War Re-enactments

     I've posted several times about re-enactments of The Civil War. But earlier today, there was another war re-enactment of note.
     Today is the 35th Anniversary of the day the U.S. left South Vietnam. And the Vietnamese celebrated by reenacting the tanks crashing through the gates of the Presidential Palace in this date in 1970, gates no longer under the protection of the U.S. military. There wasn't much coverage of the re-enactment it in the US media that I could find.
     Funny how the losing side doesn't re-enact. Oh wait!

Oil Spill Information

The EPA has established a main web site for information about the Gulf oil spill.

"Law by Lobby" now online

     The most recent CBS 8 News Extra I produced is now posted online here. It reports on the five-to-one ratio of registered lobbyists to lawmakers in the Alabama Legislature, and the use of PAC to PAC transfers to hide political contributions.

Cup Designer Obit

If you are from New York, or lived in the city for any length of time..of even if you ae a fan of any number of New York based TV shows, you'll recognize this image:

Sad to report that the man who designed it has died, reports this morning's NY Times.

The Gulf Spill Question on OTR This Sunday

     On The Record on CBS-8 in Montgomery this week features Republican Primary Election Candidate for Governor Bradley Byrne.

     While we talk about the issues you might expect ---gambling and the economy etc---I also asked him about the Gulf oil spill, and whether he is less enthusiastic about opening up the Gulf for more drilling ("Drill Baby Drill!"), as the Obama Administration now wants to do.* Watch for the answer Sunday at 5:30, just before 60-Minutes, on CBS-8.

   In the meantime, the spill has become an election year issue for some candidates. Including in Alabama, with Democrats reminding people of the "Drill Baby Drill" GOP chant.
   *The Obama Administration says those plans are on hold, pending an investigation into the cause of the leak.

People With Too Much Money

     How many stories have you seen about people giving up their family pets because they can no longer afford them during the Great Recession?
Apparently there are other pet owners out there with money to burn. Witness this offering from the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog:

The catalogue describes the benefits this way:

By providing an alternative to sitting on your lap, running disruptively underfoot, or outright banishment, the chair assuages a pet (and its owner's) frustration, and promotes more refined behavior.

Right.
Excuse me, but am I being punked? Did the HS folks put this in their catalog just to get people talking?

What Stuff Costs

     We were headed out for a dinner one weekend recently, and were reviewing the options as we drove. Eventually we settled on a well known BBQ place that we'd been to a number of times before. We decided to get takeout.
     But $9.95 for a BBQ plate? Since when did BBQ rate so lofty a price? We walked out, in search of a better use for our dollars.
    There's a story in this morning's N.Y. Times about pants that can cost $550...plain old khaki pants! The story quotes one manufacturer as saying there is still a demand, despite the Great Recession. Demand from who? Goldman Sachs VP's? Ironically, clothing for the rest of us has gotten much cheaper in the last few years, since it's now all manufactured by workers being paid about $3 a day in Indonesia and China or South America, Meanwhile Alabama's old textile mills sit empty and the workers either un or under employed. In Tallassee they're trying to turn two old mills into mixed-use developments.
     I was shopping for some new ties to wear on-air and went to one of the few remaining true department stores in Montgomery. The two ties that I spotted as possibilities? $112 each.
     And speaking of costs...since the value of our homes has dropped so much during that G.R., how come property taxes haven't plummeted?

Anglesh Unly

Tim James "English Only" ads are generating tons of publicity around the world, much of it critical. James wants the state to offer only English language driver's exams.
Today's New York Times joins in the cries of indignation, calling him the Xenophobic candidate.

Update: Republican retreat after blocking Wall Street Reform

     The GOP Senators agree to "allow" debate on the issue.
     From the NY Times story:

“I believe we owed the American people our best effort to make whatever changes we could to this incredibly complex piece of legislation because it will have wide-ranging implications for our economy,” Mr. Shelby said in a statement.

Shebly: Final Agreement Won't Be Reached

Confederate Memorial Day

     The holiday is commemorated on a half dozen dates in various Old South states...in Alabama it falls today, April 26th. It is a state holiday, so all state offices are closed. WKRG, the CBS TV Station in Mobile, has a good information page about the holiday.

