What is on my mind Wednesday.

If 50 Teabaggers showed up to protest President Obama or Congressman Parker Griffith (r. traitor) I'll bet there would be wall to wall media coverage complete with live interviews, but since according to al.com, it was only 50 progressive, democratic outcast protesting Dubya's former *ahem* advisor the media we have barely yawned. Thank goodness we have a real media outlet to tell us what really happened duringKKKarl Rove's trip to Sweet Home Alabama. Compare and contrast the coverage. It's like night and day. But I'm not surprised, are you?

Speaking of Bushes Brain aka KKKarl Rove, his base is repackaging their movement in a new, multicultural wrapping. Yeah right. Same stuff, different robe.

Speaking of media coverage, or the lack thereof, check out Booman's version of What if the Tea Party were black.

What would happen if we took, say, a couple hundred nicely dressed black men, to a gun show out in rural Anywhere, U.S.A.? What if we came in a couple of busloads, legally purchased firearms and left in a quiet and orderly fashion, just as we'd come. What kind of news coverage, if any, would we get?

Uh Oh! The Mainstream Media fired a warning shot at President Obama today. This is the same media who enabled Bush and Dick to send our troops to Iraq based on DEAD WRONG Intelligence, remember? What BlatantLiberal said!

I'm outraged over this meaningless story for one reason: health care. We saw this most clearly with the death panel lie. That is not a failure of communication or messaging. That was a failure of the mainstream media to educate the people. It speaks to the systemic and endemic failure of the media to simply report. And that is not the White House's fault; it's the fault of a media that will allow lies to take hold. That is willing to report a lie and give it the same billing as the policy itself warping the public's knowledge and facts.

Lord help us, Gun Nut Political Gathering Organized in PA to Shoot Up Cars Representing "Liberal Ideas": Next It's Us

On that note, remember what happened to ultra liberal radio talk show host Rhandi Rhodes when when made a joke about guns and George W-ar Bush? Remember what happened to Air America afterwards? RedEYE reports what you decide.


Paging the Alabama ACLU!!! We've got another prom situation in Dixie. This time it's in Calhoun County Alabama.

"Oxford High School, a school in Calhoun County, Ala., prom dress codes are strictly enforced. Some say too strictly. This year, the Anniston Star reports that 25 students were disciplined for violating the prom dress code. The strangest part of the story, though, is that the students were allowed to stay at the prom, but the following week, they had to choose the option of receiving corporal punishment (by paddling) or a three-day suspension....The principal, Trey Holladay, defends the policy stating that, "We're using the same policy we've had for the last five years. Being a parent, I want to make sure girls and guys act accordingly. We're a high school, and our community has certain expectations of what is appropriate."

So much discrimination, so little time.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A sharply divided federal appeals court on Monday exposed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to billions of dollars in legal damages when it ruled a massive class action lawsuit alleging gender discrimination over pay for female workers can go to trial.

It couldn't have happened to a more deserving company. *Snicker*

Redeye over and out for now.

Support Artur Davis or Else!

There is much ado about nothing being made about nothing over at my former litter, I mean sandbox about democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks. It's no secret I was booted out of the sandbox because I was not an Artur Davis supporter/defender/appeaser but my friend bluebearcat could stand it no longer and stomped out of the sandbox too.

This has gone beyond ridiculous. The fawning over Artur Davis and the character assassination on Ron Sparks has become unbearable to me. One could make the case that, on the whole, Artur Davis is lesser of two evils for progressives. I don't agree with that case, but it can be made. Mooncat, you have not been making that case. You have twisted yourself into knots to defend Artur Davis' votes on health care and cap-and-trade and to defend the increasingly conservative philosophy that led him to vote poorly on other matters.

By lending progressive cover for these actions, LiA is not only refusing to hold Artur Davis' feet to the fire, they are actively enabling him to move the state Democratic party even further to the right. When Davis has the most prominent liberal blog in the state functioning as a pr team defending his most conservative actions and policies, what pressure does he feel to move to the Left?

Likewise for Ron Sparks, Mooncat's posts on him have rarely focused on substantive issue-based disagreements, instead preferring innuendo of personal impropriety (how many posts did we get on that damn loan story)? Sparks' faults as a candidate are many - not the least of which is his stance on Constitutional Reform, but LiA's wholly unsourced allegations/implications of dishonesty, fraud, and... (gasp!) drinking and fornication by Ron Sparks have destroyed any ability they might have had to influence the direction of his campaign.

