Birmingham is $77M in deficit...

Well, well, well, the jackal had to admit this afternoon that the City of Birmingham is facing a $77 million in the deficit for the fiscal year 2010.  At its half way point in the fiscal year, the city brought in $35 million shorter in revenue than anticipated under the Langford-led administration and Smitherman-led City Council, and even worse the jackal-led administration is about as clueless as they come.  Bell is saying that the city needs to make cutbacks or the shortfall will come a reality.  REALITY CHECK: IT IS A REALITY, JACKAL!  You and your hair brained projects like pushing forward with the BJCC multipurpose facility expansion under your inept ass would be as wise as the man with his last dollar going to the casino to put it in a slot machine.  This is pathetic yet not surprising to me because Bell is an idiot and unable to competently to lead Birmingham.  Instead of focusing on mass transit like Patrick Cooper said Birmingham needs to do which is apart of its infrastructure, Bell wants to continue with the same path laid out by Langford...

I'm wondering how the jackal plans on paying James S. Holbrook, CEO of Sterne Agee & Leach with the city suffering that huge shortfall?  Hmmm...

Wait a minute! Did the jackal admit Birmingham can't fund the BJCC expansion?

Yeah, I think the jackal did.  He is so damn stupid like the 54% of the 30% of eligible votes within the City of Birmingham that did vote on January 19th.  Meanwhile, myself and the other 46% knew otherwise that it couldn't because the city of Birmingham is treading on broke aside from its capital expenditures which wouldn't be enough to fund the expansion of the BJCC.  It's like DUH!, but of course some assholes wanted to vet or didn't personally like Patrick Cooper so now jackal is backpedaling in the mayor's chair about what he said on the campaign trail.  ANYWAYS! 

Birmingham needs to be taking care of basic daily operations and getting the books straight rather than trying to fund something that requires something like capital.  That is clearly something the city is lacking at the moment and the jackal and the City Council knows this...

This is enough to make me want to sucker punch Frank Matthews

This degenerate ignorant ass nigga needs his ass beaten severely.  That jackass has penned a letter and spread it around the community via e-mail sequesting the "concerned citizens" of Birmingham to be distrubed by the "facts about Patrick Cooper".

Here is the contents of the letter:

Dear Concerned Citizen,



My name is Frank Matthews. As most of you are aware, I am radio talk-show host and former co-director of the Mayor’s Office of Citizen’s Assistance. First, I want to thank you for your prayers and support during the past few weeks, then I want to thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Many in the media criticize my methods, but I have a great love for our city. With that being said, I felt compelled to write this personal letter to you giving you the facts about Patrick Cooper. While this letter is in no way intended to attack his character, as many people accuse me of doing, it is intended to expose how his values will affect our city’s moral fabric.


As a minister, I am compelled to reveal to you Mr. Cooper’s public position concerning a vital moral issue that impacts the foundation of our families, our churches, our schools, and all of society: the issue of homosexuality. It is true “all of us have sinned and fallen short of bringing God glory” as stated in Romans 3:23. It is also true that we must repent for known sins. The Word of God clearly states homosexuality is a sin according to Romans 1:24-32. God loves us as sinners, but He hates our sin. Traditional marriage between a man and a woman has been the foundation of every civilized culture since the beginning of time. The citizens of Alabama understand this and showed their agreement by voting overwhelmingly in 2006 by an 81% to 19% margin in favor of the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment Act defining marriage as between one man and one woman. In October 2007, Birmingham elected the first openly gay man to public office in Alabama as Howard Bayless won a seat on the Birmingham City School Board governing the affairs of almost 30,000 young hearts and minds in our city. He did this with the support of the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender political action committee in the nation along with the very public endorsement of Patrick Cooper standing proudly at Mr. Bayless’ side. It is not my intention to disrespect either of these men, but it is my duty to remind God’s people that this is an abomination and unpleasing in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.


All across the nation, school boards for children at the elementary and kindergarten levels are approving curriculum that promotes the homosexual lifestyle. This is morally wrong, brings confusion about gender identity to our children, condones sexual perversion, and can ultimately have detrimental influence socially. Not only would Patrick Cooper seek to advance this radical agenda upon our matriculating school children, but he wants to eliminate the “Laptops for Kids” program altogether, and replace it with Pre-K programs. These programs would indoctrinate the acceptance of this lifestyle, by our children, at an even earlier age. Within the last two years, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that Jefferson


County had the highest rate of syphilis per 100,000 residents of any county in the nation and warned our citizens about the “epidemic rate” of the growing number of cases. Of course, syphilis is spread through heterosexual as well as homosexual relationships, but we need a leader who will stand for purity and traditional family values.


In conclusion, Patrick Cooper’s anti-traditional family values can only be a detriment to the children of our city. This is not the kind of leadership, vision, and action we want and need in Birmingham. Please get out and vote January 19th for what’s best morally, for Birmingham now and for future generations. Vote William Bell to be the next mayor of our great city!


