Mark your calendars for June 4th & 5th. The "Nuns on the Bus Immigration Tour" will be in Birmingham for two events. Both are free and open to the public and the media.
June 4th: Civil Rights Forum 7pm - St. Paul Cathedral - RSVP here
Nuns on the Bus is a project of the NETWORK Lobby, a Catholic social justice lobby that had the distinction of being reprimanded by the Catholic Church hierarchy for focusing on issues like poverty and hunger, while remaining silent in “the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the United States.”
Our nation’s immigration system is broken. Increased enforcement is tearing families apart and causing suffering for those who are otherwise willing and eager to contribute to our society. Our nation needs an immigration system that reflects our faith values and the needs of the twenty-first century. Such a system reunites families and allows workers the opportunity to come forward without fear to pay taxes and earn legalization. A functioning system will serve the needs of our entire nation.
Well now we know why it seems like average Alabama citizens pay little attention to Legislative antics: they're too busy paging through the Bible with one hand while the other, ahem, pages through Internet porn sites. Who has time to pay attention to the "Marsh Does Montgomery" show or similar antica on Goat Hill?
According to Buzzfeed, the Web site "PornHub" (which we will not link to) matched Gallup's annual survey of the "most religious cities" with its own list of regular porn consumers. The result? Alabama & Utah cities led the pack.
America’s most religious cities ranked by per capita visits to Pornhub between December 1, 2012 and April 30, 2013 (in order from least to most porn-loving):
12. Odgen, UT 11. Hickory, NC 10. Provo, UT 9. Greenville, SC 8. Holland, MI 7. Birmingham, AL - Birmingham had 12.1 Pornhub pageviews per capita, and 56% of its residents say they’re very religious. 6. Jackson, MS 5. Augusta, GA 4. Baton Rouge, LA 3. Little Rock, AK 2. Montgomery, AL - Alabama’s capital had 21.9 Pornhub views per capita. It’s also highly religious, with 64% saying they take religion very seriously. 1. Huntsville, AL - Alabama’s “Rocket City” takes first place, with 23.8 Pornhub views per capita. 55% of its residents are very religious. Oh, and remember that we have the nation's first drive-through sex shop. Coincidence? I think not!
There's just something about those rockets, right campers?
The pictures bring pause to the most cynical, hard-edged heart and mind.
But in the midst of such death and destruction, there is a group of brave people whose fearlessness in the face of Mother Nature is getting noticed.
They responded first when their children were threatened. School teachers.
It took a damn tornado for teachers to get some good publicity.
In a country where lawmakers give lip service to providing a great education, a bunch of Okie teachers went to war when the storms came.
These days, teachers get attention when they are vilified by ungrateful parents and lawmakers who use them as political gaming chips.
In Oklahoma, in the storm zone’s ground zero, at two elementary schools, teachers put themselves between their babies and the worst the storm brought to bear.
Oklahoma teachers are the fourth lowest paid educators in the country.
When the storm hit, they didn’t think twice about what they aren’t paid.
Teachers don’t think that way when storms hit that can hurt their class.
Those Oklahoma teachers protected their babies.
Those of us who know teachers say “Of course they did.”
Teachers are people you want in life’s foxhole.
Drama.
Teachers call it real life.
They’re used to it.
Teachers ask a child how he got those bruises.
Teachers call the food bank to tell them where a hungry child lives.
Teachers get a child to learn when parents let them stay up to watch late night television.
Teachers teach kids who either don’t eat breakfast or have a soft drink and chips to start the day.
Teachers will say “no” to a child who has never heard the word before.
Teachers show kids how to act in a group when parents don’t give a damn how they act anywhere.
Teachers help a child read that has never had a book read to them before they walk in the door of a classroom.
Teachers make a kid look them in the eye who has never focused on anything other than a TV or an iPad.
Teachers build, shape, and mold. They sure don’t do it for the money. They do it because they fight the good fight. They make a difference. They don’t issue press releases. In the aftermath of the storm, we’re told teachers in Oklahoma’s storm zoned acted like heroes. Saved as many students as they could. Of course they did...
