Who elected Rebekah Caldwell Mason Governor of #SweetHomeAlabama?

Rebekah Caldwell Mason

Meet Rebekah Caldwell Mason, everybody. She is your "real" governor of Alabama, a status she has held with her breasts and behind since 2014. 

The bigger issue isn't whether she and the governor were playing doctor or not. How much influence does she really have on Bentley? Is Ol' Doc's top adviser really his puppet master? The "de facto governor," as Spencer Collier says?

Finally, EYE would like to remind everyone how hypocritical republicans are, especially when it comes to so called #FamilyValues.  It's always the party of so called Compassionate, Conservative, Christians screaming Jesus the loudest, who are the biggest hypocrites.  

What get's me is for the most part they (republicans) get away with it.  Everybody knows if this had been a democrat, or a black lawmaker they would have been tried in the media, forced to resign, and/or convicted/imprisoned.  

Don't believe me?  Ask former Governor Don Siegelman, former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, former Jefferson County Commissioner Chris McNair , and others. 

And yes, EYE am playing the race card.

But a reasonable person, looking at the broad picture, could ask: Was the real reason these people were arrested that they represent a county that is mostly black, relatively poor, and largely Democratic? In other words, are political prosecutions still the tool of choice for the conservative elites who rule Karl Rove's Alabama--even with Barack Obama in the White House? Are such shenanigans still going on in other "deep red" regions of the country?

Stay Tuned.  

Now Kyle Whitmire say's 'If this is justice set Larry Langford free" RedEye Roll

After doing everything in his power to make sure Larry Langford was convicted and sent to prison for EYE still haven't figured out what,  Kyle Whitmire has a change of heart and says maybe the old crook should go free? 

I don’t know Kyle Whitmire, but if he has no love for Larry Langford it clouds his objectivity. Reporters are supposed to report just the facts, regardless if they have love for their subjects or not. Any progressive viewpoint Kyle Whitmire have should not seep into his reporting. Any love/hate Kyle Whitmire has for Larry Langford should not be a factor in his reporting. It’s a dangerous, slippery slope we thread when reporters become a part of the story and use their influence and privilege to shape public opinion. 

Well EYE guess it depends on what his definition of an "old crook" IS.  Let's recap.

The mood at the classic was rather somber this year, partially due to the rain on Friday and Saturday, and partially because Larry Langford was convicted the previous Wednesday. White suburbanites and the Birmingham news media may not have liked Larry Langford but the people who elected him loved him" because "he was cleaning up the city" . They believe his conviction will be a vehicle to over turn the election so Patrick Cooper can become Mayor. They question why Langford was convicted over some suits and a Rolex, while the two men who made millions got away scott free.

Prosecutors claimed Langford accepted cash and luxury items worth some $236,000 while serving as president of the Jefferson County Commission. In exchange, they claimed, Langford sent lucrative bond business to investment banker Bill Blount, a former chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamarra Matthews Johnson told jurors in closing arguments that Langford was heavily in debt and accepted the gifts from Blount, along with checks or loan payoffs through a middleman, lobbyist Al LaPierre. Both Blount and LaPierre pleaded guilty in the scheme and testified against Langford under their plea agreements.

Langford's' troubles stem from the sewer construction and bond swap controversy.

In 1995, Jefferson County entered into a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding sewer overflows into the Cahaba River watershed. A total of $3.2 billion of new construction was subsequently contracted, both to comply with the consent decree and to expand the system to newly-developing areas and increase the number of ratepayers financing the construction. Much of this work was awarded to inexperienced companies, many of which have since been convicted of bribery along with several county officials.

The "sewer controversy" caused a rate hike. People on fixed incomes had water bills that were higher than their electric bills. Renters would move leaving property owners with thousands of dollars in unpaid water bills. If the landlords didn't pay liens were placed on the property until a law was passed by the legislature property where owners were not responsible for tenets water bills.

The "old crook's" Lawyers were worried about a tainted jury pool, and EYE was worried too.

I’m worried too and this is why.
Let me preface what I’m about to say with the disclaimer that I have no personal, business or social connection to Larry Langford. I have never voted for him, campaigned for him or donated to any of his campaigns. All I know about the charges against him are what I’ve read in the media. I am not speaking on behalf of Langford or in defense of Langford personally or his policies.

It has long concerned me that Alabama Democrats, especially progressive/liberal Democrats have been under attack by the republican controlled justice system, enabled by the MSM we have. Democrats from former Governor Don Siegleman, former State Senator E.B. McClain, former Jefferson County Commissioner Jeff Germany on down to former state Representative Sue Schmitz have been tried and convicted after widely publicized allegations of corruption. If this can happen to high profile elected officials, it can happen to you or to me. If I am accused of a crime, I want a fair trail. Strike that, our system of justice demands I have fair trail.
I don’t know if Langford is guilty of the charges against him or not, and I won’t know IF he doesn’t have a fair trial by a jury of his peers, who will listen to all the evidence presented in a court of law, not the evidence presented in the media.
I’m concerned that having a Media Forum the night before his trial entitled ” What will we do when Birmingham is broke and everyone is in jail” could not only taint a jury pool, but it’s unfair to the defendant because it assumes the city is broke and he is going to jail. I just don’t that’s fair. Sorry.
Is Langford a loudmouth, flashy, anti gay, bible thumper? Yes. As an American citizen does he deserve a fair and impartial trial by a jury of his peers? Absolutely. Would I feel this way if Langford was a white, conservative republican? Yes. I believe in the rule of law. I believe in liberty and justice for all. I believe in the right to a fair trial by a jury of ones peers. I believe evidence should be presented in a court of law, not in the media.
I believe in America. Where anything is possible.