Brought to you, and paid for, by:


Frank Matthews

That retard is exactly what is so wrong with some black folks, they are just ignorant and prejudice as racist whites, but they want to whine racism when they are doing the same thing as those whites against those who threaten their grasp of power.  It is bizarre yet tell-taling about how psychologically unstable some individuals are and will go to no ends to try to spread baseless lies about somebody just to win and election.  Matthews so badly wants his $72,000 annual salary job as co-director of the Office of Community Assistance that is pathetic.  I've said it once and I'll say it again, black folks like Bell, Langford, and Matthews are the reason why the so-called "black community" is so fucked up and has so many problems.  They want to toss bigot at LGBT/SGLs, yet they fail to realize that there are black LGBT/SGLs as well. 

More negativity...

It must be all out war between Team Cooper and Team Bell because the mudslinging has gotten to a point of hilarity on my end.  Interim mayor Roderick Royal has called for both camps to tone it down, but why because Team Bell started and Team Cooper apparently wants to finish it.

Team Cooper, which apparently includes radio spot announcer and prospective Jefferson County Commission District 1 candidate, Chris Tally, has gotten out there.  He exposed Bell for his past allegations about a domestic spat between him and his wife, Sharon, back in 1979.  The report was profiled in the Birmingham News, Birmingham 911 records, and by UAB Hospital, but Bell and his wife denies it even occurred.  Meanwhile, Bell and his band of retards and degenerates have stirred up about Patrick Cooper's divorce from his wife which is sealed, but even tryied to tie him to his former firm, Maynard, Cooper & Gale with the Jefferson County bond swaps by former Jeffco Commissioner and Birmingham mayor Larry Langford.  Langford tried to do that portion of the dirty work saying that Cooper and his former firm contacted him for the work involving the bond swap.  Either way, Cooper still doesn't have the wrap sheet or plethora of negative history as long as William Bell, so Team Bell can jump off a bridge because nobody really cares about Cooper's past since he hasn't been involved in Birmingham politics since the 1970s as Bell.

It kind of reminds me of why I can't stand stupid simplistic black people because they are just as bad as ignorant whites, but they try their best to play dumb when you call them out and swear they don't racebait.  Idiots, is the best word to describe those who support Team Bell, and the idiocy and complacency is why Birmingham has been stuck on neutral since the late 1980s in a number of categories because we have been represented by ignorant black leadership or inept ones that doesn't do anything.  I would rather have a black leader like Patrick Cooper because at least he has the common sense to realize to make progress you have to leave the past in the past when it comes to some aspects of racial issues, but remember that those who are still being affected by such has to be helped while other things such as economic development, urban revitalization, and crime must be tackled as well.

Things that make me wonder if Birmingham is worth saving anymore...

First Monday, I get word that the Fraternal Order of Police and the Firefighters union have endorsed William Bell.  Now, this afternoon I get word that the Steelworkers Union endorses that idiot.  I'm so sick of the foolishness being peddled by these clowns in this town to the point, I'm seriously considering relocating to another city after I finish my graduate studies.  Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, etc. is looking very enticing at this point especially if Patrick Cooper doesn't win next Tuesday.  The sad part is Cooper is doing his best to contend against the overwhelming level of acrimony coming from the predominately black folks in Birmingham who have as much sense as a bunch of baboons in a cage.  Bell has proven his track record is joke and as effective as rusted out screwdriver, but of course the fools who want to claim "experience counts" will buy anything this idiot is selling.  It makes me want to scream and throw my hands up because you would think they would learn by now that voting for the same people proves to be ineffective and pointless.

Birmingham, on the verge of success or failure, part I

The first of the 3 televised or broadcast debates were last night on ABC 33/40 from the UAB Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts moderated by their news anchor Pam Huff, and the production was amateur at best thanks to Birmingham's piecemeal ABC affiliate.  They had only 3 cameras and the operation was cheap looking compared to what they did in Atlanta with their news stations.  Also ABC 33/40 focused too much on the face rather the person themselves.  Anyways.

William Bell and Patrick Cooper faced off and boy was it a show to say the least.  Cooper tried his best to focus on his platform for the city whereas Bell tried his best to make a many side swipes at Cooper as possible and when he wasn't doing that he was talking about how much "experience" he has a politician.  It didn't amount to much because the debate was so fruitless in my opinion because only a dumbass with prejudicial bias against somebody who isn't "considered one of them" would vote for Bell.  Bell's platform is a vague as it comes and here I am watching this shit and wondering how in the hell did Bell say "I-65 & 41st Street is Eastlake". HUH?  That is North Birmingham, you moron.  You don't even know the city, yet you want to run the place.  He is so full of hot air that it is embarrassing.

I'm not even wasting my time listening to the debate that god-awful WBHK "98.7 Kiss FM" will be broadcasting because I'm not going to give them the listening cume or the advertisement dollars because as I've said in the past, they are garbage.  I'll just give the details of the last debate which will be aired on WBRC, "FOX 6" during their 9PM newscast Thursday live.