And lets remember some other teachers:
Virginia Tech professor Liviu Librescu: "The 75-year-old professor and Holocaust survivor was in the middle of teaching one of his popular classes at Norris Hall yesterday when Cho tried to enter the room. As his students start jumping out the windows of the second-floor room, Librescu stayed behind to block the door, according to his students. He was killed by the gunman."
Sandy Hook Elementary School teachers: "What the teachers and principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School did for the children in their care could win a soldier in a war zone a Purple Heart."
Protecting students at Columbine: ''Under the table, kids!'' she says now, directing her attention back to the students who, moments before, had been quietly studying in the library at Columbine High School. ''Kids, under the table. Kids, stay on the floor. . . . Oh, God. Oh, God -- kids, just stay down.''
Teachers. It's about time we gave them the respect and recognition they deserve. They're occasionally called upon for extraordinary acts of heroism, but let's not forget that they have the potential to change lives - and save lives - every single day at work.
It was my first foray into the frenzy of college football. Neyland Stadium is fairly overwhelming, especially for a child. Wrapped up in the excitement of the game day atmosphere only SEC rivalry games can provide, I was nonetheless stuck between a crimson rock and a big orange hard place. Third Saturday of October - if you don’t know what it really means, you clearly ain’t from around here.
As a native of East Tennessee – Union County - and with my loyal Big Orange fan mother and grandmother next to me in the stands, I had opted for the UT sweatshirt, which nonetheless left me gripped by pangs of betrayal considering my father was a long-time Alabama devotee, also sitting next to me.
The ladies seemed satisfied. Dad offered little more than a good-natured smirk. Alabama was ranked second in the nation. Tennessee wasn’t on the charts.
The end of the first quarter seemed to be an ideal time for a potty break, and it did not go unnoticed when I returned sans the Tennessee sweatshirt, revealing the Alabama t-shirt underneath. Dad’s smirk disappeared. Roll Tide, y’all. The Crimson die had been cast, and I haven’t wavered since.
Final score: Alabama 56, Tennessee 28.
* * * Most wouldn’t waste breath nitpicking the nuances of team loyalty. Ultimately no one is affected, even if you flip and flop like a fish out of water depending on how a season unfolds and what the rankings reflect. But the same cannot be applied to matters of public policy… and it especially shouldn’t be a prime characteristic of a state’s chief executive, namely being chronically fickle and unapologetically wading in a pool of contradictions.
When Gov. Robert Bentley spoke of “school choice,” specifically the “right” for parents to send their children from a failing public school to a public school which isn’t in academic peril, it made sense. It seemed fair. Most Alabamians wouldn’t advocate condemning a child to a dismal and unfulfilling scholastic life.
But when the Alabama Senate reverted to the depressing days of shady deals struck in smoky back rooms, gutting a “school choice” bill and supplanting it with a naked grab to subsidize private school education, remarkably Bentley didn’t blink. Like an awkward, pimple-ridden teen desperate for acceptance from everyone, he readily jumped on board with the new bill, despite his advocacy for public school choice. The new bill of course not only forces taxpayers to subsidize a private education for others, it would amount to corporate welfare for profit-driven private businesses and further deplete already woefully scarce resources for our public schools.
From the beginning, I have been telling you all that the so called “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” is neither protective nor affordable to patients. We can keep the same PPACA abbreviation and call it what it is:The Profiteering Protection and Affordable Cruelty Act. Although I read the whole darn thing, I lack a background in law or politics.As the specific corporate protections emerge from this convoluted mess, I have to say I didn’t foresee some of them.I knew it would be bad, just not all the details of said badness.
The latest in our story of woe?Insurers and some employers have discovered an irresistible loophole that allows skimpy policies covering only a few outpatient services.The key phrase is “minimal essential coverage”, previously defined in federal law under the IRS Act of 1986.I noticed some folks had conflated that term with “essential health benefits”, but EHB are mandated items on state Exchange policies starting in 2014.No plan will be allowed to put lifetime or annual dollar limits on coverage, but outside of the Exchanges, other details of minimal essential coverage are minimally described.
