Every time you think Langford can't get any worse. Well, he does. Countrycat
Unbelievable. Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford is refusing to issue a permit or a mayoral proclamation for next month's gay pride festivities for Central Alabama Pride. Isn't it 2008?
Birmingham Mayor's Office: (205) 254-2277
Birmingham News: Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford won’t sign a proclamation for an annual gay pride celebration or allow banners on city property, and said he will not grant the sponsoring group a parade permit.
Langford said he turned down the requests this week from Central Alabama Pride because it is inappropriate for government to endorse a lifestyle. Pride Week is next month and often includes a parade on Southside and other events.
August 25, 2009 ... and October 6, 2009 ... and November 3, 2009 ... AND December 8, 2009.
And now ... yet another election in Birmingham ... look for a special mayoral runoff on January 19, 2010.
The already depressed electorate in what should be the most vibrant city in Alabama is making a note to up the Prozac dose, starting now. Why is it that Birmingham elections depress voters instead of invigorating them?
The past 24 hours has been busy for the news cycle involving Birmingham government and politics.
There was a mayoral forum last night hosted by the Birmingham Business Alliance where only 9 of the 15 candidates attended including Jefferson County Commissioner (District 1) William Bell, Birmingham City Council member Carole Smitherman, and interim Birmingham City Council President/President Pro Tem Steven Hoyt. The issues including economic development and what the candidates plan on doing. Word is that other front runner candidates Emory Anthony and Patrick Cooper had prior engagments involving campaigning in individual neighborhoods.
Birmingham mayoral candidate Patrick Cooper calls out the racebaiting of William Bell. During a Sunday morning prayer breakfast in Birmingham in November, Bell called Cooper a "slave trader from Mobile, who will bring back plantation politics to the city". Cooper is biracial, so what does this really say about Bell?
Former mayor Larry Langford, has formally endorsed William Bell for mayor - this was done late last night. This could be a political albatross for him with some voters more than Bell realizes.
As pointed out by fellow contributor and blogger, Kathy, about the legitimacy of the election of Steven Hoyt as Birmingham City Council President Pro Tem/interim City Council President after City Council President/interim mayor Roderick Royal nominated and later voted for Hoyt, The question was it legit since Royal is now interim mayor. Conflicting legal advisors say two different things. The Council legal advisor J. Richmond Pearson says it is questionable, but Assistant City Attorney Malera Wright says that it is legit because he wasn't mayor since the election was over.
This is going to be a LONG week until next Tuesday!
An unknown state legislature in the Alabama House of Representatives named DuWayne Bridges (R-Valley) has pre-filed a state amendment that would ban any public funded agency from allowing domestic benefits of its employees including those with same-sex partners. Yeah, this asshole is trying to force UAB, and the other schools in the University of Alabama system to drop their new policy or plans to allow benefits for same-sex couples. This douchebag is doing the regular ol' political grandstanding, but yet his district is extreme east Alabama including Chambers and portions of Lee counties. In other words, he has more to do with Auburn University than the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
This another reason why I get so pissed at a number of rural white Alabamians for allowing idiots like Bridge get elected because some of them doesn't want to mind their own business and let Birmingham do what it do. They have this mindset that since Birmingham is so culturally, economic, and ethnically diverse and "big-city" that it is their mission to destroy this city with retarded state laws that doesn't make any sense. Birmingham is the economic engine of this state and the main place in this state that most out-of-state residents move to when they want to live in an established urban environment. Instead, they want to ensure UAB and Birmingham doesn't recruit top talent regardless of what their sexual orientation. When it comes down to it every little thing counts to these people since they can go to any other major research university in the nation and they already have their suspicious about Alabama, but thanks to an ass like Bridges it will just reaffirm them rather than defy them. UGH!
Today the Tea Party Express rolled into Birmingham, Alabama - my hometown. Probably not a big surprise to anyone. But I'm absolutely shocked at the display that occurred in Kelly Ingram Park - right in the middle of the historic Civil Rights museum. Within feet of the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum and the 16th Street Baptist Church - where four little girls were killed on September 15, 1963. . In the middle of Kelly Ingram Park where Dr. Martin Luther King and Fred Shuttlesworth organized demonstrations for real freedom. Where Bull Connor turned the firehouses and dogs on children.
