LOL

Paint me as unimpressed with the typical reaction of aversive biased white Alabamians reacting to Alabama House Representative Joe Mitchell's comments to the northern Jefferson County resident, Eddie Maxwell when he wrote his letter to state house representatives warning them to not to even attempt to draft a gun control bill in the Alabama legislature.  *The audacity and arrogance of this man alone deserves reprisal*

From: Eddie Maxwell

Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 10:54 PM

To: (all members of state legislature)

Subject: Gun Control and our Constitutions

Can the officers of our state government change our constitution when the change is forbidden by the people? The Supreme Court of Alabama has ruled that it cannot in an opinion dealing with another matter where change is forbidden. You have sworn to support our constitution. You have defined a violation of an oath in an official proceeding as a class C felony (C.O.A. Section 13A-10-101 Perjury in the first degree).

Do not violate your oath of office by introducing additional gun control bills or by allowing those already enacted to remain in the body of our laws.

Mitchell responded at first with response of the nature of why are you worried about this when shit has gotten real for years for black Alabamians...

From: Representative Joseph Mitchell

Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 11:59 PM

To: Eddie Maxwell

cc: (all members)

Subject: Re: Gun Control and our Constitutions

Hey man. You have used the word ‘except’ when I think you mean somethin’ else.

Hey man. Your folk never used all this sheit to protect my folk from your slave-holding, murdering, adulterous, baby-raping, incestuous, snaggle-toothed, backward-a**ed, inbreed, imported criminal-minded kin folk. You can keep sending me stuff like you have however because it helps me explain to my constituents why they should protect that 2nd amendment thing AFTER we finish stocking up on spare parts, munitions and the like.

Bring it. As one of my friends in the Alabama Senate suggested – “BRING IT!!!!”

JOSEPHm, a prepper (’70-’13)

Mobile County

Maxwell then responded with a "how dare you...because I have a black friend and my daddy helped blacks...."

From: Eddie Maxwell

Sent: Monday, February 11, 2013 2:23 PM

To: Representative Joseph Mitchell

cc: (all members)

Subject: Re: Gun Control and our Constitutions

Rep. Mitchell and other members of the Legislature of Alabama,

That’s not the type of reply I expect to receive from a state legislator. The lack of response to your racist comments from your fellow members speaks volumes about the state of our legislature as a whole.

I’m not a racist and I find your reply to be especially offensive considering the position you hold.

My parents and grandparents taught me to love God and my fellow man as myself. My father was threatened by members of his church back in 1954 for inviting a black family to attend the church he pastored.

My father-in-law was threatened when he hired a young negro man to work in his shop back in 1968 in a community where several neighbors were members of the Ku Klux Klan. He didn’t allow those threats to keep him from treating people of all races equally.

In 1969, I was a draftee in the US Army and bunked with a young negro man named Earl Shinholster at Fort Benning. Earl later became a prominent leader of the NAACP back home in Georgia after serving with me in the Army. When I received numerous racist threats from negroes who knew I lived near Birmingham, Earl warned me of the knives they carried and cautioned me to be more careful around them. Earl had been watching me and he had come to know and respect me for my Christian values. Earl and I became friends and he helped me get through some tough times there.

Racism is not exclusive to my own people. I learned that before 1955. It is just as ugly now as it was then, regardless of the race of the person who is consumed by it.

I love my country and my state, and I vowed to support and defend our constitutions. I expect you and all of our representative to do the same.

Sincerely,

Eddie Maxwell

Anyways, Mitchell responded in due regard by reading that motherfucker for the filth and then some.  I mean he read his ass...

From: Representative Joseph Mitchell

Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 5:09 PM

To: Eddie Maxwell

cc: (all members)

Subject: Re: Gun Control and our Constitutions

Eddie. I grew up in Albany Ga. I was a military brat for most of my youth. Air Jump Master and DI USMC. Because I preference my issues with the values that I learned in ‘the heat of battle’ during the mid-fifties through the ‘70’s and into today might tell you what and who I am. I find no need to define it or explain it to you because you can identify with the threats of reprisals against your folk for helping somebody of African Descent. I know ol’ Ft. Benning and Columbus like the palm of my hand.

Where were you during the Albany Movement? Oh…. You shoulda been there. I am certain that your experiences through how your kin folk ‘helped’ colored folk would have helped us a lot when we were bombed in Albany, Leesburg, Newton and Sylvester.

I apologize for the restless nights your folk endured out of fear of the Klan. At least as they stood on the sidewalk watching my cousins and me get beat up by some of your neighbors they were able to push you out into the street to physically intervene. They did do that didn’t they? Oh …. Well, I rear where you were one of the first to integrate the all-colored school to prove your parents point.

Do you that your fathers ‘black’ friend was unable to get FHA benefits? Knowing about those knives and stuff were of benefit but did you know that colored military typically carried knives to protect themselves from folk who looked like your father? Historically, violence on Black folk was committed by White folk. It’s a fact but is it ‘racist?’ It is ‘racial.’ I had seven uncles and three aunts who served in three different ‘encounters. My father was Regular Army.

Eddie, a person without the power to exercise a threat cannot be a racist because he or she will be eliminated. A person who can, by merely stepping back on the sidewalk’ ore being quiet can support racism and benefit from the ‘first hired,’ affirmative action, preferential treatment fostered by systemic racism and bigotry.

It is unlikely that I, through sharing my many experiences on the receiving end, will convince you of your errors. For that matter, you will never convince me that our discomforts were comparable. Let the next generations resolve this continuing story.

