About that Hank Sanders Robo Call "Reaching Democratic Voters" #BlackHistoryMonth2016

Remember the Mad as Hell robocall made by Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders (D. Selma)  during the Alabama Democratic Primary?



Well A Modern Day Slave Plantation Exists, and It's Thriving in The Heart of America.

Hello this is Hank Sanders, Alabama state Senator, and I’m still mad as hell. I say hell no! I ain’t going back to the cotton fields of Jim Crow days. I’m going forward with Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us. I hope you are mad as hell and will not go back, and you have the power to choose. I will stand until hell freezes over for Ron Sparks for Governor and Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor on November the 2nd.

Paid for by Alabama New South.

Can you hear him now?


#BlackHistoryMonth2016

Slavery has been in the news a lot lately. Perhaps it’s because of the increase in human trafficking on American soil or the headlines about income inequality, the mass incarceration of African Americans or discussions about reparations to the descendants of slaves. Several publications have fueled these conversations: Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Case for Reparations in The Atlantic Monthly, French economist Thomas Picketty’s Capital in the Twenty First Century, historian Edward Baptist’s The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and The Making of American Capitalism, and law professor Bryan A. Stevenson’s Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.

Why Reparations? 

So, now you want a Lottery Alabama?

Via Forward Alabama: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (PLEASE SHARE): 3 months ago, Gov Bentley & Co took $100million from the state Education Fund to keep the state solvent. This week, Alabamians took our MILLIONS across state lines to buy lottery tickets that will fund education in OTHER states. Bentley & Co refuse to bring an education lottery to Alabama. Would you like to let him hear from you? governorrobertbentley@governor.state.al.us

Now that it's dawned on the powers that be , and anti gambling bots, they cut off their nose to spite their face, they want to vote for state lottery?

Yep, me and thousands of Alabamians trekked on over the state line and spent our own damn money in Tennessee buying Mega Millions lottery tickets, helping the Tennessee Education system, and putting money in their coffers. Not only did I purchase lottery tickets, but also gas, food, and did a some tax free shopping, thanks to the good old Christian (cough), Compassionate (cough), Conservatives (cough) Alabama anti gambling bots.

Again

Alabama voters soundly rejected the Governor's appeal for a lottery today, heeding the warnings of ministers over arguments that the revenue was vital to improve the state's lagging schools.
With 96 percent of the precincts reporting, 645,997 people, or 54 percent, voted against the lottery, and 543,321 people, or 46 percent, supported it.
The lottery was once almost sure to be approved, but it came under fire from religious groups who said it would exploit the poor. Some opponents also said a recent traffic ticket-fixing scandal showed that Gov. Donald Siegelman's administration could not be trusted.

And where is Gov. Donald Siegelman.... now? 

A RedEYE Hope You Are Happy Rant #47DemCowards

EYE hope all of you so called democrats who just couldn't bring your self to vote for Ron Sparks for Governor because he will happily kow-tow to them,  and who hate Joe Reed more than they love themselves are happy now.

EYE hope all you so called democrats who told us real democrats to STFU and STFD when we tried to tell you Artur Davis and Terri Sewell were frauds are happy now.

EYE hope all  of you so called democrats/moderates/Independents/progressives, or what ever you want to call yourselves who didn't vote because your candidate lost are happy now.

EYE hope all you democrats etc. who spent more time fighting each other instead of fighting the republicans are happy now.

Don't blame me. EYE voted a straight democratic ticket.  But EYE won't be making that mistake again.  EYE will not vote for any DINO's (Democrats in name only).  

You are either for the democratic party agenda.  All of it.  Or, you are against the democratic party agenda. 

 There is no gray area.

Rant Over and Out.  For now.

#TBT Re-post countdown to my 5th Blog-O-Versary #3

Here is installment 3 in my series of post leading up to the 5th anniversary of my being banned for life from Left in Alabama.  Today's re-post comes on the heels of Artur Davis' failed bid to become the first African American Governor of Sweet Home Alabama.  I thought about this post because it shows the pain the Cats and other Critters felt because black voters didn't fall for the Okey Doke and vote for Davis out of "racial pride".  They falsely assumed blacks voted for President Obama, who they tried to portray Artur Davis as his second coming, because of the color of his skin.  When I tried to tell them black voters don't vote based on the color of a candidates skin, we vote based on the content of their agenda/platform, I was banned.

Anyhoo, first read Artur Davis -Anatomy of a Loss (be sure and read the content of some of the comments), then read,  Back Away from the Catnip.

Para quoting Dr. Joe Reed (fellow enemy of the Cats and Critters at Left in Alabama for not being a Davis supporter);

Instead of applauding Senator Hank Sanders for applying the same standards to a black candidate as a white candidate, and judging candidates based upon the content of their character and not the color of their skin, your post condemned him as though he had some obligation to support Davis. Senator Hank Sanders is decried as a "power broker" because he endorsed Ron Sparks, but check out the Left in Alabama endorsements complete with color pictures and numerous post to extol the virtues of Artur Davis. Does that make Left in Alabama a "power broker" too?

