A little thought for Huntsvillians this St. Patrick's Day~ Redux

Not that I have to explain, or justify my involvement/actions regarding this issue, let me say right here and right now, it's not about a name change.  It's about a culture and a climate of disrespect for the black community in Huntsville, Alabama.

What's in a name?  Ask the powers that be at  Huntsville City Schools.  In their haste to kill democracy and fairness the Huntsville City School Board of Education, under the ruthless command of Superintendent Casey WARdynski   declared

"From now on, this land will be ruled by the Tigers. We are, after all, the strongest, fastest and wisest of all animals. Therefore, we are the only fit rulers." they claimed.
A little mouse spoke up from the crowd, " But we have a council where we make our decisions together, we don't need or want any ruler." One of the tigers let out a roar so loud and fierce that the poor mouse started running and didn't stop until he was in the land of the humans. To this day, he lives in the houses of humans.

Despite petitions, marches, and protest the Huntsville City School BOE decided they are the rulers and the people be damned.  If the BOE spent half as much time trying to scheme their way out from under the federal desegregation order and furthering their political careers ensuring that ALL children  had equal access to a quality public school,  Huntsville would be One City One Vision  and companies would be begging to locate here.

Slapping a new name on the outside of the school building won't change what's happening on the inside of the building.  The taxpayers have the right to self determination, instead they are being punished for it.

For those who say it's not about race, I say J.O.Johnson is predominately black school and the only school being forced to change it's name and lose it's legacy and it's heritage.

For those who say I don't live in the district therefore I have no right to complain, I say I pay state, local, and federal taxes which grants me the right and the privilege to complain about what I want to when I want to.

For those who say I don't spend time volunteering in the schools, reading to children, etc. I say been there done that, but at the end of the day Huntsville City School's is still trying to locate a new $65 million dollar school renamed after a former black astronaut  less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.

For those who say there are already two schools, a recreational park and homes  located even closer to an active rock quarry, I say two wrongs don't make a right, we didn't know then what we know now,  and a lot of people didn't know their homes were located near the rock quarry until they heard the first sonic dynamite boom, and those who could, moved away from the area, to the detriment of those who couldn't move.

Purposely withholding vital info from the people/community that will be affected is a nice nasty way of saying......"You are not valued as a person".......We know what is best for you, even though we need your tax dollars........We will do what we want in your community because we don't live in your community.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

#HCSBOE "This is a public meeting but not a meeting of the public" & "Interfering with with board business" one sad vote at a time *Sigh*

HSC superintendent Casey Wardynski's contract, a progress report on the combined Jemison/McNair campus, and changes to its bylaws and standing rules that would allow only Huntsville residents to speak during citizen comments, were on the agenda at last nights HCS work session.   I am going to refer you to the Geek Pavaler for in depth analysis and reporting, but here is what happened in a nutshell:

1. Make it harder for anyone, including board members, to see how he’s spending the district’s money;
2. Make his contract “auto-renewing” because they want “to simplify the work of the board; and
3. Silence the public from speaking out against Wardynski even more.

As one commenter said: It’s amazing how devious and underhanded the HCS board has acted. I hate to say it, but I thought they were just incompetent. I guess I would have preferred that, to them being obvious low down dirty rotten scoundrels. 

I would also like to refer readers to this post by Geek Pavaler from the first time Dr. Wardynski's contract was up for renewal when he asked the board to please provide the community with some reasonable justification for extending the superintendent’s contract.

A disgusted parent predicted the future:  If his contract is extended, he will have 5 more years to sit comfortably and dictate policy as he sees fit, with no fear of losing his job or having to cave to the wrath of the community. I emailed every Board member and not surprisingly, received zero responses, even though I requested one. These Board members need to be reminded as well that they represent a constituency, NOT themselves. Contracts are renewed or extended based on merit and accomplishment, not just because they were requested. Mr. Wardynski’s resume and expertise lies in economics, finance and policy making. I see no reference whatsoever to engineering or education. So why are we rewarding someone who sits up there on his throne pontificating about his engineering background and his imagined expertise in the process of education?

Why are we rewarding Wardynski you ask?  Because he is doing the job he was hired to do.

 Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

What, no mention of the super secret spy program?  I wonder why?  Snark

I want to talk about the update on the combined Jemison/McNair campus.

6:18 p.m.: An architect from Chapman Sisson Architects presented a slide show of artist renderings of what the new McNair Junior High and Jemison High School will look like when the schools open their doors in 2016. The schools, which will be separate facilities on a single campus, mirror one another in design, though each has its own touches.
AL.com will share images of the new schools when available.
Board member Jennie Robinson said that she sees elements similar to the designs of other Huntsville schools like Blossomwood and Goldsmith-Schiffman elementaries in the McNair-Jemison design.  
"We're starting to tie together the design of our schools," Robinson said. "I like that."