Lock and load.

jmitchell

Meanwhile, House Representative Patricia Todd of Birmingham, also the only openly gay member of the Alabama Legislature responded with this:

From: Patricia Todd

Sent: Monday, February 11, 2013 4:41 PM

To: Eddie Maxwell

Cc: (all members)

Subject: Re: Gun Control and our Constitutions

Mr. Maxwell:

I am Patricia Todd, a member of the house. I just received this chain of emails and wanted to let you know that I am with you on the gun issue and am saddened by the tone of my colleagues email. All of us have suffered from the racism of the past and I thank you for your civic and thoughtful response.

We all have different life experience that shapes our values. I pray that we can all respect, and, celebrate, our differences. That is what make America the greatest country on earth, scars and all.

This member hears you loud and clear. 

Now Todd could have kept that $5.02 to herself.  Although she has been a victim to the idiocy of the Alabama Democratic Caucus's and Joe "the Jackass" Reed's Alabama Democratic Coalition's homophobia and racial prejudice because they don't want an openly gay, white woman as the representative for the heavily black 54th house district of Alabama, but still...  I am not here for Todd's "oh but I understand...blah, blah, blah..." to that assclown Maxwell from northern Jefferson County.   Maxwell's ass feels entitled due to his white privilege, Southern upbringing, and being a male, whom clings to his gun because his inferiority complex to make up for his likely "fear of the others taking over this nation".

Also the Birmingham News' website and its comment section is perpetrating allowing individuals that share this entitled and myopic philosophy a way to pretend to be faux victims via this incident.  This is why Alabama is held back because so many white Alabamians whine and dramatize things that almost never happen like this but ignores the true inequities like how majority black school districts are underfunded by the archaic Alabama Constitution along with other institutionalized measures. So pathetic.

Applause for laziness, NOT!

This whole referandum that is going to be held Tuesday in Alabama is a croak of sh...well you know the rest.  I swear this is why I HATE partisanship in Alabama because all it is about is a bunch of clusterfucking of both sides of the do-nothing cause.  Note: Alabama's legislators really don't do anything when compared to their federal counterparts, and that let's you know who truly lazy Alabama's legislative branch is.

Now there is this fear-mongering campaign being led by a variety of special interests and the Alabama Republican Party establishment that wants to pass this so that the state can transfer $437 million from its rainy day fund to cover their asses literally and politically.  Also it will cost Alabama $3 million additional dollars in funds to just hold this election.  However, the some Alabama Democrats and even stranger bedfellows are against it.  Their motives is to trying to make their Republican counterparts work.  Also there are some Alabama Republicans that doesn't support this either, but that is another conversation.

The reality caveat is that when Alabama Democrats were in charge they didn't do anything.  This is another 3-ring circus that the vast majority of Alabamians perpetuate upon themselves by not doing their homework when electing local representation in the Alabama Legislature.

Le sigh!  I need to be truly done with this place...

Things I must say aloud that need to be told

Riddle me this, riddle me that, why is it that certain men whom want to be 'closeted' about their lives seem to post pictures on social networking sites like Facebook and/or Twitter on Memorial Day weekend?  I mean if you are a single black males and most people realize you are a ***AHEM*** 'confirmed bachelor' then why would you travel to Miami or Washington, D.C. and then post the pix?  I'm not dumb and some others aren't dumb either people, the widely known skinfest for black SGL men and their admirers was held on the Greater Miami area this past Memorial Day weekend (as it is every Memorial Day holiday for the past 11 years) and also the DC Black Pride was held in Washington.  So...  I mean in the words of Ed Lover, "COME ON, SIR!", we all now know are suspecting that you aren't straight, but you want to play that role then have at it but don't say I didn't warn you all.  I'm not saying, but I'm just saying...

In other things, I see that the GOP side of the 2012 presidential race has turned into an attention whorefest where Sarah "I can see Russia from my backyard" Palin is riding around the Megalopolis corridor beckoning for attention.  This Alaskan heifer wants everyone to pay attention to her simple-minded ass, but yet wants to proclaim she isn't running.  Then why are you traveling up on the down the East Coast in a bus, moron?  I can't stand people whom want attention but then play dumb when they are called out on it.

In Alabama, recall they say, recall?  I don't think so.  However, Alabama State Senator (and well known corrupt politico), Roger Bedford along with Senator Marc Keahey has filed two separate but identical bills in the Alabama Legislature calling for recalls of state politicians.  However, the catch is it is only for state officials not county or municipal level officials.

“The potential for recall elections forces legislators to be more accountable to the people, and diminishes the influence of special interests groups and political party bosses,” Keahey said.

Keahey’s amendment would allow the public to recall an elected official after one year into the elected official’s term of office. To recall an elected official, Keahey’s bill states that voters must file a petition with the Secretary of State. The petition must be signed by a number of voters that equals at least 25 percent of the vote cast in the previous election for the office being recalled. The petition must then be submitted to the Secretary of State within 90 days of the original filing. If the Secretary of State determines that all requirements have been met, a recall vote will be scheduled for the sixth Tuesday following the announcement of the decision.

I knew Bedford especially didn't truly mean to promote reform considering he is the well-known Pork King of the Alabama Legislature.  But I digress, it seems like they have formulated 2 bills hoping it will pass this late in the regular session of the Alabama Legislature, which I know they won't unless a miracle on Goat Hill occurs.  Anyways, that's that.  (h/t to Left in Alabama and the Atmore News for the links).

