Balancing the Budget on the Backs of Alabama's Black Belt

Obama, Alabama officials pledge aid for white storm survivors, black storm storm survivors not so much.

If you look closely at the photograph attached to this diary of a VIP group walking with President Obama, I count nine individuals....Two in the front row, three in the middle row and four in the back, one of whom is barely visible as a pair of grey-trousered legs and the corner of a face. Two of them -- counting the President -- are non-white, one more may be.

The proportion of non-white persons in Alabama's population is about 29%, so 22%, or better 33%, persons of color (2 or 3 out of 9) would not be far out of line with the state population.

According to the same source, the proportion of persons in the population of Alabama who happen to be female is almost 52%. Female persons in the VIP group including President Obama: precisely zero.

Band Director Ryan Campbell watched his Sumter Central High School Tigers marching band strut last week on a field outside the gleaming new public high school in Sumter County.

"Where are the white kids?" a visitor asked.

"At the academy down the road," Campbell said, referring to private Sumter Academy.

And this is why Governor Bentley and the red, republican controlled state legislature robbed the public education budget to the tune of $80 million dollars.   This is why public schools (not to be confused with segregation academies) are failing, or should EYE say, being failed? 

If you're thinking of moving to Huntsville, or the State of Alabama I hope you don't have any k-12 school children. If you are not affluent enough to live in a neighborhood with the best public schools your tax dollars can buy, or afford to send your student to private schools, your children are tough out of luck, because of the sad, sorry state of separate and unequal education in Huntsville, and the state of Alabama. Over 50 years after Brown v. Board ordered schools to integrate Alabama is still the state of segregation today, segregation tomorrow, and it looks like segregation forever.

Officially, the news out of Alabama is this:

Alabama's Republican-controlled legislature and governor's office are committed to cutting the state's budget and the size of state government. That means the state will slice into the money available to a number of public agencies. And the Department of Public Safety, which includes the state's offices that issue driver's licenses, will simply have to take an $11 million hit. To make that math work, the agency will shutter driver's license offices in the state's most sparsely populated counties.

B-But it's not racial, it's just a coincidence the DMV offices slated for closing are in the Black Belt.  If it was really about saving money Governor Bentley would expand Medicaid.  But if he did that people who need access to health care the most might benefit.

Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District in the center of the state. It includes a region called the Black Belt, which has some of the poorest counties in the Southeast and the nation.

A recent national study on county-by-county health rankings published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that several counties in Davis’ district had high poverty, inadequate access to primary care doctors and a large numbers of uninsured residents.

Sumter, Hale and Greene counties had less than half the number of doctors recommended for their size populations, and 13 percent to 16 percent of the residents were uninsured, the survey showed.

Saving money my Donkey.  If it were about saving money they wouldn't be appealing  the Victory Land verdict.  Heck, they wouldn't have closed Victory Land in the first place.

If the cries of Montgomery politicians under indictment don’t generate sympathy, certainly the lamentation of unemployed workers in the Black Belt does. One effect of the bribe-induced Riley-Canary war on bingo in Alabama is the closure of bingo operations in Greene, Macon and Houston Counties, that employed literally thousands of workers, and brought millions of dollars annually to local government treasuries. We all wish that overwhelmingly black Greene and Macon Counties had bulldozers clearing land for new automotive and electronics plants, or for high-powered biology labs or computer engineering firms, but that’s the progress of the next generation. Right now, those counties are absolutely dependent on the entertainment and gaming business for their economic survival, and Obama’s what-me-worry attitude about Canary has placed that survival in jeopardy. Even in the white-majority Wiregrass, it’s probably safe to assume that Country Crossing employed a fair number of African-Americans in its service sector jobs. Had Bob Riley needed to worry about a U.S. Attorney with integrity in Montgomery, he would likely not have earned his Mississippi Choctaw bribes by shutting down the bingo halls, and the Legislature would probably have put a bingo referendum on this November’s ballot.

This is why EYE weep for the residents of Alabama's Black Belt, our state, and our country.

You’re either going to treat us right, or we’re going to withdraw from you our economic support,We intend to boycott Christmas, but not Jesus,”said Farrakhan. “So on Black Friday, we won’t be there.”‪#‎JusticeOrElse‬ #NotOneDime

No "Absence of Malice" in Bama~Update

Absence of Malice is an American film starring Paul Newman, Sally Field and  Bob Balaban, directed by Sidney Pollack

Against my better judgement I tuned in to radio boy's talk show this morning because investigative journalist Andrew Kreig of the Justice Integrity Project  was scheduled to discuss the Don Siegelman case.

