knows to behave with some measure of decorum. He knows I will remind him when he needs it. I will also offer that many middle class and poorer people lack skills or class. Some are working so hard to pay the bills and keep up with the consumption that that hurts their kids. However, I personally can usually deal with a poor or regular kid far more effectively than a prince or princess. Do you think these kewl kids are going to grow up to be solid citizens?
The schools, including Birmingham City’s Councill Elementary School, destroy the long-held assumption by some that because so many of their students live in poverty, they aren't capable of learning as well or as much as other, better off students. Sadly, many of the people who believe such a thing teach at, or have children attending, poor schools. They have allowed themselves to be strangled by what former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus called the "tyranny of low expectations."It is ironic that the Mabus quote was seemingly given as his view that these low expectation were as a chain around his and our state. Malbus is or at least was a Democrat, yet a child of privilege, who was out of office after one term when he dared just slightly raise taxes for better schools. Of course private family issues might not have helped him any as well. I feel your pain. I’ve also heard a version of the quote, dropped by Bu$hCo rather often, in the form of “the soft bigotry of low expectations”. Regular readers know my own “low expectations” of anything from the Bu$hCo cabal.
For this first paragraph only, DO NOT CLICK THE LINKS! Filmstripinternational.com provides a slide show titled "American Civics II" and via Ifilm.com we can see a video labeled "Topless Car Wash". From their titles alone, one might think that at least one would be appropriate for an 8th grade class in a North Alabama High School named West Limestone. It is a science class taught by Steve White. Which one might be appropriate? You can look and especially think now, as you really ought to before you making any decision.
Kelly Kazek and Sonny Turner reported at the Athens Herald a piece entitled "West teacher subject of new complaints" that,...we received a copy of Carroll’s two-sentence statement Friday: “The matter at West Limestone is a personnel issue and has been dealt with. There are no additional comments.” By state law, personnel matters concerning school faculty, administrators and staff may be handled internally and kept confidential if they concern “the good name and character” of the person involved.
However, in a public school board meeting in December, Carroll recommended the board fire a bus driver who allegedly said the phrase “p—-ed off” and the d-word to students on the bus. The board voted not to terminate the driver.
We want to know how a teacher playing a song with the word “a—hole” seen and sung 20 times and the s-word once to a science class of eighth grade students differs from the bus driver’s uttered phrases. Now that the matter and the name of the person involved have been made public, there is no reason not to disclose what happened in that classroom and how it was handled. ...
Christy Jackson, whose son is in White's eighth grade science class, ... also made her son say “John Kerry rocks” before leaving class one day.The clip ... also included the s-word and showed someone “flipping a bird.”Additional reporting by Kelly Kazek is entitled "Student: Clips show drinking, partial nudity" where "Bobby" and his mother Christy Jackson are the identified sources. Ms. Kazek writes,
Young "Bobby" I will write later yet right now I'll suggest that Mr. Bu$h has shown disrespect and in fact utter contempt for our Constitution and this nation's citizens, plus basic rights of any human being on this earth. Also, there's a big chunk of the world that does not accept American "exceptionalism". In fact some even resent the hell out of it. I'm sorry I dropped a "worty dird" on you and I'm sure you never hear any profanity in a high school. That being offered, I agree that perhaps some of your teacher's actions do need examing and I'll do this before I wind up this increasingly long post.The clips typically came via e-mail to White’s classroom computer, he said. Other clips the boy said he has seen in class include, in his words:
• “A girl with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other with her bikini top pulled down. It showed everything but it had a little star over the nipple. It said ‘Alabama fan’ at the bottom.”
• “A guy with a clear glass of beer, drinking from, like, a tube from a keg. He would drink and as he would get full, he would throw it back up and it would go back into the tube and he would drink it again.”
The class also saw clips of The Fruitcake Lady, an elderly woman character who appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to dispense “naughty” advice, according to the show’s Web site.
• Bobby said in a Fruitcake Lady clip “about a month ago, in one of them, they would ask questions like, ‘My boyfriend’s cheating on me, what should I do?’” The teen said the character would then begin cursing and saying what she would do to a cheating boyfriend.