Eye Report.  You Decide.

State Senator Hank Sanders said republicans wanted to return to the days of slavery and Jim Crow, guess what, he was right (no pun)

Remember  Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders (D. Selma) mad as hell robo call to democratic voters that apparently made it on some of the wrong answering machines?

Hello this is Hank Sanders, Alabama state Senator, and I’m still mad as hell. I say hell no! I ain’t going back to the cotton fields of Jim Crow days. I’m going forward with Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us. I hope you are mad as hell and will not go back, and you have the power to choose. I will stand until hell freezes over for Ron Sparks for Governor and Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor on November the 2nd.
Paid for by Alabama New South.

Remember when CNN correspondent CooperAnderson asked Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders what evidence he had that the Republican opponents would take Alabama back to Jim Crow days after Sanders  Mad as Hell robo call to democratic voters during the 2010 election?

 Well, here is your evidence Mr. Anderson Cooper and Company.

Inmates at an Alabama prison plan to stage a work stoppage this weekend and hope to spur an escalating strike wave, a leader of the effort told Salon in a Thursday phone call from his jail cell.
“We decided that the only weapon or strategy … that we have is our labor, because that’s the only reason that we’re here,” said Melvin Ray, an inmate at the St. Clair correctional facility and founder of the prison-based group Free Alabama Movement. “They’re incarcerating people for the free labor.” Spokespeople for Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and his Department of Corrections did not respond to midday inquiries Thursday. Jobs done by inmates include kitchen and laundry work, chemical and license plate production, and furniture-making. In 2011, Alabama’s Department of Agriculture reportedly discussed using inmates to replace immigrants for agricultural work; in 2012, the state Senate passed a bill to let private businesses employ prison labor.

 Can you hear him now?

 In Alabama prisons, orange may be the new green. Now here's a compliant labor force that isn't likely to ask for raises, sue for discrimination, or try to join a union: convicts.  It could be the perfect solution for private businesses looking for cheap labor, so of course, Alabama is looking into it.

 Hell no I ain't fergittin!

"Before jumping on any bandwagons, know who is driving the rig and which direction it's headed "

 Left in Alabama commenter maebabs made this comment in reference to Ron Sparks (D) and Artur Davis(DINO) differing positions on charter schools during the 2010 Alabama Democratic gubernatorial primary.  This comment runs parallel to my previous post regarding the New Democratic Majority.  The more I read, the more I'm convinced  the Artur Davis wing is holding the reins, and it's all about driving  Joe Reed off a cliff.

We white Democrats who grub for white votes one at a time at feed stores, convenience stores, wherever the opportunity arises, sometimes get a response which is "the (N) own the Democratic Party." It's always the "N" word and it's always summed up just that way. Now, recall a few years ago when a black Bham area legislator retired and a white woman upset black candidates and won the Democratic nomination. Joe Reed screamed it was "a black" seat, which only helped reinforce white antipathy to black democrats. Reed helped finance a challenge, and demanded futilely to be on the State Dem party committee deciding the challenge. He lost the battle, but he got even by engineering the removal of the chair of the committee from her state party post, who, ironically, is a white woman with a long history of working for black equality. That's just a little of Joe Reed. Go back to his relationship with George Wallace before he didn't have a relationship with George Wallace. Of course artur knew that Reed is lining his organization up for sparks. He could have gone in and begged for no endorsement in the primary. I like what he did. Alabama politics is better for it.

I refuse to believe the MAJORITY of Alabama DEMOCRATS are anti AEA(Alabama Education Association).

I have a child in the public school system, and it appears to me that the AEA's main purpose is protecting tenured teachers, rather than the best teachers or all students. While I haven't done in-depth research into charter schools or vouchers, the fear-mongering advertisements I heard on the radio during the primaries (funded by the AEA) infuriated me. 
I realize the AEA was created when the two pre-existing teachers' unions headed by Hubbert and Reed merged, and from what I understand they did much to make integration relatively smooth. However, that was decades ago.
Currently, the state party is dominated by the AEA. My county chairperson is an employee of the AEA. The meeting place for the county party is in the AEA headquarters building. It's rather difficult to be a part of the Democratic party in this state without supporting the AEA -- so tell me why I should.

I refuse to believe the MAJORITY of Alabama DEMOCRATS are willing to pander to the right at the expense of the most loyal democratic voting block for personal, political gain.

Congressman Davis has often admitted in his interviews his admiration for Rev. Jackson.  It is time to move past race and engage in critical, thoughtful dialogue that moves Alabama forward.  Honoring the leaders that have sacrificed and paved the way for all Americans, we need to be able to think about practical solution and ways to implement them.  More so, we need to find and support leaders that will go against the grain to push us forward.  Artur Davis is that candidate that I truly believe is able to deliver on what Alabama needs. This is also relevant to the health care reform where he obviously wants MORE for us.  This health care reform must work for Alabama and the small businesses.  Kudos to Congressman Davis for taking a stand!!!!

It's De Joe-Vu all over again.

