Alabama Republicans are a symptom

It's as if someone has brought a really, really sick cat into the vet's office. A good veterinarian will do a thorough examination, probably order some lab tests and/or radiographs, and begin supportive treatment while awaiting results. The doctor and staff will be encouraged by signs of improvement, and will not be dismayed by recurring symptoms of the illness. Rather, they will adjust their treatment plan with confidence, knowing that a successful outcome is probable.

The same is true of Alabama politics. The loudest voices are those of the conservative sickness that represent an era and mindset that we have been trying to overcome for decades.

The rest of the country, and many in our own state, see Alabama as a backward and racist, in spite of the fact that as individuals we are pretty much like everybody else in the country. For instance, we look at evolution as a matter of science , and a necessary part of education and not a political tool. And we get along with our co-workers and neighbors who are of a different race.

But then Republicans and conservative groups open their mouths. You can pick almost any of them, but for the purpose of this blog, I will choose three examples. Just hearing any of these might be enough to make a progressive pack up and give up. But the things we are hearing are just a symptom of a disease that is being defeated.

Jeff Sessions

Yesterday at the opening hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elana Kagan Alabama Republican Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III took shots at the future justice and in doing so (once again) embarrassed all of us from Alabama.

"Ms. Kagan has associated herself with well-known activist judges. She clerked with Judge Mikva and Justice (Thurgood) Marshall, each well known activists. These justices really don't deny their activist ideas, they advocate it. And they openly criticize the idea that a judge is merely a neutral umpire."

Sessions and his Republican counterparts at the hearing referenced Thurgood Marshall (negatively) 35 times. Marshall's son, Thurgood Marshall, Jr, sat in the audience and listened.

Thurgood Marshall is best known as the Supreme Court's first African-American justice, but as a practicing attorney and solicitor general before that he argued before the high court on numerous occasions. The most famous was Brown v Board of Education, the landmark case that did away with separate but equal public education because it could not be equal. He won 29 out of the 32 cases he argued before the Supreme Court.

Here see Sessions and other Republicans criticizing this American judicial hero.



Senator Sessions: the year is 2010, not 1965. Segregation is over. Gone. Done away with. It's not coming back. Give it up.

Unfortunately, Senator Sessions gets to continue his assault today (in fact, as I write this, he is grilling the appointee on her views regarding Don't Ask, Don't Tell).

Rick Barber

Rick Barber is in the Republican runoff with Martha Roby to challenge for the congressional seat held by DINO Bobby Bright of Montgomery. Barber has run ads which have been criticized for advocating gun violence and now is running an ad in which he and an Abraham Lincoln portrayer agree that health care reform is a form of slavery. I won't force you to watch his ad, but here's a screen shot.

Rick: as has been pointed out, President Lincoln imposed the first Federal income tax in 1861 for the purpose of raising money to fight the Civil War. That is not too unlike using tax money to promote the general health and welfare of the nation. And Rick, the south lost that war, and as a result, Barack Obama was able to run for president. I don't think Zombie Abe and you see eye to eye on this issue.

But you did a good job of embarrassing us in front of the rest of the nation.

Christians against Bradley Byrne

I heard a political ad on the radio, in which Republican front runner Bradley Byrne was criticised for promoting evolution, profiting from gambling, and supporting Sunday liquor sales. Then the voice said or indicated that Byrne was (paraphrased) distancing himself from the Bible.

Whoever put this ad out: First, evolution is the accepted explanation for the diversity of life that we find on our planet. Second, show me in the Bible where it says thou shalt not sell liquor on Sunday. Third now explain why your beliefs about such things, based on your biblical worldview, should apply to all of us. Fourth, isn't your entire ad sort of gossipy, and doesn't that sort of distance you from the Bible?

So, these examples of Republican silliness show us that Alabama conservatives want to return us to the good old days. Remember, the Tea Party people carry signs advocating taking the country back, and all indications are that they want to take it back to the 1950's.

But we keep reminding ourselves. This is 2010. These guys are just symptoms of the illness that affected our state a half century ago. An illness characterized by inequality and ignorance.