So, the update was a slide show of what the new schools will look like when they are completed, and Al.com will share images of the new schools when they are available?  I guess it depends on what the definition of update IS.

Allow me to give you a real update on the Jemison/McNair campus via the Keep Johnson High Schools Name Facebook Page:

JAGUAR ON THE PROWL NEWS:
Personal check up on the digging of Jemison from one contractor's perspective.
Xxxx: "What have you heard or seen with the new development at the Jemison High development so far?"

Local Contractor: "The land is not draining properly and it's a pure swamp. It's actually a marshland. The land has to be built up and mold WILL be the culprit along with the Rock Quarry issue. This is a bad area."
Xxxx: "What role does the rock quarry play with this new
development?"
Local Contractor: "Everything... The land need to be built up to an extent that when the explosions from the quarry rattles, the soft land of this new school will have a solid ground. This land has serious draining challenges from what I am hearing and what I saw when I was viewing the digging process. We need to remember that nothing has been built on this property ever and it's wetland which will have mold problems."
Xxxx: "Do you think they (the contractors for the new development) should build the soil properly?"
Local Contractor: "Yes. This doesn't make any sense right now."
Xxxx: "Thank you.
Local Contractor: "More than welcome."
In conclusion to this new story, I was attached to the Civil Engineers while I was stationed in Germany. It's very crucial at this time that this conversation from a local contractor be taken seriously. We need a thorough sure and solid soil recheck that reaches beyond a Quality Control Site Supervisor at this time.
The Quarry issue now this? We need to hear from all Jaguars and the Huntsville community at large from this "Jungle Eyed View".
Presently; the city and HCS is following the builders code by placing a full length gated fence around Jemison. This is a safety precaution and must be adhered to in the building process.

Eye update, You decide.

NOTICE: Due to Huntsville City School Superintendent Casey Warydynski's  Executive Orders, the school district may have read your social media accounts without warning, warrant, or notice. You have no recourse nor protection but to call for the resignation of the Superintendent and the Board of Education who enabled him.

Know Justice, Know Peace...

 

I hate to sound cynical, but I have no confidence in the justice system when it comes to African Americans. When it comes to us, justice is either a 50/50 crap shoot, or down right elusive.  The case may not turn on facts or truth, but on relationships.  And therein lies the problem with the court ordered mediation,  and the current legal matters pending before the court regarding the desegregation of the Huntsville City School system.

"The Court strongly suspects that the district has chosen not to share many of the reasons for the choices that it made as it shaped its student assignment plan. The Court got a glimpse into the superintendent's thinking when the United States's cross-examined him about his objections to the government's rezoning proposals. When asked whether Hereford (Elementary) students would not benefit from attending Huntsville High, the superintendent, in an unguarded moment, replied '[t]hey [would] be going into schools that are not accustomed to dealing with students who are below grade level.'

Damn the courts,  HCS superintendent Casey Wardynski is going full speed ahead with his plans with a military, take no prisoners attitude,  just like The New Captain Bligh on the New Ship of Fools.  

Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu (sic) types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

This superintendent and this board can dish it out but they can't take it.  They like to throw rocks and hide their hands.  That was why they instigated a new policy of requiring all questions from the public during the work session part of the meeting to be submitted in writing (that they then refused to read out loud).

It has come to my attention that in addition to the new north middle/high school being located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry, it backs up to a huge drainage ditch that students will have to cross to access the school.
 
The only reason a new school is being built in north Huntsville is because is because south Huntsville wanted a new school.  What south Huntsville wants, south Huntsville gets. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge south Huntsville  for getting a new school, or for getting to keep their name, I just don't believe it should be at the expense of the lives of north Huntsville students and staff. 

No justice, no peace.

Is Huntsville City Schools violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965? Is the City of Huntsville enabling them?

Photo North Huntsville Environmental Concerns

Let's recap:

For the sake of giving North Huntsville a new school, the federal judge in the desegregation dispute said new school construction could continue, but does she know the school district is risking the health of the next generation by locating the new schools less than half a mile from an active rock quarry without conducting a health risk assessment?

The city of Huntsville is standing by their assertion the air is "safe to breathe" at the location of the new, illegally named, Mae Jemison High School, but to the best of my knowledge, they are basing this on one test, conducted on one day, in the early morning hours, when there was no activity at the rock quarry.