 In reality, Davis hasn't rejected the black vote, he's rejected the black gatekeepers and gone directly to the people.  It's worth noting that Hillary Clinton also came and spoke directly to the ADC in late 2007; Barack Obama did not.  Obama went on to win the Alabama primary -- and the general election.

I HOPE the MAJORITY of Alabama DEMOCRATS don't feel this way about the traditional democratic base.

The endorsement of these groups is not about who has the best position on health care, or bingo or ethics reform, or unemployment, or jobs -- New South endorsed Earl Hilliard, Jr. over Davis in both 2000 and 2002 and they've never given him more than token support in the years since.  These endorsements are about kow-towing to the power brokers and Artur Davis has never been willing to do that.  Bottom line, history tells us Joe Reed would move heaven and earth to keep ADC from endorsing Artur Davis.  Ditto Hank Sanders and New South Coalition.  It's the status quo vs. a new way of doing business in Alabama, and the folks who wield power with the current system aren't going to give it up quietly.

Ron Sparks will happily kow-tow and they'll endorse him.  No surprise there.

 All that glitters is not gold. 

 There is the perception that the Democratic Party is the party of black folks and the Republican Party is the party of white folks.  What can we do in Alabama to address openly and honestly the issues of race that divides the Democratic Party but has no role in the Republican Party?

Well we can start by stop being afraid to talk openly and honestly about race.

We can't expect voters in Alabama to get over the race issue when the Democratic Party in Alabama can't get over the race issue.  ...  Everybody wants to pretend like it doesn't exist.  But it does.  I got phone calls that would say things like, "did you send black canvassers to white doors?"  As a party we need to decide that we're going to get over race before we can expect voters to do that.

Secondly, we must purge the party of infiltrators.  You are either with the Alabama Democratic Party and it's agenda, or, you are against the Alabama Democratic Party and it's agenda. There is no in between. The Democratic Party can't just say we are ALL on the same rig and the driver is driving the rig  in the same direction when it's convenient (aka election time).

Who can herd the Alabama DemoCATS?

 

In case you've been living under a rock, are not on facebook, and don't read Al.com, I regret to inform you of the Civil War raging within the Alabama Democratic Party between the White Cats and the Black Cats. (Cue in Dixie)

This War has been simmering every since the 2009 democratic gubernatorial primary when then democrat, now republican, Aurtur Davis sought to be the first black governor of Alabama.  Davis and his ahem handlers thought black democrats were going to vote for him  because he was the second coming of President Obama.

I said then, and I say now, One thing I will say about Davis's candidacy, it is pitting democrat vs democrat, white vs black, conservative vs liberal, white progressives vs black progressives, pro choice vs anti choice, north AL vs south AL, rural voters vs urban voters.  

jacool was right (no pun) on the money when he asked this question, emphasis mine:

But is he electable? 

Davis needs between 75-80% of the black vote if not more to even narrowly win the primary because there will be a definite ceiling with the white vote given that the whites will be almost all rural and working class and considering that every rural Obama hating Republican will also be voting in that primary.
 So can Davis get that 75-80%? So far, it's not looking likely. I have been consistent. I have said all along he'll be lucky to carry the black vote and will have a hard time cracking 60%. I stand by this one. The black leadership in Alabama will never say this directly but they don't believe white Alabamians will elect a black man in 2010. They saw Obama's performance.  
They also know that their power and indeed all black political power is derived entirely on Democratic control of the legislature. They believe if Republicans take over the legislature that they'll try and swing the remaining Democratic whites into the GOP camp overtly on race and that blacks will be in Alabama's political wilderness outside of majority black counties for several decades
 I agree with the state's black leadership on all counts and that's why I see 2010 turning out to be the bloodbath that it will. More importantly, if they can take out Davis they can send a message to all aspiring black politicians in Alabama that they'll either follow along or face Davis's fate. That is what is at stake in the 2010 primary and that's why while it will be fun to watch I fear what it could mean for the party.

 For some strange reason Davis and Co. thought he could diss his base and still win, but what he actually did was divide the Alabama democratic party..... forever? 

While Congressman Artur Davis's stunning loss in his quest to win the Alabama Democratic Gubernatorial nomination was a sad turn for one black man, it was a great moment for black voters. It revealed a heightened level of political sophistication among black primary voters who rejected Davis's "I-don't-need-to-spend-time-on-them-'cause-I-know-they'll-be-with-me" approach to campaigning. black Alabamans did not simply genuflect before a polished black candidate. He gave them nothing; they returned the favor. Davis has ambitiously positioned himself for higher office for some time. In so doing, he took his base for granted. That's the best way to lose an election.

 So fast forward to 2013, and the Alabama Democratic Party' desire to reinvent itself, from the party of Dr. Joe Reed ,to the party of Judge Mark Kennedy, and never the two shall meet.  Why are some Alabama democrats trying to reinvent the wheel, I mean party?  Not sure, but I think it has something to do with the perception the party caters and cow tows to black voters, like that's a bad thing.  I mean, what's wrong with being the party of civil, equal and human rights for all people regardless of race, creed or gender?  What are we...chopped liver?

