B-But the damn emails.....

We're on our own, People! Behold the GOP #CabinetOfDeplorables. #Resist pic.twitter.com/fbLSqAg7VK

— rootwoman123 (@rootwoman123) February 14, 2017

President Obama is coming to Sweet Home AmeriBAMA....Yawn

"It’s easy to get complacent about battles won long ago. But rights not safeguarded can be eroded or lost.... http://t.co/HqMzEHOGxP
— Anti-Racism Media (@AntiRacismTv) January 22, 2015

Why am I not excited President Obama plans to visit Selma, AmeriBama to celebrate the 5Oth Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act?

The White House says the March 7 trip also will highlight the upcoming 50th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
Obama last visited Selma for the 2007 anniversary, when he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination against Hillary Rodham Clinton. Both candidates and former President Clinton marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge where white police officers beat civil rights protesters in 1965.

Maybe it's because 50 years later Shelby County v. Holder gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

You have to give Alabama credit for its cheek. Last year, the state's Shelby County persuaded the US Supreme Court to find unconstitutional part of the Voting Rights Act that required certain states with histories of discriminatory election laws to get permission from the federal government before changing their voting practices. On Wednesday, Alabama will argue before the court that the same provision it helped decimate compelled lawmakers to racially gerrymander the entire state.

Maybe it's because 50 years later some (not to be confused with all)  police are killing black people and some are getting away with it. 

Justice Department lawyers will recommend that no civil rights charges be brought against the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Mo., after an F.B.I. investigation found no evidence to support charges, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Maybe it's because 50 years later we are still fighting for the right to vote.

 The specific means of suppression have changed, but the objectives haven't: People in power are still trying to keep specific groups of Americans from voting.

 Maybe it's because 50 years later tax payer funded, government issued Weapons of Mass Destruction are being used on black citizens for protesting.

 “It didn’t look like America. It looked like Soweto,” Mr. Lyon said, referring to the South African township that was a hotbed of protests against apartheid. “It looked like soldiers. And soldiers’ job isn’t to protect. Their job is to kill people and to be ready to die.”

Maybe it's because 50 years later black people are still begging for the right to breathe.

 “I can’t breathe,” protesters chanted, in mostly peaceful demonstrations that brought longstanding strains over race to the heart of America’s most populous city. Earlier in the day, prosecutors announced the jury’s decision not to charge Daniel Pantaleo, one of the New York police officers who had confronted Garner for selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island in July.

Maybe it's because 50 years later, the more things change in America, the more they don't change in AmeriBama.

Taylor's decision, which he says was made in part out of concern for Dekalb County's taxpayer money being spent on "filthy language," comes as theaters across the country are hosting free-screenings to hundreds of thousands of students hoping to view the same film. Despite the national embrace and Selma's official PG-13 rating, however, Taylor said he simply could not permit students to experience a movie with the "F-word in it."

So come on down to the land of cotten, take some pretty pictures then board Air Force 1 and head on back to the White House Mr. President Obama sir.

 Don't worry about us.

Out of sight out of mind.

Look away.

Look away.

Look away. 

Dixieland.

RedEye tiptoeing away from the computer to go pray....

#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.

#TBT #SpyGate #SandyHook #RacialProfiling #LifesUnfairness #hsvboe #environmentaljustice

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.

In addition to bashing any media who dares the report the facts (not to be confused with spin), and blaming everything on the black guy, I mean Al Langford, I mean the NSA, one of the memes HCS officials, including the Mayor, cite to justify monitoring some (not to be confused with all) students social media accounts for threats of potential (not to confused with real) violence is to evoke the memory of Sandy Hook, and other mass shootings.

There was a recent opinionated, and irresponsible, article in "The Huntsville Times" about a program the HCS has implemented to help keep the schools safe. We have only to look at national tragedies such as Columbine, Sandy Hook or Virginia Tech to see how badly things can go...or even locally at Madison City Schools or UAH.

 Like most every school system across America, the HCS has instituted security procedures to try to intervene before there is a tragedy. Unlike the picture painted by The Huntsville Times, we do not have a secret group that trolls the social networks across the world for possible threats. Instead, we follow best-practice protocols used by others.

But, but you do have an off the books spying program that  trolls  the social networks of some students for possible threats.  We don't know if you follow best-practice protocols used by others,  because some members of the BOE were kept in the dark about this program.  The public would still be kept in the dark if someone hadn't leaked it to Al.com.  

