The Political Play of the Decade in #SweetHomeAlabama

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Doug Jones 

EYE have to give whoever developed the current political strategy in #SweetHomeAlabama for being a political mastermind the likes of which EYE haven't seen since the late Lee Atwater.  If only they used their political genius to unite instead of divide and conquer Alabama would be free at last from Republican domination.

Worley argued, in part, that the election last year was challenged only because she won. She characterized the DNC’s demands on the state party to change its bylaws as an effort to take from black party members the ability to elect blacks to the State Democratic Executive Committee.

 The Alabama Democratic Party is amid a Civil War between the traditional democratic base and their white allies and the DNC enabled Doug Jones wing of the Alabama Democratic Party for control of the Black Block Vote.

What's down is up, what's up is down. The republican party is reaching out to black voters while the Alabama Democratic Party is trying to figure out how to get rid of them. It seems the Alabama Democratic Party is doing more than its fair share to ensure that Alabama remains a defacto one-party state under GOP dominance for decades to come. Sigh

Here's the deal, Democrats in #SweetHome Alabama need the Black Block Vote to get elected but they need the White Republican vote to stay elected.  EYE used to get mad when Republicans said Black voters were on the Democratic Plantation but now I see their point.  Black voters are expected to be seen and not heard and vote for who whites decide is electable.

If there was ever a time to prove that electability is a myth based on nothing but white supremacy, it’s with a president like Donald Trump whom left-leaning, sensible moderates would never cast a ballot for. Otherwise, the myth of electability ensures a future of old moderate white candidates who throw empty promises at black voters and are unwilling to take the bold steps that are needed to fight discrimination.But that’s how white supremacy works.

Let's recap:
This whole saga started when African Americans elected Doug Jones to the United States Senate. To be fair Doug Jones didn't ask for or even want our help but we knew what was at stake with the alternative plus he was running on the fact he prosecuted the killer of the Four Little Girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, AL.  We honestly thought he was the real deal.  Little did we know after the election he was going to throw the people who bought him to the party to the back of the party bus faster than a New York minute and pander to the right for political gain.  #MissionAccomplished white voters who don't want to vote for any of the Republican candidates for obvious reasons have their candidate in Doug Jones. Time will tell if enough whites will vote for him to make up for the Black block vote he threw away but EYE am betting it will because this is #SweetHomeAlabama.

93% of the black male vote. 98% of the black female vote. In return, Doug Jones has thrown black folks to the wolves. https://t.co/jt9RypbF0s

— The Root (@TheRoot) March 16, 2018

But here is the Political Play of the Decade: For Democrats to have any realistic hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate from Republicans they need to hold on to Jones seat. So control of the U.S. Senate is in the control of Alabama's Black block vote and we are damned if we vote for Doug Jones and damned if we don't.  

Ain't that a dip?

Update: With Democrats like Doug Jones who needs Republicans like Roy Moore? #BaseMeetBus

93% of the black male vote. 98% of the black female vote. In return, Doug Jones has thrown black folks to the wolves. https://t.co/jt9RypbF0s

— The Root (@TheRoot) March 16, 2018

So, instead of taking on gun control Democrats (and I use that term loosely) are teaming up with Republicans for a stealth attack on Wall Street.

The whole process reveals the totemic power of bipartisanship, which can sway lawmakers into supporting things that could cut against their political interests. There is no real constituency for bank deregulation outside of bank executive boardrooms and K Street. Trump voters aren’t intensely concerned with giving Barclays or SunTrust less supervision, or giving Citigroup fewer leverage requirements. In fact they’ll likely punish those politicians who do. But “working together to solve the nation’s problems” sounds so good that it doesn’t even matter what outcomes result.

Doug Jones backs a bill that could hurt black homebuyers but that's OK at least it's not Roy Moore

A provision in the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act would exempt the large majority of mortgage lenders from key disclosure requirements that help the government identify racial discrimination and enforce fair housing laws. The provision would facilitate redlining, allowing lenders to deny loans to black homebuyers, while also giving lenders carte blanche to overcharge black homebuyers or steer them into the same predatory loans that exploded during the financial crisis, pushing countless families into foreclosure.
Yet this bill, which would widen the already staggering racial wealth gap, won support from more than a dozen Democratic senators, including members such as Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Claire McCaskill, and Doug Jones who rely on black and Hispanic voters to win elections. (The bill is also backed by one independent, Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats.)