So while the red, republican controlled Alabama State Legislature is waging a full scale war against poor women, poor children, the voting rights act,  public education and teachers, the Alabama Democratic Party continues to embarrass itself  trying to figure out who can herd the white cats and the black cats.

SMH

If Artur Davis had listened to me maybe he would have won the Alabama democratic primary

Fist Dap BET.com

But nooooo, he chose to listen to the Rocket Scientist instead of the Political Scientist.  Note, I said the Alabama Democratic PRIMARY, not  to be confused with the general election.   In order to win the Alabama democratic primary he would have run as a liberal democrat, and everyone knows white voters would rather run through hell with a pair of gasoline drawers on than vote for a liberal democrat (ask Ron Sparks) , much less a black liberal democrat in Alabama, (ask President Obama.)

One of the first things politicians learn is "know your base", not to be confused with "take your base for granted", which is what Artur Davis and his team did when they decided he should throw the voters who would vote for him under the bus, and pander to people who might vote for him.

The Davis team was so sure African American voters were going to fall for the Artur Davis is Barack Obama Okey Doke and vote for him out of  some kind of "racial pride", not realizing African Americans don't vote based on the race of the candidate, but the content of the candidates agenda, like  Dr. Joe Reed and Rev. Jesse Jackson tried unsuccessfully to tell them.

Artur Davis came to power in what is known as the Trojan Horse Offensive, backed by unlimited right wing dollars, enabled by a media  eager to frame African Americans as becoming "more conservative". 

Artur Davis is proof that media driven narrative doesn't fit the facts.  

Republicans can have Artur Davis.  Strike that, republicans deserve Artur Davis.

Artur Davis has zero credibility among people of good will , much like the party he serves, and the Progressive, Informed, Involved Blog he infiltrated.

Fist Dap countrycat a Left in Alabama

The Red, Republican, Confederate, Slave States have way too much power

Slave States vs Free States 2012

Hello this is Hank Sanders, Alabama state Senator, and I’m still mad as hell. I say hell no! I ain’t going back to the cotton fields of Jim Crow days. I’m going forward with Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us. I hope you are mad as hell and will not go back, and you have the power to choose. I will stand until hell freezes over for Ron Sparks for Governor and Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor on November the 2nd.

Paid for by Alabama New South.

Remember Alabama State Senator Hanks Sanders warning to democratic voters prior to the 2010 election?

Remember how he was called a racist/race baiter among other things?

Remember how white democrats preferred republicans by almost 2-1 in the midterm elections?

Some even went as far as to blame  democrats for their demise.

I said then , and I say now, if white democrats had focused on WHAT Senator Sanders said, instead of WHO said it, we wouldn't be in this mess.

Thanks to the TeaPublican Congress and the red, republican, Confederate, Slave states,  voter ID laws could disenfranchise thousands of voters in 2012.   These are the states who went to war to keep black folks enslaved.  These are the states who enacted Jim Crow laws.  These are the states rights states.

African Americans recognize the code words, and the consequences of history repeating itself despite the denials, myths,  and misinformation  disseminated by the gop infused, media enabled, Tea Party, and some (not to be confused with all) white democrats sticking their heads in the sand.

Today's Must Read for White People Only

Tom Degan: Message to My Fellow White People

NOTE TO MINORITY READERS:This posting is FOR WHITES ONLY. Nothing personal but there's a conversation to be had here and it doesn't concern you. If you're African American or Hispanic or Asian or Arab - SCRAM! Gail Collins wrote a particularly witty piece in today's New York Times about a town in North Dakota where the unemployment rate is at one percent. Go read that. You'll all be welcome back with open arms when I write my next piece. Now SCAT, ya hear? 

"Well there is a certain mean spirtness  that's out there, not only in Alabama, but in America, and that's what makes this election so important"~ State Senator Hank Sanders in response to CNN's Anderson Cooper asking him what evidence he had republicans would take Alabama back to Jim Crow Days.

Repeat after me....

You

Get

The

Bat#hit

Crazy

You

Vote

For

Edited~Why the #AlaGOP is pushing for #CharterSchools

And it has nothing to do with improving educational achievement, it's all about the Benjamin's.  Strike that.  It's all about the AlaGop getting their greedy fingers on the public Benjamin's.

The charter school concept may soon come to Alabama. Gov. Robert Bentley intends to push for charter schools in the 2012 legislative session. Jennifer Ardis, Bentley's press secretary, said the governor wants to try charter schools on a small scale in Alabama.
The Legislature has shot down charter school ideas in the past, but with a new Republican majority, the idea may pass this time. The success of any charter schools Alabama gets may be dependent on how well the Legislature crafts a law allowing charter schools to operate here. Recent studies have shown that how states set up the enabling legislation for their charter schools can have a big impact on their success.
"My concern is that when the Legislature and the governor put in bills that they are very careful because I am completely opposed to charter schools run by non-citizens or private chains," said Betty Peters, a state school board member. "I believe that charter schools are supposed to be public schools, and if schools are going to be run with public money, we should be very careful."