Initially I was going to give Dale credit for having the courage to have Andrew Krieg on his show, until I heard his diatribe, I mean promo of the segment, which begin with the typical right wing talking points- convicted felon, bribery, found guilty by a jury of his peers, Siegelman sold his house for double the worth, blah, blah, blab, blab, ending by calling one of Kreig's sources, Blogger Legal Schnauzer, a Sociopath (Dale's word) because he lost his job, cost his wife her job, lost his home, and posted a blog that said the Judge in the Siegelman case was behind 9/11 (Dale's words), and it went down hill from there.  Oh well, at least I know what advertiser's and sponsors to stay away from, but I digress.

After promising to give Andrew Kreig two minutes to make his case, Dale proceeds to in engage in interruptions and over talk,  running out the clock until it was time for one of his many lengthy commercial breaks.

Dale likes to say democrats and liberals are afraid to appear on his show, but it's not fear that keeps self respecting democrats away, it's the knowledge they are going to be treated with contempt and  malice.

Andrew Kreig must have assumed he would have an honest and open discussion/debate regarding the facts around the Siegelman prosecution, but he was wrong.   Psst Mr. Kreig! See what we're up against here in Sweet Home Alabama?  Do you see why attorneys and democrats are scared?.   Should we all be afraid?

When Krieg tried to tell Dale it wasn't about Don Siegelman the person, and our system of justice should investigate crimes not people, Dale cut him off.

When Krieg said the reason Nick Baily testified against Don Siegelman because he was afraid of being raped in prison, Dale mocked him.

When Krieg said republican Stan Pate paid for Nick Bailey's defense because he felt sorry for him, Dale whined  Stan Pate hates Bob Riley.

When Krieg attempted to bring up the statements of Dana Jill Simpson, Dale cut him off crying  she had no creditability  or proof about anything..

When Kreig pointed out Simpson testified before congress under oath and produced phone records as evidence of the phone calls,  Dale said that wasn't evidence.

When Kreig tried to talk about a possible conflict of interest in the case, ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff , and campaign contributions,  Dale said people contribute to causes they believe in all the time.  Oh ,really?  So it's not a bribe IYANAR (If You Are Not A Republican).

This is what I learned from listening to the show this morning, is it's OK for Dale, Judge Fuller and others to hate on Don Siegelman, and go after him for partisan, political gain, but it's not OK for Stan Pate to hate on Bob Riley, or for Attorney General Troy King to go after him (Dale).

Krieg ended the segment by saying the only way we are are going to find out what really happened in the Siegelman case, is to put all the parties involved under oath. Using the movee Absence of Malice as an example, para quoting actor Wilford Brimley, cast as Assistant United States Attorney James A. Wells, who threatens to make everybody honest by putting them under oath.

Sounds like a plan to me.

Today's Must Read

Does Don Siegelman deserve more time in prison?

Scott Bloch Investigation Also Concerns Siegelman Case

Republicans are anti public schools and public school teachers

Again, if Charter Schools were the educational  solution for poor, black/brown students republicans wouldn't be pushing for  them.  Republicans don't believe access to a public education is a right, they believe it is a privilege of the privileged, for the privileged, by the privileged.    Some  high profile republicans honestly believe poor, black/brown children can't learn, or don't want to learn, due to life's unfairness.

If republicans really cared about solutions they would focus on creating jobs for the unemployed and under employed parents of poor black/brown students.  But noooo,  instead of creating jobs for them, they create a $70,000 per year job for one person .  I thought republicans were against out of control government spending?

Former Alabama Governor Bob Riley (R), pictured above,  is a lobbyist for Charter Schools.

Enough said.

Trying to Sleep in the Bed You Made

The state made its own educational bed
Originally published Saturday, March 5, 2011, in the Demopolis Times by community editor Jeremy D. Smith

Whitney Houston believed the children were our future. She urged that we teach them well and let them lead the way.

A sappy, overly-dramatic song whose message was as true then as it is now. Unfortunately, teaching the children well and encouraging them to lead the way has become increasingly difficult over the last three years as Alabama public schools have seen a total of more than 30 percent proration since Fiscal Year 2009.

Governor Robert Bentley declared three percent proration for FY-2011 earlier this week.

To Demopolis City Schools, that means $360,000 will have to be sliced out of the budget. Likely in some areas not related to cutting classroom hours or teaching units.

Exactly how that is going to pan out, no one yet knows.

But it is becoming increasingly difficult for schools to keep up with continuously stringent educational standards.

It seems every year there is some new requirement placed on teachers and schools.

In and of themselves, the improving standards are fine. After all, don’t we all want the best for our young people?

But as standards grow and technology develops, costs become more prohibitive.

And while there is always somebody calling for something better, there is scarcely anyone around to figure out how to bankroll these advances.

In Alabama, specifically, it is time to stop blaming elected officials for deficiencies. Granted, state spending has never been particularly frugal or practical. But much of the current economic climate as it pertains to education is solely the fault of Alabama voters.