Both Blair and McCaulley voiced concerns about the information provided to AL.com and the subsequent media attention the program is receiving.
Blair said students intending to do harm at school might be less likely to put information about their intentions online if they know the district is watching.
"This kind of stuff puts kids in danger," Blair said.
McCaulley said that whoever leaked the security presentation to the media may have broken Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws because the presentation included pictures of students.

So now they are worried about FERPA?  Excuse me while I ROTFLMBO.

I am convinced this Superintendent, and this BOE  must think we are stupid.  I mean, really?  Do they honestly believe we are going to believe they are spying on some students (and who knows who else) because of concerns about student safety, and to prevent another Sandy Hook?  

The reason I know this isn't about student safety is because Huntsville City Schools risk the health of the next generation, for the sake of giving our community a school, located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry, aided and abetted by the city of Huntsville.

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."

I am not a rocket scientist, but you tell me how airborne fine particulate matter can be lower less than half a mile from an active rock quarry than at some other spots in town?

The reason I know this BOE doesn't give a flying flip about potential threats to some students is because not one of them has contacted the Environmental Protection Agency or conducted a health risk analysis.

One reason I know Sandy Hook is a red herring is because the targeted students were black and brown, wanna be gang members (not to be confused with real gang members who wouldn't be caught dead on Facebook), and studies show most school shooters are white males.

Sex of the shooter is fairly much a no-brainer – female spree/school shooters are rare, and the one entry here is only because I lowered the level to three fatalities.
Race of the shooter – there is a nearly 80% chance that the perpetrator will be white.
Age group – broadly speaking, there is about a one-third representation for teens, twenties, and 30-52.

Another  reason I know Sandy Hook is a red herring is because what is the first thing white males did in response to the Sandy Hook massacre?  Call for comprehensive gun control laws?  Nope, the demand for weapons and ammunition skyrocketed.  Which leads me to the conclusion if the school district were really trying to prevent another Sandy Hook, the NSA would be calling them about potential threats of violence from the people pictured below.   I'm just saying...

A crowd winds around Larry's Pistol & Pawn Friday morning along North Memorial Parkway. Interest in guns and ammunition has soared since the shootings of over two dozen students and staff at a Connecticut elementary school. WT Martin/HNW

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?"

Huntsville Board of Education Risks The Health of the Next Generation: What Does Environmental Justice Mean?

...probably asthma's next little johnny got a funny knob in his neck

so what the problem with that?...
On it, on it, we're so on it Gotta be on it if we ain't on it we're a goner
Who?
Me, you, everyone and their mama
It's our world, so defending it with honor On it, on it, we're so on it
If you ain't on it, this a warning Take a look at the world around..."

Excerpted lyrics courtesy of Black Educator Blogspot

Activists in Huntsville continue to protest the relocation of existing neighborhood middle and high school students' schools near a dust-ridden location with debilitating, lifelong consequences from exposures to unknown levels of potentially toxic levels of particulate matter.

What is environmental justice? Is there such a thing?
According to the EPA, environmental justice is "the distribution of environmental risks across population and income groups, and the policy responses to these distributions."

Dig a little deeper, and new parameters emerge. "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice, as fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental, or commercial operations, or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies. Meaningful involvement means that potentially affected community residents have an appropriate opportunity to participate in decision-making about a proposed activity that will affect their environment and/or health."

Back around a couple of decades ago, "...on May 6, 1993, Administrator Browner affirmed the need to address environmental justice: as we undertake programs to reduce risks, we must explicitly recognize the ethnic, economic, and cultural makeup of the people we are trying to protect. We now believe that people of color and low income are disproportionately affected by some environmental risks: the risk of living near landfills, municipal waste combustors, or hazardous waste sites; the risks posed by lead or asbestos in old, poorly maintained housing; the risk of exposure to pesticides in farm fields; and the risk of eating contaminated fish when fish is a mainstay of their diet.(2)"

Now we have a definition, and a direction. So, where are the children of Huntsville in this mix? Sounds like the Feds are on board to protect the children of Huntsville.
Huntsville is in Region 4, where environmental justice is "...is an integral part of Region 4's mission."