You're darn Skippy we should be very careful, or Alabama will end up like Florida where the Charter School Industry is running amok with taxpayer money.

These days, it is the burgeoning charter school industry that is reeling in taxpayer dollars. As two Miami Herald reporters discovered, the charter school industry in Florida, which has been given the political stamp of approval of a thoroughly conservative state legislature and a series of conservative governors, allows charters to "play by their own rules."
According to an investigative report by The Miami Herald's Scott Hiaasen and Kathleen McGrory, the managers of charter schools in Florida, a project championed by former Governor Jeb Bush, are running amok.
As billions in taxpayer dollars have been shifted from traditional school districts to independently run charter schools, the charter school industry has become "one of the region's fastest-growing industries, backed by real-estate developers and promoted by politicians."

It's not about the children, it's about the bottom line.

While there are arguments to be had over the efficacy of charter schools, there is no disputing the facts presented by The Miami Herald's reporters that, in part due to a lack of oversight and accountability, Florida's charter schools have become a veritable gold mine for a number of corporations.

Now we know why the AlaGOP is pushing for Charter Schools.

But charter schools have also resulted in a "freewheeling system" with minimal oversight that "has given rise to a cottage industry of professional charter school management companies that-along with the landlords and developers who own and build schools-control the lion's share of charter schools' money."
These management companies are reeling in taxpayer dollars in several ways: they receive "roughly $6,000 per student from the state" and they "also get some state funds for facilities and maintenance." In fact, "Most schools rent their facilities-in churches, shopping centers, or brand-new school buildings erected by real-estate developers," and these properties are "exempt from property taxes."
According to Hiasson and McGrory, "Many of the highest rents are charged by landlords with ties to the management companies running the schools, [and] .... At least 56 charter schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties sit on land whose owners are tied to management companies, property records show."

Remember this mantra, Charter Schools are back door privatization of education.

Charter Schools are NOT a good thing in Alabama or any where else.

Just last Thursday Ron Sparks told the Madison County Democratic Women, "I am against charter schools in Alabama.  ... I will not start dividing our children and segregating our children in Alabama."  Today a release from the Artur Davis campaign accused Sparks of flip-flopping on the issue, appearing with Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton to highlight the Obama administration's education reform efforts and seeking to "help rally support for lifting restrictions on the growth of high-quality charter schools." 

Isn't it ironic....)

republicans/conservatives/right wingers don't have a problem taking them there federal tax dollars it comes to funding private, I mean charter schools, but they claim to not want government bailouts, I mean handouts. 
Go figure.

RedEye Around Alabama

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RedEye over and out...for now.

Not playing the "race baiting race" card

Sending the Azalea Trail Maidens as Alabama's one and only official representative to the Inaugural Parade of the First African American President is not playing the race baiting race card.

Calling the first African American President of the United States a Kenyan born, Muslim is not playing the race card.

Calling the first African American President of the United States a Tar Baby is not playing the race card.

Calling the first African American President of the United States your boy and an ol'boy is not playing the race cards.

No really racially charged words here. No Siree.

Nope, those are terms used to disrespect the first African American President of the United States of America but they are not meant to be racist.

I declare, some people just go around LOOKING for reasons to be offended.

Just look away

Look away

Look away

Jesusland

Hello this is Hank Sanders, Alabama state Senator, and I’m still mad as hell. I say hell no! I ain’t going back to the cotton fields of Jim Crow days. I’m going forward with Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us. I hope you are mad as hell and will not go back, and you have the power to choose. I will stand until hell freezes over for Ron Sparks for Governor and Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor on November the 2nd.

Democrats likely need a strong turnout among black voters in Alabama to elect Sparks to the governor's office and Folsom as lieutenant governor.

When asked about the calls Friday, Sparks said, "If you believe there is not racism in this state, then you are not living in the same state I am living in."

Republican governor candidate Robert Bentley said the calls are an attempt at race-baiting, and Sanders and Sparks should apologize for them.

Translation-It's not race baiting unless we say it's race baiting.

Nod, nod, wink, wink.

This is a what some "Professional Lefty Retards " tried to tell some of y'all post

Hello this is Hank Sanders, Alabama state Senator, and I’m still mad as hell. I say hell no! I ain’t going back to the cotton fields of Jim Crow days. I’m going forward with Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us. I hope you are mad as hell and will not go back, and you have the power to choose. I will stand until hell freezes over for Ron Sparks for Governor and Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor on November the 2nd.

Paid for by Alabama New South.

“I heard if the Republicans win the election, their first act of business was going to be sending this monkey back to his cage …” These words were posted on a web site (ala.com) in response to a robo ad I sent. There is a mean spirit on the loose.

Rangel: It's disgraceful that he has to make any explanation for anything. The intrusion of the media and Republicans into the sacred relationship that worshipers have with their spiritual leaders I think is going to come back to haunt us. To think that we have to go into the lives and the beliefs of Rabbis and Priests and ministers and Imams is absolutely ridiculous. We've got a war on. We've got an economy that's splintered. I think the media should be more responsible and start dealing with those issues. I don't think many people care what reverend Wright thinks and I don't see why any candidate should have to explain what ..