Think about it. Don Siegelman proposed a lottery that would have gone to help fund education. Citing moral outrage, we as a state voted the idea down. That’s fine. Moral and ethical decisions are what they are. But no one offered an alternative to funding education.

Then Bob Riley came along and proposed a tax plan that would have seen an adjustment to a number of areas, most notably education funding.

We, as a state, voted that one down too. That’s fine. It is our right to exercise our voting privileges in whatever way we see fit.

But again, no one offered an alternative for education funding.

Now, here we are in March 2011, about to endure three percent proration to our education budget. Worse yet? FY-2012 looms with no stimulus money there to provide any sort of cushion or bailout.

Blame the economy. Blame Montgomery. Blame Washington. Blame bad luck. Blame anyone you want. But the unpleasant fact of the matter is that it is time for Alabamians to start blaming themselves. Every opportunity we have ever had to bolster education funding we have voted a decisive “No.” As such, we’ve continuously voted an adamant “No” to teachers, principals, counselors, support workers, bigger classrooms, better materials, and improved technology. And with every passing year, our chance to improve our situations in the future becomes a little less likely. After all, how can they lead if there is no one to teach them?

How indeed? Huntsville School Board may face 151 teacher cuts

The school system faces an $8 million shortfall this school year and up to $22 million the next. To shore up the cuts, school leaders may cut 11 counselors and 17 assistant principals in addition to the teachers.

Let the cuts begin. Huntsville Principals dealing with shock uncertainty of losing jobs as the unemployment rates climb higher and higher.

Madison County's jobless rate in January was 8.1 percent, up by one percent over December's rate.

This is the highest unemployment rate for the county since early last year. The rate was 8.2 percent last February, according to figures from the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

Madison County typically has the lowest or next to the lowest unemployment rate in the state, but in January the county was tied for third place among counties with the lowest rates: Shelby County at 7.1 percent, Coffee County at 7.6 percent and Pike County, also at 8.1.

Children are our future? Not in sweet home Alabama. It's more like our children have no future.

Redeye's Alabama Week in Review

All we did was win win win! The week begin with the Auburn University Tigers led by QB Cam Newton winning the 2010 National Championship game. The Alabama media paid all kinds of attention to Cam Newton Gate but we heard nary a peep about BCS National Championship Ticket Gate

Those "face value" tickets for legislators to the BCS National Championship game are becoming a hotter property by the day. As of this morning, Auburn fans - even those willing to spend $9K a pop - can no longer buy BCS National Championship Tickets for any price. Stubhub has suspended sales of the game because sellers weren't actually fulfilling their orders.

Now we're beginning to learn more about the situation. Auburn has admitted that as many as 15 "legislators and state officials" have been given the chance to purchase tickets at "face value." (It's not really face value in my book when the public never gets a chance to buy at that price.)

For some reason, Auburn isn't going to release the names of the guilty until next week.

Gooberner Riley and gop chair State Rep. Mike Hubbard(r.) said they were going to the game with tickets they purchased, but they would be traveling on a state plane because they have to depart for Montgomery soon after the game ends Monday night. The State has a plane? Who knew?

The snow storm spoiled Riley's party *snicker*, but Cam Newtons father Cecil Newton did watch his son play in the biggest game of his life.

The Alabama Dem Party comes together and endorses U.S. Attorney candidate? Uh, what Alabama Dem party came together, and when exactly did the Alabama Dem party come together? It should read outgoing miserable failure State Chair Joe Turnham and the parties presidential advisory committee (wtf is that?) comes together (pun intended) and endorses U.S. Attorney candidate. :)

No wonder the Alabama Democrats are in a pitiful shape.

The Alabama Democratic Party's Presidential Advisory Committee has endorsed Beck, even though he comes from a law firm with ties to Republican strategist Karl Rove and Business Council of Alabama (BCA) President Bill Canary. A source tells Legal Schnauzer that Beck's firm, Capell and Howard, often serves as a home base for Rove when he visits Alabama.

The South, I mean Dems will rise again!!! YeeHaww! The Over the Mountain Dems have fired the first volley in the fight for the Alabama Democratic Party.

Judge Mark Kennedy, the only announced candidate for Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, will take part in a panel discussion in Birmingham next Tuesday, sponsored by the Over the Mountain Democrats.

The Blue Dogs--Dixiecrats--Determined to continue wrecking the Democratic Party Brand

The Democrats, Dixiecrats really, before Carter were a mostly a motley gaggle of conservatives and racists. Just before Carter, for example, was Lester Maddox, a segregationist restaurateur most famous for saying he would rather close his restaurant than serve Black people and later brandished a handgun to chase potential Black customers away. He also ran for president on the neo-Nazi American Independent Party, a forerunner of today's Tea Party.

So who is going to win the Civil War within the Democratic Party? The Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party or the Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party? A party divided will not stand.