Another week and another round up

Well, the Good Bishop Eddie Long was on YouTube pleading to California-based investment company, City Capital Corp. on the behalf of his "parishioners" at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to resolve issues involving their retirement accounts.  According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, these accounts have possibly tanked and went down with the economic downturn.  Long is pleading to get his "parishioners" investments back with interest.   Former CEO of City Capital, Ephren Taylor responded attempted to refute the allegations and clear his name which has been dragged through the mud because of this controversy.  SMH, that New Birth is cursed.

Awww, it's so cute that Tyler Perry has snatched the role of "Alex Cross" from Idris Elba in the revamping of the franchised based on James Patterson's novels of the same name.  It's so funny listening to the producer of the upcoming film set to start filming in June said that Perry as:

Tyler Perry is a phenomenon. Tyler Perry is one of the most significant entertainers in all of media. He is a huge cross-media talent and presence — and he’s a terrific actor whose range is going to be shown here. You’re going to see Tyler Perry like you haven’t seen him. He’s 6’5″, he is a linebacker. He is an awesome physical presence and is just going to tear it apart here. It’s an intense, dramatic role.

I just want to snicker and then go back to ignoring this film franchise as before (Hell I haven't even seen "Kiss the Girls" so you know...).  However, it's been a topic of the black blogosphere all week long so I had to discuss it.

The mandatory insurance coverage portion of the Americans for Affordable Healthcare Act was found unconstitutional in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola by (conservative and anti-healthcare funded) Judge Roger Vinson.  Vinson attempted to invalidate the entire law basing on the way the law was written and passed. This the suit that was orchestrated by 22 states filed against the law.  Another attempt by the classist-complexed (majority white) faction of T.E.A. Twats attempting to further fuckery in our nation...

The GOP leaders of the Alabama Legislature has decided to limit access of the State House claiming the  shooting of Gabrielle Giffords as a reason.  The Alabama Democrats responded to the antics of the GOP shutting the door on process to the people and forcing them to backtrack on their stance.  It seems to me there is some funny business going on with this.  I'm more ashamed of how Senator Pro Tem Del Marsh co-signs on this fuckery considering I know him personally.  Wise move by the ADP to attack, but they still have disorder in their own house before they are reputable party and organization again.  However, that's politicians for ya, they say what they are going do and then the do the exact opposite...  (h/t to Left in Alabama)

Oh yeah, the wintry mix of rain/sleet/snow caused chaos during rush hour in Birmingham and Central Alabama, but primarily Birmingham on Thursday.  This weather is the normal for this part of the South, so my advice to all officials in these major cities, "BUY SOME DAMN SNOW EQUIPMENT, NOW!!!!"

That's this week in review.  I'll be back with the more posts soon.

Bama Fact Check looked into the new payroll deduction ban in Alabama

Apart of the ethics reform passed during the special session of the Alabama State Legislature 2 weeks ago was a new law that banned any automatic payroll deductions from public employees to political organizations.  Well, the article "Facts and Myths about the AEA payroll ban" was published 10 days about by the Anniston Star on Bama Fact Check.  It went into detail about the recently passed ban on automatic payroll deductions of public employees directly to political organizations.  Many sees it as a "poison pill" to the Alabama Education Association.  The bill was also known as SB2.

CLAIM: The bill is unconstitutional.
Reality:Maybe, maybe not.

Critics of the ban argued that limiting teachers' ability to donate their own money is unconstitutional.

Ultimately, only the courts can decide whether that claim is right. But recent precedent would seem to suggest that a court challenge to SB2 would face an uphill fight.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a similar case in Idaho in 2009. There, as in Alabama, a teacher’s union collected fees from teachers through payroll deductions, and the state Legislature moved to ban the practice.

Writing for the majority of the court, Chief Justice John Roberts stated that freedom of speech “does not confer an affirmative right to use government payroll mechanisms for the purpose of obtaining funds for expression.” The court ruled that in the absence of a free speech violation, the state had only to show a “rational basis” for banning the payroll deductions. In the Idaho case, the state cited an appearance of “entanglement” with political organizations as its reason for the ban.

This precedent is still up for debate, so we'll have to see about this.

CLAIM: Blue Cross Blue Shield — also funded through payroll deductions — has a political arm.
Reality:Yes, but the firewall between the contributions and the PAC is thicker.

Critics of SB2 have pointed out that teachers already have funds deducted from their paychecks for PEEHIP, the state’s health insurance plan. PEEHIP is administered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama, and critics of SB2 say the group has its own lobbying arm, just like the AEA.

Federal Election Commission records show that there is, indeed, a Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama PAC, headquartered in Montgomery. Funded by contributions from administrators in BC/BS, the PAC has, in the past two years, given more than $80,000 to other PACs and congressional candidates. The PAC has made contributions to members of both parties -— including $10,000 to former Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Bright of Montgomery and $10,000 to Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Anniston. But the overall flavor of the contributions is conservative, with donations to a group titled Every Republican is Crucial and a group called Defend America PAC, which has given to a number of GOP candidates.

BC/BS vice president Koko Mackin claims there are “no similarities” between the Blue Cross PAC and the one run by AEA.

“Blue Cross’ PAC is totally funded by voluntary Blue Cross employee payroll contributions, and it supports only candidates for federal office,” Mackin said via e-mail.

It’s true that, even though the PAC bears the company’s name — and calls to the PAC are forwarded to one of the company’s vice presidents — every single contribution on record has come from a company employee, and not the company itself.

Mackin also said that employees’ contributions to PEEHIP go directly to the state, which pays BC/BS to administer the insurance plan as a “third-party administrator.”