Bobby said the videos and filmstrips took precedence over schoolwork in White’s class. “I’ve never, all this year, had a decent science class,” he said. “Even if you could pass up the videos, you weren’t learning anything.”Bobby said he knew his mother would not approve. “She would not want me watching this,” he said. “I didn’t really hesitate to say anything to her about it.” Bobby said he would not mind giving his name if not for his mother’s concerns.“I’m not worried about it at all,” he said.
Bobby asked if he could say one last thing about the filmstrip describing President Bush and his administration in vulgar terms.“I think this one about President Bush, whether you like his values and opinions and morals, he’s still the president of the greatest country in the world and you shouldn’t disrespect him,” he said.
Also, Ms. Kazek tells her readers that Mr. White is now on administrative leave while new allegations are being investigated. She writes,What a bunch af ASSHOLES to publish such garbage ! This is our American President ! A total lack of respect for ourcountry, the office of President, and self respect for themselves could only be at the root of this tactless display ! Regardless of who the president is, which party he represents, he is still the President of the United States of America, the greatest country on earth. My turn for a question- Where are the ASSHOLES that were going to leave this great country if George Bush were to be elected to a second term? The scum sucking assholes are all show and no go ! Good-bye Seam Penn, Jane Fonda, Alec Baldwin and the like, keep your word, LEAVE- permently- I for one will help finance your one-way trip to your home in Afghanistan or Iraq.... good ridance.. GO ... PLEASE ! Maybe someone will have the chance to breathe the good air you don't deserve ! GOD BLESS THE USA, her people and her leaders !- DK, Texas (DK leaves us, and I'll circle around to this one for certain, with a quote that this generous man attibutes to Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father, reading "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.")
HEY #10! Yeah, the one who called us a bunch of whiny cunts and defends Shrub by saying that being President is such a hard job- Were you that understanding of Bill Clinton, when he was doing a GOOD job of protecting us from terrorist attacks AND balancing our budget AND doing it all with the existing laws and the support of the free world?No, you were there cheering during that pathetic Republican coup attempt called an Impeachment. Because you're an ignorant redneck who hates America and all we stand for.- WPD, California
The ideas of the people who made this filmstrip are far beyond my realm of reasoning & thus I can only describe it [& them] as totally DISGUSTING!!!!If this is how these people feel about Bush with all of the good he's done, they must love that drunken bum, Ted Kennedy with his Chappaquiddick 'incident'.....so let's hope all their red noses burn like Hell!!!! Anyone UNpatriotic enough to believe this junk should not be allowed to live in the USA, but thank G-d, they have President Bush to protect their right to do so!!!!And, if they really hate it SO much.....there's still room left in the Al Qaeda Camp, just for them!!!!SRH[A VERY Patriotic Republican American who is VERY Right Wing & proud of it!!!!]- SRH, Rhode Island
The "You're An Asshole" one was preaching to the chior with me since I already knew that most republicans, heterosexists and religionists are. There are a few good people in each of those three groups I just mentioned, but unfortunately not nearly enough to make any difference.I wouldnt vote for anyone in ghe current White House regime for dog-catcher.- D.H., America
Such a fitting tribute to a group of "assholes" that all should be six feet under instead of the 2000 plus true american heroes that layed down thier lives on fake intelligence but did it for the love of this country. Karma is a bitch and there will be a day that everyone of these "assholes" will have to come to terms and pay for what they have done.- dc, florida
It is a daily grief to live in a state where your sisters and even some of your friends voted for this child of Barbara & GHW. I do not know how they insulate themselves from the horror of their own tenure in the White House-- which saw the FIRST invasion of Iraq on behalf of an oil interest--much less the willing deceit of their son in unlawful ascent (twice) to the office of the president, and the depravity of his soul in the foundation and fueling of a web of lies and secrecy. The worst of all, however, was knowing that he actually won on the votes of so-called Christians who were sucked into the republican strategy to go to the polls and vote against gay and lesbian citizens of this country. They weren't voting for him so much as they were voting against same-sex marriage, because they were told that was what the election was all about. Ignorance and fear. Apparently it is the winning ticket. And they will be using it again in the Fall 2006 elections because, at this moment in time, the Democrats also are neither smart enough nor brave enough to stand up and tell the truth.- thh, the blue center of a red state
Limestone County School System administrators Wednesday discussed the investigation into allegations that White showed additional obscene clips, including one of an sexually explicit animated chip (sic? - likely a typo of "clip") of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. No action was taken Wednesday but an outcome was expected today. White has not returned calls.Ms, Kazek gave holocaust denier David Horowitz space to shill his books and talking points however on "academic freedom" She did not mention his FrontPageMag.com. She gave his Center for Popular Culture ink. This organization is funded by the various Scaife Foundations, the Coor's Castle Rock Foundation, ... plus Fox News "Hannity and Colmes" and even Governor Riley to express his outrage. "Beyond you" indeed Governor? Maybe Michael Scanlon could explain? Yet, referencing the filmstrip creator's website commenting she does not supply a URL or link or ...