The democratic party is not pure or perfect because it's been infiltrated by those who don't share democratic party principles or values. Candidates and elected officials feel free to take our money and our votes for granted and pander to those who might vote for them (or not) at the expense of those who have to vote for them because they have no where to go.

Speaking of the Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party, can you believe a progressive blog is actually asking what is acceptable dissent on a Progressive Blog and, taking a poll asking if Dale Jackson should be allowed to stay on LiA? Acceptable to who? Allowed by who? I wonder if they realize how elitist and condescending they sound?

I have to agree with Dale Jackson on this one, there is more than a whiff of hypocrisy on both sides. Dale Jackson was singing a different tune when I was complaining about the hypocrisy and unfairness. So was resident righty and *ahem* legal expert Old Prosecutor. Question for countrycat, if I'm not banned why is my user name and password invalid? Yep, Change is Afoot at Left in Alabama all right (pun intended). Remember when Left in Alabama was the media we wish we had instead of the media we have?

Left in Alabama has been infiltrated. You know the drill. Find an effective progressive group. Get offended by something that is said. Pick a fight. Have the group pick sides. And who wins in the end? Not us progressives that's for sure.

"Well, there's a certain mean spiritness that's out there, not only in Alabama but it's in America. And that makes this election extremely important." ~Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism~Howard Zinn

Redeye's Week in Review

Congress failed to repeal DADT this week, but the ACLU will keep on fighting.

Congress' failure to repeal the shameful "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is a devastating loss to the gay and lesbian service members who put their lives on the line for this country every day — and for Americans everywhere who believe in fairness and equality.

Rest assured that the ACLU will not give up on this fight. We are 100 percent committed to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and will do everything we can to bring about its demise.

Not only did the democrats magically grow a pair this week they are standing with *gasp* the Congressional Black Caucus! When you think about it, African Americans will suffer the most if unemployment insurance is not extended since unemployment among African Americans is at an all time high.

Unemployment for African Americans is projected to reach a 25-year high this year, according to a study released Thursday by an economic think tank, with the national rate soaring to 17.2 percent and the rates in five states exceeding 20 percent.

Blacks as well as Latinos were far behind whites in employment levels even when the economy was booming. But throughout the recession, the unemployment rate has grown much faster for African Americans and Latinos than for whites, according to the study by the Economic Policy Institute. Moreover, the unemployment gap between men and women has reached a record high -- with men far outpacing women in joblessness.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Reverend Al Sharpton speaks for me!

Over the course of the last several weeks, we have diligently watched as our President, Barack Obama, and the Democratic Party withstood filibustering and stonewalling from the right. Conducting hearings on the weekend, and doing everything they conceivably could to assist the poor and middle-class, their repeated attempts at compromise were met with fierce resistance and an utter disregard for the majority of this nation by the Republicans. And now, after holding the American people hostage as our President so rightfully pointed out, these self-aggrandizing politicians are sitting back and allowing Obama to be the scapegoat for all that ails us. It’s time we call them out.

Speaking of calling them out, they are who we thought they were.

Today, a right-wing organization called Judicial Watch hosted a panel discussion on the “current and upcoming fights over immigration enforcement” featuring Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce (R). Pearce, the author of Arizona’s controversial immigration law, railed against the Obama administration for “siding with a foreign government” against the state of Arizona. However, looking on the bright side, Pearce joked that Obama may not want to come to Arizona as they will require him to show his papers:

Terri Sewell isn't the only newly elected Congress Critter hiring help this week.

Perhaps to the surprise of many Tea Party populists who helped elect them, the Washington Post reports, “Many incoming GOP lawmakers have hired registered lobbyists as senior aides. Several of the candidates won with strong support from the anti-establishment tea party movement.” These lobbyists are not public servants. They are experts at carving out special deals and tax giveaways to powerful corporations

What's that you say? Soon to be former Gooberner Rob Riley is using his so called ethics reform package for political payback against the evil, awful Alabama Education Association and to silence them there uppity teachers? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you! NOT.

Despite the fact the NCAA and Auburn found Cam Newton's father Cecil Newton guilty of being a modern day slave trader selling his son to the highest bidder, banning him from attending games and awards ceremony's Cam Newton shows why he is a true winner and stands by his father. If there is any lesson for talented African American athletes maybe they shouldn't play for predominately white Universities and take their talents to a Historically Black Colleges and Universities where they don't have deep pocket athletic boosters. The same thing happened in the movie Blindside, talented black player must have been offered pay for play .

"I'm not sitting up here saying that we all are prefect. Everybody's made mistakes. I'm not sitting up here saying what he did or what he did was wrong. Who am I up here to say that what he did is true or not. But I know that if I can call Cecil Newton right now, he'll pick up the phone."