In reality, we are past that. We are (for the most part) an educated populace that believes in science and equality and celebrates the historical figures that got us here, most notably in this case, Thurgood Marshall.

So as progressives we recognize that these vestiges have a limited life, and we will continue to educate and inform and push our state forward, not pull it back.

Progressive - it's a good thing

I guess I'm a little behind in this because this poll came out in May, but after considering the results I think its worth bringing everyone, including myself, up to date.

Progressivism is a good thing.

A Pew Research poll finds that 68% of Americans react favorably to the word "progressive" and only 23% react negatively.

This is a more favorable reaction than was found toward the word "capitalism" (52% positive, 37% negative).

Even among Republicans a majority (56%) reacted positive to "progressive."

Now it could well be that respondents were thinking of Progressive spokesperson Flo when they answered the question.

Here is a surprising number that might help us to know what to expect in the future. The same percent of young people (ages 18-29) have a positive reaction to "socialism" (43%) as do "capitalism" (43%).

So what is it that progressives want to accomplish? The "progressive agenda" was put forth on Left in Alabama last month, and progressive bloggers got together to map out a course to accomplish some of these things.

On the national scene (these are not listed in order of priority because as progressives we believe that more than one problem can be tackled at a time):

1. Campaign finance and lobbying reform

2. Single payer health insurance, public option

3. Clean energy program, moving away from oil dependency

4. Immigration reform (secure borders, path to legitimacy for those here and who want to come here)

5. Infrastructure development program (public transportation, safety, national parks, historic reuse of historic buildings, energy reform and conservation)

6. Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq

7. LGBT Equality

For the state of Alabama (not in order of priority):

1. A new Constitution

2. Ethics reform

3. Tax reform

4. Set and achieve higher educational goals

5. Infrastructure development program (energy conservation and green building)

6. LGBT equality

7. Moratorium on the death penalty

For the city of Bessemer (not in order of priority):

1. Establish a working relationship between the administration and the business community/ development board

2. Prioritize downtown development/historic preservation

3. Revitalize historic and other neighborhoods

4. Support community gardens project

5. Establish recreational opportunities (rec center, trail from Hall of History to Red Mountain Park using railroad trestle), public outdoor swimming pool

6. Improve and promote recycling options

For both state and local: Quit spending so much time on bingo!

What do you think of the progressive agendas laid out here, especially on the state and local levels? Elections are coming up, you know.

Another progressive posted What We Believe on Left in Alabama this morning.


This video from 21 years ago was recently rated most sexy video on some show I saw while searching for something worthwhile to watch. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game.

A big FAT "F"

In a comparison of the 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, Birmingham ranks near the bottom in an index of healthiness.

This was reported in the Birmingham News, and most of this post comes directly from that article.

We ranked 49th, just ahead of Oklahoma City.

In a year, we've dropped from 43rd to 49th. Either other cities are improving and leaving us behind (an Alabama staple in many areas, it seems) or we have just completely abandoned any thought of improving ourselves health wise.

The percentage of our population that is obese is 34.1%. That is more than one out of every three of the people around you. The national average among Metropolitan Statistical Areas is 25.6%, just over one out of every four people.

I think that a large number of people are in denial about their health. Be honest with yourselves, folks.

Your life expectancy, and even more important, your quality of life as you approach the end of it, depend on your attitudes and actions regarding your health.

When it comes to 14 personal health indicators and chronic health conditions, Birmingham ranked dead last.

A couple of statistics give Birmingham a glimmer of hope, though they are nothing to brag about. We are 35th out of 50 when it comes to community recreation, including the number of parks and recreation facilities and the level of state-required physical education programs.

Birmingham has considered closing rec centers, however, and Bessemer has none.

Birmingham ranks above average when it comes to the number of Farmer's Markets, park playgrounds, recreation centers, swimming pools and requirements for physical education in schools, but below average on the number of tennis courts (Birmingham MSA - 1.3%, MSA average - 2.1%), acres of park land per capita ( Birmingham MSA - 2.6%, Average - 10.3%) and percent of people walking or riding their bicycles to work (Birmingham - 1%, Average - 2.8%).