Them There Black voters in Alabama are never satisfied they should be grateful for what they git, shut up and be glad Roy Moore didn't win. (said in my Gomer Pyle voice)

As your Senator, I have made a point of working with colleagues who may not always agree with me. And while I'm still new to the Senate, I'm proud of my record of reaching out to find common ground.

I have tried to take that common sense, bipartisan approach in everything I do. And while that may not always be popular with some people even in my own party, I believe it's the right approach for

Translation:  Bus meet Base. Again.

Well, this is a wakeup call for Democrats. … They’ve taken the black vote and the poor vote for granted for a long time. It’s time for them to get off their ass and start making life better for black folks and people who are poor.
They’ve always had our votes, and they have abused our votes and this is a wakeup call. We’ve got it in a great position now, but this is a wakeup call for Democrats to do better for black people and poor white people.

EYE am not sure which is more pathetic.. tRump still chanting "lock her up" or the brainless supporters who still cheer him on?

For those who have been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, Donald J. tRump jetted into the Rocket City, not to be confused with Rocket Man and made #SweetHomeAlabama proud to be in America.  Not.

The president's rambling speech lasted nearly 90 minutes. He repeatedly cursed, mocked the leader of North Korea, jokingly threatened to fire a Cabinet member who endorsed Moore, called on professional football team owners to fire players who kneel during the national anthem, promised to build a new “see-through wall” on the southern border, called allegations of Russian interference in the election a “hoax,” accused unions of protecting “sadists” who abuse elderly veterans, and repeatedly relived the 2016 election.

 

The taxpayer-funded campaign rally would have been whites only if not for the two black males in the background.  There is a rumor circulating on Facebook that some people who showed up for the Strange/Tump rally were paid but EYE digress. 

One thing for sure is the fact Trumpster lied when he said thousands were watching outside on because they couldn't get inside the Von Braun Civic Center.  EYE think he confused protesters with supporters.

The most #deplorable highlight of the rally was when 4.5 called the mothers of #NFL players protesting against police brutality and oppression female dogs.  EYE guess the mothers of the eight-year-old ballplayers in the photo above are B^tches too.  It all starts in the home.  Parents are the first teachers.

White America, It's Time To Take A Knee

We should stop defending songs and flags and pre game ceremonies, and some cheap, ornamental nationalistic pageantry—and actually be about the work of life and liberty those things are all supposed to point to. We should be binding-up wounds instead of people of color, instead of heaping on the salt of shame and disdain.

Word.

Not one, not two, but three of Alabama's highest officials, all republicans, are embroiled in three separate scandals #SweetHomeAlabama

By J.D. Crowe

Native Alabamian, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of History at the University of Iowa,  John McKerley describes Alabama Politics to a Tea (pun intended).

Alabama politics: a case study in how a powerful minority (with the electoral support of many more) make political participation so difficult and unrewarding (and sometimes dangerous) that they get to run the show--most often into the ground.

Yep, this is what happens when democrats enable republicans to control all three branches of Alabama government, and the Courts.

Corruption and Cronyism in the name of the The Lord

Yee Haw!

EYE am willing to forgive you Governor Bentley, but first you must repent!

Dear Governor Bentley,
EYE saw where you threw yourself on the altar and pulled the "I'm seeking forgiveness from y'all and God for what I've done card the 
other day in an attempt to justify your remaining in office, despite being caught red-handed doing some un-Godly stuff with a woman who was not your wife.

Being the good Deacon and Sunday School teacher you are, EYE mean, were,  EYE know you believe in the Ten Commandments, by my count you broke numbers,1, 7, 9, and 10.  Thou shall not kill ( your refusal to expand Medicaid is killing people), Thou shall not commit adultery, Thou shall not bear false witness (lie), and Tough shall not covet (another man's wife).

EYE am willing to forgive your transgressions because the alternative is worse,  but first, you must repent.  Here's a list of things you can do to repent for your sins and earn the forgiveness of the citizens of Sweet Home Alabama.  

The first thing you can do is stop standing up to Obama and expand Medicaid.  President Obama has access to the best medical care our tax dollars can buy, as do you.  Medicaid expansion isn't about sticking it to President Obama.  Rather, it's about the working poor — those who, right now, are working and making too much money to qualify for Medicaid as it is but who are not making enough to afford health insurance, even after subsidies from the Affordable Care Act.