This has been an exercise in poor journalism and poor advocacy.

As such, I am sorry to say that I no longer have a place here. It's not just a matter of Mooncat supporting Davis and me supporting Ron Sparks; if that was the case, I would be perfectly content to spend all day posting rebuttal diaries. In all honesty, I cannot see myself marking a ballot for either one of these clowns in June. My bigger issue is that LiA has, in my humble opinion, abandoned its mission as a forum for information, discussion, and advocacy for progress in Alabama.

I plan on returning often to follow the excellent coverage/discussion of out-of-state matters and those limited in-state matters with no effect on the governor's race but I don't see any reason for me to participate in future discussion here. I thoroughly enjoyed most of my time here and wish all member of the LiA community all the best.

What's the flap about you ask? Well it all started with this post about the "unfortunate news from the Ron Sparks campaign". What is the "unfortunate news" you ask? Well, Ron Sparks former campaign manager, Sharon Wheeler was charged with a DUI and illegal lane change on I-85 in Montgomery, AL.

Ron Sparks' campaign manager, Sharon Wheeler, was charged with DUI and "illegal lane usage" last night on I-85 in Montgomery. See the ticket here. I know Montgomery is a hard-partying, hard-drinking town, but don't drink and drive is a very simple rule and the higher up you get, the more important it is to set a good example for others, lest you be made an example of.

Wheeler, who joined the campaign in January after almost a year as Parker Griffith's chief of staff, has offered her resignation and Ron Sparks has accepted it. It's unfortunate, but she will probably get the bulk of the blame for the Sparks campaign's troubles, especially now that she's gone.

What campaign troubles you ask? That's what I want to know too. You would think Ron Sparks voted against health care reform and he was skeered to show up for debates/forums after his NO vote.

You would think the Sparks campaign as the young people say "dissed" the most loyal groups of democratic voters in the state or something.

You would think the Sparks campaign stood up for Confederate History Month or something.

You would think the Sparks campaign was imploding because Sharon Wheeler got a DUI. Geesh. Personally I'm glad Sparks accepted the resignation of Wheeler. Anyone that used to work for Parker Griffith is suspect in my book (remember Justin Saia?). I said a long time ago that if Sparks were smart he would find the best African American consultant in the country and go after the black vote like white on rice. Don't ask me who that consultant is, but I'm sure they are out there. Maybe he should hire Daryl Perkins, Artur Davis' ex political campaign manager. I'm just saying....

Artur Davis needs to reign in his supporters. I realize they are trying to discredit Ron Sparks in an attempt to help Artur Davis,but it is dividing the democratic party and alienating democratic voters. I'll tell you right now, it's going to be hard for me to support Artur Davis IF he is the democratic nominee after he's pandered to the right at the expense of the traditional democratic base. I hope he will ask his supporters to drop the bashing and smearing of Ron Sparks and those who don't support Artur Davis.

A party divided will not stand.

The democratic party has been infilitrated.

Alabama Democrats likely need more Populism and Progressivism from their Chairman than prayer and publishing.

The democratic party is not pure or perfect because it's been infiltrated by those who don't share democratic party principles or values. Candidates and elected officials feel free to take our money and our votes for granted and pander to those who might vote for them (or not) at the expense of those who have to vote for them because they have no where to go.

Bash and smear me all you want. You aren't hurting me. You're hurting our party and our country.

Enough said.

Playing the Race Card

What is playing the race card exactly? Check out this post from Danielle Belton's The Black Snob for a hilarious parody. Here is an excerpt:

Mitt Romney raises his hand.

Romney: Um ... Your excellencies or ma'ams or sirs or brothers, sisters, people ... um ... what on earth are we talking about?

Al Sharpton shoves Romney a little.

Sharpton: They're talking about The Race Card, fool.

Romney: Wait? There's an actual race card? Like ... really? I thought that was just something us white people said when we wanted to belittle your problems. No offense. My dad marched with Martin Luther King ... in spirit.