Mudslinging Galore! Racial inneudoes and Homophobia

First Monday, Gene Adelman, the so-called "Bean Counter" on Birmingham decided to buy some ad space in the Birmingham Times and titled it "White people deserve a second chance. Vote Patrick Cooper".   Suprisely, the Birmingham chapter of the SCLC and some area ministers and pastors have called for the Bell and Cooper campaigns to denounce these racial inneudoes and tactics.  This is the kicker, publisher of the Times, James Lewis, said in the past that they have turned down ads that are "clearly vindictive, and false", but this ad was "borderline" and Adelman is well-known in the community.   However, they decided to run this because...  Sounds like to me somebody is playing sides in this and the Times doesn't like Cooper because he isn't embedded in the same cesspool of fools that have kept Birmingham stuck on neutral since the late 1980's.  Nobody is giving him a pass because Cooper has his shortfalls, but the Times' publisher isn't as objective as he claims.

Then another act came from somewhere, fliers titled "Cooper, Wrong Values, Wrong Choice" and "Cooper Won't Commit to Keeping Chief Roper", and they claim to be "Paid for by Faith in Birmingham".  The fliers peddles homophobia because Patrick Cooper supported the candidacy for Howard Bayless, Alabama's first openly gay male elected to public office, for his failed run for Birmingham City Council District 3 seat against incumbent Valerie Abbott.  The latter flier is alleging that Cooper will not keep Birmingham Police Department Chief A.C. Roper if he wins the mayoral race.  IMO, how cares in either case because anybody with half a brain will keep Roper since overall crime has been going down in the city and on Bayless there are some tacky asses that just have issues with LGBT/SGLs yet they want to scream "woo is me" all the time about this place.  Hell, LGBT/SGLs are the reason why Birmingham is gain new residents because they are the ones buying homes in the city and fixing them up.

Frank Matthews gone bye-bye from Birmingham City Hall

Well, I'm a little late since I've been working on some stuff, but I have to say that Frank Matthews given the heave-ho out of his post at the Mayor's Office of Citizens' Assistance was a good thing.  The Langford appointed deputy director of the Office of Citizens' Assistance was basically a free paycheck so he could use the position as a pulpit to be a mouthpiece for Langford against his detractors.  Like Langford, he would pretend to be such a holy man by thanking God then the next breath cussing somebody out.  He was Langford's right hand man in crime, rait baiting and foolishness. The man is one warp individual who loves race baiting like it's a pasttime. 

Now apparently what led up to this was Matthews' reaction to Patrick Cooper supporters at a citywide Christmas party the profanity-laced verbal altercation during Monday's Citizens Advisory Board party at Boutwell Auditorium.  The Cooper supporters were participating in the celebration whereas Matthews had to go out of his way to prove the world how much of an ass he is.  He began to verbally attack and threatening them at the function (apparently for supporting Cooper).  Word flew around the community like clockwork (as it always does) and by Tuesday morning interim mayor Roderick Royal placed Matthews on suspension without pay.

On Tuesday morning on his AM radio talk show on 1320AM WENN (a Cox owned station "eye roll"), Matthews called Royal "Napoleon" and a "liar," after hearing that he had been terminated. Matthews said he went after the acting mayor on his show this morning because personnel officials said he would receive a reprimand for the exchange, but he later learned that Royal planned to fire him.  At least the long time director of the Citizens Assistance, Don Lupo, won't be a "deputy director" anymore and back to his original position where he was doing a good job handling...
The jackass then went on saying that this allows him to go on to his clarion call to challenge the citizenry to action against Patrick Cooper.  Matthews disgusts me to no end the ex-con needs to STFU, and take his splabuvian on somewhere.  Then he is on the WENN, which call letters represents something of worth but Cox Radio Birmingham once again perversion of the legacy of decent urban station. 

Now it's no surprise to me that Smitherman aligned herself with Matthews when she became interim mayor for the short 2 weeks.  However, she is as silent as a church mouse about this incident and trying her best to distance herself from Matthews.  Smitherman is proving that is just as guilty as Bell, Matthew, and Langford when it comes to obstructing progress and holding Birmingham hostage to this ego-driven foolishness of the Old Guard. 

Now it's not a surprise that the warped Matthews would align himself with the William Bell campaign to be a race baiting surrogate.  He is going to prove how much some black folks in our community tries to destroy progress over their selfishness, bigotry, and ego.  See Joe Reed for another example.  UGH!