I found this Easter edition editorial from The Decatur Daily rather interesting,... It refers to a country at war, the poor getting poorer and jobs moving overseas. Then it shows a color photo of President Bush with a profane caption.
That upset some parents, who complained to school officials about the content of the clips featuring Bush, members of his administration and his supporters.
Other captions, some containing profanity, are shown under photos of Texas Rep. Tom DeLay, Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. ...
Parent Christy Jackson, whose son saw the film in White's class, said she thinks the motivation was political. Jackson said White is anti-Bush.Jackson said she is upset because she wants her son to respect other people's religion, beliefs and political views.
Pam Wallace, chairwoman of the local Democratic Executive Committee, said she is in Montgomery and had not heard about the incident. "So I don't see how I can comment on it," Wallace said.
Jim Burden, chairman of the local Republican Party, said, "It bothers me that he took his political opinion into the classroom. That's not what we're paying him to teach. He should be teaching students how to make gold out of lead and stick to science."
District 4 Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, who is seeking re-election, said this is "absolutely not appropriate material" for eighth grade or high school. "I know he's my opponent, but I would say this about any teacher who showed something like that. You shouldn't use your position as a teacher to influence children about your political opinions," Hammon said. "That is wrong. He's abusing his authority."
Hammon said legislators are debating getting the Bible taught in schools as an elective, and "we sure don't need to have to come back and battle over stuff like this getting in the classroom."
Hammon said the school system needs to reassure parents that "this won't happen again."
..."unless" is mighty because it trumps all other. Time marches forward unless we accept the renewal offered to us through the death of Jesus, a renewal whose power we saw, and see, through the resurrection. Death comes ever closer unless we accept a renewal that rebukes the hurry of time, that topples the temple of the finite.Wow! I'll drop the post but it is a work in progress. I need to stew on this one. Peace ... or War!We are so immersed in the temporal, we so often "hurry up please" for time, that we struggle to recognize the gift that undoes time. Like Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, we can't see renewal when it stares us in the face.
But the rebirth promised by the resurrection is real, indeed far more real than football or overdoses or cancer. Those realities are fleeting; the reality bestowed upon us by a man in pain and slumped on a cross is eternal. God forecast the renewal offered through his son with Abraham, whom God "reckoned righteous." He let Abraham rewind to a point before sin. He let Abraham accomplish what eludes us in daily life. God washed out Abraham's past sins.
Almost as implausible, Jesus washed out our finiteness even as he understood it. He understood our fear of hunger because he fasted. He understood our thirst because he went without. He experienced our pain, and our fear of it, as the thud-thud-thud of a hammer pierced his living body with nails.
He understood because, out of his love for us, he experienced it. And, of course, he experienced death. He dragged his cross toward death, soldiers and Pharisees reminding him, "Hurry up please it's time." He locked himself in linear time from birth to death so he could make our time his, and so he could kill it by dying himself. He wept with us for Lazarus, consuming himself with our grief and denying himself the escape from mortality that God withheld until Easter morning.