Ephphatha Poetry: "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" - Tim Wise

Ephphatha Poetry: "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" - Tim Wise

What If Wednesday

What If the Dems were a party of Alan Graysons instead of a pack of gutless weasels?

What If a Real Progressive Wins the 5th district Congressional seat in Alabama?

What If next they come for you?

What If Sarah Palin just STFU?

What If the media really was liberal?

To be continued.....

Poo Pot Punks and Profiles in Political Cowardice

Contrary to popular belief I do have a life outside of the blogosphere and lately said life has inhibited my ability to blog on a regular basis. I also believe it's a good thing for us political junkies to step away from the blogosphere, XM talk radio and Cable News from time time for a mental health break and do "normal" things.

The mental health break is over, I'm back, rejuvenated, reinvigorated and ready to go! I haven't decided if this will be a random Redeye Rant or if I will just cover a few issues of the day so here goes my re-entry into the blogospehre!

Somethings never change. Artur Davis is what is known in my community at a Poo Pot Punk. You know, the kid who throws a rock and hides his hand. Or, the kid who starts the fight then runs home and hides behinds his Mommy's skirt tail. Every since Davis voted against the health care reform bill he has been skipping out on forums and public appearances. Not only that, Davis announced he was giving traditional black organizations the middle finger because he's afraid to face them after voting against health care reform and the hate crimes bill. My friend bluebearcat has the best comment regarding Davis's *ahem* courage;

I am so glad that we finally have a black Democratic candidate bold enough to oppose equal rights for gays, universal health care, cap-and-trade, and bridge loans to domestic auto companies while supporting billions in bailouts for the financial sector. We finally have a black Democrat who is progressive enough to have a stronger relationship with the BCA than with teachers' unions, the ADC, and the ANSC. Thank god we finally have a black Democrat willing to stand up for the banks against the consumer. Oh yes, and he supports constitutional reform but has no plan for actually achieving it. What progress we will make over those regressive old groups that just spent time all those years marching for voting rights, public education, and ensuring that black voters actually had representation in Montgomery (it's easy to forget that Alabama has the highest proportion of black legislators in the U.S., which is almost solely due to Joe Reed's redistricting prowess).

Pull yourself out of the running before you have the chance to lose; that is real courage, Artur Davis.

Let the race baiting begin! Davis resorts to "race baiting" by announcing 16 black mayors have endorsed him. I wish Davis would make up his damn mind. He doesn't need the endorsement of the Alabama Democratic Conference or The New South Coalition, but he welcomes the endorsement of "16 black Mayors". What if Ron Sparks issued a press release that said "16 white mayors" endorsed him? If Davis is so confident his vote against health care reform was the right (pun intended) thing to do, why won't he defend it? If there ever was an award for Profiles in Political Cowardice, Davis would win hands down. His friend Bart Stupak would come in second. I say we need to purge the party of Poo Pot Punks. Good riddance.

Our beloved Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is making Sweet Home Alabama look good again as the ranking gop member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Not. On the contrary, he's up to his old tricks.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the committee, said he feared that Liu would engage in "intellectual judicial activism" and abuse the Constitution. And he questioned Liu's experience.

Sessions has some nerve questioning someones intellect or their experience IMHO.
I guess he's gearing up for his next great stand and getting ready to lead the charge against President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. Speaking of which, President Obama you owe us a progressive/liberal nominee to make up for Alito, Roberts, Thomas, and Scalia.

The good news is that the president who selects Stevens’ successor is Barack Obama, so unless our president loses his mind, there’s no chance that the nominee will be one of those nose-in-the-air conservatives who thinks his main job is to prove how unmerciful they can be with individuals and how generous they can be to corporate and institutional powers.

The danger is that it could be one of those nose-in-the-air moderates who feels so guilty about being in the middle that he or she turns out to be a kite – that is, one who follows the wind. These folks can often pass as liberals or progressives. They’re on justice’s side when it comes to things like reproductive rights and civil rights and liberties. But on other matters – like favoring corporate prerogatives over citizen’s rights – they are as conservative as it gets. Justice Stephen Breyer, a Clinton appointee, comes to mind

If President Obama has the political courage to open off shore drilling surely he has the political courage to appoint a progressive/liberal to the Supreme Court.

I'm just saying....