     I saw an online online reference that said the holiday is being called "Confederate Heroes Day" in some places. Of course there are other extremes. CNN commentator Roland Martin recently refered to Confederate soldiers as terrorists, causing an uproar.

Ice&FireLand

If you haven't already seen the incredible photos of the lightening in the Volcano eruption in Iceland, check out the National Geographic site. Wow!

I've been kinda snowed under the past few days and not blogging as much as I would like. Thanks for stopping by!

This Week's On The Record

Coming up at 5:30 this afternoon...On The Record on CBS-8 in Montgomery. Dr. Robert Bentley, GOP Candidate for Governor, is the guest. Some interesting comments from him regarding the gambling issue and others.

Money

It is always a touch dangerous for me to wade into financial commentary waters, but there are couple of recent stories that beg for tying together. Let's see if I've got the right rope to do it!

1) Rebates for the purchase of new energy efficient appliances are being reserved at a fast clip at the website http://www.alrebates.com/. Most of the money is already reserved. The top rebate is $150 bucks towards a refrigerator.

2) A realtor in Huntsville is quoted as saying "The time for buying a home has never been better.'' It's in a story about how great March home sales were in the Rocket City...and of course, weren't the tax credits that expire the end of next week a part of convincing people to buy.?

I just want to know how many people who complain about The Obama Administration "spending our childrens' money", who "want my country back"...how many teabag party folks or members of Boards of Relators, or appliance companies and retailers...will continue to complain...but will also take advantage of the rebates and tax credits?

It's the same thing we see in members of Congress and Governors blasting the stimulus bills, then gathering up every dollar of pork they can find to send back home.
Bogus.

The Quintessential Movie List

     The Times reports today on a supermarket produce manager who is drawing up the biggest most exhaustive movie list ever...he's at 7000 now and aiming for 10,000 movies ranked from best to worst.
     I have to be honest. I had no idea there were 10,000 movies to rank!
     But I wish Brad Bourland the best of luck. But I watch way too many movies as it is, some of them so bad 10,000th isn't a low enough ranking for them.

HAPPY EARTH DAY

ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY!

BINGO's Demise

     Now that the legislature has been unable to reach agreement on the Bingo question, we can all wait for the raids to resume. The former workers at White Hall and Dothan and  Shorter and Bessemer can continue to collect unemployment. And the people who had invested millions can start finding other places to take their businesses.
     And the entire affair is a loose-loose for Alabama.
     Will voters punish anyone in November for this mess? Those who were allegedly involved in vote buying?
     Governor Riley won't take the fall, since he's leaving office. Most of the GOP candidates for Governor opposed Bingo, though some with much less fervor than Riley. The two  Democrats have taken pro-gaming positions. And 140 Legislative seats in the House and Senate are in question too.
     Conventional wisdom says it's easier to kill a bill than pass it, and that's what happened.
     Conventional wisdom doesn't say much about the fallout in the General Election.

Selma Council Tussle

There was a dustup during last night's Selma City Council meeting over the new council president. He's Cecil Williamson, and he became President upon the death of Geraldine Alllen earlier this month. Williamson is a member of The League of The South, which the Southern Poverty Law Center brands as a racist organization.
Watch video of the dispute coming up this morning shortly after 6:00am on CBS-8 This Morning in Montgomery or online later in the day at http://www.waka.com/

[WHAT'S MORE.....The Dothan Eagle reports on a City Commissioner refusing to apologize for using the term "Negros" while referring to two members of a Community Block Grant Commitee. But hold on. The Commissioner, who is refusing to apologize, is black.]

A Dangerous Country

It's tough living in a place where people can say just about anything without fear of government prosecution, but that's America!

Today the U.S. Surpreme Court rejected a law making videos with violence against animals illegal. It wa an 8-1 ruling. They're going to consider one that makes it illegal for folks like "Reverend" Fred Phelps show up at military funerals to protest gays. That's the case in which the father of the deceased student went to court against Phelps and lost. He was then ordered to pay the Phelp's $16-Thousand legal fees. Needless to say, there are lots of donations headed the Father's way to make sure he doesn't have to pay a cent.

It wasn't that long ago that the Montgomery Police, under the leadership of current ABC Board head Emory "No Nudes On Our Wine" Folmar, tried to shut down the Capri Theatre for showing The Last Temptation of Christ, or as some folks call it, the good old days.