If I repeat, If, the DOJ approved the building of the new North Huntsville high school based on this one test, I not only have a problem with the BOE and the City of Huntsville, I have a problem with our government.

Title VI and Environmental Justice at EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

In July 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (PDF) (13 pp, 23K, About PDF) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act states that "No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
In February 1994, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations." In a separate memorandum, President Clinton identified Title VI as one of several federal laws already in existence that can help "to prevent minority communities and low-income communities from being subject to disproportionately high and adverse environmental effects."

The Civil Rights Act at 50 protects people of color and the environment too.

There are still people who think that social justice and environmental issues are totally separate things, but as I’ve argued before, they’re not — and the Civil Rights Act is a case in point. The climate justice and environment worlds have benefited much from this law, particularly Title VI, which protects people of color from discrimination in any program or activity that receives federal funding.

Now is the time for all good guys and gals to step forward.

Huntsville, Ala (WAAY) - The drama continues over Vulcan Materials opening a rock quarry off Highway 72 near the town of Gurley. One group which staunchly opposed to the quarry, traveled to Montgomery last week in the hopes of stopping it. When the East Huntsville Madison County Civic Association went to Montgomery they met with several legislators hoping to get House bill 230 through committee. The bill would stop rock quarries from operating within five miles of a school, but it has not yet made it out of committee.
Group members say health is their number one concern because of the dust produced by the blasting. North Madison county elementary and Madison county high are within 2 miles of the location
"The health of the 900 kids and the elderly in that area--that was the primary reason," said Bill Binkley of the trip to Montgomery.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"

I sure do miss the good old days when the media kept public officials from lying to us instead of enabling them to lie to us

The Huntsville school board meets in the board room of the Annie C. Merts Center on Tuesday. (Crystal Bonvillian/cbonvillian@al.com)

Sigh.......  We weren't allowed to say we hate anyone or anything when we were growing up.  Our parents taught us if you hate you are just like the haters.  We were allowed to say we strongly disliked actions, but we always had to have an explanation.  That said,  I strongly dislike the media we have, or this case, don't have, because instead of telling us what we need to know in order to make informed decisions, they tell us what they want us to know. And in most cases that's not much.  

It's not as if some of us didn't see this coming when 100's of journalist got pink slips back  in 2012 because their ain't no sunshine anymore, and the public is left in the dark.  For example, the public probably isn't aware the #hsvboe (Huntsville Board of Eduction) adjourns the public board meeting, which is televised, prior to the citizens comments, which are not televised, meaning we have to depend on the media to tell us, or in most cases, not tell us, what comments were made, and God forbid they ask follow up questions.  Oh, and the#hsvboe does not have to answer citizens questions, and there is not a darn thing John or Susie Public can do about it. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone (cue in music).

Let's look at tonight's live stenography, I mean,  updates from the #hsvboe meeting courtesy of AL.com.  Exhibit A:

8 p.m.: Citizen comments began with T.C. Johnson, pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, who asked that the "renaming" of Johnson High School be rescinded. Johnson claimed that board policy was violated in the decision to rename Johnson as Jemison High School and that the public did not have adequate input in the decision.
Johnson is not the first to complain about the loss of the Johnson High name. School board members have said, however, that Johnson is not being renamed, but closed.
Butler High School is also closing and its students being diverted to Jemison with the Johnson students.
T.C. Johnson was the only citizen who signed up to speak at the meeting. The board adjourned for the evening when he was done.

I guess it would have been to much like, you know, real  journalism to find out why Johnson claimed that board policy was violated.  I mean, we can't have the public thinking Johnson is telling the truth even if he is.  Let's just ignore his allegations, out of sight out of mind.

Last night the Huntsville City School Board of Education violated their own policy on the Selection of School, Facility, and/or Property Name (Policy 2.9, presented September 5, 2013) by concluding the process and voting on the new names approximately three weeks before they were allowed to do so.
On September 5, 2013, the board met and discussed during their work session a new policy entitled, “Selection of School, Facility, and/or Property Name” (Policy 2.9). This policy was necessary to ensure that the process of receiving new names for schools would be as open to the public as possible. Laurie McCaulley, who was at that time serving as the School Board President, assured the public present that evening that the public would have every opportunity to “have input on these changes.”

 Moving on to Exhibit B:

7:36 p.m.: The work session has ended, and the board has moved into action items. The Jemison site package contract, along with several smaller renovation contracts and bid renewals, was approved. Click here to see all of the approved items.
7:20 p.m.: Jeff Wilson, director of operations for the district, gave the board an update on the construction of the new Jemison High School/McNair Middle campus. A $1.8 million contract expected to be approved later in the meeting will go toward preparing the site for construction of the school buildings.