In light of one of Langford's'  biggest detractors change of hard, EYE mean heart, maybe Larry Langford was right (no pun intended), and his prosecution was political. 

#Scandalous in #SweetHomeAlabama #Injustice #Hypocrisy

They're right, I'm not backing down. I stand by my decision to terminate Alabama's contract with #PlannedParenthood. https://t.co/DP33s980cX

— Gov. Robert Bentley (@GovernorBentley) September 23, 2015

Remember when EYE wrote this about Governor Robert Bentley back in 2010?

Even republican candidates see the Coal Bowl as the opportunity to pander, I mean woo African American voters. Dr. Death, I mean Robert Bentley showed up. I heard fans were upset they had to clear the way for his entourage to enter the sky box elevator. Overheard: Well at least he came at the right time of year.
Huh?
It's Halloween and he looks like a Scarecrow.
Also overheard regarding Bentley: He's a really nice guy he just got hooked up with the wrong party.

According to Attorney Donald Watkins Facebook page, once Bentley became Governor he changed. 

Once Bentley became governor, he changed. He was no longer the kind and gentle man his children and grandchildren had known all their lives. Everyone noticed how Bentley’s respect for Dianne began to wane.

Bentley had become a man Dianne didn’t recognize. He was enamored with the trappings of the governor’s office – the trooper escorts, use of the state airplane, global travels, access to dignitaries and celebrities, life in the Governor’s mansion, wining and dining Rebekah like a billionaire at Winston Blount’s magnificent $28 million estate, along with all the other high-life perks that come with being called “Governor”. Bentley had gone from obscurity as a little-known Tuscaloosa legislator/dermatologist to rock-star status as governor, and he simply could not handle it.

Watkins also reports  Governor Bentley and Company are lawyering up in anticipation of a possible criminal investigation.  Notice EYE said Watkins reports, not the mainstream media reports. 

The mainstream media does not have the courage or resources to report the inside story of the Bentley's divorce. This is why the Pulitzer Prize committee recently expanded its eligibility on awards for investigative journalism and feature articles to cover online journalists like me. They realize how weak and captive many mainstream media organizations have become. The Birmingham News and Montgomery Advertiser are not trying to win Pulitzer Prizes for investigative journalism. They are simply trying to stay in business while operating on the cheap. Plus, the story of the Bentley marital infidelity scandal is out of their league.

All EYE can say is thank goodness Al Gore invented the Internet (snark), because without it we the people wouldn't know what the heck was going on.  Some, not to confused with all, progressive (and EYE use that term loosely) Bloggers and Facebook Journalist have been talking about Bentley's Real Executive Protection since  2009,  2010 and  2011.  

Can you hear us now?

The mean spirit that used political prosecutions for partisan political gain. Former Governor Don Siegelman, former state Representative Sue Schmitz, former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, and a host of other black democrats were legally lynched by the republican controlled InJustice system. And yes, I tried to tell some of y'all it was political and not about ethics reform, but again I was suppressed (not to be confused with oppressed).

EYE  Report.
YOU Decide. 

The Power of the Press to turn the pigs into farmers, and the farmers into pigs #SweetHomeAlabama

The 2010 Republican takeover of the Alabama Legislature was supposed to bring powerful ethics reform to Montgomery, but instead we got something worse that what we had. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

According to Alabama Media Group columnist Kyle Whitmire: It took Alabama Democrats 136 years to be this corrupt, the GOP matched it in four

The story usually starts with hopeful promise of something different -- you know, the thing that's going to go rotten by the end.
Like 2010.
That was the year the Alabama Republican Party took control of the Alabama Legislature for the first time in 136 years. The mini Republican Revolution came with promises -- the Handshake with Alabama was supposed to be the state's own Contract with America.
At its core was ethics reforms that Goat Hill Democrats had rejected for years.
Among them was a ban on PAC-to-PAC transfers, which lobbyists and politicians had used to launder campaign money.
Wham! Promise delivered!
Also there were to be new restrictions on lawmakers doing business with those who do business with the state.
Zip! Done!
And finally, the Alabama Ethics Commission -- long a toothless tiger -- would finally have subpoena power to investigate corrupt public officials.
Ding! Dong!
The Witch?
Dead!
Here we are a quadrennium later, the Alabama Republican majority has proven that it is unquestionably superior to the all-but-extinct Alabama Democrats. The level of corruption Democrats took 136 years to achieve, the GOP has bested in just four years.