And a couple of times a year there's a story about college students trying to clear their campuses of a college paper becuase of an article they despise.

A dangerous place, but it's the cost of freedom. When you muzzle Phelps and company, you muzzle us all.

Yankees really ARE different.

Headlines in the New York City papers this morning: Doorman strike!
Horrors! To whome will New  Yorkers pay bribes to watch out for crime?
Are they supposed to open their OWN doors????
I guess the financial crisis, high unemployment and waves of home forcloseures must be over, if New Yorker's have even an ounce of concern left for (Horrors!!!) the doormen striking.

MMMM # 95 - The Blogger in MSM Land

     The dust up over a blogger's posting of a sexual orientation rumor isn't going to do much to smooth the jagged edges between the MSM and the blogger community.

Reminder...Artur Davis on 8

On the heels of the New South Coalition endorsement of Ron Sparks, Rep. Artur Davis is the guest on a LIVE edition of "On The Record". Join us on CBS-8/WAKA in Montgomery this afternoon at 5:30pm, just before 60-Minutes.

From Flood to Drought...

...and it happened in the Montgomery area in just three weeks!

The area of the state that is abnormally dry is shown in this "Drought Monitor" map released today. Just three weeks ago there were flood warnings on The Alabama River.

This Week's OTR

     The guest scheduled for this week's On The Record is Democratic Candidate for Governor Artur Davis. I'm told by his people that there is a possibility Davis may have to rush back to Washington for a vote in Congress on Thursday or Friday, but as of right now he's scheduled for the taping Friday morning.
     I do hope he shows, because there is no shortage of things to discuss with him.
    Davis is opposed in the Democratic Primary by Ron Sparks, who was the guest on the program two weeks ago.
    On The Record airs on CBS-8 in Montgomery just before 60-Minutes...at 5:30 on Sunday afternoons.

[UPDATE: Artur Davis will be the guest LIVE. Don't miss On The Record this Sunday.]

Caught on (Audio) Tape (NOT!)

     It's a staple of TV news...the playing of dramatic 911 calls during emergencies. Now the Alabama Legislature has voted unanimously to make it illegal to broadcast those tapes without a court order. The Alabama Broadcaster's Association lobbied fiercely against the bill, with no effect.
     It's feel good legislation that no lawmaker wants to be on the wrong side of. The bill heads to the Governor for his signature and I can't imagine Bob Riley doing much other than signing it with a flourish, protecting the privacy of individuals.
    A case can be made against the bill...calls to 911 are a kind of public record, after all, not someone's private phone conversations. Nonetheless, the Legislature has spoken.
    Alabama was the location of the very first 911 call in the nation. Now it is leading the way toward restricting who can hear the content of those calls.

Hyundai

While the Montgomery media is agog over the thousand or so Hyundai representatives in the city for a dealer's convention, it's a story in the NY Times that's getting the company to crow (how will that translate into Korean? I couldn't get any number of online translators to come up Korean for "fast car" or "muscle car".)

The Times story is a love-letter/review for a Hyundai that's not made in Montgomery...the sporty Genesis. But good news for the company will rub off, I'm sure, on the delegates who will go home knowing they've got the hot cars to sell. And maybe they'll remember they heard about the continued good reviews here.

Is Racial Bias Genetic?

     That seems to be the conclusion of the identification of a rare genetic condition. People with it have no racial bias at all. Read the story here.
     Before you jump to conclusions though, the story cautions: "we are not saying that this is all biologically-based and you can't do anything about it."
    
And thanks to Special Correspondent J.C. for the tip!

My Good Investment is your PORK!

A tip of the hat to AP's Ben Evans for a story analyzing the conflict when people like Senator Richard Shelby brag about bringing home "pork" and then rant about The Obama Administration building up government debt.

Go ABC Board!

     Alabama's Alchholic Beverage Control Board has been awared a Golden Muzzle award for banning a wine because of it's label.
     The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression named the Alabama liquor agency as one of several winners for 2010.
     The Alabama episode is listed toward the top on the group's website, though that may just be our  alphabetic misfortune rather than a true ranking.
     The makers of the wine happily point out that their product is still available in 49 states, despite the scantily clad nymph it shows.
     They should send a free case or two to former Mayor Emory Folmer, now the ABC Board head, who's actions gave their product more publicity than they could possible have bought.