Rep Waters: "One of the things we can't do is, we can't let them distract from what we're all about, and what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to keep the focus on comprehensive, universal health care reform, and they're going all over the place. They are desperate, uh, they don't have leadership, uh, they really don't know what to do, and so, I think we're going to continue to see a lot of crazy things happening, like all of the, uh, outrage that has been demonstrated at these town hall meetings, like the kind of statement that Congresswoman Jenkins made, and let them define themselves, let them reveal who they are. The American public needs to see that."

Howard Dean said a public health insurance option is more important than bipartisanship, and that Democrats should pass health-care legislation that includes the option with 51 votes if necessary.

Dean added that Democrats should have "no intention" of working with Republicans if it's not the strongest possible legislation that could be passed with a simple majority.


Bernie Sanders went to the floor of the Senate last December to deliver the most important congressional address of 2010, a nine-hour long, filibuster-style condemnation of economic policies that favored the rich while burdening working Americans. The independent senator from Vermont electrified the nation with a call for economic justice that challenged Obama administration compromises with Republicans on issues of tax policy and declared: "There is a war going on in this country, and I am not referring to the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. I am talking about a war being waged by some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in this country against the working families of the United States of America, against the disappearing and shrinking middle class of our country."

Sorry but I'm going to have to throw a wet blanket on this "bipartisan" love fest.
Has anyone noticed but me that republicans are bipartisan when it's benefits them? Bipartisanship to republicans means you join us, we don't join you.

Mo, Dale, Teabaggers, how about joining with Democrats/liberals fighting for health care reform, or the Jobs bill, or bringing our troops home from Iraq? Bipartisanship is two way, not one way.

Words of caution and advice to my progressive/democratic friends. Make sure you identify yourselves as such so that you won't be lumped in with the Teabaggers. They are NOT your friend(s). Don't let yourself be used to enable the right wing/conservative agenda.


The president said the Republican Party was focused on things like tax cuts for the rich and cuts to education funding rather than helping middle class Americans and young people.

"If we don't have strong leaders in Congress who are supportive of this agenda, who are supportive of moving the country forward," the president said. "If instead we've got folks who want to move backwards to the same failed policies that got us into this mess in the first place, then it's going to be very difficult for me to keep making progress and do what folks want to see me do over the next two years."

Hey Scott Beason, are you still the chair of the rules committee?

Let me see if I have this right (pun intended). Sue Bell Cobb, Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court (and the only Democrat member of that Court) announced today that she is resigning, effective August of this year so she can dedicate the bulk of her life to being a better wife, mother, daughter, grandmother,sister, church member and friend. But, Alabama State Senator Scott Beason is hanging on to his position as chair of the rules committee so he can be a better bigot? What's wrong with this picture?

As my Daddy says there is something rotten in the cotton around here. Per The Locust Fork News Journal

The task will now fall to Alabama’s new Republican Governor, Robert Bentley, to name her replacement.

Sources say Mobile attorney Charles Graddick has been preparing to run against her for the chief justice slot, although there is no official indication that Bentley will appoint him to the post. His name may remind readers of another, divisive time in Alabama politics, when a Democratic Party primary fight for governor between Graddick and Bill Baxley resulted in voters electing the first Republican governor since Reconstruction, a Cullman Primitive Baptist preacher, chicken farmer and Amway salesman, Guy Hunt.

Hunt was convicted of illegally diverting inaugural money for his personal use and removed from office. He was later pardoned.

A blast from the past,

it is an odd move for someone who was widely considered a leading candidate for a run at Governor in 2014.

More on this later

and cynical speculation at Left in Alabama .

Cobb waged an enormously expensive campaign funded with lots of PAC money. McGregor knew he needed a voice on the court. McGregor dumped lots of money into PACs during Cobb's campaign. Much of McGregor's money went to, and much of Cobb's contributions came from, John Crawford PACs. McGregor personally contributed some money to Cobb, and quite a bit to the Children First Foundation when Cobb was a director. The FBI tapped McGregor's phone, leading to the ongoing bribery prosecution. I'll be pleasantly amazed if I'm wrong, but I'm afraid Cobb's resignation is somehow tied to the McGregor trial or the phone tap.

Another one bites the dust.

Sue Bell Cobb was , was one of three dissenting justices who voted against "sovereign immunity.

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb reminded us this month that "sovereign immunity" is a concept that trickled down from the ancient English notion that "the King could do no wrong."
In Alabama, the state is king. And the king can do all the wrong it wants. There's just nothing we can do about it.

Remember the Sue Bell Cobb for Governor buzz? Emphasis mine

There's been a lot of buzz this past week about the possible gubernatorial run of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Sue Bell Cobb. Rumor is that the "power brokers" in Montgomery, terrified of an Artur Davis candidacy, are casting about for an alternative.

Lt. Governor, Jim Folsom, threw them for a loop when he decided to run for re-election, and we've been treated to the sight of various potential candidates being wooed, then discarded. At least by the "conventional wisdom" whatever that's worth.