This week ends with me being talked down from my previous rage over the Obama compromise. I accept the fact he acted in the best interest of the American People, I don't accept the fact that it had to be this way. I still maintain he should have listened to his base instead of suppressing the base. I hope and pray now that the big republican fat cats have received their big tax cut they are going to start creating jobs in America and the banks are going to start loaning money again. I also hope that if they don't, the gop doesn't try to blame it on Obama.

The highlight of my week and the best Christmas present ever was the high honor and privilege of being named Blog I'm Feeling by the Field Negro. Welcome to my world and please don't just lurk, join the conversation!

Sore losers undermine majority rule

Back in the day when I was contemplating running for a Student Government Office in high school my Daddy gave me the following advice,(para quoting) if you can't stand to lose don't run. Someone will win fair and square and someone will lose fair and square. You will either know the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. If you lose, lose like a winner. My 9th grade Civics teacher taught us the minority must be heard but the majority rules. Present day Politicos evidently learned different lessons from their parent(s)/mentor(s)/teacher(s). I've never seen such a bunch of sore losers.

Ironically Senator Joe Lieberman started the sore loser syndrome. Liberman was a gracious loser before he was a sore loser. Florida Governor Charlie Crist couldn't stand to lose so he bowed out of the republican primary to run as a spoiler, I mean Independent. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski couldn't stand to lose so she is waging an an aggressive write in campaign.

Sweet Home Alabama caught a case of sore loser syndrome starting with the Birmingham Mayoral Elections. Followed by the Tim James recount. A suit was filed to remove republican gubernatorial nominee Robert Bentley from the ballot and delay the election. And there are rumblings of a write in campaign waged by die hard supporters of the losers aka the minority. I sure do miss the good old days when the candidate with the most votes won. *Sigh*

The losers are turned into the sore winners.

The Sore Winners are easy to find. They are most visible at their flagship, Fox News, which dominates both cable news and the political conversation and yet is always embattled, defending itself against the heathen. They are loudest not only on secular talk radio, but also in Christian broadcasting, which tells its listeners that a nation that remains a nation of Christians rather than a Christian nation is a nation that has turned against them. This is not to say, however, that the Sore Winners are strictly a political phenomenon, manipulated, as some would have it, by their masters in the media or by the money men from Wall Street. No, what makes the Sore Winners such a force in American politics is that their anger is so personal.

And that's what scares me.

Worrying about what someone who doesn't think about you thinks about you: this is the essence of Sore Winnerdom, and it is no accident that it also the essence of the Republican animus. The Republican party was small and hidebound — the party of country-club corporatists, and the range-war West — until, with the Reagan Revolution, it began grafting unto itself the legions of the disaffected: the Christianists, the Southerners, the blue-collar workers displaced by the collapse of America's industrial base and estranged from the unions that failed them. The Tea Party, in this sense, is not a new development so much as it is part of an ongoing migration of the perpetually petulant, a political phenomenon grounded in a demographic one: the creation of a class of baby-boom retirees who have been deprived of meaningful work but given personal computers as Christmas presents. The skin on the Republican Party's "Big Tent" is by definition thin, and under it gathers a volatile throng of people with nothing in common but the fear that outside its environs someone is laughing at them — or simply having a better time.

And that's what scares me.

I can certainly empathize and understand the agony of defeat when your candidate loses a hard fought election. I didn't think the pit in my stomach would ever go away after the 2000 Presidential election. It was like deja vu all over again in 2002. I went to bed Don Siegelman was the Governor, when I I woke up Bob Riley was the governor. I had to accept the majority rule and get over it like a good American. How will the losers react if they don't win on Tuesday?(warning language)

if, as the most optimistic polling shows is possible, the Republicans don't win back the House of Representatives and lose a good many of the close Senate races next Tuesday, the reaction on the right will be violent. There will be a number of instances of Democratic headquarters vandalized, people who support Democrats will be assaulted, bomb threats will be called in, and there may even be an alarmingly well-organized, but supposedly grassroots and spontaneous, riot or two.

That's what I'm afraid of.

On the other hand I fear the Politicians with the most dangerous,wrong ideas are poised to win the Congress and the State Legislature.

Shaken by an assault on their assumptions, many Americans become more adamant in defense of discredited ideology.

I pray a majority of the Americans will beware of fears racist temptation. I also pray the American minority loves their country more than they hate President Obama.

[T]he truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, ... but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? ... There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you...

If you can't stand to lose don't run.

PAC Hypocrisy Edition

What's that you say? Republicans are a bunch of two faced, hypocrites? I'm shocked. Shocked I tell you! Not.