Birmingham spends $37 per capita on funding parks. The average is $102.

Jerri Haslem has taught exercise classes in Birmingham for 20 years. These are sad statistics, she said, calling it the "mindset" of the people and not a lack of opportunity.

If people would use the facilities we have more, then more would be built, she believes. She says a large fitness club might look at our area and say there aren't enough fitness minded people to build here. On the other hand she, says, a fast food company might take a look at our statistics and see a big opportunity. I'm not sure what she means by that.

An opportunity to exploit our "mindset" that propels us to fast food restaurants? Or an opportunity to improve their menus and the quality of food that they serve, so that they do not continue to adversely affect the health of our communities?

Because of $13.3 million in Federal Stimulus money given through the CDC and the Jefferson County Department of Health, many of the issues in the report will be addressed.

Included will be a push for smoke-free air policies in Jefferson County's cities and a requirement that restaurants post nutritional information a the point of purchase. Also included will be working with school nutrition and exercise policies and working with neighborhood development such as requiring sidewalks and building greenways to connect parks .

Other health indicators:

Death rate per 100,000 for cardiovascular disease - Birmingham MSA - 259.3, Average - 212.4

Diabetes - Birmingham MSA - 11%, Average 8.3%.

Here's a link to the full report.

Here's a community action guide that you or me or our group or agency can use to develop healthier communities.

Here's a link to all of Birmingham's statistics in this report (click on the city you want to view).

Housekeeping. I have changed the Facebook share button that appears on each post. By clicking it, you should be able to easily share this or any post with your friends on Facebook.

Coming soon, Twitter share and others. What Share button would you like to see?

Also, Bessemer Opinions is now available in 9 languages other than English. Use the translator at the top of the left sidebar and click on the flag representing the language you want to view. Maybe you can then send the translated post (by copying the link) to your friends that spea that language. Play around with it. Let me know what you think.

Openly terrific

The President hosted a reception in honor of LGBT Pride month yesterday.

I'm wondering if Rick and Bubba will be able to hold their tongues. They've been warned by their sponsors and by their syndicator to hold down their rhetoric or face the music.

While most of the local community has heard what the sponsors are saying (both Academy Sports and Bojangles Chicken have said they don't agree with Rick Burgess' comments and told the radio hosts as much, and that if they targeted gays or any other group like that again they would pull their sponsorship. The syndicator of the show is unhappy as well, and he doesn't want to hear any more reports of such talk.

Here is the president speaking at the reception. He called Tammy Baldwin and Jared Polis, lesbian and gay members of the House of Representative, "openly terrific."

I think that's a great new term for us. Because being gay is terrific.




Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also spoke at an event celebrating LGBT Pride month.

She was the first first lady to march in a Pride parade.

"Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights once and for all."



One of my facebook friends, and straight woman who took part in the civil rights struggles during the 1960's posted this comment on one of my facebook posts yesterday.

June is Pride Month. President Obama has called upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their lives and everywhere it exists.

I am so proud of our straight allies and the way they take up for us against the hurtful rhetoric of the right.

So many people have told me or have posted on facebook that this year's Pride has given them more inspiration than they have felt in years. Polls are showing that Americans are now more accepting of Equality than they have ever been, and many religious groups or individual churches are realizing that LGBT people are created and loved by God just as they are.

In spite of the vocal frustration with the Obama administration on the slowness of advancement of LGBT Equality, we really should be thankful of the progress that has been made.

These things come to mind.

Passage of the (inclusive) Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.

Repeal of the HIV ban on travel.

Hospital visitation for lesbian and gay partners (in hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid.

Federal employee benefits.

Broadening of the definition of "son and daughter" so employers would be required to offer workers in same sex relationships the same right to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for partner's newborns or to adopt (announced yesterday by the labor department).

And the president's call for congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), to pass an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the pending end of Don't Ask Don't Tell(DADT). The House has passed the repeal, the Senate Armed Services Comittee has approved, and the full Senate will vote someday.