Another round of campaigning

Patrick Cooper has to verbally, mentally, and likely physically battle the forces of stupidity, ignorance, and pseudo-racialized foolishness from the denizens of status quo over the next 6 weeks as he campaigns to become Birmingham's next mayor.  Anybody with half-a-brain knows not to underestimate the power of the favoritism and ignorance of some citizens of Birmingham because of the 45% eligible voters that voted in October 2007 50.1% of them elected Larry Langford as mayor.  However, there a number of advantages on Cooper's did this time around including the proof of Langford being a fraud along with overcoming the forces of status quo and delusion from Carole Smitherman by nearly 2-to-1, but this is a new election and he has to start from scratch again.  He has to maintain and convince Emory Anthony supporters along with some of Smitherman supporters while keeping his own based electrified to come out in droves on January 19th.  Bell will be a formidable foe since the Old Guard and Establishment will be backing him hands down because they have a distrust of any newcomer that doesn't kiss their entitlement-complicit asses because he's biracial, successful withouth their help, and popular with white voters and inhabitants in the surrounding areas.  However, he is the best candidate considering the interesting things about Bell.

1. William Bell's legal address is a mystery.
2. "In 1994 WILLIAM BELL ran for the County Commission, but his qualification to run was questioned because redistricting had left his house in College Hills outside the district in which he was running. To satisfy the residency requirement, BELL rented a room at the Pickwick Hotel and then moved into Quinlan Castle. During the campaign, which he lost to Chris McNair, BELL fractured his leg in a scuffle with a private investigator who caught him mowing the yard at his regular residence."
3. Bell's failure to report your investments in a business that benefitted from city votes in which you took part such as the lobbying on the behalf of the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, which is a violation of state ethics laws.
4. Bell being in office for the past 3 decades and ironically nothing has occurred other than the city continuously losing population, temporary decreases, but overall increase in crime, decline of the City Schools, the transferral of the Birmingham Water Works Authority from the city, but higher levels of nepotism.
5. Finally, he allegations that he is a functioning crackhead like former DC mayor, convict, and current council person Marion Berry.
6. He was interim mayor for a few months in 1999, but still lost the election because people knew who the hell this idiot is.

The facts speaks for itself, so who would any sane person choose?  I know it wouldn't be Bell in a million years for mayor of Birmingham.

Populous meets with perspective users of the BJCC multipurpose facility expansion

Yesterday, Populous, formerly known as HOK Stadiums along with the local team of architectural firms met with 18 potential users of the dome, including officials from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), PapaJohns.com Bowl, and Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau about what amenities they desire in the multipurpose facility expansion.  A 30-minute presentation was shown then, Dennis Wellner of Populous spent an hour soliciting suggestions and answering questions from board members of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex and Councilmen Jonathan Austin and Jay Roberson of the Birmingham City Council at the BJCC.  Also in attendance was Birmingham mayoral candidates Patrick Cooper and William Bell.  However, Cooper left before the Populous presentation began and Bell stayed about 30 minutes into it.  INTERESTING, Cooper and Bell are dedicated to be there to show face, but I wonder if somebody tipped off Bell that Cooper was going to be there since he is a private citizen so that he could one-up on him and be there as well...

The City of Birmingham will not own the Civic Center expansion. The Civic Center Authority does and will. The Civic Center Authority will issue the bonds.  The City of Birmingham will contribute 60% of the money needed for debt service on the expansion. The BJCC Authority will contribute 40% of the money needed for debt service.


The BJCC expansion is not a stadium or a DOME. The expansion is a 1.2 million square foot multi purpose facility. It will be designed so that it can be re-configured for many different events. It will not have a dome roof, but a flat roof that can possibly be used in some environmentally friendly way for power generation or to channel rainwater for reuse.


The 165-170 thousand square foot interior free space is large enough for a regulation football, basketball or soccer playing surface. It can also be use for trade shows, exhibitions, conventions. In addition to the flat floor space the facility will house about an additional 50,000 square feet of meeting rooms. It will be fully integrated into the existing HVAC, electrical, data and AV systems. The physical connection between the existing complex and the expansion will be seamless.


The facility is not, and has never, been planned around an NFL team or any other professional sports franchise. The primary concern for this facility is to provide the overall complex additional free floor space. If such a facility can be value engineered (this is what Popolous has been hired to do) so that 65,000 seats can be placed around the free floor space then it has even more flexibility for more events.


The existing civic center complex has not run down and crumbled into the dirt. More than $50 million has been spent on upgrading the arena, concert hall, meeting rooms, parking and installation of a skywalk system that connects the entire complex together. If you have visited the BJCC lately you would be able to see these improvements.

In 2009 the BJCC has hosted 5 of the top 10 touring acts in the United States! Despite 911 and the current recession, the BJCC has operated in the black seven of the last eight years. The facility hosts close to 2 million visitors every year.

If more people including the media would realize this they would waste their time calling it a "dome" when it is a just a large multipurpose facility then they would just STFU.  Birmingham needs more exhibition space for larger events including concerts, conventions, and sports.  However, this region suffers from "C.A.V.E.-dwellers Syndrome" (Citizens against virtually anything), and they wouldn't say anything about this if it was located in Hoover or Shelby County because it continue to make Birmingham look bad in contrast to the suburban areas.  Small-minded idiots. 

The Birmingham News endorses Emory Anthony

I know I've been slacking off on weekend posts, but I've enjoy not thinking about the stupidity for a few days, and will write on a regular again...