Is Birmingham a magnet for right wing crazies or something? First Focus on the Family and the Kill the Bill folks and now the Tea Party Express will be in town Monday, in Kelly Ingram Park no less.
I have to give it up to John Archibald, Birmingham News columnist, because he said it best, there is sadness. I'm saddened that Birmingham has come to this point because there is so much anger, confusion, and sadness.
In 2007, the city had a chance to elect somebody different and that person was Patrick Cooper, but chose to elect somebody with name recognition and a group of attack dogs like Frank Matthews among others. I know Langford, via my late paternal grandmother who was a major socialite in Birmingham, and he has always been a man that was troubled and a beacon of controversy even back then. When he was elected Birmingham's mayor in 2007 I said these exact words, "Lord, this is going to be a circus", and lo and behold it has been a circus for the past 2 years (to the day). Langford was a leader of much promise and great ideas, but he let his own ego and greed get the best of him thus the verdict. I'm the last person to cheer about that verdict because it says Langford and the citizens of Birmingham failed Birmingham by letting this happen again.
Nobody in their right mind could speculate that Birmingham would be as lost as it is right now, where someone like Carole Smitherman is interim mayor (only a month at the most because she can't be reappointed City Council President since she is now mayor and Council President becomes interim mayor). Smitherman's platform is just as faulty as Langford's since she campaigned against her District 6 opponent with the same tactics that Langford via Matthews did by calling them "not black enough" or "friends with those over-the-mountain". That type of politics is what keeps Birmingham from moving forward on a social perspective where politics of divide and conquer is pushed forward rather than politics of ideas to fix the city, which aren't given a valid chance. I don't like most of the "over-the-mountain" elected officials anymore than most socially progressive citizens of this region, but you can't continuously push this divide because you think it's politically expedient to your election.
I've lived in the Birmingham metro area for most of my [short] life, although never in city limits. Most of the time, I've been in Shelby County and been busy with school - which means that up until the past year or two I never really paid much attention to what the County Commission, the mayor ,or the City Council were doing (or not doing, as the case may be).
In the same vein, I've known that our state Constitution needs an overhaul. I read parts of it in college, listened to arguments about some of the more archaic language, and come to the conclusion that what the darn thing really needs is a flaming torch.
Elections have consequences, and electing people who can't or won't get things done has really bad consequences -- in this case the loss of $100 million in federal transportation money for the Birmingham metro area.
The money, set aside in a 2005 law, was supposed to encourage the city and its regional partners to reduce traffic congestion from Birmingham into northern Shelby County with some type of transit such as speedier high-tech buses or dedicated lanes for vehicles with multiple passengers.
Instead, without a political commitment across city borders to get it done, the $100 million from the Federal Transit Administration will not find its way to Alabama. Before it would start doling out the money, the federal government needed an approved plan, a 20 percent match with local funds, and a steady stream of revenue to maintain the plan.
This kind of missed opportunity shouldn't happen in Alabama. The Feds were offering the B'ham metro a 5 to 1 return on their money and it was turned down because local government officials just couldn't get their act together.
Local elections matter, folks! We need to stop voting for the good looking guy, the lady with the nice smile, or the one we'd like to have a beer/dinner with. When it comes time to elect county commissioners and city council members or mayors, please look to see if the person you are voting for has actually accomplished things in his or her life. Can they successfully juggle as many as 3 or 4 important issues at the same time? Or are they just George W. Bush writ small -- a nice guy with family connections who hasn't accomplished squat on his or her own? Alabama can't afford more of the latter.
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It snowed freaks early this morning. At 8:35 a.m. it continues as hard or harder than ever. I look up from this page and out the the front window to see big, fat flakes furiously swirling, tumbling, banging into one another, falling -- over an hour after the vids below were shot of my and my doggie's morning walk around our neighborhood and into Avondale Park to let Chloe do some serious, off-leash frolicking.
I actually have a couple of small-but-working fireplaces, which I plan on using momentarily. And, yes, milk and bread were bought. As every Southerner knows, before the first flake falls we must all repair to the nearest Piggly Wiggy or Winn Dixie (or, for neophytes, Whole Foods -- but I'm a traditionalist so I went to "the Pig") to stock up on bread and milk. I've been through my share of small flurries and large ice storms in Alabama and for the life of me cannot really recall ever having sat around in a darkened house staring at others while savoring slices of white bread and rationing-out tablespoons-full of whole milk. Nevertheless, we want to be ready.