First, let's decode the code words, Democrats is code for the blacks. The media driven false narrative makes it socially acceptable to express the idea that black politicians are corrupt and inept and do not behave like adults.  So the party that tries to help the little guys and gals is corrupt, and the party that helps the rich get richer is not. What's up is down, what's down is up.  

And this time we can tell the pigs from the farmers, because the pigs are even worse.

EYE want my Liberal Media back.

Huntspatch Sitty School Daze

Ten, count them, ten, Huntsville City School failed to meet AYP (Average Yearly Progress) last year, and once again the district isn't prepared to meet IEP's,  but that's OK, the inept  black Superintendent was replaced with a competent white one.

So what is the "competent" white superintendent doing to improve student achievement? Let me count ten ways.

1. Sign a $21.9 million dollar contract to convert the district from printed books to a digital textbook learning system.  

2. Transfer, fire or run off,  trained, certified, teachers and principals and replace them with Teach for America Teachers in the low achieving schools, and Principals from out of state.

3. Close down the Alternative School and send students to a private, residential, drug treatment program.

4.  Double the legal fees for the district.

5.  Balance the budget on the backs of special education students.

6.  Hire cronies as consults while laying off teachers and support personnel.

7.  Take credit for the inept black superintendent's achievements.

8.  Refuse to answer tax payers questions or address their concerns.

9.  Intimidate the public.

10.  Under estimate the cost of contracts, again.

And what did the competent white superintendent who replaced the inept black superintendent say when asked about the ten schools that failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress?

"Adequate doesn't sound very high to me."

Oh well, I guess it depends on what your definition of adequate and competent IS.

Sigh

Anyone who is concerned about democracy and freedom should be concerned about the legal lynching of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman

The definition of  lynching in the unlawful hanging of a person by mob action.  Historically the term is most commonly applied to racist violence in the post-Civil War American south.   It is the worst kept secret in that Alabama democrats, with a few republicans thrown in for flavor, are being legally lynched by the republican controlled InJustice  Department, under the guise of cleaning up democratic  corruption and restoring faith in state government. 

The case of former Governor Don Siegelman and others, defines what those of us who live in the post-Civil War  South call a legal lynching.  The unlawful conviction of democrats for political gain.

This is one of those "we tried to tell some of y'all" moments.  George Will, Of All People Stands up for Justice in the Don Siegelman case. 

Who could have imagined that George Will would prove to be more progressive than Barack Obama on fundamental matters of justice?
Will, probably the nation's foremost conservative columnist, writes in his most recent piece that the U.S. Supreme Court should review the convictions of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and codefendant Richard Scrushy to ensure that overzealous prosecutors are not criminalizing standard political behavior.

Today's Must Reads
Quid Pro NO
I believe you and I have different definitions of racism, black Jefferson County Legislators 
A Back of the Bus Idea

Quid Quo Pro?

I've said it many times before, I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on the Internet, but I'm sure there are legal eagles out there who can clear up my confusion  regarding several cases involving democrats and the long arm of the law here in Sweet Home Alabama.

Yesterday I pointed out the hypocrisy of former state Rep. Sue Schmitz's (D), conviction and sentencing  for being paid tax dollars for not working, and former Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Ann Roy Moore, who was also paid tax dollars for not working. 

Anne Roy Moore presents another interesting comparison (for lack of a better word) to former democratic Governor Don Siegelman's conviction for bribery (Quid Quo Pro).  To make a long story short, prosecutors argued  Don Siegelman appointed Richard Scrushy to the CON board in exchange for a campaign contribution.

Now, turn to the case of Ann Roy Moore, who according to several Huntsville City School Board members was paid to not work so she wouldn't file a lawsuit against the school system.

Topper Birney said that, despite the money Moore's been paid over the past six months, keeping the former superintendent on as a consultant likely saved the district much larger costs with a possible lawsuit.
"This was probably, in the long run, the most cost-efficient way to handle it," Birney said.
David Blair, who was not on the board when Moore was ousted, agreed. Blair pointed out that, until the board decided to fire her, Moore had received nearly perfect performance reviews.
"In my estimation, the system had (legal) exposure," Blair said. "It was the best resolution for both parties."

Question, what is the difference between appointing a campaign contributor to a board, and paying someone tax dollars not work in exchange for not filing a lawsuit?

Alabama InJustice/Hypcrisy Alert

Former state Rep. Sue Schmitz (Huntsville Times file photo)

Former  Alabama State Representative Sue Schmitz (D. Toney) was arrested,  indicted (after a hung jury in her first trial), convicted and sentenced to two and half years in prison on  fraud charges because she was paid $40,0000 for doing very little work.  Yes, really.

It was revealed former Huntsville City School Chief Dr. Anne Roy Moore was paid $99,000.00 plus $198,000 for sitting at home and doing very little work. Oh, really now?

For the record, I'm  not saying Dr. Moore should be arrested, indicted, convicted and sentenced because of the terms of her ahem contract buyout.

But I am asking why former  Rep. Sue Schmtiz was arrested, indicted, convicted and sentenced for the same damn thing?

The Shock and Shame of Alabama History~Edit

Fist Dap College Spun

I don't care how many national college football championships Auburn or Alabama win, how many men and women NASA sends into outer space, or how many civil rights icons we honor in life and in death, the great state of Alabama is destined to be known not as Alabama the Beautiful, but Alabama the Racist.