Now this one is very interesting considering BCBS of Alabama has something similar going on.  Apparently after being in power for nearly 5 decades, AEA would learn a thing or two from these other organizations how to run yourself as two seperate organizations.  Instead, this argument has been debunk and AEA proponents don't have a proverbial leg to stand upon in court with this one.

CLAIM: Gov. Bob Riley ran a PAC from the governor’s mansion.
Reality:Not necessarily.

Proponents of the payroll deduction ban hung their argument on the notion that it's wrong to use public resources to obtain contributions for a political group. AEA members argued that the cost of enrolling teachers in the payroll deduction was virtually nil, but proponents of the bill said any use of public resources for this purpose was too much. Opponents of SB2 countered by alleging that Gov. Bob Riley runs his own PAC —- and runs it from the governor’s mansion, effectively using public property to solicit political donations.

According to records from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, one Robert Renfroe Riley is listed as the chairman of the aptly-named GOV PAC, which lists its mission as “to elect qualified candidates dedicated to moving Alabama forward.” Riley lists his address as 1142 South Perry St. in Montgomery —- the governor’s mansion.

But that’s the chair’s residence, not the headquarters of the PAC. The official address of GOV PAC is a post office box in Birmingham. Obviously, you can’t hold a meeting in a post office box, so Bama Fact Check contacted Riley’s office to find out where the PAC’s business is conducted.

“My understanding is that the checks come to the post office box, and the treasurer takes them home and does the work there,” said Jeff Emerson, Riley’s spokesman.

The PAC’s paperwork lists someone named Kay Nimm as the treasurer. Nimm’s address is listed as a post office box in Chelsea. Efforts to reach Nimm, at the number listed in the PAC’s papers, were unsuccessful.

Now I find this one to be tale-telling about the outgoing governor and the his administration's actions.  However, his people knew to do their stuff within legal and mostly ethical bounds like BCBS.  
The morale of this story is know your lane and stick to it.  AEA should have learned to fall back years ago on anything that wasn't associated with education.  Instead they decided to meddle with the entire political process on both sides of the partisan spectrum, while clearly history says whom they were playing sides for the majority of the time.   The mid-game side changing didn't help, rather further indict their unethical meddling.  Now one isn't giving credence to borderline actions of BCBS (federal healthcare), GOVPAC (being Riley's sycophants), but they knew their lanes and stayed in them.  AEA did themselves in by playing "Jack/Jill of All Trades" in politics and failing to realize a Jack/Jill of all trades is an expert at nothing at all. 

All this led to (in the words of actress Tasha Smith from the movie Why Did I Get Married? go to 3:18 in the video) "the BOOM" formally known as SB2.

 

The Special Session in Alabama Legislature is over

Here are the things that came out of this special session:

All the proposed legislative ethics bills were passed, but none in their original forms.  The climax of the special session was the AEA-administered coup by the House Democrats against SB-2 which was the bill restrict direct deductions from workers' payroll to support political activities.  It led to a 14-hour filibuster in the Alabama House where the Democrats were blocking cloture, but on the bill in its original form.  However, in the end it passed with a narrow 52-49 majority around 3AM Thursday morning.  Some Democrats are upset like some of my buddies over at Left in Alabama with parallel arguments about the GOP and their funding of local chambers of commerce.  I'm not denying the argument is not legitimate.  On the other hand, I personally think it is a good thing because AEA has to be stripped of power because they are a political liability to Alabama progressive politics.  After the AEA insured the election of 2 of the most dubious gubernatorial candidates in modern Alabama history, I deserved to be pushed into inert category.  It also gives some teachers a choice if they want a portions of their earnings to go to a political organization or not...

Gardendale Republican state senator, Scott Beason, has proven to his constituents what his critics have been saying forever.  He is an optimist and lacks any ethics himself.  He wants to be wine and dined like some cheap whore for favors from lobbyists, but the House Democrats weren't having that.  However, I knew this when that jackal, Beason, attempted to pass a bill that would have prohibit any articles of literature from public libraries, schools, and universities containing references to homosexuality.

In all the special session was pretty fruitful productive.

Somethings that are occuring in the Alabama Legislature...

I guess the now Republican-majority Alabama Legislature has all those who watch Alabama politics in a tizzy.  First, Alabama's outgoing governor, Bob Riley, decided to do a speech opening the special sessions for "ethics reform" at 6PM on Wednesday, and surprisingly the local Birmingham TV stations with news ops aired.  (Well, some of them like ABC 33/40, WIAT "CBS 42", and WBRC "FOX6").  WVTM, "Alabama's 13" (formerly "NBC 13") didn't air it at all, but did cover it during their 10PM newscast.  It seems like "media bias" to me because not once in recent memory have any of the Birmingham news media outlet felt it was pertinent to air anything from the State Capitol on live television.  ***SIDE-EYE***

Anyways, back to the discussion of the special session.  It looks like the Republicans want to pass 7 key items (of course on their terms):

• Code of Public Ethics and Accountability
• Legislative Double Dipping Ban
• PAC-to-PAC Ban
• Pass-Through Pork Ban
• Protect the Public Trust Act
• Restricting Political Activity on State Time
• Transparency and Accountability Act 

I know some of my fellow progressives like my buddy, "Mooncat", on Left in Alabama has expressed their grievances and agreements with the proposal.  Although others are just looking for a reason to "cause strife" between the "Riley camp" and the "Bentley camp".  Not that I disagree with looking for a counter tactic for  Democrats to use against the Republicans, but they had control of the Alabama Legislature for 136 years and did nothing but hold on to power.