Anyway, on to the clips (with apologies for the heavy clomp of boots):
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Have some courtesy,
Have some sympathy, and some taste
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Live-blogging from the Birmingham International [sic] Airport. By the clock in this garishly yellow "Wall Street Deli" in which I sit it's 7:53 a.m., Sunday, December 28. I'll be here for a while.
I was due (as in there was a "ticket" that I "bought") to leave for Boston (Hartford, CT, actually) via Hell Atlanta at 6:40 a.m. Obviously, I'm neither in the air and you'll have to trust me on the sitting in Birmingham, and not Atlanta, part.
While I don't anticipate the Hard Core Dante Treatment like those poor souls in Chicago and Seattle this week, some of whom I understand have been sleeping on cots or what I'm sure is O'Hare Airport's incredibly sanitary floor since 1978, Birmingham Airport During the Holidays can serve-up its own flavor of Purgatory, just to make sure that we here in the Deep South don't feel too left-out of all the fun going on up in BlagoLand.
First of all, and let's get this straight, right from the get-go, we must all understand that Christmas and New Year's and the week in between snuck up on the airlines! Now, some supercilious technogeeks, Skypewonks and digitheads who are addicted to those increasingly annoying NextGen devices like Crackberries, iPODs, and, well, calendars, will tell you that Delta and Northwest* (now DelWest, or NorthDel, or, as most of the people here at the Airport call these merging airlines: #*!@(*%#&^! (which is airport passengerese for Idiots) could have and, indeed, should have predicted that during this last week of December MORE PEOPLE TRAVEL than usual and, thus, could have and should have anticipated and allowed-for and been ready for this INCREASE IN TRAVEL, this is, as we all know, so much 20/20 hindsight talk from the same kind of overly brainy people who do things like tie their own shoe-laces and know how to chew food. In other words, we must avoid setting impossibly high planning and operational standards for today's U.S. air carriers.
I'll continue this below the fold, after taking a break to go find a pillow in which to bury my face and screamweep whimper.
In light of the ongoing conversation concerning Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Larry Langford and his recent indictment, today's Links I Like are all about Larry.
Danner at 9Numbers offers some Frank Talk about Larry that I find informative and insightful (emphasis mine):
We knew this was coming, but is it really good news?
I’ve been thinking that the views of Langford that get expressed online are not the views of most of the city’s voters, who are probably as skeptical of the government and its idea of justice as they are of Langford’s craziness and preaching. For instance, why’d they nail Langford and not the CEO of JP Morgan?
I’d hate to see all the clever white folk in town go one way on this issue while most black folk go the other way. Seems that one thing we could all agree on is that it’s a setback for the city when the mayor gets arrested.
A 101-count federal indictment announced Monday came as a relief to Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford following more than a year of rumors and speculation, he said.
In an interview with The Birmingham News Tuesday, Langford said he would not let his Monday morning arrest and dozens of criminal charges distract him from his duties as mayor. He said the rumors of an investigation were more of a distraction than his actual arrest and indictment.
"It's not business as usual. It's business more intensified than usual," he said from his office following Tuesday's City Council meeting , where he delivered his regular weekly report. "Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I can now turn all of my attention to carrying out my duties as mayor."
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford was back in the office today after making bail yesterday (gee, I wonder who put up that $50,000). He spoke to the City Council this morning and told them he will be bringing in a list of new projects next week.
New projects? Oh, fer cryin’ out loud! A quick perusal of Kyle Whitmire’s Larry Langford: The Year in Review should remind all of us just how successful Larry has been at funding and completing new projects. Is it too much to hope that the little matter of his indictment will serve as a wake up call for a city council that has been far too willing to play along with his crazy schemes? I’m not holding my breath.
First thing that's hot on the mayoral front is that Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford has been charged with bribery and money laundering. The charges don't stem from Langford's actions as Mayor of Birmingham, but from his time on the Jefferson County Commission -- you know, the folks who are facing bankruptcy over those sewer bond deals.
