“This election was a CAT scan on the American people, and as difficult as it is to say, as hard as it is to name, what it revealed, at least in part, is a frightening affinity for a man of borderless corruption,” said Peter H. Wehner, a former strategic adviser to President George W. Bush and vocal critic of Mr. Trump. “Donald Trump is no longer an aberration; he is normative.”
(Source: NY Times story.)
...of rainfall in Montgomery so far. That means 5 WEEKS without rain here.
The official amount that has supposedly has fallen is .07 of an inch. But that must have been in someone else's yard.
Trump... "talked right past the facts and through relentless repetition convinced voters.
He also sold them on the promise of the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history, although he has not explained how such an operation would work. And he is threatening to impose massive tariffs on key products from China and other American adversaries, which economists warn could dramatically boost prices for average Americans."
From an Associated Press story
AND...remember:
Trump has called for rolling back societal emphasis on diversity and for legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. Trump has called for ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government institutions, using federal funding as leverage.
On transgender rights, Trump promises generally to end "boys in girls' sports," a practice he insists, without evidence, is widespread. But his policies go well beyond standard applause lines from his rally speeches. Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administration's policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth.
From a column in The NY Times by Jon Meacham.
From a NY Times Editorial:
You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to lead. Watch him. Listen to those who know him best. He tried to subvert an election and remains a threat to democracy. He helped overturn Roe, with terrible consequences. Mr. Trump’s corruption and lawlessness go beyond elections: It’s his whole ethos. He lies without limit. If he’s re-elected, the G.O.P. won’t restrain him. Mr. Trump will use the government to go after opponents. He will pursue a cruel policy of mass deportations. He will wreak havoc on the poor, the middle class and employers. Another Trump term will damage the climate, shatter alliances and strengthen autocrats. Americans should demand better. Vote.
The extraordinary dry October weather in Montgomery continues....and ironically it follows an extraordinarily WET September!
It was the wettest September on record, over the past 130 years in Montgomery!
And yet.......As of October 30, the following locations have over 30 days
without any measurable rainfall and are on track to tie for their driest
of ANY month on record dating back to the late 1800s: Columbia, South
Carolina; Augusta, Georgia; Macon, Georgia (1892-2024); Atlanta, Georgia
(1878-2024; Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1893-2024); Huntsville, Alabama
(1894-2024); Birmingham, Alabama (1895-2024).
"Almost all 19 of the mammal species observed in experiments were twice as likely to abandon the waterholes when hearing humans talking compared to lions or even hunting sounds. The mammals include rhinos, elephants, giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, and warthogs, some of which can pose dangers in their own right."
Full story is HERE.
"Near here is old Spring Hill, the site of one of the polling places for the November 3, 1874 local, state and national elections. Elias M. Keils, scalawag and judge of the Circuit Court of Eufaula, was United States Supervisor at the Spring Hill ballot box. William, his 16 year old son, was with him. After the polls closed, a mob broke into the building, extinguished the lights, destroyed the poll box and began shooting. During the riot, Willie Keils was mortally wounded. The resulting congressional investigation received national attention. This bloody episode marked the end of Republican domination in Barbour County.
Erected 1979 by Historic Chattahoochee Commission."
You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to lead. Watch him. Listen to those who know him best. He tried to subvert an election and remains a threat to democracy. He helped overturn Roe, with terrible consequences. Mr. Trump’s corruption and lawlessness go beyond elections: It’s his whole ethos. He lies without limit. If he’s re-elected, the G.O.P. won’t restrain him. Mr. Trump will use the government to go after opponents. He will pursue a cruel policy of mass deportations. He will wreak havoc on the poor, the middle class and employers. Another Trump term will damage the climate, shatter alliances and strengthen autocrats. Americans should demand better. Vote.
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a meeting with school and university students, in Tehran on Saturday.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its Oct. 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people.
Any further attacks from either side could engulf the wider Middle East, already teetering over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, into a wider regional conflict just ahead of the U.S. presidential election this Tuesday.
FULL STORY HERE.
(Read full AL.COM story HERE.)