The outgoing governor and newly elected state legislators are just a beacon of interesting ideas including newly appointed Senate Pro-Tem, Del Marsh, who has recommended legislative staff reductions.  The catch is that they might be bringing in their own as usual, who might get paid just as much...

This whole situation with this party shift is a mess, but many (including myself) warned the Democrats of their antics of doing nothing would come back to haunt them sooner than later.

Why Southern Democrats are on the skids...

I will dedicate this blog post to the truth as to why Southern Democrats are on the skids.  It has all to do with the miraculous cloaking of so many leftover Dixiecrats in many positions of these state parties. Like YouTube sensation, Cadillac Kimberly said, "I don't go IN on anybody.  If I was going IN then I would put on a Teflon vest.  I speak the truth".

Most Southern white Democratic politicos aren't shit. It started with the American Civil Right Movement and the fight for equal rights, liberties, and protections for people of color (non-whites) under the law.  Most Southern states until the 1970s were dominated by Democrats.  Due to the Democratic party history of aligning itself with the New Deal programs championed by Franklin D. Roosevelt that benefited a great deal since it provided electricity and other modern amenities that others in the Northeast and Midwest had for a couple of decades.  However, this whole allowing "others" equal treatment and rights just didn't (and still doesn't sit well with most white Southerners).  These voters are called a love term known as Dixiecrats.  Oh yeah, don't let the dissolution of the "party" fool you at all, they still exist but are more covert about their ways...

In the South, many state Deep Southern Democratic parties like Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia have coddled these type of voters with "Yellow Dog", "Blue Dog", or just plain conservative Democrats to conserve their partisan majority of their state legislatures.  This was at the advantage of productive socially progressive and many times fiscally sound decisions to better their respective states.  However, by the "1994 Wave" in states like Georgia, Democrats lost both houses of state legislature due to this persistent of coddling of a group of voters in areas where you know the white voters will associate Democrat label to "bettering others over them".   Now this "wave" has finally come to Alabama in form the same occurring nearly 15 years after neighboring Georgia.

In both states cases, the state Democratic party leadership has spent so much political capital trying to keep Democrats whom would turn on their own in a heartbeat in their ranks.  Now as a political independent, I'm all for fighting for your constituency, but there is a thin line between being a champion of the people and a selfish bastard. The recent episodes in Alabama and Georgia has shown that these types can play-pretend to care about the people but still get away for bloody murder in a gerrymandered or racially imbalanced district.

Many of these types are the latter because the now curious case of soon-to-be former Florida congressman, Alan Grayson, stood to the very end as a champion of the people and socially progressive leader although a number of the foolish asses in Florida's 8th congressional district that will listen to the sound of water boiling and think it's a platform.  (Interesting side note, FL-8 is a district that includes the eastern and northern portions of the city of Orlando, which are both predominately white, whereas the western side and more racially diverse side of the city is in another district.  This is all while the majority of FL-8 is west of the city of Orlando itself.  Another case of gerrymandering...)

What needs occur from here on out is Democrats realize that any white politico that spends more time basically speaking in cues about blocking social progress especially those that benefit non-whites and lower class shouldn't be trusted.  It seems more like these types have a demographic, mostly white males over age 50 years.  That can be traced back to the fact that they were born during or prior to the Civil Rights Movement and doesn't seem to have actual respect for the rights of those different than themselves.  It's time for them to take out the trash and make sure it doesn't stick around for more issues.

Oh yeah, let's not confuse these types with moderate Democrats, whom will actually support socially progressive stance, but show resistance to somethings on fiscally sound grounds.  Those types aren't a part of the problem because when push comes to shove involving social progress they tend to be on the right side of history.

What did I miss?

I guess back in the Greater Birmingham area, there has been the continual battle amongst Jefferson County Commissioners over the 2011 general budget.  It's mostly been over whether or not they should allocate funds to open the Bessemer branch of county jail and paying the federally-appointed receiver a $1 million annual salary for the overseeing of the sewer debt.  We also have to throw in the future of the existence of the occupational tax administered on all incomes generated from Jefferson County.  Cruella de Ville, Jim Carns, and George Bowman voted to do neither, but sooner than later they will have to do these tasks...

Also suburban Bessemer voters has ousted two-term mayor Ed May from office on October 5th for Kenneth Gully.  I guess the incident of firing the Bessemer city clerk the night before the election was the straw that broke the camel's back...

Meanwhile, the Alabama legislators and lobbyists that went down over stalling the regular session in the spring over the gambling bill vote has cause all the leadership and their sycophants of the ADP (the Alabama Democratic Party for outsiders) to call foul over the case.  Many are claiming this is partisan and an "October Surprise" to ruin any chances of the idiot on the Democratic side of the gubernatorial ticket, Ron Sparks, of winning come November 2nd.  (Oh hell, oh well.  They brought that shit on themselves because those assholes in that damn party do right by Artur Davis then will continue to suffer from a bitch named "karma".  In the words of Cadillac Kimberly, "They all need to hold hands and kiss his muthafuckin' ass..."

I'm just plain blank staring at this mess because it's just aggravating watching this mess occur here.

Apparently Georgia's (outgoing) governor Sonny Perdue couldn't resist...

Georgia's governor Sonny Perdue just couldn't resist filing a frivolous lawsuit against the federal government involving the passage of the health care reform bill back in March.  Initially, the Georgia Attorney General, Thurbert Baker, a black Democrat, resisted and was also threatened by the Republican-majority General Assembly with an impeachment.  Baker made it through the general session of the Georgia General Assembly unscathed. 