I think I was fooled by the ACA’s opening paragraphs allowing insurers to temporarily restrict annual limits on essential health benefits until 2014.I missed the absence of any requirement to offer those benefits at all, at any date, except on the Exchanges.Insurer can’t restrict annual dollar amounts of those benefits if they are offered. In a stunning twist on catastrophic coverage, it is possible for insurers to cover only the required preventive services and omit the catastrophes.
You can get your colonoscopy “free” if you have a non-grandfathered plan, but any follow-up surgery is entirely on you.
Chalk up a win for the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners & the Alabama Veterinary Practice Owners Association (aka... the "Greedy Vets Club"). Aided by Senators Paul Bussman and Del Marsh, they were successful in killing legislation to protect non-profit spay & neuter clinics in Alabama.
This happened even though the state's largest veterinarian group, the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, supported the bill. In contrast, the "Greedy Vets Club" worked hard to kill it. The reason? Money. Remember this tidbit from the group's home page:
Through our efforts, we hope to insure a stable future for those who currently are invested physically and financially in the profession, as well as the promise of future careers to those who come after us.
It's not about saving lives and taxpayer dollars; it's about padding profits.
Here is some good news yesterday though:
Protection for police & rescue animals: HB259 makes it a crime to harass, assault, injure, cause the death, or attempt to harass, assault, injure, or cause the death of a police animal or search and rescue animal.
Penalties for animal cruelty increased:HB27 raises the penalty for animal cruelty from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor and creates the crime of aggravated animal cruelty as a Class C felony.
Senator Hank Sanders was the lone NO vote. WTF was that about?
Because HB188 failed to pass the Senate, the ASBVME could force the non-profit clinics to close. The legislature asked them to hold off after last year's bill also failed to pass and give the legislature another opportunity to pass an acceptable bill.
So the question now becomes: what will the board do now? After all, we have the Greedy Vets Club busily counting cash and lobbying to have the clinics closed. On the other side, the clinics have the support of the AVMA and Alabama citizens.
Saturday, June 1 at 11:00 am
DoubleTree Hotel
120 Madison Ave., Montgomery
Yes, this was the site of the August 2010 meeting with 350 attendees and broken air conditioning. At that time the place was called the Madison Hotel. The name has changed, let's hope the DoubleTree fixed the AC.
That's not the only similarity to that infamous meeting.
Nancy Worley has had a busy weekend. She started Friday, when she informed the Executive Board of the Alabama Democratic Party that "we're broke, broke, broke" She continued, somewhat disingenously,
Worley said she and the board must be more financially accountable. But Worley said that she was kept in the dark by Kennedy about the party's financial condition.
Really? In the dark? What about the meeting on March 29 in which then Chairman Kennedy presented a proposed budget that the Executive Board overrode, doubling the travel budget and approving the hiring of a new employee; a meeting Ms. Worley attended and at which she is quoted saying
"If ... any person -- is going to dictate how money is spent, than we are a Democratic Party that is not a democracy"
I received a telephone call today, similar to one that several of you have reported in the past. For background, let me say that occasionally, maybe once a week, I have received calls on my cell which show "Unknown" in the "caller" window. When I answer, there would be no one there. But today, I was blessed!
The phone rang...I glanced at the "caller" window..."Unknown!" I answered and a female voice said, "May I speak to Mr. Norman Boyd?"
I told her that before she speaks to anyone, I want to know why I keep getting these calls with "Unknown" in the window.
Are you sitting down, dear reader? Do not read on with Mountain Dew in your mouth! She said, (Go below the fold)
We have one more day of Alabama’s 2013 legislative session, when it is still possible to ward off the ghastly specter of Foreign Law from being forced upon us. Colorado, that means you—stand back, with your Rocky Mountain High and your happy newly-weds. Meanwhile, our beloved state Supreme Court has brought pregnancy and childbirth back to what they think God meant it to be—drug free. No epidurals. That can work well, especially if you have a midwife or a doctor skilled in normal unmedicated birth, but do women want to give up that option? How about no spinal blocks for c-sections? Girlfriends, better practice your breathing! Obstetricians, addiction specialists and anesthesiologists, do I have your attention?
Our story begins back in 2006, when Alabama passed a Chemical Endangerment statute meant to protect children from harm in meth houses. Although it said nothing whatsoever about pregnant women and was never intended to apply to women who become pregnant while addicted or who use a drug during pregnancy, that didn’t stop prosecutors from jumping right in.