Larry Langford, a Democrat, was accused of soliciting $235,000 from William Blount, chairman of Montgomery, Alabama- based bond underwriter Blount Parrish & Co. and lobbyist Albert LaPierre. William Blount helped Langford get a $50,000 loan, and paid for jewelry, a Rolex watch, an Ermenegildo Zegna suit and clothes from Salvatore Ferragamo, according to the indictment. Blount Parrish received about $7.1 million in fees in connection with the deals, which refinanced debt issued for the county’s sewer system.
Langford, 60, “sold out his public office to his friends,” said U.S. Attorney Alice Martin in a news release. “Through a web of financing agreements, Langford required many institutions to use Blount as a consultant so Blount would make fees and, in turn, pay off Langford. It was a classic pay-to- play scheme.”
It's Alice Martin, so I'm tempted to take this with a grain of salt but it sure looks like there was wrong-doing in that sewer bond mess and even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then, so ...
Further south, Montgomery will be electing a new mayor now that Bobby Bright is headed to Washington. Kristopher has some insight on the likely office seekers and a refresher on what happened last time Montgomery had a special mayoral election. Two words: Emory Folmar. Let's hope they do better this time.
Alabama State Courthouse 300 Dexter Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 (334) 242-4590
OverallThoughts: There are apparently seven statewide judicial positions up for election in 2010 (as far as I can tell, and all the incumbents appear to be Republicans). As I understand it, there will be two positions on each appellate courts – Criminal Appeals and Civil Appeals – and three positions on the Supreme Court. It represents a peach opportunity for Alabama progressives to take a position.
However, this last time around, we ran four people – one for the Supreme Court, two for criminal appeals and one for civil appeals – and we got four damned goose eggs for our trouble. Granted, Paseur came the closest, but close counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, not elections.
Next time we are going to have to do something different.
The Republican campaign was both well funded and well organized. In 2010, we need to have our campaign one or the other. Well organized seems more accessible than being well funded.
Next time we need to have our judicial races coordinated, where they and their staff members work together in terms of campaign appearances, getting the word out, capitalizing on advantages and the like. Also, it seems likely the Republican’s will again organize a bus tour for their candidates. We don’t have to do that, but next time lets have some of ours go out and heckle them at some of their appearances.
Specifics and Speculations… (Continued) Congressional District 1:Jo Bonner (GOP) Josiah Robins (Jo) Bonner, Jr. (born November 19, 1959), has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003. He was unopposed in the 2008 race.
Alabama’s First Congressional District includes Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, Monroe, Escambia and parts of Drake counties. Traditionally the area and the district has been one of the most GOP-supportive areas in the country. He is not likely to be challenged during the Primary.
Thoughts: If we can arrange to get Vivian Figures to run for this seat – her home district – and then get great heaping gobs of campaign money, the race would cause ripples and get attention, which would force the Republicans to spend money. But the race will not be won by us. Is it probably not worth the time and effort to get the Republicans to spend their resources here. It is just an option. However, investing in the legal (i.e. eligible to vote) Latino population of Alabama (and many area in the Mobile Bay area) is probably a good idea.
Congressional District 2: Bobby Bright (Dem.) Bobby Neal Bright (born July 7, 1952) is the mayor of Montgomery and Congressman-elect. Bright received 143,997 votes to Love's 142,231 votes – a margin of 1,766 votes, or just over 0.6 percentage points.
Alabama’s Second Congressional District includes Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Pike and parts of Montgomery Counties. The congressional redistricting of 1990 did much to change the nature of this district and now the voting power of the Black Belt is outweighed by the population of the Wiregrass area.
Thoughts: Bright narrowly won – we need to remember that. In 2010 the Republicans will focus most of their attention on the Wiregrass areas as a means of attacking Bright. We can hold this seat, but we will have to fight to do that.
Congressional District 3:Mike Rogers (GOP): Michael Dennis (Mike) Rogers (born July 16, 1958), has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003. Knowlegis, a nonpartisan lobbying information firm, dropped Rogers from being ranked as the 138th most influential Representative to being 402nd in that category in 2006.
Alabama’s Third Congressional District includes Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Lee, Macon, Randolph, Russell, Talladega, Tallapoosa and parts of Montgomery and Coosa Counties. Politically, this was once home to populist white Democrats. However, Republicans took the seat over in 1997.