We might as well embrace our past history as our future history and keep on moving, because we all know there is a mean spirit on the lose in Alabama and the country.

“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.
I am a history buff of sorts. I have pondered how the meanest of spirits are sometimes unleashed when people become fearful. The meanness is most often directed at those on the bottom of the totem pole, but the least responsible for the situation that gives rise to the fear. When the Great Recession hit three years ago, a lot of people became scared. People are scared of losing everything for which they have worked. They are scared for themselves, their children, and their children’s children. They are scared for the present and scared for the future. Fear is on the loose, putting meanness on the loose as well.
I referred to this mean spirit in one of my robo calls. In response to this spirit, I said, “Hell no, I am not going back to cotton fields and Jim Crow days!” That apparently incensed the above mentioned person. It is not enough for him to take me back to Jim Crow days but he wants to take me back to a monkey cage, a place neither me nor my ancestors inhabited. This response is symptomatic of the mean spirit now on the loose.

The mean spirit of Jimmie Lee Jackson, the 16th Street Baptist Street Church Bombing, Kelly Ingram Park and Bull Conner, Confederate Memorial Day, and Bloody Sunday.

The mean spirit that requires all Alabama license plates to proudly display The Heart of Dixie as an official symbol, and flies the Confederate Flag on the grounds of the state capitol, the birthplace of the Confederacy. Hell no, they ain't fegittn!

The mean spirit that proudly passed the racist, controversial so called immigration bill, which is really a racial profiling bill.

The mean spirit that used political prosecutions for partisan political gain. Former Governor Don Siegelman, former state Representative Sue Schmitz, former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, and a host of other black democrats were legally lynched by the republican controlled InJustice system. And yes, I tried to tell some of y'all it was political and not about ethics refrom, but again I was suppressed (not to be confused with oppressed).

The mean spirit whose first order of business was to wage war on public school teachers and the Alabama Education Association under the guise of ethics reform. This from a so called pro life party who doesn't care about the education of children once they emerge from the womb, or the health and life of the mother.

The Alabama republican party should be ashamed instead of proud. They could begin to erase the stain if they would do the right (pun intended) thing and strip Rep. Scott Beason of his power to exercise racism.

Beason is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules, which is the gatekeeper of legislation in the Senate and decides which bills come to the Senate floor for debate.

Shame on the Alabama Legislature for appointing someone who doesn't see anything wrong with calling black taxpayers illiterate, "aborigines" and speaks openly about emptying the clip on immigrants in charge of what legislation and bills come to the floor. Shudder

Again, the voters in Beason's district gave him the power to exercise racism, and they are the only ones with the power to snatch it away on election day. However,t he republican majority in the state legislature gave Beason the power to exercise racism in halls of Government. The question is will they continue to condone and excuse his behavior, or, will they do the right (pun intended) thing and strip him of the power to exercise racism?

Time will tell the truth about Alabama's history and the republican controlled state government, past, present and future.

And just because Herman Cain won the Mobile, Alabama republican straw poll and Governor Bentley is passionate about watermelons doesn't mean Alabama republicans are not racist.

African American Elected Officials are Common Thugs,

and should be treated as such say the Common thugs. Sorry I couldn't resist the pun after last weeks Faux News manufactured Common Controversy and in light of the ongoing "ethical lynching" of the lone African American member of the Huntsville City Council. None dare call it stereotyping. You see the media paints all black men as thugs. Strike that, the media paints all black men that dare speak up and speak out at thugs.

The powers that be wanted to market rappers flashing cash, sporting bling, and showing off fancy cars; rappers with little real sense of what was going on in the world around them. Those powers didn’t want you to hear from conscious artists like Public Enemy, KRS-One, Nas, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Saul Williams, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, or even a Common. Often the Dave Chappelle Show was the only place you could find some of them.

African American elected officials are painted as the picture of corruption in three piece suits in the media, by the media, for the media. Every little thing morphs into proof they should trade their cuff link for handcuffs.

It's not just Huntsville it's all over the United States of America. Those African American elected officials who stand for something and aren't afraid to speak truth to power are eventually investigated and convicted of some kind of corruption and people like me who call it out are called racist.

Attempting to keep Common out of the White House was not about trying to censor lyrics that seemed offensive. It was about trying to silence a voice who rhymes about real issues, and speaks for the oppressed.

Don't get me wrong, you don't have to be an African American Democratic elected official to be investigated and convicted, in some cases all you have to do is be a liberal democratic elected official and off you go too.

Yep, it's open season on those African American elected officials, liberal democrats and Activist who stand for something in Sweet Home Alabama, but none dare call it racism, they prefer to call it thuggery.

This proud nation is at a crossroads.

One direction hurling towards increased economic inequality, the slashing of social safety nets, deregulation, xenophobia, discrimination of the gay community, voter suppression, and the unconscionable pollution of our environment. The other is a direction of ending poverty, protecting and helping the oppressed and unfortunate, holding Wall Street accountable, embracing immigration, and preserving our ecosystem.