Country singer Chely Wright was at the President's reception.

Here is her video for "I Already Do."

Oil and kudzu

We (humans) can do little things that become big goofs. Some things look big, but are actually small, but still can be a big goof.

Two articles in today's Birmingham News show us that this is true.

Oil

Article

One article is about the oil spill. How big is the spill?, the headline asks. Let's put it in context, the headline answers.

The Mississippi River pours as much water into the Gulf of Mexico in 38 seconds as the BP oil leak has done in two months.

For every gallon of oil that BP's well has gushed into the Gulf of Mexico, there is more than 5 billion gallons of water already in it. That's 1:5,000,000,000.

If all the oil that has spilled were poured into the Superdome, it would only fill it one seventh of the way up.

Kudzu Article

If you live in Alabama you know Kudzu. The sprawling vine covers 61,295 acres in our state, according to the U. S. Forest Service. The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service estimates estimates over 250,000 acres in our state are covered.

There are 52,419.02 square miles = 33,548,172.8 acres in Alabama. Using the U. S. Forest Service estimate, that's 1:547 acres of our state are Kudzu covered.

(Depending on where one looks for information and whether just land is counted or all area, land and water, the number of square miles in Alabama varies, by the way.)

Kudzu first appeared in the U. S. in 1876, and was used as an ornamental. In the 1930's is was decided it could be used to control another human goof up (soil erosion from improper agricultural practices in the Southeast) and so 85 million (85,000,000) kudzu seeds were shipped to southern landowners.




Now we learn that Kudzu may be responsible for some of the ground level ozone that affects our air quality and gives people like me fits on days when we are warned not to go outdoors in Jefferson County.

So, here's my point. Republicans and other contrarians that deny global warming have said that we cannot affect the climate, that human action is too small compared to the expanse of the world and air that surrounds it. Republicans and other petro lovers have said that the Gulf oil spill is not that big a deal and are still screaming drill baby drill. Tony Hayward said the spill was "relatively tiny" compared to the "very big ocean." Technically, as has been shown, he was right.

There are two kinds of people in the world (really there are many kinds, depending on what one is talking about), those who care about the environment and those who do not. Of the ones who care about the environment there are two kinds, those who understand that little things we do today, can have a huge impact tomorrow, and those whose concern about the environment goes no further than what they see at the moment and their perception of a more immediate future.

A little ornamental vine that was exhibited at an exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 has turned into a monster that affects our health as a result of human activity.

The relatively small amount of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico is going to forever change some of the most fragile and important lands in the coastal states, and affect many species in ways we cannot predict yet. The root of this problem is human, also. Human greed.

Republicans have called for less financial regulation, in the aftermath of a financial crisis that was caused in large part by lack of regulation.

Now they want to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases, and are critical of the president's halt of deep water drilling.



Here's the deal. America has to wake up. Quit putting off the development of alternative energy sources while saying we have plenty of fossil fuel and time to slowly make the changes. And quit drilling in the Gulf...really forever, but at least until you can assure us that you know WTF you are doing!

Here's an idea. Add a $4.00 per gallon gas tax and let the proceeds go toward alternative fuel research. We made a drastic and relatively quick change from horse and buggy to steam engine to gasoline powered vehicles and I'm sure the horse traders and horse feed producers didn't like it one bit. The industrial revolution changed the way goods were produced and I'm sure that as the factories were beginning to manufacture what we needed (or wanted) the cottage industry folks were concerned about their way of life.

It's no different now. A big change is going to come about. It's just a matter of who will accept it and learn to change along with it, and who will be kicking and screaming because they can't adjust.

PS. The new Share buttons that follow this are probably not working. Why not give it a try and let me know if anything happens? When I click, it does not give me opportunity to share. How about you?

Southern Baptists oppose DADT repeal (no surprise)

I looked back over the archives of this site and was quite surprised at how seldom I write about Southern Baptists. They are all around me, are mostly virulently homophobic, but in the last couple of years haven't had much to say about the subject.