MMMM # 94 -- A VERY big photo montage

     Mark your calendar..May 2nd, 10:00am Central Daylight Savings Time.
     That's the day and time the NY Times Lens blog is setting for folks to take a snapshop and send it to them to perhaps become part of the biggest "A Day In The Life Of..." type photo experiment ever.  It will be global...at least they hope so.
     I'm going to try to do it...if I can come up with the right place to be, and the right photo to take.

[ALSO: One of my pet peeves has been the decision by newspapers to allow readers to comment without being required to use their real names. FINALLY some of them..and some web sites too..are waking up!/]

[PLUS: not a lot of positive thoughts among journalists about the future of the MSM...]

Dixie Carter - RIP

     Sometime my minds plays tricks with me, letting me think I've interviewed someone over the years when it never happened.
     But there's no doubt I interviewed Dixie Carter. It was at Channel 42 in Birmingham, and she was as gracious as you would expect. The book she was promoting was titled "Trying to Get to Heaven, Opinions of a Tennessee Talker", and it was due out in a month or so.
    Ms. Carter died yesterday of cancer at the age of 70.
   The NY Times story of her death inlcudes a quote about her wanting to live in Tennessee because it was...

...a welcome contrast to the backstabbing and sniping of Hollywood.

“Of course in the South we talk about people too,” she said. “But if you end your comments with ‘Bless her heart,’ you’re off the hook.”

     She signed my copy of her book "I so much enjoyed our time together" though she can't have even rememberd what citry she was in during one of those fifteen state whirlwind book tours. But she sounded like she meant it, and she may as well have added "Bless your heart".

Wired Senators.

   The Birmingham News reports some members of the Senate were wired by the FBI in the State House, part of the probe into allegations of vote buying over the electronic Bingo issue.

Language. A telegram in 1861 and an IM in 2010

     Here's a challenge for young visitors, or the children (Grandchildren???) of visitors to this blog. The following sign on Dexter Avenue in Montgomery shows the wording of the telegram authorizing Confederate forces to fire on Ft. Sumter, 149 years ago today.
     If you were the person writing the message today...what would you write in a tweet or an IM to get the same message across. Does the language of the telegram make sense to you?
     Remember, this message is about starting a war that would end with 620,000 Americans killed and and almost equal number wounded. What you send must be clearly written so as not to be misunderstood!

SUGGESTION: Do you know any English or History teachers who might find this an interesting exercise for their classes? Send a link to them...and please let me know if you hear of it being used! timothylennox@charter.net

(S)MMM # 93 -- The 149th Anniversary

     149 years ago this morning...the telegram authorizing the firing on Ft. Sumter, the first event of the U.S. Civil War, was sent from the Winter Building at the foot of Dexter Avenue in Montgomery, first Capital of the Confederacy.

     That first shot came the next day, April 12, 1861. America was at war with itself for four years at a cost in life and limb unparralled in the history of the country. Next year will be the 150th anniversary of the war, so expect a lot more media attention to it.

[Note: OK, it's a bit of a stretch to consider this a Monday Morning Media Memo, or even a Sunday MMM, but the telegram was a media of sorts, precursor to the wireless communication that would change warfare forever.]

Why They're Called "Foreign" Countries.

Thanks to J.C. for alerting me to this rather bizarre story out of Sweden. Imagine for a moment if your company allowed beer drinking during office hours. What would your Friday have been like? Read it here.

The miners and god's wrath

     The way Kansas "Reverend" Fred Phelps is involving himself in the West Virginia mine tragedy is proof of his twisted thinking...if you really needed any proof.
     Those sinning miners!
     Frankly, it's one thing for Phelps & Co. to show up in protest of gays and AIDS, but I wouldn't mess with grieving West Virginia coal-miners if I were he.

[UPDATE: As usual, the few Phelps protestors were greatly outnumbered, but no harm came to them. I've had newsoom arguments about whether they should receive any coverage at all. Does the media make them more important than they are? Should they be ignored?]

Law Professor: Slavery Ordained by God

     A story in the Montgomery Advertiser this afternoon about a writer who will not speak at a teabagger event in Wisconsin, because of his reported views on slavery, is missing this:
     John Eidsmoe, in additon to being an Alabama author, also was a professor at the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in Montgomery and a senior staff attorney for the Alabama Supreme Court.