What Willie Nelson said

“Rather than trying to put an end to Eminem or some other rapper, politicians should think about why they’re rapping. It’s easier to try to censor some kid who’s swearing about poverty than it is to stop the poverty.” – Willie Nelson

RedEye's translation
It's easier to investigate and convict the politicians who are not afraid to take a stand and speak out than it is to cure the reasons they stand up and speak out.

One Redeye Rant Leads to another Redeye Rant

I hope the so called mainstream media is happy now that Charlie Sheen has been fired from Two and a Half Men. I mean, really? Who gives a flying flip about Charlie Sheen or Two and a Half Men? Why the 24/7 wall to wall breathless coverage of Charlie Sheen? Let the media tell it, Charlie Sheen is Saddam Hussein's first cousin. Is it just me, or is the whole Charlie Sheen saga a media made weapon of mass distraction from the real issues facing real people? WTF did Charlie Sheen do to anybody but himself? You would think he sent our troops to war based on DEAD WRONG INTELLIGENCE or something. Geesh!

James O'Keefe strikes again!

James O'Keefe's organization has put up what they claim is hidden camera footage of NPR executives slamming the Tea Party over lunch at a Georgetown restaurant with O'Keefe's pranksters, who were posing as a phony Muslim advocacy group interested in donating to NPR

Uh, why isn't James O'Keefe in jail for trying to tap Senator Mary Landrieu's Senate office telephones? Never mind. We know why. IOKIYAR.

The four defendants who were arrested in January in Sen. Mary Landrieu's office in the Hale Boggs federal complex in New Orleans pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in federal court to entering real property belonging to the United States under false pretenses.

Magistrate Judge Daniel Knowles III sentenced Stan Dai, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan each to two years probation, a fine of $1,500 and 75 hours of community service during their first year of probation.

James O'Keefe, as leader of the group and famous for posing as a pimp in ACORN office videos, received three years of probation, a fine of $1,500 and 100 hours of community service.

Meanwhile Pvt. Bradley Manning is being ritually stripped as punishment.

Last week, Pfc. Bradley Manning, who's facing preliminary charges related to leaking classified information to WikiLeaks, was forced by authorities at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia, to sleep naked in his cell and remain naked through a jail roll call. Now his lawyer, David Coombs, says Manning's being stripped ritually, forced to sleep naked in his cell every night as a punishment for a sarcastic comment he made.

And they say Bradley Manning is aiding the enemy? I guess it depends on who the enemy IS.

A federal appellate court, for the third time, has rendered a "split decision" on an apparent political prosecution from the George W. Bush era--overturning convictions on some counts, while upholding others.

The latest example came last Friday when the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta released its ruling in the case of Sue Schmitz, a former Democratic state legislator in Alabama. The appeals court overturned Schmitz' convictions for theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, while upholding her convictions on mail fraud. Schmitz sentence has been vacated, with the case returned to district court for re sentencing.

This is similar to what happened on the appeals of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman (Eleventh Circuit) and Mississippi attorney Paul Minor (Fifth Circuit). What should we make of this pattern? Here is what I make of it: Federal appeals courts are engaged in a coordinated effort to cover up Bush-era political prosecutions and protect the rogue judges and prosecutors responsible for them.

If Micheal Moore had made a speech calling President Obama a Kenyan Interloper and demanded to see his birth certificate it would have been all over the news.

If President Obama had tried to conceal his wife's income there would be calls for impeachment.

Gas is too damn high! It's a good thing the republicans haven't created any jobs because people couldn't afford to get to them.

"Only in America can you be pro-death penalty, pro-war, pro-unmanned drone
bombs, pro-nuclear weapons, pro-guns, pro-torture, pro-land mines, and still
call yourself ‘pro-life.’"
~ John Fugelsang

Redeye Rant over and out...for now.

I knew this was going to happen

All of my political instincts told me there was going to be huge black, I mean backlash when Barack Hussein Obama won the 2008 Presidential election.

I knew all the talk of a post racial America, and the Abraham Lincoln narrative was just media driven bullpoop.

I knew the red,republican, confederate,slave states weren't going to let President Obama govern.

I knew the democrats would be spineless.

Based on this country's rich southern heritage and history I just knew it was going to be bad news for African Americans, our LBGT sisters and brothers, immigrants, labor,public schools,women's reproductive rights, voting rights, and health care reform.

As Bill Maher said, democrat is the new republican.

Last week Bill Maher called out Obama for pussy-footing around in the face of an audacious onslaught from Corporate America. He made clear that the President needs to show a little audacity of his own if he hopes to beat the health care companies, the energy companies, and the legions of powerful lobbyists swarming Capitol Hill.

I tried to tell y'all how this was going to play out way back when President Obama was first elected with one of my first blogs at Left in Alabama

Here is a quick Civics lesson so the right wing media talking points can be refuted. Democrats make a big mistake believing most people know how our Government works.

Although Democrats are in the majority in Congress it is a small majority, therefore Democrats CAN NOT OVER RIDE A VETO. This means any BILLS passed by Congress a VETO by the President or NOT SIGNED does NOT become LAW.