Second, you can rescind the Voter Suppression,  EYE mean Voter ID Bill now that we have proof it's keeping registered voters from casting their vote.  This voter purge is undermining our democracy, you have the power to restore the right to vote.

Third, you can rescind the bill that cut off funding for women's health clinics, reducing the number of women's health clinics to six, making it hard, if not impossible for poor women, not to be confused with affluent women, to have access to health care. As a result of this bill, thousands of women across Alabama are no longer be able to access essential reproductive health care, such as cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams. This is a cruel bill is designed to rip health care away from those most at risk.

Fourth, you know that mean-spirited immigration bill you signed that put Alabama on the map that crashed and burned?  Now it's time for you to shut down the detention centers.  Actually, EYE am more afraid of you and the republicans than EYE am of Syrian refugees.

After the recent death of Mr. Teka Gulema in late January – an Ethiopian immigrant who passed away after spending nearly a year in serious condition while in detention – activists are again highlighting why Etowah must be closed. Gulema’s death comes on the heels of a two-week hunger strike waged by Bangladeshi detainees against the inhumane treatment they’ve been subjected to in Etowah. Activists have been highlighting that the conditions in Etowah can be deadly if not at least torturous.

Finally, please let the citizens of Alabama gamble with their own damn money, in their own damn state if they choose to do so.  attorney General Luther Strange has caused "economic devastation" to the residents of the Black Belt by unlawfully closing the Victory Land casino.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court struck down the keep gays from getting married bill so you don't have to worry about that, just say you're sorry you care more about keeping gays from getting married than you do keeping your marriage vows and move on.

2 Chronicles 7:14  says,  If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

RedEye

The Martin Luther King Holiday is over, back to life, back to race baiting in #SweetHomeAlabama

Kyle Whitmire

Alabama Media Group's Kyle Whitmire shows what's wrong with Alabama, and why republicans are in control of all three branches of government.

Reed and ADC have effectively taken over the Alabama Democratic Party's executive committee and turned it into an overtly racist organization. There are whole swaths of Alabama not represented on that committee because Reed and his followers refuse to appoint otherwise highly qualified representatives on the committee from those districts.
The Alabama Democratic Party doesn't represent the state, but more importantly, it doesn't even represent Democrats in the state. It has turned into a barren plantation, abandoned by its owners after they salted the soil so nothing could grow there, but where the field hands keep tilling the dry dirt because the straw boss never stopped making them. And if anyone shows up at the gates offering real help, they're quickly chased away.

Nothing could be further from the truth, but blame it on Joe Reed and his bunch. 

Last year, then-party chairman Mark Kennedy and other key employees resigned from their positions, leaving to form the Alabama Democratic Majority, a group whose stated goal is to break the GOP legislative supermajority in the 2014. At the time, Worley – who was then interim chair – complained about ADM's staff taking items and information that belonged to the Democratic Party, not to them, such as login information for software accounts, paper supplies, and even allegedly their website, to which Worley says ADP no longer has access.

Many have characterized the strife as racial, with some pointing to Dr. Joe Reed as the culprit. Dr. Reed, who has long been a top politico in State affairs, has opposed every diversity amendment that has thus far come before the body. Dr. Reed is the minority chair of the party, and is also the chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference, an activist group whose endorsement can mean more than half of the African American vote in many districts around the Yellowhammer state. 

While Dr. Reed claims that his objections are mostly technical – including the fact that women are included when they already comprise half the body – some say that his opposition is only an effort to prevent African American influence in the SDEC from being diluted, even  if at the expense of other guaranteed minority representation in the body.

Using the media to promote negative negative racial stereotypes in par for the course in #SweetHomeAlabama.  

The function of the ADC was never to inspire or support black Democrats. It was built to control them like slaves on a plantation, and Reed was the straw boss — the slave the overseer gives just enough authority to make him feel important. The straw boss doesn't challenge the status quo. He protects it. 

This is why Senator Richard Shelby (R. Tuscaloosa) is running ads saying he's standing up to Obama,  Congressman Mo Brooks (R. Huntsville) is using the public airways claiming Obama is the most racially divisive President since Slavery, and Judge Roy Moore is on TV again.

Psst Kyle Whitmire and the rest of the Alabama Media Group Editorial Board....  Joe Reed represents a constituencyy.  Joe Reed doesn't demand support from his constituents.  He earns it.  You attack him, you attack us.