The Best Alabama Artist you've I've never heard of.

     I'll confess to never having heard of Butch Anthony before I read a profile in The New York Times on Wednesday, yet he's an Alabamian living on a farm on poorhouse road in Seale, near the Georgia line and Columbus.
    As they say, a prophet is not without honor except in his own home...and there is plenty about this state I don't know.
     But the only writing I can find about him is from outside the state. He's a self-taught artist, what we used to call an "outsider" artist till someone decided that was too negative. He puts on a combination art and music show called Doo-Nanny. I just missed this year's event, which was held on just two weeks ago.
   Here's one of his 1999 works I found for sale online for $200:

     Confession time: like the perhaps better-known (to me, anyway) work of Charlie Lucas and Mose T and Howard Finster, this painting (unframed) looks like something my little brother might have painted. If I had a little brother and if he painted, that is.

     Why is it I always feel I'm just a few dollars shy of being punked when I look at this stuff?

     Birmingham's Kathy Kemp wrote an entire book about these folks, and I'm proud to have a signed copy of Revelations on my bookshelf. No, Butch Anthony isn't in it.

     That may be because it was published in 1995, a year after he started painting. (By the way: new copies of the out-of-print Revelations go for almost $400! I did some poetry back in the day and the best I've seen for those little books is $35).

     Anyway, I'll email Kathy and ask about Butch. Maybe there will be a Revelations 2 and he can make the cut. 

99 Years Later

     Today is the 99th anniversary of the worst mine disaster in Alabama History, an event that finally spurred the state into ending the racist and immoral practice of "convict leasing".
     The anniversary falls, appropriately, as the search winds down for any more survivors of a coal mine disaster in West Virginia. Twenty-five are known dead, four still missing there.

     An explosion at 6:30 in the morning on April 8, 1911 killed 128  miners, all but a few convicts "leased" to the mining company by the State. The majority of prisoners then (and now) were black.
     Not surprisingly, many of the early men leasing prisoners were former slave owners. 
     Ten days after the explosion, the Alabama Legislature approved a weak mine safety bill, but the leasing of convicts would continue for almost two decades.
     The story of the Banner Mine tragedy is one of political corruption and public apathy. I'm willing to bet that the convict lease system would be approved today if it were put on the November ballot. It wouldn't stand court challenge, but I'll bet voters would approve it. Better that than letting those convicts stay in their air conditioned cells watching free cable TV all day, right?
     Mine safety has improved a great deal in the last 99 years, primarily because of unions. Yet it is still a dangerous business. In China in 2009, there were 3,250 miners killed. In the U.S. that same year, 30.

     The old Banner Mine site is unmarked, but it's in this general area West of Highway 78 in Jefferson County. I found it thanks to Graysville Mayor Doug Brewer* and Sheriff's Deputy Dennis Ferguson. 

     The men who died in the explosion were buried on a nearby hilltop, though the graves are no longer visible. There is no historic marker to commemorate the disaster.

[*Doug and I worked together a few years back at WERC Radio. He got smart and went into a legit occupation.]

Confederate History Month

   Virginia's Governor says he's sorry...for issuing an official proclamation naming April Confederate History Month in that state.
   But here in Alabama Governor Riley has been issuing proclamations every years he's been in office, and the condemnation of slavery is much gentler.
   Here's what the Riley document says, compared to what the Governor of Virginia added to his:

RILEY:

WHEREAS, our recognition of Confederate history also recognizes that slavery was one of the causes of the war, an issue in the war, was ended by the war and slavery is hereby condemned;

MCDONNELL

WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders, and the study of this time period should reflect upon and learn from this painful part of our history…

     The Virginia proclamation makes Alabama's seem a bit tepid, no?
     Anyway, the Virginia Governor's ommission was a case of history repeating itself. Riley himself did the same thing in 2004, but it was quickly chalked up to an "error", and a "corrected" document was issued.

[UPDATE: Friday, 4/9/10, President Obama says Governor McDonnell did the right thing.]

Is The Tea Movement Racist?

