Last week the Alabama House of Representatives voted to table a resolution that would allow voters in the state to decide if they want a new Constitution.
We are currently governed under the 1901 Constitution.* John Knox, the convention president, clearly stated the purpose of writing a new constitution: “(We must) take care of the Negro problem” and “establish white supremacy in this state.”
John B. Knox, 1901 Convention President, who led the way in establishing white supremacy in Alabama
Since that document was passed and approved (by deceitful and fraudulent means) we have learned the problem has not been the “Negro” but rather the powerful special interests that controlled the state legislature then and continue to exert their power and influence today.
The 1901 constitution invokes the “favor and guidance of Almighty God,” but since God and any reasonable person would reject the racist document it seems safe to say that the favor of God has never been bestowed upon the state and never will be as long as that constitution prevails.
The rich, white men who wrote the 1901 Alabama Constitution, under whose racist and elitist mandates we now live, 109 years laterFor years there has been an effort to replace the Alabama Constitution by allowing a convention of citizens to draft a document and allow the voters to approve or reject it.
Their efforts have not been successful, but citizen support continues to grow.
This brings us to 2010 and the attempt by legislators to move the resolution forward.
Lawrence McAdory was elected to represent the people of Bessemer in a special election last year. He voted against allowing the people he represents to decide if we want a convention of citizens to draft a new constitution.
It would be hard to imagine McAdory being a supporter of the 1901 Constitution except that we know he is supported by a radical right winger who in a letter to this newspaper wrote that he was “supporting Lawrence McAdory for a house seat not because he is black but because of what he brings to the table.”
It is also possible that McAdory feels more aligned with the special interests that fund his campaign than the people he represents.
Whatever the reason, this vote is enough to alert the citizens that Lawrence McAdory is not the person we should have representing us in Montgomery. We are fortunate that even though he was just recently elected we will have an opportunity to replace him in the Democratic primary this year.
As of this writing no candidates have qualified for the race according to the party web site. Expect that to change.
*this link to the 1901 Constitution may not get you there today for some reason. It's the same link I've been using, but this morning I can't get there. I'm working on it.
1 comment:
I agree with having the constitution ammended, removing such cultural and woefully outdated and obvious racist language from our State constitution and making ammendments that benefit ALL Alabamian's regardless of race, religion, and gender. I believe the people should be allowed to vote on what matters concern them and this is no exception. I think it is safe to say that both parties, Democratic and Republican's have more than it's fair share of extremist and fools. Vote by the character of the Candidate, not by the party lest we get fooled yet again!
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