Anyways, this weekend the Birmingham News has decided to endorse Emory Anthony over Patrick Cooper for the mayor of Birmingham for the next 2 years.  There reasons is their lack of reporting all the 6 mayoral forums and saying that Cooper didn't attend all of them.  FACT: Cooper attended 3 of the 6 mayoral forums.  Anthony only attended 4 himself, so what difference does this truly make.  FACT: The Birmingham News only covered 3 of the 6 forums themselves, but only thoroughly reported on the 2 hosted by the Birmingham Business Alliance at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and Catalyst Birmingham at WorkPlay.  FACT: The majority of the attendees of these forums are supporters, campaign workers, and those who have already made up their mind were in attendance at the forums since they are forums and not debates where issues can be discussed and countered.  In other words, these are dog-and-pony shows for candidates, and if a candidate does show up to these they are basically using one-line zingers and slogans to their fan, cheerleaders, and those on their payroll.   FACT: The Birmingham News columnist John Archibald and Joey Kennedy were some of the main print media detractors of Cooper's lawsuit against former mayor Larry Langford over the authenticity of his citizenship in Birmingham, which was later proven false and the suit was legit.  FACT: The Birmngham News were some of the main culprits who turned a blind eye to the foolishness of the Langford administration hoping he would allow them into the Council Chambers and other city related business to scoop a story.  So to sum it up, it seems to me that the Birmingham News is a bias news source when it comes to reporting on things involving Birmingham and its imagery and trying to help progress the place beyond the racialized, hyper-partisan mess that remained status quo for nearly 2 decades.

Now Anthony ran for mayor in 1991 and 1995, but lost both times to then mayor Richard Arrington, and he was associated with Big Chief No-Do also known as former mayor Bernard Kincaid by getting him elected twice in 1999 and 2003 with the now-defunct Jefferson County Progressive Democrat Council.  So Anthony isn't new to the area's politics and is well-connected, but he just doesn't seem to me that he has that "ump" needed to get Birmingham out of the regressive hole we've been in.  Also he seems to want to continue some things that needs to be killed immediately like the city scholarship program when the city needs to get its finances in order.  Finally, he doesn't seem like he wants to engage the young, educated, or LGBT/SGL voters in this race. 

Oh well!  I'm pro-Cooper, but I wouldn't be mad if Anthony did win.  However, those 2 are light-years ahead of the 3 Stooges: Steven Hoyt, Carole Smitherman, and William Bell. 

Cooper called it, and that splaboo Bell did say it and Langford endorses the splab as well!

SMH, I knew it!  Oh boy, I knew this would happen!  Patrick Cooper has called out the racebaiters in the race calling him a "slave trader from Mobile who will bring back plantation politics to the city".  Yeah, that so-of-a-bitch William Bell did it because I can't stand Lay Low Brown for a heap of horseshit.  Cooper called him out on WJLD 1400AM and WATV 900AM this morning for these remarks that splaboo said at the Sunday prayer breakfast in November.  Bell didn't deny those allegations either, saying he didn't name his opponents in particular, but Cooper is the only Mobile native on the ballot.  Let's not forget how Carole Smitherman called Shelia Tyson a "pawn for the over-the-mountain" because she used to be the campaign manager for the 2007 mayoral campaign for Patrick Cooper.  It's so interesting how he is willing this time to call them out because it is imperative for his campaign to do so.  If you want to win politically bodyslam them Lay Low Brown or Smitherman if you have to...

Then late last night, word is that Larry Langford has formally endorsed that splaboo Lay Low Brown like it will help him win (which it won't).  This fool is actually believing that him endorsing anybody will bring good things to their name politically speaking?  Langford, I guess you are a bigger fool than I ever thought you were for the nearly decade I have known you.  This going to be LONG ASS WEEK from next Tuesday because this shit is about to hit the fan because some are so deseperate for any attention.

HUH?

Today's events are dumbfounding and ignorant if you ask me.  OK, this morning the new councilors were swore in and immediate the went into conference to appoint the new Council President and President Pro-Tem.

Prior to this apparentl political deals went down between Steven Hoyt and Carole Smitherman that he would get to keep his appointment as head of the Economic Development committee and he would give his vote to Smitherman to remain Council President.  However, Hoyt heard from someone that apparently Smitherman told an incoming councilor that they were getting it instead of him, now who that incoming councilor could be anybody's guess.  However, my guess is not so incoming but appointee and now elected Johnathn Austin who voted for Smitherman to remain.  Anyways, Hoyt changed his vote at literally the last minute and voted for Roderick Royal as the new council president and interim mayor of Birmingham. 

Now word is that Royal had supposely been vying for this for awhile with practically all the incoming councilors voting for him: Kim Rafferty, LaShaunda Scales, and Jay Roberson along with Steven Hoyt as the swing vote aside from himself. 