Joe Reed is known as a “fighter for fairness” for black representation. In 1975, Joe Reed led the efforts to get equitable representation for blacks on the Montgomery City Council. His efforts resulted in four (4) blacks of nine (9) being elected. He served on the Montgomery City Council for 24 years. In the Democratic Party today, Alabama’s black representation exceeds all other states in the nation. For over 40 years he has led the effort to get more blacks elected and appointed to public office, including federal marshals, federal and state judges, members of the boards of registrars, legislators, county commissioners, city councils, and school boards. Due largely to his leadership, today Alabama has more black elected officials than any state in the nation. He drafted two (2) plans that increased black representation in the Alabama House of Representatives from 13 to 27; and in the Senate from 3 to 8 in 1982, and 1992, respectively. He also drew a reapportionment plan that provided for 25% (two of eight) majority black districts on the State Board of Education. Alabama is the only state in the nation where the Legislature reflects the state’s population of blacks and whites. Dr. Reed’s congressional plan also led to Alabama’s gaining a black congressional seat.

A RedEye  must read.

Of Coons and Scumbags 2015

When Sean Hannity has to tell you to dial back the coonery–you have officially earned the title Coon of the Year.

EYE deplore name calling, but sometimes you just have to call a Spade a Spade.   The Angry Black Rant composed a list of the Top 10 Coons of 2015.  In case you are wondering, yes, Coon(s) is a racial slur when non African Americans use it.

2015 was another coontastic year full of black folks doing their latest and greatest “Shuck & Jive” routine to remain in the good graces of mainstream conservative white America. I could go on and on for days about the kind of self loathing self centered and selfish motivations that go into making certain black men and women suspend all manners of pride and common logic while spewing the most embarrassing rhetoric for the sole purpose of ingratiating themselves with the kind of dying breed of thought propagated on Fox news, but I don’t have all day and since we have already said farewell to 2015 I’m going to cut to the chase and share my top 10 Coons of the last 365 day cycle…

Be sure and check out the Honorable Mentions.

Al.com's  Kyle Whitmire asks Who was Alabama's 20156 Scumbag of the Year?   The list was long, but the winner is:

The 2015 Scumbag of the Year is state Sen. Larry Stutts, a freshman lawmaker who a year ago was known only as "that guy who beat Roger Bedford."
Stutts, who is an OBGYN,attempted in his first Legislative session to repeal a law named after a patient who died in his care.
Rose's Law, which requires insurers to cover at least 48 hours of hospital care for new moms, had been passed after the death of Rose Church, a nurse from Haleyville who died after giving birth. Stutts was her doctor.
Stutts didn't tell any of his legislative colleagues about his part in the history of the law. Instead, he characterized it as Obamacare-like intrusion of government into healthcare, and solicited unwitting cosponsors to have it overturned.

Just like republicans to blame Obama for their failures. #BlameItOnTheBlackGuy

So many Coons and Scumbags, so little time.

Judge #RoyMoore is on TV again, blame the Alabama Democratic Party/Majority, again

Roy Moore Should Be Known As "Hypocrisy Judge"

Yes, Roy Moore is on the TV, again, and we have no one to blame but the Alabama Democratic Party/Majority under the leadership of Judge Mark Kennedy, who wasted precious time and limited resources fighting Joe Reed and his bunch.  instead of fighting the Alabama GOP.

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?

Let's recap

Roy Stewart Moore is the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He was re-elected in 2012 to the position he held from 2001 to 2003. He replaced Chief Justice Charles Malone. His current term expires in 2018.[1]
In 2003, Moore gained national attention for refusing, as the elected Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the state courthouse—despite contrary orders from a federal judge. On November 13, 2003, Alabama's Court of the Judiciary unanimously removed Moore from his post as chief justice. In the years preceding his election to the Alabama Supreme Court, Moore had successfully resisted previous attempts to have a display of the Ten Commandments removed from his courtroom.

How did we get here? 