We hope you have a wonderful Easter. Enjoy the colors of Easter dresses and dogwood, of blue skies and green grass. Soak up the beauty and pleasure that, while finite, bring joy. But don't immerse yourself entirely in that pleasure, or in your grief. Through his death and resurrection, Christ washed out the limitations of a life that ends with death. He promised us renewal.
Alabama's perhaps most judgemental Judge Tom Parker is of course seeking to move up to the Chief Justice slot on our state Supreme Court. Today our "Mini Moore" is knocking down the wall (as in the wall separating government and religion) to gain entry to Captain Plaid's Hall of Shame in that you are undeniably "Crazy as a Run Over Dog", perhaps even challenging initial member Ann Coulter for dominance of this certifiably cracked pack. You'll likely be able to ally yourself with CROD alumni such as your mentor, Alabama's favorite theocrat Roy Moore. Georgia's combative Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is being considered of course for entry yet you'll likely not get her support. Of course Angry Ann might not either.
That Justice Black is "controversial", even in his own hometown in Clay County just over the river from the Tin Shop, is more of an indictment of some ignorant people in Alabama than Hugo Black. The Alabama State Bar Hall of Fame needed Justice Black. The South and indeed the nation needs more Hugo Black and less Stripsearch Sammy and Surly Scalia and ... Plus I'm sure that our world can stand no more Bu$hCo. Senator Black would be shocked at The Rubber Stamp Congress allowing this cabal to ignore our Constitution!Hugo Black is still controversial in his home state 35 years after his death, with state state Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker criticizing the Alabama State Bar for inducting the former U.S. Supreme Court justice into its hall of fame Friday.
Parker issued a statement calling Black's induction into the Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame a "shameful disgrace to the people and state of Alabama." He said Black "personally launched the war to kick God out of the public square in America."
Parker, a Republican candidate for chief justice, also criticized Republican Chief Justice Drayton Nabers for participating in the event at the state judicial building. Parker's statement got distributed at the induction ceremony, where three other prominent Alabama legal figures were inducted along with Black.
MSNBC gives us the report that Delta and their pilots union may have reached a deal that will at least (for now?) avoid a total collapse of the Atlanta-based carrier. The "tea" I write of would be the other workers such as ... flight attendants, mechanics, suppliers, our region, ... And of course there's the lenders holding all these folk's mortgages and loans. I know Delta has lots of paper out there as well! I expect their families likely enjoy a fair wage earned for services rendered. Their kids will need savings to get their own education. These pilots and Delta folks pay taxes and spend in our economy. The bottom line for The Captain is that our society is connected and we are all in this together! Whatever happens with Delta it is the PEOPLE and not the profit from the product!
We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.
"Personally, I'm in favor of democracy, which means that the central institutions of society have to be under popular control. Now, under capitalism, we can't have democracy by definition. Capitalism is a system in which the central institutions of society are in principle under autocratic control." Noam Chomsky
"The basic difference between the period after 1973 and the previous period is that the nation's equalizing institutions - unions, public education, the welfare state broadly defined - were much weaker in the present period." William J. Wilson
In a follow up to an earlier post here, today we have Brett J. Blackledge and Mary Orndorff of The Birmingham News reporting "Convicted lobbyist gave to 4 state PACs". This article is involving Michael Scanlon who was formerly the press secretary for Bob Riley early in his term in the U.S. Congress. Scanlon was also later a staffer of Tom DeLay. What a mess! Government of the people managed by the Big Mules. Peace ... or War!
Brian Lawson of The Huntsville Times reports "Cramer: Bush leaks 'troubling' : Secrecy has hurt relationship with Congress, he says" with the Captain wondering "What took you so long?". I know you need to keep the Bu$hCo cabal somewhat happy to bring home the bacon for the Rocket Boys but this is long overdue. I guess now that you've got another two years without opposition you can speak a little more directly. Demand accountability as you can now stand up to the Rubber Stamp Congress. Peace ... or War!