Super! What about the state?
Hmmm..."The Air Division has primary jurisdiction over all air emission sources within the State, except those emission sources located within Jefferson County or the City of Huntsville. The Air Pollution Control Programs in these areas are administered by the Jefferson County Department of Health and the City of Huntsville Department of Natural Resources, respectively. Air emission sources in these areas should contact these agencies for information regarding applicable regulations and permitting requirements."
Got it. The Feds turned it over to the State, who turned it over to the county and city, where the Board of Education muzzles parental input. Submit your question in writing before the meeting, so we have time to decide whether we want to answer it, or how we want to answer it. We're good, but on our feet? Well, you might be better. Don't want to take any chances, ya know? Might get folks thinkin' there's something rotten in the cotton, as the old sayin' goes.
How's that working out for Huntsville's children and their parents? In terms of environmental justice? Or, in terms of an "appropriate opportunity to participate in decision-making about a proposed activity" that will affect their childrens' health and well-being, who are the future citizens and workers of Huntsville?

Redeye's Alabama and Georgia Congress Critter Watch

The Terri Sewell fan club, aka Left in Alabama,makes much hay out press releases touting a Department of Homeland Security grant to the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Department, and an opportunity for high school students to compete in an art contest, but nary a word about Sewell being the only freshman democrat to sign a letter asking for less stringent boiler rules.

A coalition of freshmen lawmakers wrote to Administrator Lisa Jackson Wednesday calling on the agency to issue less stringent final regulations for limiting air pollution from industrial boilers.
The letter was signed by 61 members of the House. Only one Democrat, Rep. Terri Sewell (Ala.), signed on. It builds on a similar letter from 13 Senate freshmen.A coalition of lawmakers and industry groups have railed against the agency’s proposed regulations for industrial boilers, arguing they are impossible to meet. The agency has said its trying to address concerns as it crafts final rules.

Psst Terri! It's not about Y-O-U, remember Shirley Chishom?

Sewell, daughter of Selma's first African-American city councilwoman, noted that she had interviewed Shirley Chisolm for her thesis "Black Women in Politics: Our Time has Come" back in the 1980's. She quoted Chisolm on public service:

"Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth."

... and said, "I'm asking you on July 13th to let me make a small deposit toward that rent. You will not, you will not, be sorry."

Congress Critter Mo Brooks came under fire in Eye Rack, for real.

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, was part of a congressional delegation that came under fire while visiting Iraq this week, according to the website Politico.com.

Brooks and Reps. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Guam Democrat Madeleine Bordallo were eating lunch with troops at a military base Wednesday when the base came under rocket attack, Politico reported Friday.

No one was injured during the attack.

About a half hour later, the base was attacked again, and the representatives were escorted to a bunker. Again, no one was injured.

“I don’t think any of the members of our delegation experienced any fear,” Brooks, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told Politico from an undisclosed location in Iraq. “We placed our trust in our armed services, and they were very professional. They did exactly what they should do.”

Yeah, and Mo and the rest of the Congressional Cowards did what they do best. They cut and ran as fast as their little privileged legs would carry them to get on a plane back to America and left our sons and daughters over there to dodge bullets and rocket attacks 24/7.

Psst Mo! Are the Eye Rack Eees free yet? I thought the Eye Rack Eees were going to dance in the streets and throw flowers and candy at our troops? I thought Eye Rack Eee oil was going to pay for the W-ar?

Bring our troops home. Now. There are no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Saddam didn't have anything to do with 911. We were lied to. Cut spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, not in America. The poor and the elderly have to give up heat in winter and air conditioning in summer. Cuts to medicare and social security will affect the middle class. WTF are the rich going to give up?

Let's make the midnight train across the state line to Georgia, where Rep. Paul Broun (TeaPublican, gutless coward) is asked, 'Who is going to shoot Obama?' and he didn't say a mumbling word.

Well, I would like to remind people how the media played a clip (out of context) of Reverend Jeremiah Wright saying "God Damn America" over and over again,forced President Obama to reject his church, renounce the man who performed his marriage ceremony and reject the man who baptised both his daughters.

I also want to remind people of the young man being tasered at a John Kerry event for trying to ask a question at a town hall meeting.

Anti War Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested inside the capital for wearing a T Shirt.

Don't forget the outrage over then candidate Obama's bitter, clinging to their guns remarks (also taken out of context).

So where is the call for elected officials like Broun to reject, renounce and reputiate questions like this?

Crickets