The lastest gossip pertains to Justice Cobb. Will she leave the court to run for governor? Even though she's not up for re-election in 2010, as a sitting justice, she can't run for another office without resigning.

Will we be treated to not one, not two, but three up-and-coming Alabama Democrats slugging it out for the nomination? A party insider I talked with this weekend hopes not, noting a Cobb candidacy would pit two rising stars in the party against each other and "would be like using two bullets for your game of Russian roulette." This source was speaking of Davis and Cobb, almost (but not quite) writing off even the possibility of a Ron Sparks victory.

Conventional voices wanted Sue Bell Cobb to stay put she was because she was too valuable and needed on the court. I submit party insiders were afraid she would beat Artur Davis like a drum and I dare say she would have beat Robert Bentley too.

Thanks a lot party insiders.

Snark

Letting the Left Wing Down...again

What do you mean Alabama RECLAIMS the title of being the most racist state in the Nation? This is the home of segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever, Bloody Sunday, Bull Conner, the 16th Street Baptist church bombing, and legal lynchings.

Remember Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders (D) robocall to democratic voters saying he was supporting Ron Sparks for Governor because he didn't want to return to the days of slavery and Jim Crow and the righty's and some *ahem* progressives got *cough cough*offended because they chose to take his words literally instead of figuratively? THIS is the kind of STUFF, he was talking about.

If you're a Republican legislator eager to redraw your state's political lines to your party's favor in time for the 2012 elections, but fear opposition from a state Democratic attorney general and the Obama Justice Department, what to do?

Sneak little-noticed language into the bottom of a budget bill that allows you to bypass your redistricting foes, of course -- even if it could end up costing your state time and money in the process.

At least that's the approach favored by GOP lawmakers in the battleground state of North Carolina, and based on a similar strategy used in Texas and other Southern states this spring.

See this is what happens when DEMOCRATS don't have a spine and fall for the TeaPublican, media infused OKEY DOKE.

A growing chorus of progressives is calling on Democrats to keep their mouths shut when it comes to Rep. Anthony Wiener's (D-NY) future -- and are dismissing the Democratic calls for Wiener to step down as another sign of the timidity of the party.

It's not so much that Wiener didn't screw up royally, they say. It's that they say it's just not that big a deal, and making it into one falls into a Republican trap. And, besides, they say, as long as Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is still walking the halls of the Capitol, why should the left be forced to lose one of its most ardent supporters?

It's not clear how far this will develop. Defending Wiener is not something many are willing to do. But for some progressives, the response to Wiener is another sign of the Democratic party letting its left wing down.

While the Wieners are focused on Wieners' Wiener our government is waging WAR, our sons and daughters are dying on foreign soil, unemployment is rising as democrats form a circular firing squad and refuse to fight misinformation with facts.

It never ceases to amaze me how the democratic party enables the republicans to throw the ones with the courage to speak truth to the power under the bus.

Update! Hypocrisy Pot Meets Hypocrisy Kettle in Bama, Oh My!

This just in!

Yes, Skews, you will get a few clicks from my post here. And I suppose you figure that means you have real support, and you might have some. Donald Trump gets a lot of publicity these days, too, and he certainly has supporters. Maybe for your next trick you can out yourself as a birther. That would certainly get you a few clicks.

MeOuch!

I love it when the covers are pulled off and the bright lights are turned on to expose the face of real, raw, unadulterated hypocrisy by the so called liberal thinking,mainstream media all stars. Note the names in bold for future reference.

You won't want to miss our all star media panel happening just 4 days before the start of Mayor Langford's trial, just 9 days after the Birmingham City Council runoffs, and who knows what else might happen between now and then?

Panelists
Bill Payer, CBS42 News Dir.
Mooncat, Left in Alabama
Ron January, WATV
John Archibald, Bham News
Charles Dean, Bham News
Kyle Whitmire, Bham Weekly

We can thank new blog The Birmingham Skews for making them squirm. And squirming they are.

Most people by now have read John Archibald's column from this morning's Birmingham News. As so many who tend to tell the truth, he's scared someone with enough resources to pull together what looks to be a fake grassroots blog and can pay for a private domain registry.

I'll spare you the details of the attack in general. It's nothing that I find personally interesting or unusual, and it really has no bearing one way or the other on any criticisms Archibald has ever written.

But an attack on a journalist is an attack on anyone who wants to spread the truth, and that includes us lowly bloggers, boys and girls.

So I'm here to ask the question: Who could be behind such attacks on Archibald and the Birmingham News?

Who indeed? But as Legal Schnauzer notes, who really cares about who is behind the attacks on Archibald and the Birmingham News? I mean God forbid Archibald and the Birmingham News be *ahem* attacked.

One of the South's most nauseating right-wing media puppets recently had someone return fire. The puppet howled in pain when the buckshot found its target--right in his white, doughy flanks. We're still struggling to wipe the smile from our face.