Reform in seating and retaining appellate judges in Alabama might be boosted by the reports of a tacky e-mail from Champ Lyons III, son of Alabama Supreme Court Judge Champ Lyons Jr., to his father's opponent, Ben Hand of Opelika. Phillip Rawls of the AP via al.com is reporting "E-mail offers glimpse into Alabama judicial campaign" and The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer is carrying the same piece.
The Montomery Advertiser gave editorial space to Richard T. Crow, Interim Director of The Alabama Poverty Project, today. The Alabama Poverty Project's webpages has a "Myths and Facts about Poverty and Welfare" section that is closely related to this editorial. Peace ... or War!
Although we are regrettably one of the reddest of the Red States, it might be that Alabama would have a vital role in selecting Presidential Nominees. David White of The B'ham News is reporting that the legislature has passed nearly identical bills that would set Alabama's Presidential Primary on the first Tuesday in February. Although I'm a touch concerned about the $3.5 million this will cost, it appears the Governor isn't. Alabama would be right there with South Carolina (if the current order holds!) making out state an early test for candidates in the South. This might help bring some Progressive and Populist ideas to our state! That is if the Democrats will start truly running on these ideas instead of trying to come off a Republican Lite. Peace ... or War!
"Reverend" Rick Scarborough's "Vision America" is actively recruiting "Patriot Pastors" across America. The Reverend is a rising star in the religious right. He has formed The Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Reformation dedicated to "stopping activist judges". Tom DeLay has seen Scarborough rally behind him using language such as "I believe the most damaging thing that Tom DeLay has done in his life is take his faith seriously into public office, which made him a target for all those who despise the cause of Christ ... "
Judge Cobb's website is still being polished up yet there's enough there to merit a visit. I've met her, heard her speak, read some of her work, know she has worked hard for The American Cancer Society, ... and truly hope she'll be considered for this position. Alabama needs Judge Cobb! Peace ... or War!
Interesting reporting oufrom The Mobile Press-Register by Andrea James on the idea that home values in Alabama increased by $24.00 per day in 2005. Citing FDIC stats, Ms. James reports that the media price of a home in Alabama is $134,000.00. Peace ... or War!
Brett J. Blackledge and Tom Gordon of The Birmingham News gives us "PACs often mask who's behind gift : Riley ahead in fundmaking race with major PACs backing". Darn good reporting! While I am often at least marginally sympathetic to the goals of AEA and Alabama Trial Lawyers and even some other special interests, and can accept that they have First Amendment protection for their efforts, full disclosure seems foundational in a democracy. If the average citizen can learn who is writing the checks ($8.8 million so far in campaign donations in Alabama!) and pulling the strings (as in to PAC to PAC transfers and ...) then perhaps we'll start getting some results off Goat Hill that aren't for the Big Mules. And why isn't Lucy feeling the love from these groups? Peace ... or War!
The Anniston Star gives us an April 7, 2006 editorial entitled "Sen. Water Carrier". The Star, responding to the recent hearing on Russ Feingold's censure resolution, opines,
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, joined the chorus, aggressively slapping back at the suggestion that Bush has done anything wrong. He belittled the reaction to the news of Bush’s spying program as a "national spasm," warning that "it is time for some in this Congress to get over it."
If it’s possible, somebody should pull Sen. Sessions back from the brink. Loyalty is one thing. Looking the other way is quite another. Want to get your ticket punched for the senatorial hall of shame? Just keep on heading down the path Sessions is on.
"Our president is an honest man, a candid man, a strong leader. And the people of America know it," Sessions said.
We know Sessions is a loyal Republican. We know loyalty is highly prized by this White House. But we know Sessions’ career in politics will probably last longer than the 33 months remaining in Bush’s second term. Perhaps he should ask the "honest" and "candid" president when he plans to come clean for his comments of March 17, 2003: "Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapon ever
devised."Oppose the censure measure if you like, senator. Just give us a legitimate reason why talking about it is so wrong. This is a democracy. People will disagree. The beauty of our system is that we can have these debates out in the open for the world to see. We are stronger because we can air our differences and practice the art of compromise. Well, some of us can.