In 2011, Moore initially considered a bid for the Presidency, but instead Moore chose to enter the race for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court once again. He ran in the March 12, 2012 Republican Primary against two candidates. They were the sitting chief justice, Chuck Malone, who had been appointed to the office seven months earlier and former Democratic Attorney General Charles Graddick, who had become a Republican in 1994. Moore unexpectedly defeated both without a runoff despite being heavily outspent. Surprised Democrats had expected Chief Justice Malone to win and did not run a serious candidate and only had a perennial gadfly nominee. Democrats quickly disqualified him and hand-picked Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert Vance as his replacement. Vance, who also outspent Moore lost the General Election but garnered almost 48% of the vote.
In January 2012, the Montgomery Advertiser reported that the single-biggest donor to his campaign (having contributed $50,000 of the total $78,000 received by Moore until December 31, 2011) is Michael Peroutka, a longtime acquaintance of Moore's who is associated with organizations such as the Constitution Party and the League of the South and is a frequent guest on The Political Cesspool. In response, Moore said he did not share the ideas of those organizations.
After winning the Republican nomination for the Chief Justice position, on November 6, 2012, Moore was elected as Alabama Chief Justice over replacement Democratic candidate Bob Vance.

Now, let's go back to THIS:   Surprised Democrats had expected Chief Justice Malone to win and did not run a serious candidate and only had a perennial gadfly nominee. Democrats quickly disqualified him and hand-picked Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert Vance as his replacement.   

As mentioned in last week's Election Brief, on Friday the Alabama Democratic Party held a hearing to determine whether Harry Lyon was fit to stand as the party's candidate for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He was to have competed against former Chief Justice Roy Moorein the general election. During the hearing, the committee provided evidence in the form of Lyon's private Facebook postings during the campaign. After being disqualified, he again took to the platform to express his opinion on the matter. Below is an excerpt from his page. The capital letters are carried over from the original posting.
“ I WISH THAT CHAIRMAN KENNEDY RENOUNCE HIS POSITION OF AGREEING WITH SAME SEX MARRIAGE AND BELIEF THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS HEALTHY AS, IN MY OPINION, HIS DIRECTOR BRADLEY DAVIDSON, POLITICAL FRIEND DOUG JONES AND OTHER FREAKS OF NATURE EMBRACE. AMEN.”

The Chairman of the Republican Party responded by noting that the removal of Lyon from the ballot showed "that Democrats are truly liberal and out of touch with Alabama values."
Stepping in to take on the role as the Democratic candidate is Judge Robert S. Vance, who has served on the Circuit 10 Court since 2002. He was most recently re-elected to the circuit court in 2010, when he ran without opposition.Vance mentioned that he did not enter the race before the March primary because he supported the work of current Chief Justice Charles Malone. 

EYE tried to tell some of Y'all this was going to be a Gang Banging, but did you listen?

The time to inform democratic voters the democratic nominee for the Supreme Court is a bigot is BEFORE the democratic primary not AFTER the fact. It's kind of like trying to UN-RING a Bell.

So, the ADP under the leadership of Chairman Mark Kennedy, was fine with a bigot on the ballot before they discovered a bigger bigot was on the ballot.   This illustrates the problem within the Alabama Democratic Party. There is a huge disconnect between the Big Cats and the Big Dogs within the ADP, which manifest itself in the Big Cats deciding who should represent the interest of Alabama's poor/black/brown citizens . The Big Cats and Dogs recruit/ select these so called "viable" candidates then when they don't win, blame it on Joe Reed and his Bunch.   

What Anonymous said

We had a choice of Roy Moore, Robert Vance, or Harry Lyons? Isn't that sad? I'm starting to think Harry Lyons might have been the best choice--and I'm not entirely joking about that.

There is no #ShameOnAlabama None. Zilch. Nada.

Alabama Sucks Because it Dishonors It's Own African American Heritage

What part of Alabama has no shame don't they understand? 

Governor Bentley says Congresswoman Terri Sewell is impulsive and ill informed on onehand, and that's she's done a good job on, EYE mean for, her district on the other hand. EYE wonder if he realizes how condescending he sounds?  He also claims the decision to close DVM office in predominately black counties is not race based it's about saving money.  Yeah right, so was Slavery.

"We will go to people's houses to have their picture made if they don't have a photo ID in the state of Alabama," said Bentley. "We're not ever going to do anything to keep people in the state of Alabama from voting. And for them to jump to a conclusion like that, that is politics at its worst."

See what EYE mean? If it were all about saving money the Governor would expand Medicaid, but I digress.  So how does Congresswoman Sewell and the Congressional Black Caucus respond...with a big old hashtag?

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus are using the hashtag #ShameonAL on Twitter on Wednesday to describe the state's decision to close driver's license satellite offices in the state that disproportionately affect African Americans, the poor and the elderly.