Republicans use PACs. And they run them, too.
Here in Alabama, Republican officeholders even run PACs while holding very high public office:
Governor Bob Riley chairs GOV PAC
House Minority Leader Mike Hubbard is Treasurer of Network Political Action PAC, which his wife chairs
Up until 3 weeks ago Senate candidate Gerald Dial (R) chaired the TIF (Trust Integrity and Fairness) PAC
J.T. Waggoner (I believe that would be Senate Minority Leader "Jabo" Waggoner) chairs the New Alabama Leadership PAC.

Right wing republicans don't have a plan so they create Weapons of Mass Distractions like labeling PAC to PAC transfers as the root of all evil, claiming corrupt democrats are responsible and benefiting from legal bribery/money laundering. Well, real, unashamed, brave, bold, big D Democrat Representative Randy Hinshaw called their bluff and told them to PTFU or STFU. Now that's what I'm talking about!

The Governor needs to call a special session Monday to take up one bill: Jeff Mclaughlins bill to ban PAC to PAC transfers. Will he GOP?

Hell NO Governor Riley will not call a special session Monday to take up the bill to ban PAC to PAC transfers. I wonder why? *Snark*

Of course the righty's response is to attack Randy Hinshaw and demand he return all his PAC donations. Now why would he do something stupid like that? The logic, for lack of a better word, of the right wing defies me.

I've said before, and I will say it again. I don't have a problem with PACs or PAC to PAC transfers. Political Action Committees is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation.[1] Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a matter of state and federal law. Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, an organization becomes a "political committee" by receiving contributions or making expenditures in excess of $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election.District 5 Democratic Congressional nominee Steve Raby said it best, Political Actions Committees are a reality of politics.

I'm a member of several PAC's. I am not a large corporation with millions of dollars to contribute or to hire lobbyist, being a member of a PAC which pools resources is the only way I can compete with the big guys and gals. Without Political Action Committees the little guys and gals wouldn't have a voice. For example,the Confederate Heritage PAC transfers some money to the South Huntsville Civic Association PAC to give to the Mo Brooks/Paul Sanford Campaign.

Everyone knows that PAC-to-PAC money launderers do what are are told.

According to the righty's there are good PACs (gop) and bad PACs (Democratic). fundmaker at leaning LiA compiled a list of PACs primarily servicing Democrats vs. Republicans and identified the sources who contribute to those PACs. It's very e very enlightening. And they say there is no transparency? *Snicker*

Now what everyone needs to focus on is The Chamber is spending 75 million dollars to try to help the Republicans retake Congress The Chamber of Commerce/foreign money disease in America is not limited to or enabled by any one party. They all do it. We all need it to stop.

Obama's attempt to ACORN the Chamber of Commerce is a breach of etiquette for the New Dems and Blue Dogs, some of whom have actually won the Chamber's endorsement. Most of these fools were going to lose their seats anyway, mainly because they watered down the president's agenda which made his policies less popular. And then they failed to defend the unpopular policies that they helped to make unpopular. On top of that, in an election cycle where conservatives are highly motivated, these corporate Dems eschewed the one thing that could save them: criticizing the Republicans' plutocratic agenda by taking on the Big Banks, Big Oil Spillers, Big Insurers, and the Fat Cats asking for tax relief.
They're not too different from Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) who famously told us to stop being mean to BP during the catastrophe in the Gulf.

Taking on the Chamber is a no-brainer, unless you plan on doing their bidding and winning their support.

There is more than a whiff of hypocrisy.

Redeye's Week in Review

This week in Alabama poliTricks begin with the Shirley Sherroding of Ron Sparks. His detractors claim he endorsed Dick Shelby and therefore is not loyal to the party. Of course these are the same folks who gave Artur Davis a free pass for voting against health care reform and the hate crimes bill for his political gain. They also appear to be trying to draw a comparison to the outrage loyal democrats felt when Artur Davis (DINO) endorsed republican gubernatorial nominee Robert Bentley. Apples and Corn. But it's nice to see them having some party unity/loyalty for a change.

Well almost. It appears some are still in Denial and still playing the black democrats are racist card because the State Democratic Executive Committee operated by party rules and didn't replace the black woman who won the election with the white woman who lost the election because the black woman had to surrender her law license after she won the election. Whew.

There have also been calls for Nikki Still supporters to ramp up a write-in campaign, but Still herself so far is not enthused about it. However, letter after letter in the paper and voter after voter in person tell me that write-in is exactly what they are going to do. Many feel like a vote for French is a vote for the race based system that has infected the Democratic Party.

So we will write in our vote for Nikki Still.

And you say progressives are in denial?

Meanwhile under the Alabama racism radar. As so often happens in Alabama, race became an issue. Alabama Governor Wallace, I mean Riley is being investigated by the U.S. Justice department for refusing to pay legal fees because most of the firms attorneys are black.

The days of political retaliation and institutional racism in Alabama should remain only on the silver screens of Hollywood," King wrote. "The Governor of this Great State should treat all races and ethnicity's equally be they majority or minority, favored or disfavored. Although this Court truly hopes these allegations prove to be false, only depositions and inquiry into the facts will show the truth."