Perdue wanted Georgia so badly to waste money and appease the idiotic and reactionary with a waste of taxpayers' funds.  This is during a time when their state universities and colleges are going to be raising tuition by 16% at the big 3 AKA, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, and the University of Georgia for the fall semester.  SMDH!   DUMB, DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!

Thoughts on the "Great Division" proposed for Fulton County (Georgia)

I've been wondering and contemplating about this topic for months now.  For the life of me, I still don't fully understand the fundamental logic behind the desire to create or recreate the 160th county in Georgia, Milton County. 

Now for those that don't know, Milton County used to exist until 1932 when the Great Depression forced the county dissolve and merge into Fulton County.  The original boundaries of it was pretty much all of northern Fulton County from the Chattahoochee River and northward with the exception of a triangular shaped strip of land stretching from original Roswell land area including downtown to Chattahoochee River was originally apart of Cobb County.  Also Fulton County obtained the land north of present-day Dunwoody Club Road to the Chattahoochee from DeKalb County whose northern border was originally the river as well.  Regardless, the original Milton County went broke because of the disaster number of season of cotton harvest due to boll weevil devastating the crop.  However, the recent push as early as 2006 after a spring of municipal incorporation of Sandy Springs, John's Creek, Milton, and Mountain Park in northern Fulton County, the overwhelmingly Republican Georgia General Assembly delegation has pushed to sever Fulton County.  Interestingly enough, the "new" Milton County would include Sandy Springs, which was originally a part of the original Fulton County.  But, the recently-incorporated Sandy Springs is majority white (77% to be exact) and very Republican.  The 2010 general session of the General Assembly, the newly appointed House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones has been pushing this HARD to secede northern portions from the rest of Fulton County.

The real question is it racially motivated?  Could very well be...  According to the 2000 Census data, the majority of the municipalities and former CDPs (that's census-designated places for those who don't know the statistical lingo) in northern Fulton County were on average 75% white and no more than 25% non-white.  It seems like a case where racial identity and partisanship politics meets and becomes quite ambiguous in definition.  The argument has been for years according to some is that the current Fulton County government is "too bloated and ineffective in providing services".  On the other hand, the proponents of keeping the now 1 million + inhabitant Fulton County unified hasn't really helped themselves with the site http://www.onefulton.org, but they do have some points as well.  The northern communities were given in recent years 3 new libraries from the Atlanta-Fulton County Library System with state of the art facilities and resources; whereas, the communities in the southern portions of the county aside from the locations in Buckhead and main branch in downtown Atlanta itself are still half-assed at best.

Now, this is my opinion on this since I have lived in another ineffective urban county, Jefferson County.  The efforts by the Republican delegation in the Georgia General Assembly is aversively bias in intent because they don't want to deal with the overwhelmingly non-white and politically different demographic groups of the rest of the county.  It is ineffectively pointless to secede from Fulton County when you could just write legislation to reform the county government to fix whatever issues ails the communities.  However, I've come to the conclusion this is another case where some socially conservative whites will walk and run around the main point here and that is "they don't want to be involved in anything where they feel they can't control or orchestrate on their grounds".  It's a shame that some whites will think this way and act that they should just sever an urban county because it doesn't represent them directly or politically, and you don't see too many non-whites or social progressives attempt to enact an usurp of power or government when we don't control things.  It's quite self-destructive and leads to further strife between the socially conservative whites against non-white and other non-WASP demographic groups in Metro Atlanta.  Nevertheless, it just shows that Atlanta is just as screwed up as Birmingham in a more ways than none.

Another lesson for those who are overtly partisan and delusional in Alabama politics (to a certain extent Southern politics)

I'm so sick and tired of talking about the whole hoopla over the ANSC endorsement of Alabama Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks over Artur Davis.  First thing first, at this point I honestly don't care either way since I'm absolutely convinced that the Alabama Democratic Party (ADP) is well on its way to collapse.  Secondly, I'm moving out of Alabama (likely to Metro Atlanta soon), so it is what it is in my opinion of how effective or aligned to the interests of certain groups either candidate is.  However, it seems like it is time (yet again) for another rant on partisanship over pragmatism along with other elements at work.

Let's get one thing straight, although I do agree with some things in principle on Artur Davis' positions, I don't care to vote for him because he is who he is, a politician and lawyer.  Now let's get to the point.  Davis is a pragmatist who knows that within the toxic political culture of Alabama you must be a Democrat yet not a typical Democrat.  Also if you are a black politician then you must not be a typical black politician, thus his positions and opinions on individual issues and items may differentiate in a variety of ways.  Regardless, a pragmatist in principle will take the realist approach to things on issues and vote with their head with conscientous influenced decisons.  When examining Davis from an objective perspective, the man is a moderate black politico with progressive leanings on certain issues.  His evolution into this wasn't subtle nor overt, but he has always been a moderate, but his progressive leanings exist only in a political vacuum where his record isn't the only spotlit upon.  I disgress, Davis has more likelihood of making it in the Alabama Gubernatorial General Election over Ron Sparks.  For the record, Sparks is very conservative Democrat, whose pragmatism is virtually nonexistant since he talks out of both sides of his mouth and doesn't seem to show a true stance on any political issues aside from ones already laid out by Davis or hot topic ones such as gambling, which has been the talk of Alabama for nearly year now.