The Alabama Federation of Republican Women might be a good example of the appearance of "grass roots" in the GOP. They are part of the National Federation of Republican Women that seems especially well coordinated with the ReThuglican Party. Worth a visit to each. The funding and coordination is likely part of The Mighty Wurlitzer that we often ignore.
John Davis of The Montgomery Advertiser reports the tax reform legislation has cleared the Alabama House. About damn time Goat Hill! Special snaps to Montgomery Representative John Knight! Peace ... or War.
It is seemingly effective politics in this Reddest of Red States to rail against "activist judges legislating from the bench" and "ignoring the will of the people". This is especially so if they are federal judges. George Wallace taught them that trick! Yet the B'ham News Op-Ed from today reminds us that Alabama trial judges can and often do ignore the jury recommendations of life without possibility of parole to order the State of Alabama to kill people. Like the editorial author, I'm not a fan of the death penalty, even in cases as extreme as the News reports, yet the intellectual inconsistency of many "hanging judges" seems to be present. I'm sorry! I forgot that "intellectual" can't apply to some candidates such as the one that wants Alabama to kill kids even if The United States Supreme Court has ruled against that barbaric practice. And there's also everyone's favorite Theocrat Roy Moore. What a state! Peace ... or War!
While I posted recently on the fact that Alabama is doing rather well at the trough, Sean Reilly of The Mobile Press-Register reports "Alabama share of federal 'pork' plunges". Mr. Reilly writes,
Even as congressionally driven "pork" spending continues to climb overall, Alabama's share plunged by 41 percent this fiscal year, a watchdog group reported Wednesday.
After receiving $345.2 million in fiscal 2005, Alabama is now getting $203 million, according to the latest "Pig Book" tally from Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based organization critical of pork expenditures.
The drop occurred despite a 6.2 percent increase in pork spending nationally this year. In all, lawmakers ordered $29 billion in funding for thousands of politically favored projects, including ...
I've previously posted on Ann Coulter and Roy Moore being "crazy as a run over dog" yet I've nearly decided Cynthia McKinney is also worthy of admission. I've listened to Ms. McKinney's fracas being discussed on Ed Norton's PBS "News and Notes" and read several news articles yet Cynthia Tucker makes a lot of sense, as she usually does, in her AJC editorial from today. She opines,
I have seen interviews in the past and certainly recently of Ms. McKinney where she came across very poorly. For some time I've tried to give this woman the benefit of the doubt. I will wait for further information about the incident in DC and agree that perhaps the police officer could have handled it another way. Still, I expect Congresswoman McKinney should have as well. Perhaps her skin color or change in hair style had something to with the fact she was not recognized. Indeed Capitol Hill cops should know members of Congress. But she's hardly placing herself in a good light with her recent actions. Democrats, uhm, "We can do better!". Peace ... or War!There is a lot of bad news in black America.
After a decade of rising affluence, poverty (among blacks and whites) is on the upswing. Marriage is out of fashion, but diabetes, hypertension and heart failure are not. We die sooner than whites. And black men remain disproportionately shut out of the mainstream — unemployed, on drugs, in prison.
So if black activists and political leaders are looking for matters crying out for redress or reform or fairness, I could give them a list. Cynthia McKinney's complaints would not be on it.If you're going to call a press conference and muster such prominent supporters as Harry Belafonte and Danny Glover, you ought to be sure the issue is important enough to command national attention. You should save that sort of clarion call for the most serious matters — renewing the Voting Rights Act or raising the minimum wage so that more black men can support their children. The precious spotlight of national news coverage should not be wasted on a spoiled and demanding congresswoman who thinks she's the Soul Queen of Capitol Hill.