Let's forget about the fact parents and citizens are concerned about the safety and well being of students/faculty/staff due to the site being prepared for construction is less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.  Never mind parents and citizens requested $250,000 for a health risk assessment to be conducted before they spend $1.8 million preparing the site for construction of the school buildings that may or may not be safe for student/faculty/staff to occupy.  Let's ignore them too, they aren't anybody, just tax payers without representation.

Last but not least, Exhibit C:
In an attempt to discredit Madison County Commissioner, and fellow black elected official, Robert "Bob" Harrison, #hsvboe mis-representative Laurie McCaulley discredited herself, and the indefensible actions of the Superintendent she was trying to defend.  We must laugh to keep from crying....

McCaulley also objected to Harrison suggesting Superintendent Casey Wardynski had misled the court while under oath. One of the issues Harrison raised involved testimony about wifi in public housing, an issue because Huntsville had touted its laptop program as equalizing educational opportunities across the city.
Harrison wrote about a recent agreement between Huntsville schools and Comcast, and argued Wardynski testified "as if this agreement was in existence and had been for some time." Harrison told the judge that for two years children in public housing could not complete their homework on the laptops.
McCaulley said the board had been led to understand the service was available."It was our assumption it had been done," said McCaulley.

Psst!  If you are an elected official and you don't know when you've been *cough cough* misled,  it might be time for you to go someplace and sit all the way down.  And if you are a journalist/ reporter, you might want to start interviewing people who don't tow the party line, and please stop faking the funk when the facts don't fit the narrative.

"You are not the voice of the people that's my board member.  Laurie McCaulley was elected, David Blair were elected, they are the voice of the people. You're just a company.  Who elected you?" 

It's the media.  They think we are stupid.

"Environmental Expert" tells parents the air is safe at site for the new north Huntsville middle/high school, go back to sleep

Let's recap:

The city of Huntsville is standing by their assertion the air is "safe to breathe" at the location of the new, illegally named, Ronald McNair Middle / Mae Jemison High School despite it's close proximity to an active rock quarry.

Mayor Tommy Battle and the city's air quality chief, Danny Shea, both say the amount of particulate matter in the air on Pulaski Pike is far below levels considered potentially harmful by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The city has an air quality monitoring station next door to the school site; Shea said it measures airborne particulate matter every six days.
The EPA threshold for particulate matter is 150 micrograms per cubic meter.
Shea said 46 micrograms is the highest reading detected by the city on Pulaski Pike in the past five years. The average particulate concentration was 14.8 micrograms in 2009; 17.8 micrograms in 2010; 16.3 micrograms in 2011; 14.9 micrograms in 2012; and 13.5 micrograms in 2013.
The levels are similar at Huntsville's other air quality monitoring stations on Airport Road, South Memorial Parkway and Madison Street downtown.
In a May 27 letter to the mayor, Shea said the city's measurements "demonstrate the absence of substantial adverse air quality impacts from quarry operations at the proposed school site."

That's strange because the current President of the Huntsville City Council was among a very vocal and prominent group of people who protested Vulcan Materials operating an active rock quarry less than two miles from schools in Gurley, Hampton Cove and McMullen Cove in Gurley Mountain.

Other elected officials speaking against the quarry were Mark Russell, president of Huntsville City Council, Madison County District 3 Commissioner Eddie Sisk, state Sen. Paul Sanford, state Sen. Shadrack McGill, state Rep. Wayne Johnson, Gurley Mayor Rob Sentell, Gurley Councilman Robert Wren.
Their concerns addressed environmental quality of Flint River and Hayes Nature Preserve, unsafe traffic with trucks crossing Norfolk Southern Railroad along a curve, heavy trucks sharing roads with school buses, air quality at two nearby schools and a lack of local governmental control of the quarry operation.

The group has asked the city to earmark $250,000 for a health risk assessment study  A study that should have been conducted before the land was purchased, and ground broken.  The  Huntsville City Council voted to spend 3 million dollars to land Alabama's first Cabela's outdoor superstore, and 47 k to hire a firm out of LasVegas to conduct a feasibility study for high speed Internet service,  the least they can do is invest in a health risk assessment before the school is built to make it will be safe for students, faculty, and staff to occupy.  The city is asking concerned citizens to trust the expert,concerned citizens are asking for verification in return for their trust.

"TRUST BUT VERIFY was #Reagan's position w/Former USSR on Nuclear Arms;Why cant US Citizens demand same w/ their Govt?"

Anti Choice activist protest being moved to the black community in Huntsville

Fist Dap Left in Alabama

Before I type another word let's get some terminology straight.