That's the question raised in a Washington Post article today. The questions seems to have been prompted by the shouting at Georgia Congressman John Lewis and other black elected offiicials during the health insurance reform vote.

The usual unusual

     In a Huntsville Times story this afternoon by Bob Lowry about the lobbyist-offering-money to Senate candidate Paul Sanford, the candidate is quoted as saying he had an "unusual conversation" with the lobbyist, but thought it was "politics as usual" in Montgomery.
     Which leaves me wondering which it was. Usual? Unusual? And if he thought it was the usual, did he shout loudly during the campaign that he was an exception and wouldn't follow the usual?
     And just asking, but since he was a candidate for office, what's wrong with asking his stand on an issue before donating to  his campign...unless, of course, the money was not going to be reported. (More on PAC to PAC secret donations in another posting....).
     Do you donate to candidates without knowing if they'll support your position on issues?

Looped is Closing

If you didn't rush to go see the Broadway play about one of  Alabama's most colorful characters--Tallulah Bankhead---it's too late. The show is closing after a month, says ajc.com this afternoon.

Forget Bingo...find jobs!

     In his On The Record* interview this past Sunday, Democratic Candidate for Governor Ron Sparks kept referring back to legalizing gambling of one kind or another. He said there was some $500-Million on the table that Alabama could put toward education if we allowed, but limited and taxed "world class casinos". (To put that in perspective, the two major spending plans in the state are at about $8-Billion.)
     There's no doubt Bingo would create some jobs, and that in the  long run, has to be the most important goal of all of the candidates right now.
     Alabama's jobless rate was stable in March...but it was stable at 11.1%, the highest figure in decades. And those figures don't count the discouraged Alabamians who have just stopped looking.
     A Washington Post story today explores that part of the unemployed population, and it's not reading for the faint of heart (or for people searching for work!). I'm confident the profiles in that story could be duplicated easily here in Alabama.
      Worse yet, the Obama Administration says the national jobless rate will likely go up before it goes down.
    Will the Alabama rate for March show a decline when it is released in a week or two? Will it continue to creep up (The New Era Hat layoffs will be part of the count for that month)?
     Forget the Bingo fight---other than the jobs part of it. Where are the plans to generate new above-minimum-wage jobs?

[*NOTE: The new program premiered on CBS-8 on Sunday at 5:30. We're pre-empted by the Tiger Show--otherwise known as The Masters--- this Sunday, then back with Artur Davis on 4/18, followed by the GOP candidates.)

MMMM # 92 -- For Some, No Warning

     The 1977 Smithfield Estates tornado on the hills north of Birmingham was the first major story I remember covering after I moved to Alabama. Yesterday was the anniversary of the storm. 22 people died after the twister wiped out an entire row of homes. I took these photos from the WERC Helicopter the next morning, though I was on the scene on the ground about an  hour after it struck.

     That's I-65 just north of Birmingham in the distance.

     If you're wondering why this is an MMMM post, here's the reason: Smithfield Estates was an upper-middle-class black subdivision, and it was speculated at the time that the lack of  black radio stations with weather wires (a direct link to the National Weather Service that printed out routine and emergency weather information) contributed to the lack of warning that the storm was coming. 22 people died and more than 100 were injured. Nearby Daniel Payne College was so heavily damaged it closed.

  Weather radio was a brand new technology...so says the National Weather Service:

Timely tornado warnings provided by the National Weather Service allowed people to take necessary action well ahead of the approaching storm. The new NOAA Weather Radio program played a huge role in the process. Warnings were broadcast live on the Birmingham KIH-54 transmitter which was just implemented five months prior to this event.

   I've never seen a statistic about the number of weather radio in circulation at the time, but it must have been small.

Dividing Lines

     Who is a Republican, and who is a Democrat in Alabama? You have a number of old-line Democrats who vote for all the world like members of the GOP. Now the state Republican Party has ruled that Senator Harri Anne Smith was not Republican enough, and will not be on the Republican ballot in June. Her sin? She campaigned for Democrat Bobby Bright in his race for Congress after she was eliminated in the GOP Primary.
     The irony is this: Bright has come under almost constant criticism from Alabama Democrats because he has voted so often with the GOP. He (along with the rest of the state Congressional Delegation) voted against the health insurance reform bill. But he's also under attack by the GOP, which has targeted his seat for takeover (or takeback, since it was a GOP seat before Bright was elected.)
     Another of Senator Smith's sins may have been her vote FOR the Bingo Bill last Monday. She was one of two Senate Republicans to support the legislation. The Country Crossing entertainment center is in her district.
     Is Bobby Bright a real Democrat? Is Harri Anne Smith a real Republican? The evolution of party politics in Alabama continues.
     Smith will run as an independent in November, and since most voters claim to be independents...