So where is the outrage from The Birmingham News, John Archibald, leaning Left in Alabama, Bessemer Opinions, James Lassiter of the JeffCo. New South Coalition and three members of the SCLC? Surely unlike some progressives you aren't refusing to address the problem.

America's favorite Christian Conservative Southern Pastor says "We won't burn the Quran if you move an Islamic center and mosque away from New York's ground zero". Don't the lawyers on TeeVee call that extortion? Yes, we have lost our minds and the media we have helped.

So how the heck did we allow this Terry Jones to get this much attention. Startling. The Media has majorly failed us in their over-coverage and more than 15 minutes of fame for this guy. Might be the most over-extended 15 minutes in the history of media sensationalism.

Break the broken media..shut em down!

Quit treating the media as if they really are carrying news stories.
Starting today, I am not going to watch propaganda and all of that junk on tv. Wanna bet I am a healthier person when I start this. Of course the pharmas want you to watch Fox or CNN or MSNBC because your blood pressure rises and they then can sell you drugs. It's a fix.
Wake up. The Cable news networks and radio talk shows are dragging America down in the mud and into a ditch. They are causing division and hatred and we should not be supporting this type of behavior.

This is the same media that allowed Bush and Dick to use our grief over 911 to send our sons and daughters to war.

Juan Cole say the media is a security threat to America.

News junkies who watch a lot of television broadcasts could not help but notice with puzzlement that as the cosmic catastrophe unfolded in Pakistan, it was nearly invisible on American networks. I did a LexisNexis search for the terms “Pakistan” and “flood” in broadcast transcripts (covering mostly American networks) from July 31st to September 4th, and it returned only about 1,100 hits. A search for the name of troubled actress Lindsay Lohan returned 653 search results in the same period and one for “Iraq,” more than 3,000 hits (the most the search engine will count). A search for “mosque" and "New York” yielded 1,300 hits. Put another way, the American media, whipped into an artificial frenzy by anti-Muslim bigots like New York gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio and GOP hatemonger Newt Gingrich, were far more interested in the possible construction of a Muslim-owned interfaith community center two long blocks from the old World Trade Center site than in the sight of millions of hapless Pakistani flood victims.

In case you are wondering what tricks the gop infused, media enabled Tea Party has in store for President Obama if/when they regain control of Congress here is a preview. h/t Digby

"Not only has the Obama administration promoted dangerous and unsustainable policies, but it has also engaged in corrupt and illegal activities such as bribery, a crime the Founders specifically cited as an impeachable offense. Moreover, this report details numerous instances of Obama lying to the American people, a pattern which clearly indicates a character defect that in itself endangers America. Given this, we believe impeachment is necessary for the future survival of America," says the report.

It's not to late for President Obama to avoid his Waterloo.

It’s not too late for Obama to turn his presidency around, reconnect with the supporters who propelled him to the White House, attack the gridlock in Washington and reclaim his ambitious legislative agenda. But to do so, he’ll need fewer Rahm’s in the building.

What a week. Redeye tiptoeing away from the computer to go pray.
Peace be with you.

Edit- Let's Talk About White Privilege and the Kendra Lavendar Marshall Affair

It has come to my attention Kendra Lavendar Marshall is the grand daughter of the late Simmie Lavendar

Simmie R. Lavender, Sr (born 1919 - died May 19, 2007) was a Constable for Alabama House District 52 and the second president of the Jefferson County Citizens Coalition. He was active as a leader of the Birmingham Citizen Participation Program and helped to found the brotherhood breakfasts that helped unite community leaders across racial lines.
Lavender was also a deacon, Sunday School teacher and trustee at First Baptist Church of Powderly. It was there that he collapsed from a seizure on the way to a service planned in his honor. He never recovered. He was survived by his wife, Mildrid and seven children, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He is interred at Elmwood Cemetery.

Wikipedia defines white privilege as a way of conceptualizing racial inequalities that focuses as much on the advantages that white people accrue from society as on the disadvantages that people of color experience. White privilege differs from conditions of overt racism or prejudice, in which a dominant group actively seeks to oppress or suppress other racial groups for its own advantage. Instead, theories of white privilege suggest that whites view their social, cultural, and economic experiences as a norm that everyone should experience, rather than as an advantaged position that must be maintained at the expense of others.

Now, let's apply this definition to the Kendra Lavendar Marshall controversy because some are hollering the false "reverse racism" meme because Dr. Joe Reed wouldn't allow the African American candidate the voters elected to be replaced by the white candidate the voters rejected.

Reed and the state Democratic Executive Committee last week nominated Elisabeth French for a Jefferson County Circuit judgeship. She replaces primary winner Kenya Lavender Marshall, who lost her law license. Since there is no Republican opposition, French will no doubt get the job -- even though she didn't run for it.