First of all, they are not pro-life, they are anti-choice.

I want anybody that cares about what a woman is allowed to do with her body to do one simple thing. Do not let ANYBODY use the term pro-life, ever. If they do, stop and challenge immediately. "Oh, so you are against the death penalty?" listen to them hem and haw, justify, evade, deny and then declare they are not. "Then you are anti-choice."

Secondly, pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion.  I'm talking to you Paul Gettis whose article on the protest was rightly condemned as biased. 

 What is unthinkable now is made to be radical, then it is made acceptable, then... likely. This is how we lose our freedoms, and how the Overton window is utilized. To prevent this, the core basis of the emotional appeal of "Pro-Life" must be addressed. The idea is that the enemies of a woman's right to choose are not in fact crusaders for defenseless unarmed babies. They are hypocrites who could give a damn about a person AFTER they are born, this is the foundation for the moral disconnect that suggests killing a doctor that performs abortions could be justifiable homicide. (legislation currently tabled at the time of this writing)

Don't want an abortion? Don't get one.  

It's a remarkably clear and strong statement, especially since so many "protectors of the unborn" tend to be old white dudes. However, it does not work because religion requires proselytization, and the saving of the souls that need it. You can mock it, you can castigate it. It only makes the believer more resolute in their stance. An effective approach is to put the burden of justification on the believer, it is a small thing that every one of us can engage in with minimal effort. if you are "pro life" does that extend to AFTER the fetus is born and becomes a child or not?

Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to the topic at hand with some background info via Left in Alabama Blogger countrycat: 

 Huntsville anti-choice protesters are worried about the "impact on children" if the city's lone women's clinic moves from its present location to a new building that complies with the state's TRAP law.  The problem, they assert, is that the new location is directly across from a middle school and so represents both a safety and moral hazard for the children.

Here is AL.com's Paul Gattis version:

Abortion advocates are targeting the black community in northwest Huntsville with plans to relocate its downtown clinic to a facility on Sparkman Drive, anti-abortion protesters said Saturday.
A sidewalk rally held in front of the proposed new facility – the Alabama Women's Wellness Center – across the street from Ed White Middle School attracted about 50 protesters Saturday morning who heard a series of speakers.

Now here's truth and nothing but the truth according to RedEye.

Anti-choice activist are not concerned about the clinic being located across the street from a middle school, they don't want the clinic located in Huntsville period, much less in north Huntsville because it has the perception of being ground zero for all kinds of vices. So much so students in north Huntsville are forced to wear uniforms so teachers and administrators can identify them from gang members.

The anti-choice activist can't be concerned about the health and safety of middle school children in north Huntsville because they didn't say a word when the Downtown Rescue Mission was moved to north Huntsville near day care centers, churches and what was then a middle-class neighborhood.

The anti-choice activist can't be concerned about property values declining in north Huntsville any more than they already are.  It's not like people are building million dollars home in the area.  Heck people aren't building homes period.  What they are building is a $65 million dollar predominately black school named after black astronauts less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.

The anti-choice activist can't be concerned about the health and safety of middle or high school children who will be exposed to Silica dust when the new north Huntsville Middle/High School located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.

Speaking of the new north Huntsville Middle School,  the proposed new facility – the Alabama Women's Wellness Center – across the street from Ed White Middle School will be closing, combining with Davis Hills Middle School, which is also closing,  and become the new location for the  Academy for Academics and Arts.  Can't have those precious darlings and their parents seeing protesters passing out fetus dolls, and busing in school children to sing such ditties as "Happy Birthday, Dead Baby" to women entering the building. (Good one countrycat)

Listen to this interview and you will hear the callous disregard for the safety of the student's, teachers, and support personnel at the new north high school.  Funny how Wardynski and Company are concerned about the crime and drugs in north Huntsville but not about the potential health and safety risk associated with building a school less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.

As the young people say, Let's get real.

Democratic lawmakers and civil rights leaders denounced conservative commentator William J. Bennett yesterday for suggesting on his syndicated radio show that aborting black children would reduce the U.S. crime rate.
The former U.S. education secretary-turned-talk show host said Wednesday that "if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose -- you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." Bennett quickly added that such an idea would be "an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do." But, he said, "your crime rate would go down."

This is about the anti-choice crowd trying to prevent poor black women from having access to a safe, legal, abortion,  coupled with the fact the anti-choice crowd doesn't want to leave their cushy Twickenham digs and come to crime infested north Huntsville.  After all, they would look pretty silly waving their pro-life signs while exercising their second amendment rights,  armed to the teeth out of fear of the black people they claim to want to protect.