Thoughts: Rogers should have lost the 2008 election because he is an incompetent prick. Rogers was a recipient of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s ARMPAC campaign contributions. DeLay is being prosecuted on charges of felony money laundering of campaign finances and conspiracy to launder money. To date, Rogers has not offered to return any of the $30,000 he received. Rogers said that DeLay is innocent until proven guilty, and that he would not return the money "while the judicial process runs its course.” If we are lucky, DeLay will be in jail and we can attack Rogers over this connection.This is one we can take, so let’s keep that in mind.
Congressional District 4: Robert Aderholt (GOP): Robert Brown Aderholt (born July 22, 1965) has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997. In 2008, Aderholt theoretically ran against Nick Sparks in a race that was hypothetically contentious and totally not a waist of everyone’s time.
Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District includes Franklin, Marion, Lamar, Fayette, Walker, Winston, Cullman, Blount, Marshall, Etowah, DeKalb and parts of Morgan, Pickens Counties, as well as parts of the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. While Democrats have a substantial majority in voter registration, most of them tend to be quite conservative on social issues.
Thoughts: If a progressive who is serious, and not entering the race on a damn lark, makes the run, then this one is doable. Aderholt voted in favor of CAFTA, which did tremendous damage to manufacturing industry within the district. If we attack him on that, then this one is possible.
Congressional District 5: Parker Griffith (Dem.) Dr. Parker Griffith (born August 6, 1942, in Shreveport, Louisiana) is a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 7th District since 2006 and the congressman-elect. He received his medical degree from the Louisiana State University Medical School. Griffith carried all but one of the district's seven counties, but only narrowly won Madison County, home to Huntsville.
Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District includes Colbert (Stephen tells me the "T" is silent), Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Jackson and parts of Morgan County. Liberal politics have become an increasingly hard sell, and the region has increasingly voted for Republican presidential candidates since the defeat of Jimmy Carter.
Thoughts: In 2010 the Republicans will do the same thing to Dr. Griffith they did in the 2008 race, just meaner and with more money in 2010. We can hold this seat too, but we will have to fight to do that.
Congressional District 6: Spencer Bachus (GOP): Spencer Thomas Bachus III (born December 28, 1947) has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993. His is a difficult man to challenge in political circles because he is supported by the Bacchae.
Alabama's Fifth Congressional District includes Chilton, Bibb, Shelby and parts of St. Clair County, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Coosa counties. It forms a horse-shoe shaped area around Birmingham. A continual process of redistricting by state governments has seen the sixth district increasingly become one of the most Republican districts in the country.
Thoughts: Unless he is found to be a homosexual (in which case the Republicans will quickly abandon him) or a cannibal (in which case the Republicans will reluctantly abandon him), and he chooses to run again, then this will a hell of an uphill battle. Better to spend our resources on battles we have a better chance of winning.
Congressional District 7:Artur Davis (Dem.): Artur Genestre Davis (born October 9, 1967) is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, arts of Jefferson. Davis's name has been mentioned as a possible nominee for Attorney General in President-Elect Barack Obama's administration and as a possible gubernatorial candidate in 2010. He was unopposed in the 2008 race.
Alabama's Seventh Congressional District includes Greene, Choctaw, Sumter, Marengo, Dallas, Wilcox, Perry, Hale and parts of Jefferson (specifically, the Birmingham metropolitan area), Tuscaloosa, Clarke, and Pickens counties. The 7th district was created as a black-majority district in 1992.
Thoughts: By 2010 Davis will have made up his mind about what he is going to do, and so this seat is likely to become vacant. We need to work to make certain they are a competent and progressive person.
Why isn't the Jefferson County Democratic office open yet?
The Cullman County Democratic Office is open and has been open for a couple of months now. It is staffed during regular business hours. Cullman County has fewer residents than some B'ham suburbs.
So, why isn't the Jefferson County Democratic office open yet?
Most of the local pundits and talking heads will argue that Birmingham and the surrounding areas lack the economic resources, infrastructure and level of commitment needed from state and local governments to pull off this monumental feat.