I first learned of the problem when National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) contacted me about efforts to challenge the prosecutions of two Alabama women jailed under such misuse of the law. I decided to add my name to amici curiae briefs that explained to the court how dangerous these prosecutions are for maternal, fetal, and child health. I’m proud to be listed right there with the 47 groups and individuals who co-signed, including ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), the American Medical Women’s Association, the National Perinatal Association, and NOW-Alabama. Y’all know I’m a good progressive, but ACOG has never been accused of such. What gives?
So what part of "Alabama Republican Party supermajority" does Alabama State Senator Shadrack McGill not understand? The key to a "super" majority in the Senate is that it has the votes to block a filibuster. Every time... unless some party members refuse to go along with the leadership.
That doesn't happen very often in the GOP folks, but in this interview with the Scottsboro Daily Sentinel, McGill lays the blame squarely on those talkative Democrats:
As the Alabama Legislature’s regular session winds down this week, Sen. Shadrack McGill (R-Macedonia) said it’s been a tough session, to say the least.
‘The Senate has been slow moving any legislation out,” said McGill. “Even local legislation has been very slow to pass this year due to the Democratic party filibustering almost everything.”
Odd that the reporter didn't challenge this statement since basic arithmetic (and Senate rules) refute it. Any senator can start a filibuster and the chamber can shut it down by "invoking cloture."
The agreement of a 3/5 majority of the Senate that debate on a given measure shall cease at a specified time. This parliamentary procedure, in resolution or petition form, is used only as a last resort to end a filibuster.
Alabama has 35 state senators, which means 21 votes are needed to invoke cloture. The Senate currently has 23 Republican members: that's why it's called a supermajority. Voting together, they can shut down any Democratic opposition to legislation.
So Democratic Senators may have tried filibusters, but it takes one simple vote to shut them down. And that happens: ask any of the 11 Democratic Senators what this session has been like.
The frustrating process of trying to "organize" Democrats is best described as "herding cats," while organizing Republicans is generally no harder than leading lemmings off a cliff.
So, is McGill saying here that party leadership has broken down and Republicans were supporting Democratic filibusters? That surely would have been big news. Or is he merely yet again putting his ignorance and propensity to blame others on display?
No matter how many unwanted animals might be born - and die in shelters - as a result of their opposition, an Alabama vet group is urging members to day to help defeat HB188. It's a compromise bill that will allow low-cost spay & neuter clinics to continue operating in Alabama. It's supported by the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association and animal welfare groups.
Enter the Alabama Veterinary Practice Owners Association (AVPOA) to oppose HB188. The reason? Money.
In an email sent to members, the AVPOA urges members to contact their senators and ask them to "support Senator Bussman in stopping HB188." It concludes like this:
Every veterinarian in the state of Alabama who values what this profession is, who wants to see it continue to be a proud profession with high standards, and who wishes to pass on a legacy of a quality private practice to a child, or a colleague, needs to contact their senator TODAY and ask them to support Senator Paul Bussman in stopping HB188.
It is imperative that you do this this morning!
All evidence indicates that SB 25 will get stuck in committee. We must kill HB188 in the senate today to stop this attack on our profession.
A quick glance at the AVPOA home page places the part about "passing on a legacy" in more context. The introductory text includes this:
Through our efforts, we hope to insure a stable future for those who currently are invested physically and financialy in the profession, as well as the promise of future careers to those who come after us.
Oh, and they have a Twitter feed where the most recent post asserted that Rep. Patricia Todd is a liar. Nice.
Fortunately, there are more citizens of Alabama who care about animal welfare issues than this greedy subset of Alabama's veterinary population.
Contact your Senator NOW and ask him/her to support HB188 and oppose Senator Bussman's efforts to kill it. Read these advocacy tips from the Alabama Voters for Responsible Animal Legislation. The link includes a list of Senator's email addresses and tips for contacting them.
Do it now - even if you've contacted them previously. Please.
Remember the GOP promise to improve ethics and clean up Alabama's campaign finance system? If not, don't worry about it: neither does the AL GOP supermajority. At least that's how it appears with Senator Bryan Taylor's new bill SB445.