Yes campers, locating a reproductive health clinic that provides affordable services to women including pap smears, STD screenings, pregnancy tests, birth control, and abortion in an existing building that's zoned as a medical clinic and happens to be in a low-income, mostly African American neighborhood is now a racist act.  The clinic welcomes all women - even if they don't have health insurance, which many do not since our state declined to expand Medicaid.  Have you ever tried to call a local OB/GYN and make an appointment?  The first question is "What kind of insurance do you have?" See how much farther you get if the answer is "none." 

Without the anti-choice protestors camped out  in front of this facility it looks just like what it is, a place that provides affordable reproductive services to women including pap smears, STD screenings, pregnancy tests, birth control, and abortion, in a building that complies with Trap regulations, which happens to be in a low-income, mostly African American neighborhood. 

  Because make no mistake, this bill will not prevent any women with means from having access to an abortion, this bill adversely and disproportionately affects black/brown/poor Alabama women and children who are already born.  Children republicans don't want to have access to quality affordable health care, access to a quality public education, or even  food.

I will believe it is about the safety and moral hazard for the children when I see them protesting building a school less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.

That is all.

Who will represent the black/brown/poor students of Huntsville in Federal Court on Thursday, May 22, 2014?

The Justice Department would rezone University Place Elementary from Jemison High to Huntsville High. Here University Place students sit for 2012 kickoff of Mayor Tommy Battle's Book Club. (Huntsville Times file)

^This is what Huntsville City Schools looks like in 2014.^

^This is what Huntsville City Schools looked like in 1963^

The persons who are supposed to represent the children in the first picture are on the side of those who want our schools to look like the second picture.  Those who represent the children in the first photo are marginalized, and victimized.

What is wrong with this picture?

Stay tuned for Keeping Them Honest Vol. 2

War begins with WARdynki, blame Harrison and Showers

 Fist Dap: Crooks and Liars

I am still trying to figure out how The Huntsville Times leaped from Black community leaders deserve the right to represent their constituents, too--  black community leaders need to STFU and STFD (my words), but here we are. I guess Colonel WARdynksi was right (pun intended) when he said the media was not the voice of the people but a corporation accountable to shareholders.  Huntsville Times Director of Community News Editor Shelly Haskins made it clear AL.com is a voice for the corporation and its shareholders in his latest opinion column, where he adopts the false narrative both sides are wrong, and shut up before the Federal Judge hears about it.  But that's what you have to do when you want the other side to win. 

The conversation about the future of education for thousands of Huntsville students has been hijacked by staged protests and inflammatory public rhetoric on one side, and staged rallies of support and blunt dismissals of the opposing view on the other.

The J.O. Johnson Alumni Association and it's supporters did indeed stage a protest march after BOE members and the Superintendent ignored a petition with over 1300 signatures, and pleas by the James Oliver Johnson Family to keep the name. As a matter of fact, after the staged protestt, the BOE violated their own rules and renamed J.O.Johnson High School  Mae Jemison High School.

For several months now, culminating in the past few weeks, this little war pitting local government officials against Huntsville school officials has been escalating: County Commissioner Bob Harrison and City Councilman Richard Showers versus Superintendent Casey Wardynski and the Huntsville school board.

Uh, FYI, Harrison and Showers are members of the local government, and it's not County Commissioner Bob Harrison and City Councilman Richard Showers versus Superintendent Casey Wardynski and the Huntsville school board, it's the constituents Harrison and Showers represent against the Superintendent and the School Board, which is also supposed to represent the people, but I digress.

It's not about Harrison and Showers, it's about the taxpayers.  This little war could have been avoided if Casey WARdynski hadn't been hell-bent on wiping out the legacy of J.O.Johnson student's and alumni.  Every school in this city was allowed to keep its name after moving into a new building except J.O.Johnson High School.  

 In one corner, Harrison has publicly accused Wardynski and the board of lying and deceit in their attempts to win favor for the rezoning plan that consolidates Butler High School, which will close, with what is now Johnson High and renames it for astronaut Mae Jemison.

This BOE has told so many lies I don't know where to start.  First, they said J.O.Johnson was being renovated, then they said it was closing, then they said someone from the community suggested a name change, then they said all new schools get a new name, then they said the community would have input, then they violated their own policies and renamed the school.

Now let's move on to the rezoning lies, first they said they were under a gag order, then they said they were confused.  They said the NAACP and Dr. Sonnie Wellington Hereford did not oppose the plan,  then they submitted a sign in sheet as proof Black elected officials and community leaders did not oppose the plan.  I'm pretty sure I haven't covered all the lies, but you get my drift.  Harrison's public accusations are not unfounded.