However, around 5:30 pm this evening Smitherman held a press junket where she claimed to be have been "played" by Hoyt after he suppose to have as late as last night promised a vote for her instead.  Her claims says that the 3 mayors within a month is showing instability of the city's leadership.  UGH, LIKE YOU BEING MAYOR DOESN'T EITHER?  She goes on a pout and "crying foul" fest, but says that she is a "Christian" and will let it go after this announcement.   Kyle Whitmire of the Birmingham Weekly points out the "what-ifs" of the Mayor-Council Act of 1962 that states that the interim mayor couldn't have voted in the appointment of the President Pro Tempore.  However, Royal didn't there would have been a 4-4 tie in the vote thus defeating the purpose of the appointment.  It just seems like there is a "dust up" for the controversial effects of this already quasi-bizarre, complicated mess with the elected leadership of Birmingham.

The thing that took the cake-and-ice cream was how she claimed during the junket that Patrick Cooper called councilors pursuading them to vote for Royal over her.  Now that is puridy-stupid if you ask me because if he did some backdoor campaigning didn't she do the exact same thing when she was promising Hoyt the position on the Economic Development committee.  Oh so it's a "do-as-I-say-but-not-do-as-I-do" call, huh Councilor Smitherman?  WOW, WOW, WOW! 

Also she chose not to attend the event planned by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute welcoming the new councilors.  She said, "I'm sleepy.  I have been working 16 hours a day for four weeks, and I am going home to clean my house and prepare for Thanksgiving dinner with my family.” 
Hmmm, I warned that Smitherman would get what she put out and get smacked dead in the face for her political grandstanding along with it backfiring on her sooner than later.  She is one stupid and hypocritical person that wants others to bow to her trivialized wishes, but if one does what is beneficiary to themselves, i.e., self-preservation, then it is backstabbing.  She is a piece of work and tries to attack Cooper and play the sympathy card to the gullible and pro-establishment black voters and that one special assoicate that I know that believe everything she says.  All I have to say is:  HEIFER, SIT YOU AND YOUR 3 CHINS DOWN SOMEWHERE AND THINK ABOUT WHAT I SAID!  SMDH 

After this and the antics of Bell and Smitherman, both of whom I said look out for I say "GO COOPER!" AND "GO ANTHONY!".  I would rather see an election of Cooper outright or a run-off between these 2 because those other 2 jokes known as Smitherman and Bell as mayor.

Political humor or sabotage? Both in Birmingham and Atlanta mayoral races

http://animoto.com/play/jUOAPgfgfRpGi6KRR3cMpw?utm_source=project_complete_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=project_complete_email&utm_content=main#

Both of these are links to rap videos where candidates for mayor in Birmingham and Atlanta are depicted in "rap" videos. 

Now anybody with half a brain knows that if you use patronize black folks they will turn on you faster than a rabid dog.  So are this videos depictions of political humor or just plain sabotage by surrogates for the opposition of these candidates? 

It seems to me that they just might be considering how contentious both of these races are and considering the key demographics of the swing voters of both cities.

OK, now I'm getting annoyed

The list of buffoons running for the mayor of Birmingham is getting too long and borderline ridiculous.  12 CANDIDATES for a special election?

I say this because in the 2007 actual mayoral election nobody wanted to run aside from 90% career politicans, but all of asudden these crop of village idiots want to pop up and run for the special election on December 8th.  I'm all for civic involvement, but 2/3rds of these fools are running to be funny or try to say "yeah, I want to fix the city".  My proverbial question is, where the fuck were you in 2007 when you knew Langford was going to damn near destroy the city then?  Oh yeah, they were too busy being apathetic or "going-along-to-get-along" because they didn't want to rock the boat.  Yeah, this another reason why I get so annoyed with this crap because they could have done more THEN instead of NOW...

At the rate this bull is going I'm going to stop being on the fence and fully endorse Cooper because these other idiots have proven to me that they are as useless as a flat tire.

UPDATE: Two more morons added their names to the hat, City Councilor Steven Hoyt and former mayor Richard Arrington, but he claims he's contemplating over the weekend before formally announcing...  Regardless, the Old Guard wants to maintain status quo in Birmingham so that they can remain in control of the city, but they are apart of the problem than solution.  I sometimes absolutely hate some black folks at times especially splaboos...

Patrick Cooper will announce his candidacy as Birmingham's mayor

According to a number of sources including the people at The Birmingham News, lawyer and former 2007 mayoral candidate will announce his candidacy for Birmingham's mayor tomorrow morning.  He suppose to do it on the steps of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in the western portion of the City Center around 9 a.m.

Well, it's about time.  However, I'm not going to be a guarantee supporter this time around like I was last time because he was up against Larry Langford and he was the better candidate.  This time some other faces including former mayoral candidate from past races throughout the 1990's and trial lawyer Emory Anthony is suppose to be running.  It could be between the two of them in my opinion because they are the freshest and most viable faces on the political scene in Birmingham.  Hopefully, him or Anthony will get because I'm tired of the same ol', same ol', and there needs to be major things to occur in this city to get it on the right foot.

