Thanks

Today is Veteran's Day and we honor those who have served our country. In Bessemer a Veteran's Day program will take place at 12:00 noon at Watermark Place at the Discovery Alabama Event Center. Retired Col. Dan Fagan U. S. Air Force will be the speaker. Lunch will be available.

In Birmingham the nation's oldest Veterans Day Parade takes place beginning at 1:30 starting near Linn Park on 19th Street.

This picture is of my father, a World War II Veteran. Thank you dad, for serving our country. The United States exists today because of your generation.


He fought in the Rhineland, in the Central Europe campaign, and then in Luzon in the Pacific Theater. He received the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, and the World War II Victory Medal.


Here is a video honoring all Veterans, including one from Alabama.




Here is a preview of songwriter Tom Goss's new single Lover which will be released November 18.




The song tells the story of a gay man whose partner is killed in battle.

Thank a Veteran today.

A big hubbub over the hub

Last night I attended a public hearing mediated by a judge that was part of the process necessary for Norfolk Southern to build their railroad hub in the McCalla area. I had attended the first two public meetings, and thought that since the "McCalla residents" have had over a year to familiarize themselves with the proposed facility they would be more reasoned in their opposition.

Boy was I wrong.

I neglected to take into account that most of them are white Republicans, so they are conditioned to opposing everything, by their Republican leaders in Washington and by their Tea Party leaders, who ignored facts and relied on misinformation to propel like minded folks to office in the recent election.

It worked in the election. It didn't work last night.

Most of the questions asked by the public have already been answered either at other public forums or in the Environmental Assessment that has been available for several weeks.

But they haven't read that. And from talking with several of them, they don't intend to. They act as though reading 500 pages is an impossible task, and maybe for some of them it is.

Incidentally, there are several thousand people in McCalla, and there were less than 100 at this meeting protesting the facility. A noisy minority, like, again, the Tea Party.

Several of the people asking questions made it a point to blame Bessemer for their problems.

"Is the City of Bessemer represented?" asked the first person. Part of the road from the interstate to the proposed entry to the hub is owned and maintained by Bessemer. and apparently that part of the road needs some repair, and widening.

The next person to ask a question actually said, "The problem is Bessemer."

I do agree that the City of Bessemer should have been represented at the meeting. This is a huge project that promises to bring hundreds or thousands of jobs to the city. Wake up Bessemer, get on board!

One of the men on the panel answering questions did mention that Bessemer has new leadership and the people from Bessemer that frustrated them for the past few years are gone, so they should approach Bessemer again about upgrading the road. (Maybe they should wait a month or two until some of the dust settles at city hall).

But the most ridiculous question award goes to the man who, with kids in tow, asked for a "100% guarantee" that nothing would happen at the facility that could harm his children. Judge Art Hanes, the moderator, didn't even let the question get to the panel. He said, "No," that they can't do that and that nothing is 100%.

"Then why risk it?" the man replied, and the McCalla hub-bubbas applauded.

My questions to that man, and to those who applauded are these.

1. Is the school bus that you put your child on every day 100% safe? Then why risk it?

2. Is the school room that your child sits in every day 100% safe? Then why risk it?

3. Is bringing a child into this world 100% safe? Then why risk it?

I overheard one lady who had concerns about terrorism and security. Norfolk Southern's security will be state of the art as far as access to the facility. But I would hate to live in such fear as some of these people seem to do. Muslims, terrorists, gays! Oh my!

Here are some things that have been ignored by the anti-progress people.

Norfolk Southern will spend $100 million dollars ($97.5 million actually) on the facility. That's a lot of money being invested in west Jefferson County.

Hundreds or maybe even a thousand or so jobs will be created during the construction phase of the project. A few hundred jobs will be created at the facility once it opens and thousands of jobs at warehouses and distribution facilities will be created also.

Over the next 10 years the economic impact is estimated to be $4 billion.

As a result of the facility there will be fewer emissions (by trucks) and less wear and tear on our highways and a smaller carbon footprint.

Here is system engineer for facilities for Norfolk Southern Charlie McMillan explaining the security aspects of the facility.



Norfolk Southern public relations head Rudy Husband explained to the group why Norfolk Southern cannot make promises about community enhancements at this point in the process.



Speaking of the process, this was the third public meeting, and now the concerns brought up will (once again) be addressed and by December a final approval by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration should be set.



And here is the project schedule. Site work could begin in May of 2011 and the Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility should be complete by October 2012.




Hey McCalla - I hear the train a comin'.

Here's the best railroad song written.

Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues

Bessemer in "Dire Situation"

We don't let sleeping dogs lie around here, at least not anymore.