Bill Britt at the Alabama Political Reporter has the scoop this morning:
It seems that Mr. Taylor has found a way to backdoor PAC-to-PAC transfers for some organizations and eliminate any muscle that others might have.
It also appears to give utility companies the ability to provide unlimited amounts of money. The Republicans promised that they would bring about campaign finance reform. But the reforms passed by the GOP have been questionable in scope and enforcement. Now, Taylor seems ready to deal a further deathblow to real reform.
The whole article is appalling.
Among other things, Taylor's bill:
Allows legislative caucuses to accept political contributions and seems to exempt them from the rules regulating PAC to PAC transfers.
Forbids any entity from acting as a "pass-through" for political contributions if it appears to exist solely to conceal the identity of the original donor. Britt calls this the "True Republican PAC Get Even With AEA” section.
That may be, but it's a self-inflicted wound for AEA. As we've already noted, the AEA's bet on Bentley was a bad ROI for education and that shady network of PACs it used during that election only served to highlight the need for more transparency in campaign financing.
Allows public utilities to make unlimited contributions to any candidates but those who are standing for PSC slots.
This last one is totally the most egregious power grab of the session. Remember what's been going on with the PSC and the rate review requested by member Terry Dunn? He's the guy that Speaker Mike Hubbard rebuked for taking his job too seriously.
He suggested that perhaps a formal rate review might be in order since Alabama Gas Company customers pay rates twice as high as their counterparts in Mississippi. The reaction by PSC Twinkle Cavanaugh was swift - and paranoid. Simply asking questions at a public hearing, she asserted, would lead to Socialism, environmentalism, and unemployment. Sure.
But Dunn has persisted, and perhaps some of Alabama's utilities are worrying that he might derail the gravy train. It's a good plan: why worry about PSC oversight when you can simply buy off the legislature with unlimited campaign contributions?
Just in case you think this stupid bill will go nowhere, think again. After flying through committee (with no public hearing, it seems), it passed the Senate yesterday is headed to the House.
Good news out of Birmingham - just in time for summer gardens! Last night, the city council voted to make community gardening and beekeeping easier within the city limits. This is an issue that's been pending for some time: we wrote about the public meetings on the subject in January.
Looks as though the initiative's supporters were pretty persuasive:
The new rules are meant to regulate and encourage the spread of urban gardens on vacant property by making it possible to set up food stands to sell some of the produce on site as long as you're well away from schools and parks.
The new guidelines also allow for the expanded use of beekeeping. Beekeepers can now keep up to 10 hives per acre inside the city.
he comprehensive plan will set out a 20-year policy and strategic framework for the City of Birmingham. Guided by an overall vision that embodies the unique personality, culture, and heritage of our community, the planning process will establish a set of goals, policies, strategies, and implementation actions to achieve the plan’s vision for Birmingham’s future. This will be the city’s first full comprehensive plan since 1961. It’s our opportunity to set a new course for Birmingham in the 21st century.
This specific part of the plan will help address the problem of "food deserts" within the city. Those are areas that lack larger grocery stores or farmers markets, so residents have little access to high quality, fresh, affordable foods. This contributs to poor overall health as well as the obesity crisis in Alabama. We have the 4th highest obesity rate in the country.
Hopefully, this new initiative will improve quality of life for many Birmingham residents by:
Giving them more food choices and easier access to healthy foods.
Offering moneymaking opportunities where residents can sell their excess produce.
Helping build community ties and pride, as has happened at the West End Community Garden.
The once overgrown piece of property doesn't just serve as a planting ground. Shambulia says she's seen it build a stronger community.
"I've seen community members become a little bit more mindful about their yard space. We've seen community members actually start gardens. We definitely experienced children, you know having a safe space, an open space to come and play and work and be safe. Safe spaces for seniors to go," she said.
Kudos to the City of Birmingham and the committed community organizers and residents who are doing this important work.
T.H.E. Social Work Agency Adoption home studies & care management services in the North Alabama area.
Licensed, certified, caring social workers. blog advertising is good for you
put out a column on Al.com Friday that concluded Governor Bentley is an 