UPDATE: Cooper begins his campaign this morning to discussing his platform of  crime, education and employment and key issues affecting the city.  However, he missed one key aspect that would have fully won me over and that is fiscal responsibility.  Until I hear that I will lean in his corner, but I'm not going to be a diehard supporter of his candidacy.

Birmingham will have its special mayoral election on December 8th

Tuesday, December 8th, will be the day of reckoning for the city of Birmingham.  It's going to be a long month and 5 days...

Here's the list of candidates from what I know and heard are seriously considering:

Carole Smitherman
Patrick Cooper
Emory Anthony
Robert Kelly
Steven Hoyt
Cedric Sparks

RANT: Birmingham, there is nothing to cheer about yesterday's verdict

I have to give it up to John Archibald, Birmingham News columnist, because he said it best, there is sadness.  I'm saddened that Birmingham has come to this point because there is so much anger, confusion, and sadness.
In 2007, the city had a chance to elect somebody different and that person was Patrick Cooper, but chose to elect somebody with name recognition and a group of attack dogs like Frank Matthews among others.  I know Langford, via my late paternal grandmother who was a major socialite in Birmingham, and he has always been a man that was troubled and a beacon of controversy even back then.  When he was elected Birmingham's mayor in 2007 I said these exact words, "Lord, this is going to be a circus", and low and behold it has been a circus for the past 2 years (to the day).  Langford was a leader of much promise and great ideas, but he let his own ego and greed get the best of him thus the verdict.  I'm the last person to cheer about that verdict because it says Langford and the citizens of Birmingham failed Birmingham by letting this happen again. 

Nobody in their right mind could speculate that Birmingham would be as lost as it is right now, where people like Carole Smitherman is interim mayor (only a month at the most because she can't be reappointed City Council President since she is now mayor and Council President becomes interim mayor).  Smitherman's platform is just as faulty as Langford's since she campaigned against her District 6 opponent with the same tactics that Langford via Matthews did by calling them "not black enough" or "friends with those over-the-mountain".  Those type of politics is what keeps Birmingham from moving forward on a social perspective where politics of divide and conquer rather than politics of ideas to fix the city is pushed forward aren't given a valid chance.  I don't like the most of the "over-the-mountain" elected officials anymore than most socially progressive citizen of these region, but you can't continuously push this divide because you think it's politically expedient to your election.

Black folks need to get it together in Birmingham, particularly those in the western portion where politicos like Arrington (who faced similar charges to Langford back in the 1990s but was acquitted), Langford, Smitherman, etc. have major traction because the color and demographic composition of the area (90% black, lower-income, low education attainment, and very alienated from the political process due to the history of Birmingham).  There you have so many people who are so angry at the system per say that they will vote for anybody that sounds like them rather than seeing that somebody doesn't have to talk or think like them to understand their issues and problems associate them.  The issues that have brought down Birmingham is more racial than anything else on all sides, so there is your problem.  However, unlike our peers in other Southern cities, Birmingham majority black electorate has made its decisions based on name recognition and "blackness" rather than platform and ideas.  This has to cease and desist immediately, and those who were Langford fans shouldn't use this anger to further divide the city by trying to work to elect another socially regressive black politician.

My description to those white folks that seem to hate everything black and Birmingham, screw you.  If you can't be open-minded and see that Birmingham is for everybody and that it matters to you just like those blacks then you are a part of the problem like them.  Too many white citizens want to either have a racially bias perspective on things then they would rather trash talk anybody that doesn't stand with them on their ideology.  Also the majority of them are the ones electing officials in suburban areas that have this "fiefdom" mentality where they have no foresight on how their decisions could affect all of the region if they don't try to work in united front.  You guys are just as guilty as the black folks when it comes to his screwed up political equation where you feel as those somebody disenfranchised you when you chose to run to the suburbs and let the city falter.  You have your chance to get involved by voting out of office idiots like Tony Petelos and replace them with more regionally minded officials that wants to see a united Birmingham.

Now I'm not giving Cooper a pass because he decided to purchase the $12,000 Rolex watch that Langford had received as a "gift", but quickly sold it.  Also Cooper is very buddy, buddy with a number of individuals in the business community that makes me give him the side-eye.  However, at least he would have been somebody that attempted to bridge the racial and ideological divide that has persisted in the city for decades.  The man tries to reach across the table to those other elected officials of the suburban and exurban municipal governments since we all need one another for Greater Birmingham or simply Birmingham to get somewhere.

Now if those officials don't want to work cohesively with the Birmingham mayor then call them out (like Obama said with health care reform) and show them how idiotic and shortsighted their stance to not work together.

OH YEAH, the swap by local NBC affiliate, WVTM "NBC 13", reporter John Paepcke is a textbook example of what I call the media bias of the area's media outlets.  That EXTRA garbage he thought was poignant just shows why I don't care for any of the area's media because too many want to be funny and push their agenda instead of being non-bias, objective journalists.