How does the NAACP respond....with a thinly veiled threat, sorta, kinda...?

A top civil rights legal group, citing a likely violation of voting rights, suggested possible legal action against Alabama for its decision to close 31 of its driver's license offices. The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund has requested to meet with Alabama state officials in person to express the group's concerns that the DMV closures will make it harder for residents -- particularly African Americans in the state's "Black Belt" -- to obtain the government-issued photo IDs required to vote under Alabama law.

They pull out a knife you pull out a gun.   Now is not the time for hashtag and threats.  Now is the time for action.  The Alabama Legislature can't be shamed into repealing the Voter ID Bill.  The United States Congress can't be shamed into restoring the Voting Rights Act.  We the People are going to have to make them hear us.

Jesus, Save Us From Your Followers Continued...

caapusa.org

Brittany Cooper penned a powerful and provocative essay for Salon.com, entitled The right's made-up God:  How bigots invented a white supremacist Jesus. 

As a practicing Christian, I am deeply incensed by these calls for restoration and reclamation in the name of religious freedom. This kind of legislation is largely driven by conservative Christian men and women, who hold political views that are antagonistic to every single group of people who are not white, male, Christian, cisgender, straight and middle-class. Jesus, a brown, working-class, Jew, doesn’t even meet all the qualifications.

Nothing drives this point home like Left in Alabama Blogger countrycats' we must laugh to keep from crying account of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore praising "Plessy v. Ferguson  minutes after a group of African-American pastors hung a "Letter from the Birmingham Jail Courage Award" around his neck. Seriously, that's what happened yesterday in Montgomery".    

Watch the video here.  And note just how, well... white... the assembly is for a "Coalition of African American Pastors" event.

Before I turn the blog over to countrycat let me say this...it is our responsibility to be a bold witness and stop letting the right wing  use Jesus to justify their own prejudices.  Jesus didn't hate women, minorities, the poor and  LBGT's.   Jesus didn't say come whomever will as long as you look, think, and act like bigots.  As a matter of fact  Matthew 25:40 English Standard Version of the Bible reads:  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

It is our responsibility to be a bold witness and say hate and bigotry is not God's way. 

"What so ever we sow, so shall we reap"~Galatians 6:7

RedEye stepping down out of the pulpit...for now.

Jesus, save us from your followers....

CAAP

From the files of they must think we are stoopid in Sweet Home Alabama.

A group of Christian pastors will present an award named for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail Friday to Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, in recognition of his efforts to stop same-sex marriage in Alabama.

I kid you NOT.

First of all, the so called "group of Christian pastors" consist of three, count them, three African American "pastors" and the "grassroots group" is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization based in Nevada.

We appreciate your financial support. Because we are 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations are tax-deductible.* If you would like to contribute to our efforts, please click here or mail your check to the address below. Thanks!
Please mail all correspondence to the address below:
CAAP West Business Office
2654 West Horizon Ridge Parkway
Suite B5-139
Henderson, NV  89052.
*The Coalition of African American Pastors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Your donations to The Coalition of African American Pastors may be tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.  No goods or services were received in exchange for any contributions.  You should consult a tax advisor regarding any tax deductions.

Remember the IRS "Scandal"?

The IRS has interpreted our tax laws to allow big corporations and wealthy individuals to make unlimited secret campaign donations through sham political fronts called “social welfare organizations,” like Karl Rove’s “Crossroads,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and “Priorites USA.”

The real story can be found in the Al.com comment section

 Note too that the "Coalition of African American Pastors" is part of the anti-gay hate group NOM's "wedge strategy" to drive a wedge between certain minority groups.   Bill Owens is literally on NOM's payroll

About "Pastor" William Owens...

Over the past few weeks major news outlets have largely failed to identify Rev. William Owens – head of the recently-formed Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP) – as a key player in the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) race-baiting strategy, treating him instead as a legitimate representative of the black faith community’s position on marriage equality.
Owens garnered national attention in July after criticizing President Obama for endorsing same-sex marriage, comparing him to Judas for allegedly betraying black voters who supported him in 2008. He also weighed in on the Chick-fil-A debate by comparing opposition to the fast food giant to racism during the Civil Rights Movement.
Since making his controversial remarks, Owens has played the role of spokesperson for the African American community on Fox News, Fox Business, and CNN, as well as in a number of major news articles.

.