There have been rumors about Bessemer's financial situation. The rumors weren't helped any by the former mayor's refusal to release financial information and his refusal to provide an audit to the council.

The council today unanimously passed a motion to allow funds to be transferred from various accounts into the general fund by the mayor, so that payroll can be met.

But payroll is not the only concern, according to mayor Ken Gulley. There are vendors whose bills are coming due and other obligations.

Obligations due on November 10 total $972,711, and there is less than that amount in the general fund account.

And then on Friday payroll taxes are due. Soon after that, Blue Cross Blue Shield will have their hand out. In all $1, 651, 606.00 is needed by November 20.

The mayor said Bessemer is in a "dire situation" and that he believes some of this was "done on purpose" by the former mayor. Ed May should have had some type of grasp on city finances, yet he hired around two dozen employees since the election in August and entered the city into several contracts within the last 2 weeks, all of which are costing the city additional money and all of which will be assessed and adjusted.

The immediate solution to the crisis is to transfer the funds as they are doing, but this is only a stop gap measure. City attorney Shan Paden said that there will have to be a reduction in work force at some point (possibly January).

After the motion to authorize fund transfers was passed, Mayor Gulley said he wanted to speak on why the motion was adopted as a matter of record. He said we will "have some challenging days ahead" and that they "will have to do some reduction in staff."

He put out an appeal to the council to work together and to the citizens to work with the administration and with the business community to work with them to get this city back on track.

Mayor Gulley, you have the citizens behind you and the business community as well.

Fortunately the new council also understand the gravity of the situation. Council president Jesse Matthews said the previous council had a "inkling" of the days to come, and that they had been "left as blind in the dark for so long."

New council member Ron Marshall said he is looking forward to a cooperative relationship with the mayor, and other council members seemed ready to move forward as well.

All that being said, the council and the mayor are optimistic that they can bring us out of this crisis. Sales tax and property taxes should provide a needed boost as the year ends, although some of that money will be needed for other known expenses that arise this time of year as well.

I predict that by mid 2011 Bessemer will have ironed out these misgivings and be back on the track that Gulley is suggesting we need to be on.

I guess the only question remaining will be...well, we don't know if any laws were broken so those things will just have to wait.

If Bessemer is in such dire straits I guess I can play my favorite Dire Straits song, Sultans of Swing, live version.

Curl up by the fire with a good book

Don't forget to cast your vote in the poll to the left which asks your opinion of what Congress will do in the next two years.

Book News

These books have connections to Bessemer, in one way or another. With colder weather just around the corner, it's time to stock up on your reading material. Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, and wrap yourself in your Snuggie and begin turning the pages.

The Sermon on the Mall

John Tarrant has written a nice book that explores the connection between progressive politics and the teachings Christianity. The Sermon on the Mall is based on the inauguration speech of Barack Obama. Here is part of the introduction.

The Messiah has come! Or so one may have thought
upon hearing the passionate, tear-stained declarations of hope
for universal peace, prosperity and goodwill to all men, women,
gays, lesbians, white folks, black folks, sick people, poor people,
and assorted "mutts like me" on the tongues of the multitudes
lining the streets, throwing their cloaks in his path. This was
the Palm Sunday-like scene at the inauguration of the 44th
President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama. Never
before had a president been welcomed with such unattainable
expectations for change in every phase of the national life, from
foreign policy, to heathcare reform, to the rebirth of scientific
inquiry, to the crisis de jour, an economy that was sucking the
life out of the entire planet. Can he pull it off? That was the
question in all our minds. And the other mostly unspoken
question we all still have in a knotted place in our stomachs is,
can he survive, literally, or will he suffer the fate of most every
messiah and fall to the cries of "Crucify him!," egged on by the
doomsday prophets and publicans predicting the end of the
American franchise.

This book is available from lulu.com.

A good read for those who understand that Jesus was a progressive, and that today's Republican party has become a tool of that faction of conservatives that doesn't mind dividing the people and demonizing anything and anyone progressive. Heck, they would even throw Jesus under the bus if he was involved in the current debate about health care, but I digress.

People who should read the book:

1) Anyone who feels that their "conservative" political views are substantiated by Christian principles.

2) Anyone who would like to be able to better articulate the way in which their liberal political views are based in the foundational principles of Christianity.

3) Anyone who enjoys an entertaining read.

The author's son is a friend of mine.


The Teller of Burnham Bank

Troy Post, formerly of Bessemer and the Bessemer Development Board, has written a novel titled The Teller of Burnham Bank.




