Western Tribune Column

I am one who believes that state Senator Charles Bishop should resign after his most recent incident of uncontrollable temper. You know, the school yard punch thrown on the floor of the Alabama Senate that at this writing has been posted on YouTube at least 11 separate times and seen by well over a quarter of a million viewers on that web site. Add to that all the showings on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, broadcast stations and blogs and literally millions of people in this state, the nation and around the world have seen it.

First of all, he is one of those party changing politicians who loses some degree of credibility when they morph from blue to red (are you listening Richard Shelby?) but that is a different issue.

There should be some degree of decorum among those we elect when they are conducting the business of our state. Alabama has enough to be embarrassed about. I don’t need to remind you of the ugly highlights in our history, but we and the people we elect should be especially concerned about the image we project to the public.

Don’t throw Senator Lowell Barron’s language at me in defending Bishop. Colorful language and expletive terms have been a part of politics from the beginning, and even our current President and Vice-President have been caught letting four letter words slip.

Still some will try to excuse Bishop because his action was prompted by Barron’s disputed insult toward Bishop’s mother. Please, the term that was used, if it really was said, is meant to insult the person being addressed, not their mother, and everybody knows this. People who would never insult their own mother sometimes use this term in describing themselves, as in “I’m the meanest… you will ever meet.”

And remember, this is not the first time Bishop has lost his temper in the senate. Remember that Bishop already came close to fighting with Sen. Zeb Little and they had to be separated by Senate Security. Bishop had invited Little to meet him outside to settle an issue. Are these adults? At least the fight would not have been in the Senate chambers.

It is embarrassing enough that our state legislature does not go to Montgomery to do what we elect them to do. Then to have this broadcast the world over? I can’t wait till the next legislative session begins, can you? Hopefully it will be without Charles Bishop.