 Backing up Harrison is Showers, who has proposed pulling $20 million in city funding from the school system over the issue (though the threat has no support on the council).

Of course, Showers doesn't have support on the council.  It's north Huntsville, who cares?  Mind you this same council made it known to WARdynski he would be making a gargantuan mistake if he tried to change the name of Lee High School.  The President of the Huntsville City Council was a very vocal opponent of an active rock quarry operating within two miles of schools in nearby Gurley/New Hope, AL.

 In the other corner, school board president David Blair fired back at Harrison with a news release, and then at Showers with an op-ed piece on AL.com, calling Showers' threat "repugnant.

Way to go, David Blair, attack the messenger because you can't attack the facts.  David Blair has his nerve calling anyone repugnant,  and that's all I'm going to say about him.

Wardynski, until recently, had expressed no desire to meet further with the black elected officials that have been his chief critics.
Wardynski said his job is to report to the school board and that northwest Huntsville board member Laurie McCaulley (since ostracized from the black elected officials group for siding with Wardynski) was the person elected to represent north Huntsville on education issues.

Laurie McCaulley was ostracized from the black elected official's group for siding with WARdynski against her constituents, you know, the people she was elected to represent.

This has turned into a childish game, but the effect is far from child’s play. The city desperately wants to get out from under a 1970 desegregation court order that forces the school board to get federal approval before building a new school or shifting zone lines to balance student population.

If the city really wanted to get out from under a 1970 desegregation order they would desegregate the schools.  Out of 40 public schools, only three are considered desegregated. The reason the city has to get approval before building a new school or shifting zone lines is that HCS continues to ignore the Brown v. Board decision.

 That lack of local control -- and the stigma that comes with a 44-year desegregation order -- is a constant negative in the city’s quest to recruit new jobs and new people here.

What part of it's not the lack of local control, it's the sad, sorry state of public education in Huntsville City Schools that is a constant negative in the city's quest to recruit new jobs and people here don't you understand?  If the BOE spent as much time ensuring every child had equal access to quality public education as they do trying to scheme their way out from under the court order,  new jobs and new people would flock here.

The Justice Department, which has opposed Huntsville’s recent rezoning plan in federal court, has been watching these dueling protests/rallies I’m sure, and thinking, ‘This doesn’t look like a unified community.’ Let’s hope the federal judge hearing the rezoning motions hasn’t seen the clippings as well.

I hope I'm reading this wrong, but it sounds like Haskins is hoping the federal judge hearing the rezoning motions doesn't know what the heck is going on, and that he'll believe whatever the school district tells him.  Which would be a gargantuan miscarriage of justice IMHO.

 In an unscientific poll on AL.com this week, nearly 53 percent of more than 1,300 readers voting said they approved of the financial and academic/technological turnaround Wardynski orchestrated by taking charge like the retired Army colonel that he is.

An unscientific poll on AL.com this week is right, all you have to do is read the comment section to find out who the nearly 53% of more than 1300 represent.  Here are some samples:

 Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

 People like Harrison and Showers, need to take a good look at their districts and fix the problems that they control. Like roads, the boarded up buildings and shops. Fix your areas, then complain about something you have no control over. I can't believe these two elected officials so concern over a school name. They are more concern over that than the people that they are suppose to serve as an elected official. But then again, the same fools keep voting them in.

 Yeah they should be allow to destroy Huntsville like Birmingham's black leaders have destroyed Birmingham!

 "Who cares what the name of a schoolis. Sounds like someone throwing a tantrum. If you're cutting funding for something so asinine, do you really care about proper education?" - JA

 Bob Harrison is a big-lipped embarrassment to the people of Northwest Huntsville. He needs to be removed and a reasonable, clear-minded democrat needs to take his place.

 "Blacks misbehave on average more frequently than whites do," McInnish said. "(Brown) hasn't shown any evidence to the contrary."

McInnish went so far as to include in his letter a chart that purports to show the "black crime rate as (a) multiple of (the) white crime rate." The chart indicates that black people commit more than six times the violent crime of white people overall; it has them committing about eight times as many murders as white people and more than 14 times as many robberies.

All the AL.com unscientific poll proved is they have done a good job of misinforming the uninformed.

 Though it may be too late to mend fences, Wardynski did send a registered letter, received last week, to this debate's key players, offering to host a meeting with Harrison, Showers, Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, and McCaulley on Tuesday, April 1.

I agree, it's too late to mend fences, what good is a meeting after the fact?  What are they going to say, I'm sorry but we are still going to change the name and build the new school less than half a mile from an active rock quarry without adequate air quality level testing and an environmental health risk assessment?