Nor should the Abrams tank of political warfare — the charge of "racism" — be rolled out to fight every minor battle. Racism is a shadow of its former self, but it lives yet. You see it in the high rates of harsh discipline meted out to black boys in public schools. You can also see it in the disproportionate numbers of black men sent to prison for crimes they didn't commit.Certainly, the legacy of racism is alive and well. You can see it in the self-destructive behavior of so many young black men — the internecine violence, the distorted self-esteem, the worship of thug culture. You can see the legacy of racism in the enduring rates of poverty and poor health among black citizens.
But McKinney's trumped-up charge of racism merely cheapens the term, so that it's less effective when it's needed to discuss genuine discrimination. ...
Last month, The New York Times ran a front-page story outlining the dire social and economic prospects for young black men. According to a number of recent academic studies, black men, despite the obvious successes of a few, are falling further and further behind, locked in place as a permanent underclass. "Especially in the country's inner cities, the studies show, finishing high school is the exception, legal work is scarcer than ever and prison is almost routine, with incarceration rates climbing for blacks even as urban crime rates have declined," the article said.
I waited for somebody to call a press conference. I waited for Jesse and Al to take to the streets demanding public policies that would bring black men into the mainstream. I looked for responses from the usual suspects — the NAACP, the Urban League and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I heard nothing.
But a misunderstanding between a second-rate member of Congress and a Capitol Hill police officer has apparently become a full-blown crisis. So maybe I'm wrong about all of this. Perhaps I just need to adjust my perspective.
Perhaps the fact that one-third of young black men have police records is not a problem. Maybe the fact that 70 percent of black children are born outside the bonds of marriage is no big deal, and a 72 percent unemployment rate among black male high school drop-outs in their 20s does not signal a crisis. Maybe the serious decline in the marriage rate among black adults does not suggest the demise of a community.
No, indeed. The biggest problem facing black America involves a white cop who wouldn't give a black woman her props.
Now that "Hot Tub" Tom DeLay has taken one for the GOP team in TX-22, Alabama perhaps need to be reminded that Vestavia Hills U.S. Representative Spencer "Sushi" Bachus has given at least $10,000.00 to Tom DeLay's legal fund. An April 26, 2005 piece in Public Citizen provides
But Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) found a way to circumvent the House rules, according to the Public Citizen analysis. He made one $5,000 contribution through his leadership PAC and a second from his campaign fund. That $10,000 total contribution makes Bachus the largest congressional contributor to DeLay’s legal defense in the last three months.
All five Republicans from Alabama have either accepted campaign funds from DeLay's political action committee or made contributions to DeLay's legal defense fund, or both. Bachus' campaign fund and his leadership PAC each gave $5,000 to DeLay's legal fund earlier this year; Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, are listed as $5,000 contributors; and Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, gave $1,000.
Including Rep. Terry Everett, R-Rehobeth, all five Alabama Republicans have accepted campaign contributions from DeLay's political action committee over the years. The largest recipient is Rogers, who accepted $10,000 for each of the past two election cycles and also for the next one in 2006 for a total of $30,000.
Although the piece is mostly focused on children in therapeutic settings, those with super serious issues, Kim Chandler of The B'ham News gives us a good review of the whole funding process for foster parenting. DHR is poor-mouthing and Governor Riley's budget did not provide the extra money. Peace ... or War!
A sad story broke this weekend about former Auburn basketball star Chris Porter. The Montgomery Advertiser/Dothan Eagle is reporting Porter is once again facing criminal charges, this time involving a DUI and a misdemeanor drug charge. Long ways from the cover of SI! Hope this man can get his act together. Peace ... or War!
The Anniston Star gives us "Pork Pride" today pointing out that once in our history admitted liberals were expected to go to DC and bring home the bacon. Apparently "conservatives" are as well, all the time running on small government rhetoric. I've previously pointed out that Sushi Hating Spencer Bachus blames bureaucrats for the need to earmark pork. It amazes me that people run for a position leading our government when they don't like or trust government. Peace ... or War!