However, let me remind you that the city of Atlanta held the Olympics in 1996 because a man named Billy Payne had a dream. Nobody thought Billy Payne and Atlanta could pull this crazy idea off. Well you know the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say.
The idea of Birmingham hosting the olympics might just be one of "Crazy Larry's" ideas. But it's bold and courageous and would do wonders for Birmingham.
Potential Benefits
If Birmingham exploring a bid to host an Olympics can force us to look at our outdated transit system and figure out ways to make it work then it's already worth the effort. I volunteered for the 1996 Games in Atlanta and understand the transportation problems Atlanta faced. However, Atlanta would have never been able to host the Games without MARTA. Asking the leaders of Birmingham to come up with a plan for Mass Transit has been problematic, but necessary especially with the energy and economic crisis we face.
While many saw Payne's quest for the Olympics as Don Quixotish at first, his enthusiasm became contagious and people developed pride for Atlanta. For Birmingham and surrounding area residents to come together about anything would be a miracle and if it takes another bold initiative by Larry Langford then that's what it will take.
If Birmingham can raise $5 to $10 million to put a bid together, I think it would absolutely do us some good in building community morale and forcing us to deal with infrastructure issues. Look at the money being spent as a large tourism and image campaign raised by private entities and individuals. And if somehow Birmingham makes the final list or even wins the bid imagine the possibilities.
Dream big with us for once and realize that this goes beyond Larry Langford. This goes towards really making a name and creating a new image for this community.
A week or two ago, as I drove through downtown Birmingham, I spied a large Obama Headquarters sign on the side of a building on 4th Avenue North. I made a mental note to drop by when I could, introduce myself to whatever staff may be in, write a little check, and pick up a bumper sticker or button or some such thing. I really like those " A l O b a m a " stickers. So, yesterday, Saturday the 9th, I blocked-out a few minutes to make a call on Obama HQ.
This is what I saw:
Here's the view from the front:
The other thing I saw was a whole lot of absolutely no other cars. Something I felt was a locked door when I tried to open it. Something I heard, when I dialed the number on the banners, was the sound of a pleasant young woman's voice telling me to leave a message, UNLESS it had anything to do with the Obama Campaign because the number on the banners was wrong and it was her number and that she was and is in no way affiliated with the Obama campaign. Interesting, that. I don't mean to complain, but I've actually got some experience in this. In '92 and again in '96, I ran the County Headquarters (in a largish West Alabama County) for Bill Clinton (and all state and local "down-ticket" Democratic Candidates. Did the same for Don (and local candidates) in '98. And, thing is, we were always up-and-running by this time (staffed, etc.) -- by the end of the first week of August. And, further thing is, Clinton did not have a "50 State Strategy"... I would suggest that unless and until the Birmingham Headquarters actually opens, that sign needs to come down. I'd also suggest that when the sign goes back up, it have the right phone number on it. I'd finally suggest that the Headquarters open up asap. When it does, I'll be by.
I wrote a diary tonight on why I have changed my position on the sewer debt situation. I thought bankruptcy might be a viable option, but learned that there are several uncertainties with going that route as well as misleading information that is being brought forth by the Republicans.
You thought the FAA treated all fliers equally? Sure, just like the Bush Justice Department treats everyone the same under the law. This incredible story is related in full over at the FAA Follies. It's a bit technical, having to do with a power problem affecting Air Traffic Control(ATC) at the Birmingham Airport last week and the way FAA made sure to be ultra safe for Dick Cheney's visit, but cut corners for most of the rest of the traffic in and out of Birmingham.
Now it turns out the ATC uses 2 different types of radar, which is important to the story.
What SHOULD upset you, though, is the story of the air traffic control work behind the scenes. In fact, the story I’m about to tell you should infuriate you.
A few things you should know, if you’re not an air traffic controller or technician. We have a couple of different types of radar systems that we use to guide you home. Terminal radars, or ASR radars, are shorter range but have higher resolution. They’re generally located on airports and help controllers by providing excellent radar coverage right down to the ground at the airport; we can also safely move airplanes closer to each other.
Enroute radars (or ARSR radars) are longer range, so they can see further out (up to 200+ miles instead of 50-70 miles) but they don’t have the same resolution. With ARSRs, we have to keep the airplanes at least 5 miles apart, and with ASRs we can let them get to within 3 miles of each other.