Don't get me wrong. French is not the problem. The problem is how the party succumbed to its worse elements, how it picked her for the wrong reasons.

You see, a majority on the committee bought the notion they had to appoint a black woman because voters chose Marshall -- who is a black woman.

It was not about qualifications. It was not about politics. It was all about race.

Uh No, Mr. Archibald, it was all about white privilege. The voters didn't elect Kendra Lavendar Marshall because of her race, they elected her because she shared their interest. She won because she got the most votes. That's how it works in America, or at least it used too.

It seems someone with power and privilege decided Kendra Lavendar Marshall didn't deserve to win because that's a white woman's job, after all. So much for content of character. So much for getting the most votes.

* The decision circumvents the election process?--That was circumvented when the Alabama State Bar went after Kenya Lavender Marshall, just three weeks after she had won the primary. And did Bob Riley, who appointed Still, have anything to do with that? Does Nicole Gordon Still know about actions others took on her behalf, in an effort to "circumvent the election process"?

Archibald says Joe Reed and the SMDC are running a criminal enterprise because they stood up and took a stand against white privilege, but I agree with Legal Schnauzer regarding the motive and the rationale behind their gusty move.

"We've seen the business establishment in this country ruin our economy. We've seen the legal establishment in this country corrupt our justice system, especially here in Alabama.

"We rejected Artur Davis, and we now reject Nicole Gordon Still. And it is not because of their skin color. It's because they have cozied up to the establishment forces who have consistently acted against the best interests of regular, everyday Americans. It's time that we push for a true progressive agenda--in Alabama and beyond. And we are taking a stand for such an agenda today."

Archibald is quick to call attention to Joe Reeds criminal/racist actions however he chooses to ignore the actions of others. He doesn't explore the possibility Kendra Lavendar Marshall was forced to surrender her license to practice law.

A Birmingham lawyer says an Alabama State Bar disciplinary committee essentially used extortion to force her to agree to a suspension of her license, probably ending her candidacy for a seat on the Jefferson County Circuit Court.
Kenya Lavender Marshall won the Democratic Party primary and faced no Republican challenger in the November general election. But the Alabama State Bar charged that she misappropriated some $30,000 of a client's funds that had been held in her lawyer trust account.
Marshall said she admitted to the charges and agreed to the four-year suspension of her license only because of threats from the State Bar disciplinary committee. In fact, Marshall denied that she had misused client funds.

This case reeks not of race but of white privilege; emphasis mine;

Much remains unclear about this story. But this much is clear:

* Rob Riley and his business associates have stepped in some major legal doo-doo and probably could use some friendly judicial faces to help them wipe the stink off their shoes.

* Rob Riley and Nicole Gordon Still have quite a bit in common. They both have lived charmed, prosperous lives, driven largely by the fact they have powerful, influential daddies.

Are these powerful white families--and the Alabama legal establishment--joining forces to ensure that a black candidate never is seated as a judge, even though she apparently won an election fair and square?

Alabama citizens who care about justice should be giving that question a lot of thought over the next few days.

What about THAT, Mr. Archibald? How about using your power and your privilege to fight for truth, and the restore honor and integrity to our government? Kendra Lavender Marshalls life, career and reputation are in shambles just because she dared run for public office and win. Imagine if Kendra Lavender Marshall was white and Niki Still was black. Would you have the same perspective? There are two sides to every story Mr. Archibald, if you are interested in the other side you can hear and see it HERE.

It's not about race, it's about white privilege and it's effect on the election process. The false arguments put forth by you is a blatant manifestation of white privilege by framing this issue to favor the white perspectives over those of people of color. You ignore the obvious questions you should be asking choosing instead to race bait. How dare you hijack legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King to promote your agenda.

It is scary to true Democrats, who belong to the party because they agree with the ideas and ideology it espouses nationally. Many are shocked the party would gamble its reputation and its future on short-term political gain.

The act stains those who deserve better.

Imagine what it means to black judges in Jefferson County -- people such as Houston Brown, Clyde Jones and Helen Shores Lee who spent lifetimes earning and deserving respect and support. If judgeships are decided by race, they simply could not win in a place where six of 10 voters are white.

Forty-seven years ago Saturday, Rev. King dreamed of a world in which skin color did not matter.

The Alabama Democratic Party did not listen.

Listen to this. Kendra Lavender Marshall is someones child. Someones wife, mother, sister, aunt,cousin, attorney, friend. She deserves better. She deserves to be treated fairly, regardless of her race. She is ACCUSED of wrong doing, she has not been CONVICTED of wrong doing. It's innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, not the court of public opinion. Remember?

Lost in all of this is the will of the voters has been over turned. Only in America can the candidate with the most votes lose. Again.