I hope, for the community’s sake, these elected officials and Dr. Wardynski can set all pettiness aside and just sit down and talk and listen to each other respectfully.
AL.com has offered to be there to chronicle the meeting and make sure no one’s message is garbled by a one-sided retelling of it.

Thanks but no thanks!  You have already said you don't want the federal judge hearing the case to have all the facts, so forgive me when I say I can't trust you to make sure no ones' message is garbled by a one-sided (yours) telling of it.  Sorry.

It may be too late to find a consensus, but a meeting done in the right spirit by all could set the tone for future discussions, and set an example for the students they all claim to represent.

It's too late to find a consensus, and it's going to be hard to have a meeting with people who disrespect your constituents, unfortunately, the example for the students has already been set by the people who claim they represent them. 

City  school board members Topper Birney, Jennie Robinson and David Blair need a lecture on the state's open meetings law. Honesty and public trust should be part of that lesson.

You think?

On Friday the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released the latest data on minority students in our nation’s public schools. More than a decade into the 21st century and six decades after Brown v. Board we find black students underrepresented in calculus and chemistry, and overrepresented in out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. They face harsher discipline, less access to college-prep courses, and are more often taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers.

 It is stupefying to me that so many people who seem to genuinely care about children in public schools and work tirelessly to improve their educational outcomes manage to skirt responsibility for helping to eliminate racial disparities in education. When racial inequities are evident in all other areas of black life – housing, jobs, pay, health services, transportation, access to food, even life expectancy – you will need to explain to me like I’m five how you hold the belief that schools are an oasis of colorblindness.

RedEye tiptoeing away from the computer to go pray for the children who are the future of our republic.

It's not about a name, it's about the quality of the air students, administrators, teachers, and support personnel will inhale

Photo from Paul Proctor's Post in North Huntsville Environmental Concerns(NHECC)

Someone on the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education thought it would be a good idea to build a $65,000 million dollar, predominately African American Middle/High School,  less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.  There are grave concerns about the air quality levels in the area.  These are remarks addressed to BOE district 5 representative Mike Culbreath during citizens comments at the special call meeting on March 18, 2013.

The BOE cut the live camera feed after the Superintendent and BOE made their comments.  Links inserted for emphasis and clarity.

Good evening,
 I am going to address my remarks to my board member, Mike Culbreath with the hope he will listen to the valid concerns I have regarding the location of the new J.O.Johnson Highs School (I said J.O. Johnson High School because the BOE violated it's own naming policy when it illegally renamed the school), being located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry. 

 I am concerned the BOE has not performed adequate air quality level testing, and most importantly an environmental health risk assessment to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and support personnel.  Currently the BOE is basing their assurance the air quality levels are safe on one test, which was conducted during a period of inactivity, which is not an accurate assessment of air quality.

The  Superintendent and the BOE point to several  other schools that are located even closer to an active rock quarry as rationale for building another school in the area, possibly putting more human beings at risk for respiratory illnesses.  Two wrongs don't make a right, and we didn't know then whatwe know now.

 Mr. Culbreath I am begging you to perform the same due diligence you wold apply to developing a subdivision to the location of the new J.O. Johnson High School.  There is liability for the health, safety and well being of students, teachers, administrators and support personnel.  Lives are at stake.

School Board President David Blair was asked on February 28, 2014 how long was the BOE going to continue to ignore the valid concerns about the air quality at the new J.O. Johnson High School,  he said, "Get me a health risk analysis and I will listen to you."  Mr. Blair has it twisted,  it's his responsibility to provide the citizens with an environmental health risk analysis, not the other way around.  And for the record, elected officials can't decide who they are going to listen too.  They have a duty to listen to ALL taxpayers.

On February 28, 2014 District 5 City Councilman Will Culver said "I looked at all the reports and the air quality at the Pulaski Pike monitoring station (located half a mile from an active rock quarry) is better than the air quality at the Airport Road monitoring station (7.8 miles away).  How can the air quality 7.8 miles away from an active rock quarry be worse than the air quality less than half a mile from an active rock quarry?

At the BOE meeting on March 18, 2014 the Superintendent and the School Board made a point of emphasizing their concern for the students. As they say in my neighborhood, talk is cheap.  How about showing some concern and conduct adequate and aggressive air quality testing, and an environmental health risk analysis ,before you build a $65 million dollar school that may, or may not,  be safe for students to occupy.  It doesn't matter whose name is on the outside of the building, what does matter is the quality of the air the students, administrators, teachers, and support personnel will be inhaling 8 hours a day,  5 days a week.

How long is this issue going to be ignored by those who claim to care about the students, administrators, teachers, and support personnel?