Democrats do have enough votes in the Senate to stop a filibuster, which in fact will KILL legislation. Democrats DO NOT have enough votes to remove the President or Vice President after Impeachment. Congress needs an over riding majority to pass legislation the President does not want.

Well we know how that story ended, democrats pussy footed around and lost the filibuster proof majority.

Then came the stimulus bill despite the gop and the right wing media's efforts to derail it. republican'ts gambled (pun intended) on the stimulus bill failing because they believed the American people will be stupid enough to vote them into power again.Oh wait...the America people were stoopid enough to vote them into power again! How did that happen you ask? Republican governors controlled the stimulus spending and they made sure the funds went to the people who didn't need it and not to the people it was intended to help so they could yell out of control,big government, spending, and ask where are the jobs,instead of the fact the economic stimulus package included one of the largest tax cuts in American history -- $282 billion in tax cuts over two years.

Of course the stimulus bill could not pass without some capitulation,I mean compromise on the part of POTUS,which a lot of folks,including moi tried to tell y'all was not a good idea.

Congressional leaders scale down plan to about $789 billion, a smaller package than versions of bill passed earlier by either body. Translation; Less spending for the poor and the middle class more tax cuts for the rich.

How did the winners become the losers and the losers become the winners? Check out this answer from my inbox;

These cuts were the price the Senate Democrats had to pay to get the three republican votes to filibuster proof the senate bill.. Without these three votes(giving the majority Democrats 61 votes) the Republican minority would still be filibustering on the floor of the Senate. Now the "conference " of the house and senate is hammering out a bill that can be supported by a simple majority of both bodies. And we'll have a bill for the President to sign. How wonderful it would have been for the Democrats to have elected 60 senators, so they would not have had to compromise with Republicans. Now Obama and the House democrats had to give up education and state incentive stimulus to have a bill at all, while the Republicans got additional tax cuts for the rich. It may not be the best system, but it beats hands down any other option.

To be clear republicans voted against the jobs bill, unemployment extension, and raising the minimum wage then campaigned and won on a where are the jobs,and we are going to create jobs meme, and the majority of the American people fell for it. Of course the gop infused,media enabled Tea Party helped.

To be clear, this is what Sessions and Shelby in the Senate and Griffith, Bright, Aderholt, Bacchus and the entire Bama House delegation (sans Davis) voted against on behalf of the Alabama citizens;

Impact on Alabama

Creating or saving 55,000 jobs over the next two years.
Providing a making work pay tax cut of up to $1,000 for 1,770,000 workers and their families
Making 70,000 families eligible for a new American Opportunity Tax Credit to make college affordable.
Offering an addition $100 per month in unemployment insurance benefits to 247,000 workers in Alabama who have lost their jobs this recession.
Providing funding to modernize at least 156 schools in Alabama so our children have the labs, classrooms and libraries they need to compete in the 21st century economy.
President Obama has made it clear that his recovery package is just one component of what we need to to to get the economy moving again. He knows that we also need to make sure we have better financial regulation, and that we act swiftly to get credit flowing again. And of course, we going to have to engage with our partners around the world.

Which brings me to the sad,sorry state of the democratic party in the reddest state in the union. Democrats are jumping ship like rats off the Titanic and republicans now have a super majority in the state house and the state senate. They aren't even pretending anymore because they now have the power to do anything they want to do. And what is the Alabama democratic party doing about it? When they aren't bashing and smashing Joe Reed they are standing around with their hands in their pockets whistling Dixie. Everybody was hollering at state Senator Hank Sanders because he sounded the alarm instead of listening to him. Or maybe they did listen to him but didn't care...per DaleJackson;

"The African American vote is a powerful voting block. Both parties realize they can't win elections without the African American vote, so is their plan to neutralize it's block voting strength? Really, the GOP did pretty good without them last election. Fsct(sic): The 90+% Dem vote for blacks regardless of behavior has rendered that block feckless. You get lip-service and nothing more. The GOP won't get you and the Dems got ya.

Were we punk'd? You betcha. Are we in trouble yet? You betcha. How did we get here, and where do we go from here? God only knows.

Redeye tiptoeing away from the computer still waiting to exhale...

I won't exhale until our sons and daughters are bought home from Iraq. I won't exhale until torture is stopped. I won't exhale until Gitmo is closed. I won't exhale until the next Attorney General is named. I won't exhale until all Americans have access to quality healthcare. I won't exhale until all children have equal access to a quality education. I won't exhale until won't until we have peace and prosperity again. I won't exhale until we get our democracy back.

Edit~Jim Folsom lost, blame Hank Sanders Robo Call

There is an old saying in Alabama..if you throw a rock at a pen full of pigs the one that squeals is the one that was hit. Well, there's a whole lot of squealing going on about Alabama State Senators Mad as Hell Robo Call to DEMOCRATIC, I repeat DEMOCRATIC supporters. I emphasize DEMOCRATIC supporters because the non DEMOCRATIC supporters are squealing like pigs because gasp! Anderson Cooper discussed the robo call on AC 360 and showed Sweet Home Alabama for what it really is, I mean in a bad light, for all the world to see. Not only that... according to them, the race baiting robo call may have hurt Jim Folsom.