Let's be a little objective about the whole Langford federal trial and its coverage...

OK, it's time for another objective analysis of the situation involving Birmingham and some portions of its media convicting Birmingham mayor's Langford before the trial has even began.  After reading the so-called analysis of the "Life and Times of Larry Langford" by Birmingham Weekly editor and staff reporter, Kyle Whitmire.  Honestly, it left more of a bad taste in my mouth towards Whitmire more than Langford because he seems to lack the ability to do his job as a reporter objectively give a non-bias perspective of the story.

The line that clearly shows the bias in my opinion was this one:  "A series of scandals seemed to prove suburban suspicions about black control of government."  Uh, excuse me Mr. Whitmire, but the mayor of Trussville has been giving more paying the Trussville school district superintendent than the most supertintendents across the state has been receiving for districts nearly twice its size.  However, he is cutting back on everything else in the city's services?  Yeah, you should never write a line such in any publication (unless it is strictly funded by somebody or an organization with an agenda) because white suburban people elect corrupt white politicians that control government making non-whites suspicious of them as well...

I DIGRESS:

I've personally known Langford's corrupt self since I was a child because my paternal grandmother was in the same social circle as Langford's wife, Melva.  Personally, I can't stand Langford as a politician because of the foolishness he peddled during the 2008 Central Alabama Pride controversy, and truly wished Patrick Cooper or even Carole Smitherman had won the mayoral election then.   However, he deserves a non-bias perspective on this trial.  That's the least Birmingham media could do on this rather than convicting the man before the trial has begin in the eyes of the public.  

I just wish the media outlets in this region would be more objective and fair along with stop being so damn racially bias at times.  At times they seem to ignore the corruption of Hoover, Trussville, etc. which are both cities with majority white populous, but always looking at the corruption of Birmingham which is "black power structure".  You should be fair and non-racialized in reporting, and nobody aside from the now-defunct Birmingham Post-Herald did that on the controversy and corruption.  There seems to be a message of catharsis of "let's makes sure all the black politicians that aren't on our side or handpicked by us are out of office".

I'm not down with that underhanded crap at all no matter how egalitarian or socially progressive I am personally.  There are some good, socially progressive and accountable,  black politicians in this region that are ignored or overlooked because of the ignorant, controversial, an corrupt ones.

After thinking about this crap it remains me why so few people without agendas doesn't get involved in civil activities in Birmingham because the obvious divides that exist in this region along racial, partisan, and geographical lines.  We are one city with 1.2 million inhabitants, but act as if we are 30+ municipal governments that have their own agendas and goals regardless of how it will affect this region.  Those who doesn't want to be told "choose a side" in the conflicts simply avoid the fray of foolishness. 

It ain't nothing', but the Devil...

Frank Matthews, the co-director of the Mayor's Office of Citizens Assistance and a community activist, is planning a prayer vigil in Linn Park for Birmingham mayor Larry Langford this Sunday for the federal corruption and bribery trial in Tuscaloosa starting Monday.  Also members of the Birmingham chapter of the SCLC and NAACP will be assisting in the vigil.  He's also planning a caravan of supporters for Monday from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa for the trial and the plans will be finalized Sunday evening.  Langford's trial is on some 60 counts of bribery, tax evasion, and corruption while he was still Jefferson County Commissioner. 

Frank Matthew is a racebaiter and controversial.  He was the one of Langford's main supporters for his 2007 mayoral campaign in which he called runner-up Patrick Cooper a "honky" although Cooper is biracial.  Matthews was appointed by Langford to the Office of Community Assistance as co-director while the long-time director Don Lupo was basically pushed aside to be co-director with Matthews.  Matthews hosts a radio show on a local AM radio station where he gained notoriety for his opinions and views as a community activist (which are mostly backwards and borderline racist). 

It's ain't nothing' but the devil.  He is another faux Christian that says he follows in the word, but uses his position for more destruction than good.  I refused to have any involvement in this foolishness and destructive behavior enabling those who think keeping somebody that is symbol of what is wrong with society still in power.  It is embarrassing that members Birmingham chapters of the NAACP and SCLC are contributing to this foolishness, but was silent as church mice when Langford was standing in the way of socially progressive events like the Central Alabama Pride.  Langford and Matthews represents what is wrong with Birmingham and a number of black folks in the area.  I blame the leadership of either chapter giving the organizations a bad name and that's where the blame lies, but you know some people don't want to hear that at all.  However, that's the truth.

You gotta step up your A-game,  NAACP and SCLC Birmingham chapters because Presidents of other chapters are aiding in progress, but you guys are just there.  You're not helping your organizations by cosigning on bullcrap because "just because he's your skin folk doesn't make Langford your kinfolk".

UPDATE: Only 25 people showed up to the "prayer vigil" for the Mayor with SCLC Birmingham chapter President Calvin Woods screaming at the top of his lungs into a mega horn while praying for an acquittal.