The Year of Moving Forward

The Year of Moving Forward
At our 4 person wedding reception in DC

Friday, March 27, 2009

An American Hero

Here's something new. I've created a new blog, Bessemer Science and Nature.

Bessemer Science is where I will be posting articles, information and pictures related to science and nature. This could be anything from reports on embryonic stem cell research or my thoughts about the solar system to my own pictures of Nature. Science encompasses a lot. You might be surprised what you see there.

Today, there are just some pictures I took yesterday and comments. A lizard, a bee and a flower.
Sometimes science will still make it onto Bessemer Opinions.

Yesterday Over the Mountain Democrats hosted American Hero Lilly Ledbetter and Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb at Samford University. While there, I couldn't help but notice the impressive pipes from which music flows in Reid Chapel.


Bobby commented that it could possibly have been the most democrats on campus in history, and I did notice that the program had a disclaimer on the back, "This event is not sponsored by Samford University."


Chief Justice Cobb spoke mainly about indigent representation and how Alabama is lacking in certain important aspects of that, and what she and others are doing to correct it

The highlight of the evening was, of course, meeting and hearing Lilly Ledbetter, who was the main player in the fight that led to the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. She got nothing out of this 10 year battle, but the country got a great deal. Fairness and equality of pay is just right. Plain and simple. That the executives at Goodyear could not see that makes me never want to purchase a Goodyear Tire again. That the Supreme Court could not see that makes me wonder about the quality of our judiciary (actually I have wondered about that since Al Gore got shafted).



She has become quite a hero and she said that at the signing of the bill that she had three people approach her and say they would write her a check that day if she would run against Mike Rogers (her republican representative who voted against the bill). She didn't say anything more about it, so who knows. Somebody certainly needs to run against him and beat him.

In addition there was a reception prior to the event where I got to talk to Terri Sewell who is running to replace Artur Davis in our district (Congressional District 7). Visit Terri Sewell for Congress and read her biography. You will be hearing a lot about her in the next few months.

Here is Terri talking with Lilly.


She received the Afro-American Studies Thesis Prize for her senior thesis entitled, “Black Women in Politics: Our Time Has Come.” Terri, I think you are right.

Upon graduation from college, Terri was featured on NBC’s Today Show as one of the “Top Collegian Women” and was chosen as one of the “Top Ten College Women in America,” by Glamour Magazine.

She has extensive background in public service including work in the under served areas of the Black Belt. She was born in Selma, but lives in Birmingham now.

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