CNN reaches a lot of people, even in Alabama. Folsom only lost to Kay Ivey by about 45,000 votes. There's no way to know how many people came out to vote for Folsom because they got the call vs. how many were motivated to vote against him because they heard about it, but I'd love to see what kind of movement Folsom and/or Ivey's internal polls showed between October 15th, when the calls hit Alabama answering machines, and Election Day. I recall hearing of a similar robocall using highly charged language in the 2009 special election that sent Paul Sanford (R, SD7) to the Alabama State Senate. The call was on behalf of his opponent, Rep. Laura Hall, who is black, but it ended up on some of the wrong answering machines and fueled charges of reverse racism. GOP turnout was very high for a special and Hall lost badly.

Let's not re-write history. If I recall radio boy, aka Dale Jackson, sent out an email with the official state seal of the Alabama Secretary of State on it telling democrats they were to vote on Wednesday instead of Thursday, in addition to calling State Representative Laura Hall a racist coward  on his blog. GOP turnout was very high because Bob Riley's evil plan worked. Remember?

The Riley administration has carefully planned the special elections this year to minimize turnout, especially Democratic turnout. They set the special elections in Madison county after Alabama A&M and UAH had finished their spring semesters, and they set the House District 6 primary to fall right after the Memorial Day holiday - when people might be distracted, or otherwise stretching a holiday weekend out for another day

And let's not forget WHY we were having a special elections in the first place, because of the so called democratic culture of corruption and cronyism.

And sometimes prosecutions of Republicans by the Bush Justice Department reflects not even-handedness, but equally insidious corruption. That’s the point for my notes today.

If we had to pick one state in the nation where these evil tendencies are most obviously on display, then certainly it is Alabama, home to the nation’s highest profile and most abusive political prosecution. A major television network will shortly be exposing a number of lurid details surrounding the Siegelman case which point to corruption inside of the Justice Department. I have formed the view that the corruption on the prosecutorial side of the ledger greatly outweighs the corruption charged against the defendants in the Siegelman matter. The corruption inside of the Justice Department is exhibited on several different levels:

• The politicization of the U.S. attorney’s office
• The process of “targeting” political victims
• The corrupt manipulation of evidence
• The process of working to secure convictions through collaboration with “friendly” media

Yeah, we've got it all in Alabama. Lucky us. H/T mooncat

What Hank Sanders said!

Cooper asked Sanders what evidence he had that the Republican opponents would take Alabama back to Jim Crow days. Sanders said, "Well, there's a certain mean spiritness that's out there, not only in Alabama but it's in America. And that makes this election extremely important."

If some white voters didn't vote for Jim Folsom because of Hank Sanders robo call, they probably weren't going to vote for him anyway. But what does this whole controversy say about white voters? Are they squealing because the robo call hit a nerve? Did it expose the dirty little secret about racism not only in Alabama but in America? Racism is that thing you did, not that thing you said. Remember?The way to eradicate racism is to expose it.

State Senator Hank Sanders is a grown a$$ man. He has the right (no pun) to say whatever he chooses, however he chooses. If some cats are "offended by it" tough titty said the kitty.

There is a real dilemma in communicating with masses of people. If we speak in a way that is acceptable to everyone, we move few. If we speak in a way that effectively moves many, we offend some others. I have worked for years to effectively communicate so I move many without offending many. I don’t always succeed.

Well, I cut a second robo ad. I did not back away from the word “hell.” I said, “I will stand until hell freezes over!” I said “Hell no, I will not go back!” One of the first responses to the ad came from a woman in Mobile. She said that she had not intended to vote, but after my robo call, she not only was going to vote, but was urging others to vote. She said that she was “also mad as hell.” Our perceptions, judgments, and responses are so different.

Lt. Governor Jim Folsom was asked to renounce, reject and repudiate State Senators Sanders and like a big man he refused to play the part of Plantation Overseer.

"It wasn't by me," Folsom said. "I have no responsibility for it."

Asked what changes he would make if he wrote the script, Folsom said he would not use any four-letter words.

State Senator Sanders robo call didn't hurt Jim Folsom, removing the Confederate Flag from the state capitol hurt Jim Folsom.

James E. Folsom Jr. was Alabama's governor from 1993-95 and the only governor so far to assume that office as a result of the felony conviction of his predecessor. He is also one of only two fathers and sons who served as governors of Alabama, the other being Edward and Emmet O'Neal. Folsom is notable for his removal of the Confederate battle flag from the state capital, and he appointed a number of African Americans and women to his staff. He also helped initiate the movement of the automotive industry to the Southeast when he helped bring a Mercedes-Benz plant to the state.

I have more R-E-S-P-E-C-T for State Senator Sanders, and Lt. Governor Jim Folsom than I do for Anderson Cooper and his merry panel of all white, except one, African American Talking TeeVee Pundit Heads.

It wasn't the Robo Call that hurt Folsom. It was the stoopid racist and the stoopid racism. Of course it's easier to blame it on the black guy.

