RedEye Around Alabama

I wonder what part of separation of church and state don't Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland and Pastor Bruce Hooks understand?

An Alabama city is turning to churches as an option to keep criminals out of jail.

"It's not a crime prevention program,' Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland said, "It's a crime intervention program."

Pastor Bruce Hooks says he's ready to give it a try.
"Oh, yeah! I'm excited, man. I'm eager, anticipating!"
The new initiative would allow some first time offenders to wind up in church rather than jail.
56 churches have agreed to take part in Operation ROC: Restore Our Community.

Uh, NO. It's called forcing the religious beliefs of Rowland and Hooks on *cough* first time, non violent offenders. I wonder what rock (pun intended) head came up with this idea? Evidently I don't know as much about the justice system and the United States Constitution as I thought I did. The constitution couldn't keep an innocent man from death by lethal injection, but first time offenders can either go to church or go to jail. These crazy, compassionate, Christan, conservatives crack me up. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. Paging the Alabama ACLU.

Speaking of the ACLU, I wonder if they can help me get my privileges back at Left in Alabama? There are some many discussions going on over there I would love to be able to participate in, number one being this little nugget...Al-07 Representative Terri Sewell a "Breakout Star"?

A glowing article in the Washington Post's Entertainment section yesterday spotlighted Alabama's freshman Democrat, Terri Sewell. Considering that Sessions, Shelby, & company all seem to be poster children for the failures of the country's mental health system, it's refreshing to see positive stories about Sewell:

Sewell, who won her seat in November with more than 70% of the vote, is the first African-American woman elected to congress from Alabama, the only Democrat currently serving from the state, and president of this year’s tiny Democratic freshman class. No wonder she’s the breakout star of the CBC this year.

“I feel like it’s a coming-out of sorts,” a beaming Sewell told us Wednesday at the Library of Congress where she was honored by her Alpha Kappa Alpha sisters (included her mom, Nancy Sewell), as well as special guests Nancy Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Now isn't that special? Psst Terri, it's not about Y-O-U remember? A search of your website has lots of pretty pictures, town halls,statements and appointments, but not one piece of legislation to benefit the people you were sent to Congress to represent. Remember them?

Today, Alabama's Black Belt includes some of the poorest counties in the United States. Along with high rates of poverty, the area is typified by declining populations, a primarily agricultural landscape with low-density settlement, high unemployment, poor access to education and medical care, substandard housing and high rates of crime.

The residents of the 7th district don't care about cool factoids or hearing about your pop-corn eating slumber parties with your roomies. In case you've forgotten African American Poverty and unemployment is at an all time high. While you're munching pop corn with your roomies get some advice on writing some bills and creating some J-O-B's in the 7th district. OK?

While I'm on the topic of Left in Alabama, mooncat is of the misguided opinion Dr. Paul Hubbard and Dr. Joe Reed got the Governor wanted. Seriously? WTF would Hubbard and Reed want Bentley to be the Governor? Bentley is for everything Reed and Hubbard spent a life time fighting for...voting rights, the rights of immigrants, public schools and public school employees, and access to health care for everyone. Reed and Hubbard weren't the ones asking why on earth they should vote for Ron Sparks.

And about that segregation at the University of Alabama The African American Greek system does not discriminate based on race, as a matter of fact they were formed in part to combat racism. They are also not social organizations, they are public service organizations. Almoderate said:

AKA... (4.00 / 1)
...is a black sorority. And while there were member who were hassling the poor black girl who joined our white sorority, I can't say for certain (and in fact I doubt) that this was behavior that was encouraged by the chapter itself. I can certainly say that the national AKA organization does not condone such.

That's why this isn't going to be easy to crack down on. The University of Alabama when it was integrated had previously had an official policy of discrimination. The Greek organizations have no such policy and in fact are very diverse in some chapters (though this is rare). Plus, there's not exactly a stack of complaints from people who have wanted to cross over into other organizations and feel that they were discriminated against. And even if there were, you'd have to still be able to show that there were not other factors (GPA, conduct, etc.) that contributed to not being accepted.

Affirmative action scenarios are insulting to all parties and are in fact a polar opposite of the very purpose of the Greek system-- which is to be grouped with similar interests. If you're bringing in a black girl who plays no sports into a white sorority filled with jocks just because she's black, it's going to be miserable for everyone.

The last paragraph hits the nail on it's head. The purpose of the Greek System for African American is public service, not jocks and debutantes.Black Greeks can cite examples of recruiting whites. Can white Greek organizations do the same?

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- As a dialogue continues over the integration of the University of Alabama's traditionally white fraternities and sororities, the student newspaper reports that black organizations can point to instances of recruiting whites.

The article focuses on Eve Dempsey, a white woman who joined the historically black sorority Zeta Phi Beta during the spring 2007 semester because she felt the organization shared her own values. Dempsey was the sorority's only white member at the time, though the organization had previously integrated in the 1980s, the report says. And another white joined Zeti Phi Beta in 2008, Dempsey said.

National Pan-Hellenic Council President Xavier Burgin told the CW that white students join black fraternities and sororities on a "somewhat" regular basis, estimating that NPHC organizations have accepted five to seven white members in the last 10 years.

I will close with my big RedEYE on the South Huntsville Civic Association School System H/T Geek Palaver for exposing the double standards in hiring and firing.

It would seem that the school system currently has two sets of hiring policies: one for senior administration and a second one for basically everyone else.
This is wrong.
Back in June when the board announced that they had reached a decision and agreement with Dr. Wardynski concerning his contract, I asked two of the board members (two of the three who voted for him), how they could justify paying a man with 11 months experience a salary that was $55,000 over the minimum salary of $120,000 when teachers’ salaries were set at the state minimum. According to the 2010 Superintendent Salaries, Dr. Wardynski is the fourth highest paid superintendent in the state.
Both of these board members separately said the same thing to me: “He’s the best man for the job, and he wouldn’t come for anything less.”

Oh really? The principal at Davis Hills came here from Mississippi where he was principal of an elementary alternative school. Uh, isn't Mississippi behind Alabama in in terms of student achievement? I'm just saying...

RedEye over and out...for now.