Chairman and Publisher H. Brandt Ayers of The Anniston Star once again provides our region with rare insights into real concerns. Not perfectly crafted, which I'll address later, but surely close enough to where I hope folks will read and ponder, although most of the people that can and will do that sort of thing aren't really the concern I'd suggest. Mr. Ayers, in his "End of the rich man’s era?" jumps rather quickly into an idea that
We may be about to turn sharply on socio-political hinges to the urgent concerns of the average citizen, much like a similar swing in the decade and a half following the turn of the last century.Sharp swings are often where lots of people are harmed so I would hate to see that occur. Yet, given the direction of the GOP Rubber Stamp Congress and the Bu$hCo cabal plus organizations like ALEC prepared to bring even more Big Mule Protections into the states, I fear it may very well take a crumbling before Joe and Jill Sixpack will wake up. And even then will it be too late? Mr. Ayers knows his history and weaves his understanding nicely into this and other work. I know we often tell our youth that studying history is to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past but I'm becoming more accepting of the idea that learning it really is so you'll not be as surprised when the inevitable occurs.
Middle-class Americans today tighten their belts, hope they don’t get laid off by merger or outsourcing and shake their heads in resignation as ExxonMobil swims in profits of $36.1 billion and awaits a share of $7 billion in tax breaks.True enough for the middle class squeeze plus I've also blogged on the damage deregulation has caused local media. The one area where I was concerned about Mr. Ayers' editorial, not based on what he thinks as I know he's an enlightened man, follows, the emphasis being supplied by this blogger, when he writes
Small-town merchants, the core of Main Street values, watch with the resigned calm of men facing a firing squad as Godzilla-Mart approaches to swallow them, starving local radio stations and newspapers dependent on locally owned advertisers.
Much of the above is indeed dead on yet his venture into Professor Patterson's work, a recent NY Times editorial of his perhaps stoking Mr. Ayers' fire (unfortunately now probably locked behind their damned Select feature), gave me cause for pause. I often fear the neo-confederates that seem to often take offense to The Star's tolerance, plus others lacking in refinement on race, such as many of The Freepers, could use portions of writing such as "constant threat by what seems a permanent black male underclass drawn to crime and drugs." in less that ideal ways. Having the anti-intellectual racist or even worse pseudo-educated neo-con actually cite a scholar at Harvard, that bastion of liberal elitism, might however be an especially tasty irony. I am admittedly learning as I continue to blog how difficult clear and concise writing can be. I have an eternity to go before I am even close to the quality of most authentic journalists.It is tempting to believe that the weight of the war and the real-world, street-level worries of working and middle-income citizens could be resolved in a burst of reform brought on by a new Congress and president.
Modern life, however, is more complicated. The old monopoly trusts could be broken up, freeing competitors and adding jobs, but we don’t know how to regulate the global marketplace of our time or how to find a productive place for its victims.
Our homes, our neighborhoods and especially clerks in gas station grub marts —combat soldiers of the retail world — are under constant threat by what seems a permanent black male underclass drawn to crime and drugs. Even such eminent black scholars as Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson think there may be a cultural reason for so many young black criminals, but the point is that no one knows.
The current leadership doesn’t seem to care about the victims of the global economy or the pathology of young black males. It is fixed on war, vaporous "family values" and tax breaks for Big Oil and the rich.
Educated at tolerable public schools and the finest non-ABA accredited yet Church of Christ affiliated part-time/night law school in the entire state of Alabama, I've managed to play lawyer, teacher, student, farm hand, activist/organizer, infantry soldier ... A recovering Southern Baptist, I'm almost a Buddhist Cowboy these days although a variant of Vonnegut's Bokononism might work. My dog tags read Unitarian Universalist. I suppose secular humanist might work as well as anything. Running from the law for nine plus years, I first did GTA work at Auburn and then spent the next five years with hormonal teenagers. Supressing my Scots enough to not strangle any kids, and indeed I learned much about patience and kindness, I taught various Social Studies preps in west Georgia public schools. Frustrated with bumbling bureaucrats and pushover parents and ..., plus knowing the 2006 elections were critical, I set aside the chalk to work a Congressional campaign. Enlisting at the seasoned age of 41 in the summer of 2007, I'm now ...
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