Oh the irony (for lack of a better word) of African American "pastors"aiding and abetting the co-opting of Martin Luther King's Letter from the Birmingham Jail to promote bigotry and justify marriage discrimination.

One of the worst things about being a dead famous person is the general public's propensity to put words in your mouth to serve their own agendas. It happens all the time with Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and now, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

What Tee Up said all the darn way!

 The most disgusting part of this whole scam that moore and his "followers" are pulling of is that the media laps it up and gives them exactly what they want.

RedEye, stomping way from the computer to go pray for my my state, my country, and the world.

Jesus, Save us From Your Followers Continued....

When a comment becomes a blog post #Selma50 #WhiteGuilt

In the 1800s, the Black Belt area of Dallas County, Alabama -- home of Selma -- was one of the most prosperous areas in the country, enjoyed by the white elite. Today it has the highest poverty rate in the state. (Photo: Chris Kromm/Facing South)

In a lame attempt at tone deaf, racial, concern trolling, Upset Resident, aka FED Up, aka DARYAL Pinchon, had this to say in response to my #Selma50 Round Up. 

Selma: "One small step for a black man, one giant leap for inducing white guilt"
By every possible metric measuring social capital in a community, the 80 percent black city of Selma is a monumental failure.


Here’s a brief overview of 80 percent black Selma in 2015 (courtesy of Hunter Wallace):

In 2015, Selma is 80 percent black and now has a black mayor, a black chief of police, a black district attorney, a black school superintendent, a majority black city council, and a majority black police force.

In 2015, Selma City Schools are 97 percent black. Last year, the Alabama Department of Education’s Board of Education voted unanimously to take over Selma City Schools in the aftermath of a scathing state investigation.

In 2015, fifty years after the Voting Rights Act was passed, Selma has lost a third of its population, around 10,000 White people.

In 2015, 42 percent of the population of Selma lives in poverty, which is twice the state average in Alabama.

In 2015, Selma is represented in the US Congress by a black woman, Rep. Terri Sewell, in the Alabama House of Representatives by a black man, State Rep. Darrio Melton, and in the Alabama Senate by a black man, nine-term incumbent State Sen. Hank Sanders.

In 2015, Selma is the fourth most dangerous city in Alabama with the third highest number of murders per capita and the fourth highest number of property crimes.

In 2015, Selma is struggling with code enforcement on numerous blighted, abandoned homes.

In 2015, Selma is one of the worst cities in which to do business in Alabama.

In 2015, Selma is an epicenter of new HIV infections in rural Alabama. The HIV infection rate in Dallas County is 106.8 percent above the national average.

So, the new and improved Selma in 2015 is plagued by extreme poverty, STDs, high crime, terrible schools, a terrible business climate, high unemployment, low property value, low civic engagement and racial strife by the likes of Faya Rose Toure. Yet the Voting Rights Act was unquestionably a huge success in Selma where blacks now occupy every public office which their numbers allow them to dominate.

It's their city now, with Selma's current conditions a reflection of its majority black population. [Selma's message on civil rights 50 years later:As President Obama prepares to visit Selma five decades after 'Bloody Sunday,' how the civil rights struggle has – and hasn't – changed an epicenter of the movement., Christian Science-Monitor, 3-6-15]:

True, Selma now has black leaders in positions of power, including the mayor, police chief, district attorney, six out of eight city council members, and four out of five school board members. True, Selma’s black population is quick to speak out against injustices – and has overcome innumerable ones.

But the journey toward equality is still a long march. Black children here are more likely to grow up in poverty, less likely to graduate, less likely to attend college, and less likely to become homeowners. Sections of Selma remain sharply segregated, partly because of white flight and partly by choice. Jobs are scarce, and even harder to obtain for those who lack adequate education and skills.

But none of this matters, because Selma is only recognized every March when every last ounce of white guilt can be squeezed out of the crumbling majority black city.

March 10, 2015 at 5:00 AM

 This is my response with links inserted for emphasis and clarity. 

Selma is a crumbling black majority city located in a majority white/republican state, with a white/republican Governor, two white/republican Senators, and 6 white/republican and one black/democrat (who will vote with white/republican) members of Congress, a majority white/republican state legislature,  a white/republican State Attorney General, a majority White/republican State Board of Education, and an all white/republican State Supreme Court.

