Uh?

According to the Huntsville Times, there was a shooting at the University of Alabama at Huntsville campus this afternoon around 4 p.m. in the Shelby Research Center.  There are 3 causalities and 3 injured and 2 people in custody involved in this shooting.  Apparently, the word is the reason was involved for the shooting was a member of faculty not receiving their tenureship as expected.

Ron Sparks Opted not to leave the gubernatorial race

On Tuesday, Ron Sparks announced in front of the under construction  Madison County Courthouse that he would not leave the Democratic nomination race for Alabama's governor for the AL-5.


However, this doesn't mean it's over for a possible Democrat to enter the race for the 5th Congressional of Alabama race after the partisan-defection of Parker Griffith to the Republican party.  Word in the blogosphere is that Deborah Bell Paseur, Alabama State Rep. Randy Hinshaw, and Ala. State Rep. Tammy Irons may be in the race for the seat. 

Interesting, I must say because these guys in the Tennessee Valley are disparate to get a Democrat on the ticket since Griffith will likely win by default on the Republican side.  However, I know for a fact that unlike AL-7, AL-5 is more on the socially conservative side since the majority the district population isn't in the immediate Huntsville area, aka, Madison and Limestone counties, rather its spread throughout the Tennessee Valley from the Florence-Shoals area to Decatur to Huntsville.  It would take a populist or centrist Democrat to win the race at this point because Griffith has shown the progressives and liberals in the region that "they don't matter at all".  All of which I knew already because I've been saying for years, Huntsville is still another 20 years before it even reaches a point of becoming a political powerhouse like Greater Birmingham in statewide races, but is well on its way with the current population growth trends.  They might have to contend with the fact that along with the proof of the results of the 2008 Presidential elections that anything remotely non-WASPy or even a "hint of progressive" doesn't matter to the major white AL-5 district voters.  

Violent crimes are down in Birmingham, Mobile, and slightly in Montgomery, but up in Huntsville

In a report where law enforcement agencies across the nation reported crime to the F.B.I., overall violent crime in Birmingham was down 12.8% from January through June, according to the report. Mobile reported a 9% decrease, and Montgomery a 3.8%t decrease.  However, Huntsville saw an 9.9% increase in violent crimes.

Under the helm of Birmingham Police Department Chief A.C. Roper, the city has seen a major improvement in the public safety.  Homicides have dropped significantly since he took the helm in late 2007 where it no longer surpasses the 100 mark annually, but more needs to occur.  However, overall Roper is doing a damn good job for Birmingham and hopefully we'll see another year of drastic decreases in the number of homicides and violent crimes in Birmingham. 

Now in Huntsville's case, poor execution along with the fallacy of the mentality where so many flocking there believe they are immune to crime in such a "shiny, growing city".  The city also has show a great amount of apathy to the black residents there were they have either been left out of the political process or were thrown under the bus.  Huntsville in my opinion, is just a giant suburb rather than a large city, where it would have came up with some type of action plan to handle such growth and realize that with growth comes crime.  Maybe it just a fluke this year in the numbers, but I doubt it considering there have been an increasing spike in homicides in Huntsville since 2003.

Now why are Democrats surprised by this? Parker Griffith (AL-5) is changing to a Republican

Oh brother!  Some of you Democratic bloggers kill me with your "huh", "what the fuck", "what the hell", "son of a bitch" over Parker Griffith's decision to change from a Democrat to Republican.  The guy voted against the health care reform bill and stimulus package, Lily Ledbetter Act,  the American Clean Energy and Security Act, and financial reform legislation and he said from jump that he was a Blue Dog Democrat.  During the Town Hall fiascoes, Parker Griffith made it known to the crowd of ignorant ass majority white hecklers that "he was on their side" on health care reform.   Instead of being shocked, how about "duh" because Blue Dog = Social Conservative, which 9 out of 10 times will be Republican.  He's going to get annihilated by the others contenders in the Republican primary next year, but it was fun watching this craziness and laughing my ass off.  Alabama Republicans including U.S. House Rep. Robert Aderholt and Mike Rogers, and U.S. Senators Jeff Sessions and former Democrat turncoat Richard Shelby all welcomes Parker to the GOP fold where "everything white is right".

Alabama Congressman and Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Artur Davis, said this:

"While I will continue to respect and work with Congressman Griffith, his decision repudiates the hard work of many Democrats who sustained him during his election to two high offices.  It is an ironic turn of events that he will now run under the banner of a party that subjected him to one of the most savage and false negative campaigns in the country in 2008.

"He leaves a party where differences of opinion are tolerated and respected to join a party that in Washington, marches in lockstep, demands the most rigid unity, and articulates no governing philosophy beyond the forceful use of the word, 'no.'

The truth is that fiscal conservatism, robust advocacy for our fighting forces, and a defense of our best national values are not partisan principles. Howell Heflin, Bud Cramer, and a host of others understood that those virtues can be practiced within the Democratic Party, and that they are necessary to keep the party anchored in the faith and aspirations of millions of middle class Americans.

 I wish that Congressman Griffith had followed the path that Senator Heflin and Congressman Cramer walked so proudly.  

Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley is becoming more and more socially conservative as the time goes on.  However, only a fool that believes that being in "the progressive haven" is going to help the region shift more left, nope!  Look at what wind up on the ballot last year, Parker Griffith, and he was so socially conservative that I don't know how or why any progressive or Democrat would even campaign for him is beyond me.  I'm not saying I don't like Huntsville, but I rather take my chances where the numbers are at least there here in Birmingham. 

It just reaffirms that how some (including myself) have some subtle suspicious about the DNC overt push to want a Democrat in office regardless of how they stand on issues.  Also what even more appalling is how shifty some Southern white Democrat politicos are when times get tough.  Now, I'm hedging bets on how long the other "Blue Dog Democrat", Bobby Bright, former Montgomery mayor changes his political affiliation from Democrat to Republican...