[NOTE: Doc's Political Parlor notes that Chip McCallum of Vestavia Hills was also denied a spot on the GOP ballot because of his donations for Democrats.]

Car Stuff

     The New York Auto Show is underway, and two of the models on display that are of special interest to Alabama residents are the Hyundai Sonata Turbo and a Hybrid. That's because the first will be built in the plant at Montgomery and the second will not.
     The New York Times review of both is not especially positive...they don't seem to believe the company will be able to produce the vechicle with the promised power. And they think the Hybrid looks "busy".
     The company says too many changes would be needed at the Alabama plant for the hybrid to be built there, so it will be made in South Korea instead.
     The luxury Hyundai Equus is on display too...for $50,000 you can get the automaker's version of a Lexus. But with the Hyundai vehicle you get a "free " iPad.
     The Millionth car produced at the Hyundai Montgomery is on display at the Montgomery Airport...but no, the company did NOT donate the car in return for that promotional opportunity. The city had to buy it. Hmmm
     As for the Mercedes R-Class wagon, built in Vance, it's being displayed in New York with a make-over. But not enough of one says The Times review.
 
   *The big car story of the year will either be or not be the hybrid car company that is supposedly going to be built in South Alabama by a Chinese company.

   The HK Motors project, a billion dollar hybrid car plant that is supposedly going to be built in Baldwin County, is extraordinarily quiet at the time you would think there would be a flood of publicity. The last news  story posted on their website was in Janaury...and even it was misleading, since the "new" design for the car by an Italian Company was actually an old vehicle design dusted off for the announcement. The state has yet to put a single dollar towards the project. Actually there was a newer story in the Press Register about plant design last month, but the story never made it to the company's website.

GOOD SERVICE

     Let's face it, when you go about hiring someone to do work on your home, it really is a jungle out there.
     I've been fortunate enough to have a trustworthy and affordable handyman available since I moved to Montgomery 12 years ago. I have yet to find the project he or his staff can't or, even better, won't handle. 
     No, I won't share his name and number with you because I don't want to get him loaded down to the point that he can't get to my jobs! (OK, if you ask really nice...)
     Up in North Alabama a kitchen counter contractor has been sentenced to prison for taking money for granite countertops, but never delivering or installing them. He blames the economy. Oddly enough, the jury found him guilty of some of the counts, but not all, even though the cases were more-or-less identical.
     The contractor has been sentenced to twenty years. My initial reaction was YEA! Let that serve as a warning to the shady contracting tradesmen out there! But on reflection, it does seem extreme compared especially to some murderers who get less than that. We really do have an uneven system of deciding how to punish wrongdoers, no? 

Changes on the deadline

I love the Alabama Primary qualifying deadline day, and the surprises it can bring. Now there can be a fist fight between Charles Bishop and Ken Guin!

On The Record Premier

    I just finished taping the first edition of the new CBS-8 program On The Record this morning. The thirty-minute program will air at 5:30pm on Sunday just before 60-Minutes. For those of you not in the Montgomery area, you'll be able to watch the week's program online starting at some point this and each Monday. Not sure when or if this will happen. Watch this space.
     Our guests for the first series of shows will be candiates for Alabama Governor. Democrat Ron Sparks is up first.
     OTR is pre-empted next Sunday for the Masters and Tiger Woods return to golf, but after that:


April 18 Democratic Candidate for Governor Artur Davis

April 25 Republican Candidate for Governor Robert Bentley

May 2 Republican Candidate for Governor Bradley Byrne

May 9  To be announced

May 16 Republican Candidate for Governor Tim James

May 23 Republican Candidate for Governor Bill Johnson

May 30 Republican Candidate for Governor Roy Moore

-----The Democratic and Republican Primary Election is on June 1st-----

June 4 The Democratic and Republican Party Chairs discuss Primary Election results.