John Archibald, a columnist for The Birmingham News, consistently has trumpeted the Karl Rove agenda in Alabama over the past 10 years or so. Anything GOP Governor Bob Riley did was pure and honorable. Anyone pursued by Bush-appointed U.S. attorneys Alice Martin and Leura Canary was guilty. Official "corruption"--if it involved a Democrat, person of color, or individual who refused to testify falsely against Don Siegelman--was public enemy No. 1.

Archibald specializes in clucking at the misfortune of others--whether they have committed wrongdoing or not. So imagine our delight in learning Archibald has some untidiness in his own closet. When confronted about his personal mess, Archibald first lied about it, claimed ignorance, and then essentially blamed his wife. What a guy!

That's right (pun intended) Archibald and the Birmingham News can dish it out but they can't take it. I also find it laughable Almoderate at right leaning Left in Alabama is attacking the messenger in an attempt to silence the messenger.

I have spent a fair amount of time criticizing the Birmingham News on this blog, but you do not know much about me. I have a few friends who think that I leave myself open for criticism by not identifying myself. I think that is reasonable. At this point I am only willing to say that I am an ordinary citizen who loves my country, state, and city. I also love being informed, and learning the whole story.

I will not identify myself by name and for that I will make no apologies. When reporters like John Archibald use unnamed sources and “leaked” documents to bolster facts that are shaky to begin, then use them to paint their targets in a negative light, those reporters should be able to handle reasonable criticism from any source, named or anonymous.The News buys its paper by the ton and its ink by the barrel, and their resources are limitless when compared to my own. All I have to offer is the truth, and a critical way of looking at how the news has been reported in Birmingham. The Birmingham News does not appreciate this, and therefore, I remain anonymous.

Those without sin cast the first stone? H/T julie for this Interesting Dichotomy, or more Pots and Kettles.

Call Mayor Larry Langford the king of all Birmingham media -- or at least all media that take cash.

---John Archibald, Birmingham News

Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford Put Media on His Payroll

Go ahead, John Archibald, and remind us who you are and how you really feel about the Alabama Democratic Party and Dr. Joe Reed.

Go on. Remind us why Alabama's Democratic Party has less to fear from Republicans than from, say, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

John Archibald is Wrong you say?

John Archibald stated in the 16th and 17th paragraphs (I judge paragraphs online by double line breaks) that:

This is not, I repeat, about French. To be honest, I feel for her as much as anyone.

She will, after all, become known as the judge who earned her robe with one credential: her skin color.

I don't think she deserves that. But the whole process wreaks of unfairness -- the same kind battled at lunch counters and schools and bus stops across the South.

Have we learned nothing?

I'm sorry, John, but I think you meant that "the process reeks of unfairness." I think it stinks to high heaven!

And the unfairness wreaks havoc on the fabric of the Alabama Democratic Party. Although you didn't write that.

Otherwise, the whole article was spot on and correct. We like what you're doing, sir, just get the verbs right...

IMHO the rank hypocrisy stinks to high heaven. Thanks The Birmingham Skews and Legal Schnauzer for exposing the Fake News. I like what you're doing and you have the verbs right....

For those who don’t already know, John Archibald hosts a live chat every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. CST. I’m not the host of the party, but I’d like to extend the invitation to anyone who is interested in participating. I’ve attempted to submit questions about his blatant disregard to the facts, but have fallen victim to censorship, or have possibly been banned altogether. He doesn't care to answer my questions, but maybe he'll answer yours. I invite you all to join in this week and see for yourself. You can find the link to the chat at the end of his column found here.

They want me fired.

Perhaps they're right.

These anonymous people, these people who want me fired, dug deep into my past and set up a website to post their findings. They've gone door to door in mostly black Birmingham neighborhoods, leaving fliers that portray me as a liar and racist.

Speaking of fliers in the black neighborhood and gutter campaigning, remember THIS?

Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks spoke to the Morgan County Democrats last night and, in light of the really heated and ugly races coming to an end yesterday, it seemed an appropriate time to ask what Sparks thinks of innuendo and whisper campaigns bent on character assassination, such as the one we saw last weekend against Patrick Cooper in the Birmingham mayoral race.

In that case, as you may recall, this letter from Frank Matthews was widely circulated via email. Under the guise of "giving you the facts about Patrick Cooper," it "informed" readers that Cooper standing next to Howard Bayless -- who is openly gay -- is "an abomination" and "unpleasing" in the eyes of God. The letter was closely followed by a Powerpoint presentation that dropped the gloves altogether and just asked "Is Patrick Cooper Gay?" It was 10 pages of hints about divorce, contributions from Cooper's ex-wife, endorsements and how terrible it would be if Birmingham ended up like Atlanta. Pure character assassination, not an issue in the whole mess.

I've also seen Frank Matthews at Sparks events, doing official looking stuff. It turns out he isn't paid directly by Sparks2010, but by their consultant, Matrix, LLC. Nevertheless, with that kind of ugliness being openly distributed, I wanted to find out if we should expect similar, under-the-radar smears in the gubernatorial primary.

Don't dish it out if you can't take it in. I'm just saying....

Now someone cross-post me to Kos so that I can get some hits.

It. Is. On.