The partisanship issues within the ADP isn't one unique to any Southern state, but it is one that is very problematic.  Alabama has one of the highest number of black politicos in proportion to its black population, yet most of those black politicos are pseudo-progressives and the rest flat out conservative black Democrats.  They are all products of the Alabama Democratic Coalition (ADC) and the more recent additions are products of both ADC and ANSC (Alabama New South Coalition).  These groups maybe increment in reaching certain segments of the black population who doesn't follow politics as closely as myself, they are reluctance to show any real fortitude to work towards making the state a more progressive environment.  Instead they hold their power over the heads of the majority of Alabama black legislators and politicos, thus telling them to fundamentally "waiting their turn" to make waves in the water.  It shows what is really wrong with them.  The few who doesn't show any allegiance are practically invisible outside of their respective districts since they would rather enjoy making it to the Alabama Legislature and its fringe benefits than making increment changes during the regular legislative sessions annually needed to move the state forward. This holds back black politicos who are more progressive and willing to take a chance and attempt make major strides towards producing a more progressive and fiscally conservative Alabama

Even further within that partisanship void lays 2 additional problems: racial identity and stance on social issues.  Overall, the ADP is a rural-oriented, socially conservative group of individuals that are mostly white.  However, with even further examination on that, the racial dynamics of the party is horrible to say the least.  In a recent vote to Alabama to block the enforcement of the federal health care reform law, the vote was clearly racial with all the white Democrats voting for it and all the black Democrats voting against. It shows the sift within the ADP on racialized issues such a health care reform, removing racist language from the state's archaic state constitution among other things.  Social issues within Alabama (and the rest of the South) are very racialized due to the whole "welfare queen" mantra.  Most white Democrats are still those who fall into this void of being manipulated by these issues and will vote against their own economic and social interest all due to this racialized undercurrent.  What's even more embarrassing is the notion that black Democrats will do this as well (with those aforementioned groups of ADC and ANSC) by playing up the notion of an outsider is not to be trusted and have malevolent intentions of obtaining public office in a predominately black district. This sift is clear and obvious to the most objective and attentive analysts of political and social issues.

Alabama is held back more predominately due to the Southern influence of covert racial cues used to play up the bases and unsettle the uninformed.  The main culprits of this are Alabama Democrats more so than Republicans because the Democrats control both houses of the state legislative body.  In conclusion, like all other Southern states, Alabama's Democratic Party will have a catharsis of this obviously toxic elements from power within its leadership position since they have brought nothing but status quo.  It's not going to change until that occurs...

Another chapter in the ongoing saga involving Birmingham

As mentioned earlier this year, there is a bill that has been floating around the Alabama State Legislature to synchronize all municipal election seats including City Council and mayor into one date every four years.  It would alleviate the double-dipping, backstabbing, and saboteur behavior of elected officials in Birmingham City Hall every 2 years while vying for the seat of mayor all the time.  Although that version had passed the Alabama State House, Merika Coleman listened and used some common sense and resubmitted her bill back to its original version with ending the current mayoral term held by the jackal, William Bell, in 2011 rather than extending it to 2013.  The next mayor of Birmingham would have an abbreviated term of 2 years and would have to run again in 2013 with the City Council. 

Wise choice, Coleman, very wise choice.  You are wise to listen to those who warned you of the repercussions of extending that jackal's term. 

The battle in GA amongst the Governor, State Assmbly Republicans, and the Attorney General

Another health care reform passage spin-off, instead of the Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker joining the ranks of the other Southern state attorney generals like the gay obsessed Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli, closeted Alabama AG Troy King, South Carolina AG Henry McMaster, Florida AG Bill McCollum, and Louisiana James D. "Buddy" Cadwell (who is a Democratic, probably a socially conservative one that allowed Mr. Jindal aka "Mr. I wish I was a white" to encourage him), and Texas AG Greg Abbott suing the federal government over the health care bill.  He is refusing to sue over the healthcare reform law and its enforcement, so the Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue along with Republican-majority State Assembly are pushing for the state to sue on its own and impeach Baker over his refusal.  Perdue was attempt to use an ultimatum to force Baker to react and file a suit against the portion of the law requiring all individuals to obtain health insurance as unconstitutional.  However, Baker also a Democratic gubernatorial candidate refused to oblige to the threats.  

GOOD FOR YOU, BAKER.  I wouldn't listen to the idiocy and political grandstanding bullshit either because it's a waste of state funds when there are more imperative things that all these states need to be concerned with like a balanced budget...

A bill to synchronize the elections of Birmingham City Council members with the mayoral elections

Alabama State House Representative Merika Coleman of Birmingham drafted a bill that would synchronize municipal council and mayoral elections in Birmingham to all on the same day.  The bill passed the House committee on Monday and will go to the full Jefferson County delegation to debate the bill.  However, the bill would extend the term of the jackal from 2011 to 2013 (hmmm...). It sounds like to me Coleman is allowing that jackal more time to prove how much of a jackass he is to the people rather than who potent he is to the city.  The Birmingham City Council agree with me (to certain extent) and that is not giving Bell an additional 2 years in office.  The election should be held next year in 2011 rather than 2013. 

Also State House Rep. John Rogers of Birmingham also has drafted a bill that would realign the City Council representation from 9 districts to 8 districts and on at-large seat for the City Council President (not a bad idea).  However, why don't they just go back to all at-large voting for all seats which would allow the possibility of a more progressive city council?  I mean it would remove the existence of fiefdom ideology from the City Council elections where people think they can talk shit about one side of the city and its demographic of citizenry without being held accountable to all the citizens at the ballot.  The more accountability, the better because Birmingham needs to force those idiots "who want to have their cake and eat it to" to be gone if they decide to run for mayor instead of going back to being a vindictive city councilor.  My advice to Merika Coleman is, rewrite the bill and move the election to 2011 if you want to gain more support and likelihood of your legislation's passage. 