A white/republican Governor who refuses to expand medicaid despite the FACT " The HIV infection rate in Dallas County is 106.8 percent above the national average."
A white/republican Governor who is closing State Mental Health Hospitals and Women's Wellness and Health Clinics despite the fact "42 percent of the population of Selma lives in poverty, which is twice the state average in Alabama." Then whine about the STD rate.

A majority white/republican state legislature that cuts the budgets of law enforcement while passing Open Carry gun laws,  then whine about the crime rate.

A majority white/republican state legislature whose first order of business when they took control of the state legislature was to file Shelby County v. Holder paving the way for the majority white/republican Supreme Court to gut section 5 of the voting rights act, allowing white/republican legislature to pass Voter ID bills and Gerrymander they way into lifetime jobs.

A white/republican Governor/Senator, Congress and State Legislature who have made sure Selma is one of the worst cities in which to do business in Alabama.

Selma Behind the Scenes

In 1965, Selma was about half-white; today only 18 percent of residents are. Many affluent whites live near the Selma Country Club, located just west of downtown and the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The Los Angeles Times reports that the club today doesn't have a single black member.

Across the street from the country club is Live Oak Cemetery, divided into "Old" and "New" sections. In 2012, protests erupted when whites moved a statue of Confederate and Klan member Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest to the site; at one point the bust was stolen off of Forrest's statue.

Rolling under the Edmund Pettus Bridge is the Alabama River. A recent report found Alabama to have the third-most toxic waterways in the country, including the lower sections of the Alabama. The biggest employer in Dallas County is International Paper Co.'s Riverdale Mill, which ranks 21st in the state for toxic releases -- more than 1.3 million pounds annually (although some have applauded the company's pollution-reduction efforts). The short-changing of the environment for economic development usually affects poor and black communities the most: Just north of Selma, majority-black Perry County -- where local civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered in 1965, helping spark the Selma protests -- became the dumpsite for toxic coal ash spilled in 2009 in Tennessee. The dump is the target of civil rights complaint.

The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was busy under cover of night distributing leaflets around Selma. Atlanta Progressive News obtained an image of one of the flyers.
Also a billboard, visible from the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, features a Confederate flag and invites visitors to tour “Selma’s War Between the State’s Historic Sites.”

"But none of this matters, because Selma is only recognized every March when every last ounce of white guilt can be squeezed out of the crumbling majority black city." 

 As well it should be, and not just in March, but year long.

Monday Morning Meltdown: #AlabamaMarriage #Selma #BloodySunday #BrianWilliams #WakeUpAmerica

#nerdland  Talking About Brian Williams Lying About His Iraq War, Let's Talk About LIARS!! THAT STARTED!! THE WAR!  pic.twitter.com/ewk5z0f3cr
— Larry  (@crazylary51) February 8, 2015

The media that enabled Bush and Dick to send our troops to war based on dead wrong intelligence to look for WMD that was NOT there, without body armor or an exit plan are furious at Brian Williams lies?  Oh. OK.

Politicians in Alabama never learn. It's Deja Voodoo all over again.

In the fight against gay marriage, Gov. Bentley, Attorney General Luther Strange and Chief Justice Roy Moore are a farce to be reckoned with.
Alabama's most powerful, brave and cuddly men are representing Alabama's best interests and fears by making a three-way stand in the courthouse door on an equal rights issue. What could go wrong?

 What's that you say?  President Obama's visit to Selma sparks division?  I'm shocked!  Shocked I tell you!  Not.

Sanders, who said he's marched on the front line only once in all the years he's helped organize the event, said he's happy Obama and the congressional delegation are coming to Selma.
"But if they couldn't have the entire front line to themselves and they decided to hold a separate march on Saturday, then there is something wrong with that," he said.

Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) Wetumpka Tea Party

The plot thickens.

Rep. Martha Roby of Alabama and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, both Republicans, are busily recruiting colleagues to join the Faith and Politics Institute's pilgrimage to Alabama in March.
This week's march-related events in Washington include a Capitol Hill reception and a screening of the movie Selma exclusively for members of Congress. Lawmakers will receive personal, hand-delivered invitations to the march anniversary.

 It's the mainstream media, telling us what they want us to know instead of what we need to know to make informed decisions.  I wonder why?

After spending five months in the Shelby County Jail--I don't think I previously had even a speeding ticket on my record--I know about the dangers of taking on difficult stories.~Legal Schnauzer

Meltdown Complete.  For now.