Terminals can use the enroute radars if need be, but it really slows down the operation- and is less safe. The reason is that the ARSRs don’t provide radar coverage down to the ground, so if a terminal is using the ARSR instead of the ASR, the air traffic controllers are effectively blind at or below a certain altitude. This means if there’s traffic or if a plane gets off course, the controllers have no way of noticing- and believe me, it’s important to have that secondary line of defense backing up the safety operation.
So there's 2 kinds of radar and one (ASR) is much better than the other. Now, back to last week. The Birmingham ATC's commercial power was knocked out by a storm Tuesday night. No problem because the radar automatically switched over to backup (generator) power so everything was hunky dory. They're still using the good radar, but it turns out it won't switch back to commercial power -- switch is broken, need a new switch, can't get one until next week (that's this week by now) and if they shut down and manually switch back to commercial power, air traffic is screwed if there is another power outage. Why? Because the automatic switch is broken and the good radar won't switch to backup power automatically. All of a sudden the ATC will be using the considerably less good radar for all the air traffic in and out of Birmingham. So, to be safe, they stayed on the backup power, right, because we have a lot of thunderstorms this time of year and the power might blink off any afternoon? Not so fast, because the backup generator costs FAA $600 per day in fuel.
And in today’s FAA, that’s simply not acceptable. Hey, we’ve got a war to pay for, people.
So here’s the plan the FAA’s management comes up with instead. They intentionally go to enroute (ARSR) radar for a short while and switch back to commercial power to use on the ASR.
They operate on that until a couple of hours before the Vice President is going to fly in. Then they shut down the ASR for a bit and use the ARSR, turn on the generator, and use the ASR on generator power while the VP was in town until after he’d left. This ensures that the VP gets the best quality service we can give.
Once he’s gone, they go back to ARSR for another switch back to commerical power and back to the ASR on the commercial power, going back to money-saving mode.
What does all this technical talk mean?
It means that for 600 dollars a day, the FAA intentionally put the safety and efficiency of the Birmingham airport at risk for the flying public, but when it was the Vice President, they spent the extra money.
And that should really, really, really piss you off. This is the kind of thing that drives the controllers and technicians‘ unions insane. Neither of them wants this; both of us want the best, safest, most efficient service we can provide to the public.
In our mind, 600 bucks a day isn’t really very much money at all to spend to safeguard the lives of the people flying in and around Birmingham. We figure that it’s just going to be a week until the new part gets in, let’s spend the money.
Damn right they should just spend the money. Damn right everyone reading this should be mad as hell. It's ok to cut corners when it's just the general flying public at stake, but not when it's Dick Cheney coming to town to raise money for politicians. If it was "safe" running on commercial power with no automatic switch to backup, why did they bother going to backup power for Cheney? Because it wasn't safe enough that way, and the FAA knew it or they wouldn't have made that power switch for Cheney's visit.
That’s what the “run like a business” mentality of the FAA has brought us to. Oh, you’re the Vice President? Sure, you get our best service. What, you’re just Joe Schmoe? Sorry, we’re not willing to spend even just seven cents to make you safer or ensure your flight comes and goes on time.
Is Birmingham a magnet for right wing crazies or something? First 
The other thing I saw was a whole lot of absolutely no other cars. Something I felt was a locked door when I tried to open it. Something I heard, when I dialed the number on the banners, was the sound of a pleasant young woman's voice telling me to leave a message, UNLESS it had anything to do with the Obama Campaign because the number on the banners was wrong and it was her number and that she was and is in no way affiliated with the Obama campaign. Interesting, that. I don't mean to complain, but I've actually got some experience in this. In '92 and again in '96, I ran the County Headquarters (in a largish West Alabama County) for Bill Clinton (and all state and local "down-ticket" Democratic Candidates. Did the same for Don (and local candidates) in '98. And, thing is, we were always up-and-running by this time (staffed, etc.) -- by the end of the first week of August. And, further thing is, Clinton did not have a "50 State Strategy"... I would suggest that unless and until the Birmingham Headquarters actually opens, that sign needs to come down. I'd also suggest that when the sign goes back up, it have the right phone number on it. I'd finally suggest that the Headquarters open up asap. When it does, I'll be by. 