The current electronic bingo bill failed in the Alabama Senate

DISCLAIMER: Honestly, I feel like it was a flawed bill from the beginning because Alabama should do like neighboring Mississippi and just legalize class III gambling which is casino-style gaming including slot machines and table games rather than this crap.

The bill in the Alabama State Legislature that would allowed electronic bingo gaming at only 7 sites in state stalled in the Senate after the vote didn't yield enough for its passage.  The "Sweet Home Alabama" bill would have allowed electronic bingo games, what they call "casino", at 10 establishments in Jefferson, Mobile, Hale, Macon, Houston, and Lowndes counties.  The vote was 18-16, 3 short of what is needed for a 2/3rd majority for its passage.  The main opponents of it were Republicans from all over the state, particularly the ones from Greater Birmingham like Hank Erwin from Alabaster, Jabo Waggoner from Vestavia Hill, and Steve French of Birmingham.  The bill was drafted and sponsored by the controversial pork-barreling Rodger Bedford of Hamilton (Democrat) and pushed by Alabama Senate President Pro-Tem Rodger Smitherman (and also husband of Birmingham District 6 City Councilor, Froglady aka Carole Smitherman). 

Like I said go for the full fledged thing of casino-style gambling rather than select locations of this bullshit when you know you can go the full 100 yards rather than 45-50 yards with retarded results. 

Kasim Reed pretty much won, but Mary Norwood won't give in

After Tuesday's run-off elections in Atlanta for mayor, Kasim Reed prevailed over Mary Norwood in the results with 42,348 to 41,728.  It seems that race was on race as well.  The breakdown of results via the maps on Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that across class and economic brackets that 9 out of 10 voters voted along color lines rather than issues.  It was the same way in during the election of Barack Obama in Atlanta as well.  As I've said, Atlanta is no different than the rest of the Southern cities when it comes down to it although they swear up and down that they are "the city too busy to hate", but the numbers say otherwise.

Also Tuesday the Atlanta City Council has now its first Asian American and LGBT council member in Alex Wan representing the city's most LGBT-friendly district, District 6.  Also the Georgia General Assembly has its first black lesbian, but second LGBT legislator Tuesday as well with Simon Bell for Georgia State House District 58. 

So it was day of reaffimations of race being an issue in Atlanta, but proof that Atlanta and Georgia can elect and LGBT/SGL politician. 

Well, the Top 10 states best and worst for your brain

The U.S. News & World Report released a report looking at the 10 states best for your brain health and worst for your brain health.  Diet represented 36 percent of each state's score. Of several factors used to calculate the brain-healthfulness of the foods each state eats, sales of fish and DHA-fortified foods were weighed most heavily; they made up 10 percent and 12 percent, respectively, of the diet score. Measures of the population's physical health accounted for 25 percent of each state's overall score; mental health accounted for 24 percent; and social well-being 15 percent. In all, 21 measures went into calculating each score. The creators of the index examined existing data on these metrics for all the states and the District of Columbia. The data came from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Well, here's the list:

Top 10 Best:

1. Washington, D.C. 
2. Maryland
3. Washington state
4. Vermont
5. Connecticut
6. Colorado
7. Massachusetts
8. New Jersey
9. Maine
10. New Hampshire

Top 10 Worst:

1. Indiana
2. North Dakota
3. South Carolina
4. Arkansas
5. Kentucky
6. Tennessee
7. Mississippi
8. Alabama
9. Oklahoma
10. Louisiana

Well, well, well, Alabama comes up as the 2nd to worst.  Geez, do we ever top a good list?  Well, I'll place the blame on the inept State Legislature, Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama Department of Public Health, and Alabama Department of Transportation for this screwed up state.  Meanwhile, the DC Area (the District and Maryland) looks to be some good areas to live if you want good brain health.  Well, I might seriously consider the region upon graduating with my Masters'.





 

 

 

Gotta give it up to the Alabama Democrats in the Legislature for being a-holes when comes to ethics reform

Well, apparently ethics reforms has been blocked by the foolishness of the Alabama Senatorial Democrats when it came to the bill that will have strengthen the ethics codes for teachers.  Now I know the controversy includes the requirement of teachers reporting another teacher if they curse while at school (which is stupid and could be amended out of the new policy).  However, I have to give it up to the Senatorial Republicans for wanting to push the new education policy code anyways in Legislative Council to passage, but it was blocked by Joe Turnham and the Senatorial Democrats because Alabama Education Association (AEA) and its president Paul Hubbard fought to block it.

Both of the Democratically-controlled chambers of Alabama Legislature wanted anything to do with the strong ethics proposal pushed this year by Bob Riley, a Republican that would give the Ethics Commission subpoena power, tighten the legal restrictions on gifts for public officials, impose limits on how much lobbyists can spend while they wine and dine public officials, and mandate more disclosure of that spending.  They also avoided passing a Republican-sponsored bill that would expand the definition of lobbyists to include those who lobby the executive branch of state government, require more precise financial reports from public officials and allow the Ethics Commission to initiate a complaint with just four of its members instead of all five.

Ironically, most of the officials indicted in the past 18 months have all been Democrats on the state level including former state legislator Sue Schmitz and the fools involved in the two-year college system corruption.  Yet, I guess partisanship overcomes rationality and prevention of further foolishness. 

Man, this are the times and reasons why I'm an Independent because Democrats have their severe flaws as well as Republicans, but they should know better when it comes to ethics.  2010 is going to be election year for the State Legislature so they better remember that some of us doesn't have such a short memory when it comes to ethics laws. 

Shame, shame, shame!