From the publication page:

In The Teller of Burnham Bank, a small-town newspaper editor struggles to save an historic building from an evil politician who has a different view of historic "renovation." But when the editor stumbles across a mystery (as they often do in these types of books), the suspense will keep the reader turning page after page .... because, of course, that's the only way to read a book.

Mr. Post most likely draws from his experience in Bessemer in writing this novel. It will be available one week from today, from Palmetto Branch Press.

Here's the back cover hook.

“Hey, look at this one,” said James, holding up one of the photographs. “I wonder what’s up with her?”

The photo he held was a picture of the Burnham Bank Building from 1939, as evidenced by the tax assessment sign in the still documenting the year. No longer a bank but the location for a five-and-dime store, the building itself appeared to be in good repair, with an ornate, wooden door at the building’s corner and perhaps fifteen arched windows, each topped with a marble lintel. An elegant spire, a feature missing in the present structure, covered the roof. But what instantly drew our attention was not the building – it was, rather a woman who stood in the foreground.

With arms drawn high to shield her face, one thing was apparent: she did not want to be photographed.

An interesting read, no doubt, and with the tie to local politics and historical preservation (although the book is fiction) I'm looking forward to reading it.

Those Others

My book, Those Others, is in the mix for a Lambda Literary Award, in the Gay Debut Fiction category.



Check that out here, and also you can watch a video trailer and order a book from that site.

Suicide prevention events

On Sunday the Alabama chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will hold their fifth annual "Out of the Darkness Community Walk" at Heardmont Park in Shelby County.

Last year the walk raised $90,000 and was the fifth best in the nation, with 690 participants.

This year they hope to raise $100,000 with 800 - 1,000 participants.

Registration begins at 1:30 and the walk begins at 3:00.

With the recent interest in teen suicide including LGBT suicides Equality Alabama is supporting the event and asking their members to wear the purple Spirit Day t-shirt or their Equality Alabama t-shirt. Equality Alabama believes this is an opportunity to educate others about the specifics of anti-gay bullying and its relation to teen suicide.

More information about Equality Alabama's support can be found on their event page.

More information about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, this particular event and their LGBT initiative can be found at AFSP.

Here you can watch a panel discussion on bullying and suicide with emphasis on LGBT "bullycides".

Of course suicide is not limited to teens or to LGBT persons. Suicides occur among people with untreated or under treated clinical depression. Suicide among the elderly is another problem which occurs more often than you may think.

This event is important to everyone, because a suicide can occur in any family without advance notice. This event raises money for research, prevention and educational programs.

Please join this effort, either with Equality Alabama or not, and help with the efforts to prevent the taking of lives.

Tre'Juan Figures

Tre'Juan Figures was a 12 year old boy from Anniston, AL who took his own life in October 2009 after being bullied because he would not join a gang.

There will be a vigil on November 20 at 2:00 pm at Zinn Park in Anniston to remember Trey and to raise awareness for anti-bullying.

Here is an article about Tre'Juan's death.

Here is a more recent article from the Anniston Star about bullying and anti-bullying efforts and Jason Childs, whose organization Center for Progress in Alabama is sponsoring the vigil.

Equality Alabama will also be present at this event. Please join us at this event also.

Bessemer: moving on

Coming up in Bessemer

City council

The new city council will hold their first meeting on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 9 a. m. They have elected Jesse Matthews as Council President and Sherrina Rice as president pro tem.

Matthews has served as council president before, and it is good that they have elected someone with experience to lead the meetings.

Railroad hub

Also on November 9 a public hearing will be held for the Norfolk Southern rail hub in McCalla. The hearing will focus on the environmental study of the proposed hub area. It will take place at the Discovery Alabama Event Center at Watermark Place, from 4 to 7 pm.

The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration have signed off on the report, and the public hearing is required by law under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Rudy Husband, spokesperson for Norfolk Southern said they hope to start construction in early 2011 and open the facility in mid to late 2012.

Norfolk Southern says the facility will create or preserve 8600 jobs and have a $4 billion economic impact over the next 10 years.

The hearing will include stations with displays that address concerns about the project, but also there will be a short presentation about the project followed by a moderated question and answer session.

Here is a link to where you can read the environmental assessment. No, I haven't read all of the >500 page document, but I can tell you that environmental concerns are addressed, and the concerns that were submitted by residents were addressed as well. This document is also available at the Bessemer Public Library and the Hueytown Public Library.




Bessemer DHR building

The construction of the Bessemer DHR building is on schedule.

The weather cooperated and allowed the slab to be poured before the rains came.


This pile of steel will soon provide the framework for the building.




Before the end of the year look for the second floor slab pour.

The building is scheduled for completion in July 2011.