(UPDATE: Florida voters rejected it.)
From a CNN story (Full story is HERE)
Richard Arrington was elected the first black Mayor of Birmingham on this date in 1979.
He's 90 years old now.
I was at his victory headquarters inside the old Parliament House Hotel the night he won, and the atmosphere was electric. It took a long time for his supporters to settle down so he could speak. Then, when he said plainly that the voters had for the first time selected a person of color as mayor....another huge round of cheers that delayed the rest of his victory speech.
I was a talk-radio host back then, and had no shortage of disagreements with Hizhonor...BUT I cheered that night when a city known for racial strife took a step forward.
When we praise the former Alabama U.S. Senator for the federal dollars he directed to our state, let's remember this, (From a Pro-Publica story):
When the Navy decided to issue contracts to build 20 littoral combat ships in two states in 2010, it encountered stiff resistance from the then-ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain, a Republican. But Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican representing Alabama, where some of the ships were being built, slipped in an amendment that would allow the Navy to do so in a last-minute budget bill. “He made sure it happened,” a Shelby spokesman said at the time. Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who was initially skeptical of the ships, supported the proposal. He said the plan to build 10 vessels at a shipyard in neighboring Wisconsin would provide “a major boost for the region’s economy.” Even after the Navy finally determined that it only needed 32 of the ships, Congress managed to fund three more.
 |
| USS Montgomery (LCS 8) |
Full Post story is HERE.
October is traditionally a very dry month in Montgomery, and as we reach the last days of that month here in 2024, it appears we will live up to that pattern, with zero inches of rain in Montgomery.
That rainfall on the left was in July.
We really need a good soaking now, at the end of October!
Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson to Host Alabama Frontier Days Montgomery – The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) invites you to its annual Alabama Frontier Days event
on November 6-9, from 9:00 am – 4:00pm, at Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson in Wetumpka, AL.
Celebrated as one of Alabama’s largest and most authentic living history events, Alabama Frontier Days brings the 18th century frontier to vivid life. This event focuses on the South as it transitioned from Creek Indian lands to military forts and civilian homesteads from 1700 to 1820. Using Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson as a historical backdrop, the public can experience living historians who will bring the fort to life through military reenactments with booming cannon fire and captivating demonstrations of frontier crafts and trades. "Alabama Frontier Days is the keystone event for Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park and is the largest education based living history program in the state,” said Calvin Chappelle, site director of Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson. “The wonderful thing about this event is that it takes what students have read about or studied in the classroom and brings it to life in a beautiful outdoor setting."
This snapshot of frontier life includes Creek Indians, French soldiers and their families, British traders who lived among the Creeks and American soldiers who fought in Andrew Jackson’s army during the Creek War. There will be period entertainment featuring an eighteenth-century magician, merchants, strolling balladeers, and musicians. AHC Executive Director Lisa D. Jones said, “Alabama Frontier Days is a signature event for AHC. Each year, we welcome thousands of school children who come away with an enhanced understanding of what life was like three hundred years ago. We’ve been proud to continue this educational outreach for more than two decades.”
Alabama Frontier Days admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children (ages 6-18 years). The Saturday ‘Family Day’ is a terrific opportunity for families to experience the forts together and learn more about the rich history on site. Food and retail vendors will be available.
Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson was declared a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1961 and was acquired by the AHC in 1971.
About the Alabama Historical Commission
Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency
for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s
historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as
public attractions; and statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of
programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov
Times column HERE
"Trump, meanwhile, stands before his MAGA crowds and spews nonstop lies, ominous threats, impossible promises and utter gibberish. His rhetoric is dismissed, or looked past, without first being interrogated.
Imagine if Harris were promising to end the war in Gaza on her first day in office but wouldn’t say how. Imagine if she were proposing a tariffs-based economic plan that economists say would destabilize the world economy and cost the average family $4,000 a year in higher prices. Imagine if she were promising a “bloody” campaign to uproot and deport millions of undocumented migrants who are gainfully employed and paying taxes. And imagine if Harris were vowing to use the military to go after her political opponents, as Trump repeatedly pledges."