Redeye's Week in Review

O-M-G. The right christian conservative Alabama republican party is standing in the need of much prayer. The Rev. Wesley is doubtless spinning in his grave with sufficient velocity to register on the seismograph at nearby King’s College.

Wesley’s eternal rest has certainly been disturbed by the actions of one of his ministers in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. This comes about because the contest for the seat in House District 12 features not one, but two ordained Methodist ministers. The Democratic incumbent, the Rev. Rep. James Fields, made national news, being noted in The New York Times. This spotlight came because Fields, an African American, won the seat in a 2008 special election in a district that is 98% white. Fields is a retired state employment service staffer who is active as a Methodist minister.

Field Negro notes it's that time again...

As we get closer to November 2nd, his O ness and the dems are making their usual push for votes from the usual suspects. Old reliable. Black folks. Truth is, if black folks actually get out and vote come Tuesday, that well touted republican tsunami will be more like a huge wave.

What's the matter with Florida democrats? Is the possibility of an African American Senator just too much for them to swallow? Instead of pressuring Kendrick Meeks to drop out of the race they should be pressuring Charlie Crist to drop out and throw his support to Meeks. But nooooo, that would be too much like right (pun intended). White Florida democrats would rather lose than support a black man. We shall overcome someday. Sigh* Kendricks Meeks was right (no pun) not to quit. He is the kind of democratic candidate/elected official I wish we had instead of the democratic candidates/elected officials we have.

Meek showed a lot of backbone in declining the suggestion. I have no doubt it was tempting. After all, Clinton could argue that unless Meek got out (and endorsed Crist), the Republican will win. Presumably, Meek could be blamed for electing Rubio. Quitting could make him a "hero," while refusing to bow out could make him seem selfish or stubborn.

But Meek made the right move for his party and for his career.

First, it's important to note that Meek's exit might have also impacted the Florida gubernatorial campaign, which is very tight. Depressing the Democratic base -- especially African-Americans who are likely to turn out for Meek -- could have cost Democrats the governorship (an especially big deal this year as states are about to reapportion and redistrict congressional seats).

What's more, quitting now would be a disservice to all the Democrats who contributed financially to, and volunteered for, Meek. And never mind all the people who may have already "wasted" their votes on him during early voting.

But it's also important to note that this was the right move for Kendrick Meek, too. As Winston Churchill said, "Nations which went down fighting rose again, but those which surrender tamely are finished." I suspect the same could be said for political candidates.

Uh Oh, here comes the race baiting gop to Meeks rescue.

MEEK'S REPUBLICAN CHAMPIONS EMERGE.... It was always the scenario Republicans feared. The only development likely to prevent Marco Rubio (R) from winning Florida's U.S. Senate race fairly easily is if Kendrick Meek (D) stepped aside, and his supporters shifted to Gov. Charlie Crist (I). And as we learned overnight, as of a week ago, that very nearly happened.

But now that the deal appears to have fallen through, Republicans have a new message: the entire effort is evidence of some kind of racism. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said in a statement:

"President Clinton's actions to have Kendrick Meek withdraw from the campaign sends a chilling signal to all voters, but especially African Americans. One can only imagine the response if Republican leadership tried to force out of the race -- in the 11th hour -- a qualified black candidate like Kendrick Meek."

I can only shake my head...

party unity isn't something that just happens, it requires communication, a certain amount of give and take and respect for a diversity of opinions says the person who banned me from the front pages of right leaning Left in Alabama. Big D Democrat Representative Randy Hinshaw called for democrats to circle the wagons and pull together in November. With all due respect to Rep. Hinshaw, it's kind of hard to support a party that takes your vote for granted. I am the kind of democrat that always votes a straight ticket, but I'm putting party leadership on notice, this is the last year I will vote for candidates who pander to the right at the expense of the base to get elected then govern like republicans. I will either under vote or write in a name. I'm tired of being thrown under the bus. If I wanted a republican representative I would vote republican. You got that? What CPL said;

What I'm really not liking is that our votes are being used as food stamps - then we get flung under the bus when the elections are over.

We don't get seats at the table; we have virtually no input in policy making; but they want us to get the hell out and vote like we have influence on outcomes. We DO; don't get me wrong, but I'm tired of being called up like some kind of trick - good for a vote and nothing more.

gop state Senator Paul Sandford lost no time in using the recent bribery convictions for his political gain. He is running TeeVee ads dressed in a black apron pushing a wheelbarrow full of black trash bags and dumping them in a dumpster. Uh, who are you calling "trash" Senator Sanford? Democrats? Black democrats? Using convictions for political gain are nothing new for Sanford, he used Sue Schmitz conviction in his previous race. Speaking of Sue Schmitz she will celebrate her 65th birthday on November 3, 2010. In honor of her birthday please Vote for democrats on November 2 and send her a birthday card to let her know we remember her for her contributions and her public service on behalf of ALL the constituents in her district.

SUZANNE L SCHMITZ
#26831-001
FMC LEXINGTON
SATELLITE CAMP
P.O. BOX 14525
LEXINGTON, KY 40512

I will be off line this weekend attending the Coal Bowl at Legion Field. Full report when I return.

VOTE like your lives depend on it.