Yer either wit the Tea Baggers or yer aginst the Tea Baggers. You can't join with the Tea Baggers for a common cause then bash Tea Baggers for being white and racist.

Monday , Monday.

This has been another one of those days when my real life interferes with my blogging life, but I couldn't let the day pass without sharing some links I like and pass along some political gossip.

My sources tell me Artur Davis' reception at Delta Days at the State Capitol on April Fools day was about as warm as an igloo. Davis reportedly touted his wifes membership in the organization. Despite the fact his wife Tara Davis is a member of the national organization of college educated women, they are aware she can't control how her spouse votes. I'm told the "ladies in red" don't take kindly to Congressman Davis being the only member of the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) to vote against the health care reform bill. Maybe Davis should have sent his wife instead...

Who knew Ron Sparks was paying callers to call into radio shows? Seriously, Congressman Davis said in an interview today on WEUP talk with David Person and Steve Murray, Ron Sparks was paying people to call in to radio talk shows. Where do you sign up? I need to get my check. The Davis campaign is also running radio spots on the station accusing Ron Sparks of attacking him in the black community, or something to that effect. Does that qualify as playing the "race card"?

If you don't read anything else please read Legal Schnauzers Artur Davis Seems to Have Lost His Sense of Irony.

Alabamians are smart enough to know a two-faced politician when they see one. And that's exactly how you are coming across these days.

How far you have fallen from your days on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, when it appeared you actually cared about matters of justice. You once appeared to be a substantive figure, someone who could become a major force on the national stage. Now, you don't appear to be much different from the goobers you criticize in the Alabama Senate.

What a waste of potential.

DownWithTyranny makes the case for Democratic 5th district Congressional Candidate Mitchell Howie as the candidate who will represent the democratic wing of the democratic party. You know,the wing that stands up for the working class, the disenfranchised, women's' rights, human rights, equal rights and labor.

Further north and west, however, in the 5th CD, Democrats have a much better chance to elect not just a Democrat, but-- and in Alabama this is saying a lot-- a real Democrat. The current Alabama Democratic members of Congress, Bobby Bright (2nd CD), one of the worst of the Blue Dogs, and Artur Davis (7th CD), an ambitious would-be governor who thinks his path to fame and fortune is accelerated aisle-crossing, leave a lot to be desired. But Alabama's 5th CD, across the northern half-dozen counties along the Tennessee border (plus a sliver of Morgan Co.), offers Democrats a great chance for actual change.

Peace be with you.

It's a Good Friday.

The entire redemption story, that Christ died for our sins, intersects with Good Friday. It's the day Christians celebrate the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the redemption of mankind from the grips of sin. On the night of his betrayal Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, to love one another as he love them. This commandment is written on my heart and is what gives me the courage and the willingness to be a servant for all mankind.

Despite the misconception progressive/liberals like myself aren't Christians because we don't wear our religion on our sleeve, I am a Christian. I'm the kind of Christian following the teachings of Jesus Christ to love one another, be my brothers keeper, and to care for the least of these. Jesus was a bleeding heart liberal and so am I.

My wish is for all of us, regardless of our religion (or not), is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians :"In our Lord Jesus Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."

Down from my soapbox and on to business. The latest MSM talking points are the electorate is angry, President Obama has a low approval rating and republicans are going to regain control of the House and the Senate in the midterm elections. Yeah right. The MSM media must think we the people are stoopid. Seriously. If the party that got us into this mess regains control then we will deserve what we will get. If the party that is obstructing the President's agenda thinks they will be rewarded they are sadly mistaken. We the people may have been born at night, but we weren't born last night. You feel me?

I want to share an email circulating on web which shows the rank hypocrisy of the so called righteous anger of a certain segment of the electorate. I don't know who the author is, but I want to give them a big old fist dap!

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, but now you get mad!

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.
You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got ousted.
You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed..
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said
illegal war.
You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq .
You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.
You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn't get mad when we let a major US city drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.
You didn’t get mad when, using reconciliation; a trillion dollars of our tax dollars were redirected to insurance companies for Medicare Advantage which cost over 20 percent more for basically the same services that Medicare provides.
You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark, and our
debt hit the thirteen trillion dollar mark.
You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America
deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars,
lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich
richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans... oh hell no.


Good Friday and may peace be with you and yours.