The Bessemer No Spin Zone

People (who remain anonymous) are already poking fun at me after the Democrats in Alabama suffered defeat last night.

As if I expected every Democrat to win.

No, but when you 'work' for a party you support your candidates and you promote them and hope for the best.

I don't apologize for that. I don't duck and run.

So, here are some positive things from my perspective on the election.

Everyone in this state knows it is a red state. That is why the Blue Dot was developed here.

The Seventh

My candidate for the 7th congressional district, Terri Sewell, won handily. Of course that was expected and almost assured. But I supported Terri from when it first rumored that she would run. We needed a woman in congress and now we have one. Here she is in Selma last night at the historic St. James Hotel, thanking her supporters.



Here Terri and her mother are being interviewed by a Montgomery television reporter.


I personally thanked Terri's mother for giving birth to her, and for raising her as she did.

The County

Another bright spot is that Jefferson County's vote returned to Democratic in the governor's race.

Ron Sparks received 104,098 votes to Robert Bentley's 100,934. Not a huge margin, but a 51% to 49%.

Compare that to 2006 when Bob Riley took 53% of the vote in Jefferson County, compared to Lucy Baxley's 47%, and 2002 race when Don Siegelman had 56% and Bob Riley had 43%.

I'm leaving out 2008's Jefferson county vote for Obama, because I am comparing apples to apples with the governor's race.

The pendulum swings.

The Constitution

Here's a bright spot. All of the statewide amendments lost. For those of us that advocate constitutional reform, it indicates that the Alabama voters don't like the process either. Trouble is, most elected Republicans don't support true reform, so I don't expect anything from the Alabama legislature, or at least not a convention to write an new constitution anytime soon.


The Gays

For the ever increasing majority that believe in LGBT equality, a record 106 openly gay candidates were elected across the country. Here are some highlights.

Lexington Kentucky elected a gay man as mayor, construction executive Jim Gray.

North Carolina elected their first openly gay state legislator, Marcus Brandon.

Rhode Island will send an openly gay man to congress, as Providence mayor David Cicilline will represent his district in Washington, and will be the fourth openly gay member of congress.

Click on the link to read more.

The Nation

Across the nation, we avoided having two of the most unqualified and unprepared candidates elected to the senate, and one of those defeats means the Senate majority Harry Reid will remain in office. May we never have to hear from Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell again.

As for the future along the national scene, I have my doubts that the Republican gains will translate into Republican love over the next two years. They were the Party of No for the previous two years. Before that they were the Party of Yes to both tyranny and wasteful spending. A few new shrill voices will have a difficult time transforming the established Republicans into Teabaggers that want to cut, oh, say, farm subsidies and Medicare benefits and unemployment benefits and the things Americans hold dear.

And their leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell (if in fact they remain the leaders) have said (collectively) that their primary goal is to make sure Obama is a one term president and that they would not compromise. Obama reached out to them during the first two years and they refused to work with the Democrats, who thinks they will now?

And Boehner, whose emotional swings range from screaming, "Hell, no," in the House to crying after victory (it's not like it was his first win, remember), will not have the steadfastness nor the demeanor to be an effective leader in Congress. Just a prediction.

All this could easily result in two years of ineffective government, the Republicans in congress getting the blame, and a second term for Obama and another swing in the house with democratic gains in 2012.

The Hotel

Ms. Sewell's reception was held at the St. James Hotel in Selma, and Bobby and I spent the night there after the event. One word of advice. In a one hundred sixty year old building, when the elevator is stuck, and a while later they say it is working, don't believe them. We got stuck in the elevator, but there was no panic. They "reset" it, whatever that means, from the outside, and we were able to ride up to our third floor room, after just a few minutes.

Here is a view of the courtyard that is surrounded by rooms.



A ground level view of the fountain in the courtyard.

The St. James was built in 1837, and during the Civil War it was occupied by union troops who burned most of the city. The hotel was managed by Benjamin Sterling Turner during the war, and he later became the first African-American to serve in the U. S. Congress.

Now the first African-American woman to go to congress from Alabama celebrates in the same hotel. Neat, huh?

Here is the view of the Alabama river and the Edmund Pettus Bridge from our balcony, as the sun was rising.

Imagine the history seen from that balcony (and the balconies on the other sides). Riverboats and barges with cotton on the river. Northern aggressors coming into the city. The city burning. The city being rebuilt. Martin Luther King, Jr, speaking at Brown Chapel on Jan 2, 1965. Bloody Sunday a couple of months later. The successful march to Montgomery that began in Selma later that year. The election of the first black mayor. Annual re-enactments of the March. Terri Sewell being elected to congress.

Selma, like Terri, is an Alabama jewel.