Part of that may be because they are realizing that the denomination is shrinking, (an article in the Birmingham News a few weeks ago pointed out that teen baptisms was down and so future growth of the denomination was in question) and during their "strategizing" haven't wanted to seem too mean spirited (but when has that ever stopped them?).

Anyway, in today's Birmingham News is an article titled "Baptists fear end of Don't Ask" with the subtitle "Chaplains might lose freedom, group fears."

It seems that Southern Baptists have more chaplains in the military (448) than any other denominations (Roman Catholic - 252, Assemblies of God - 119, United Methodist - 110, Seventh Day Adventist - 43, Mormon - 37, Orthodox - 25, United Church of Christ - 17, Islam -10, Judaism - 21, Buddhist -1).

The article says there are about 3,000 active-duty chaplains, so those numbers don't add up. I think the "3,000" includes Reserve and National Guard chaplains, and the other numbers are just Department of Defense numbers.

Here's the fear.

"Southern Baptists...have told Congress and the Pentagon that chaplains
could lose their freedom to preach and counsel against homosexuality if openly
gay members are accepted by the military."

I'm thinking that if I'm in Afghanistan and am worried about an IED maiming me or knowing that the next day my unit is beginning a dangerous offensive in which I may be expected to take another person's (terrorist, woman, child) life and I go to my chaplain for counseling, that I want to hear something other than a preaching about my sexuality.

And under the current policy, since there are no "openly gay" members of the military (wink, wink), and the assumption is therefore that everyone is straight, there is absolutely no reason for a chaplain to be "preaching" against homosexuality anyway.

"Southern Baptist leaders have warned their chaplains may have to leave the
military if don't Ask/Don't Tell is repealed"

So if you can't be over there preaching your intolerance, then you don't think you can be over there making soldiers feel OK about what they are doing? That is weird, man.

Gays are in the military, and always have been.

Always.

During the Revolutionary War, Friedrich Wilhelm Augustin Ludolf Gerhard von Steuben, who was crucial in the modernization of George Washington's army, stands out.

This statue of Von Steuben by Albert Jaegers is in Lafayette Park in Washington DC.

From Gay Military Signal:

Von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge, that cold winter of 1778, with a young
French nobleman who was his 'assistant' and lover. As he spoke almost no
English, Washington assigned two young inseparable officers, who were fluent in
French and were lovers, to work with Von Steuben to translate his work.
They were 20 year old Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton (who was also likely to have been this nation's first mixed race officer) and 24 year old Lieutenant
Colonel John Laurens (who was the son of the President of the Continental
Congress that year, Henry Laurens). Laurens later died in battle, becoming
one of America's first Gay heroes. Their love letters still exist.

So, Southern Baptists, get over it. We were here before you were.

Ron Sparks showing leadership on the oil spill

After Ron Sparks trounced Artur Davis I wrote a column outlining what the candidate needs to do to win the election in November. I made sure the campaign was aware of my suggestions.

One of my suggestions was about the oil spill:

He needs to develop a consistent and sound policy about the disaster on the
Gulf Coast. This will be a major focus of the next governor's term, and Sparks
can tie his plan for saving the coast with his successful promotion of
international trade, particularly with Cuba, without "politicizing" the
disaster.

Sparks listened. Or maybe he's just already on top of things. As Agriculture Commissioner, he has an interest and a responsibility in dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and its effect on Alabama.

He wrote a letter to President Obama before the president's latest visit to our state, outlining the devastation that is taking place on our coast and the ways Alabama workers and families are being affected. He also pointed out several of BP's inadequacies in their response, and he listed several items that would enhance BP's payments of claims. Finally he recommended the appointment of Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy and former governor of Mississippi, to head a task force in the region.

He got tough with the President:

Mr. President, with the economic livelihood and emotional well-being of
thousands of Alabamians already being affected – and with more devastation
to come -- we have no choice but to demand that you take clear and concrete
action to address BP’s ineffectual and deficient response to the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill.

Then the President visited. And later gave his first Oval Office Speech.

Sparks responded to that as well:

I am heartened by President Obama’s remarks tonight, particularly the
appointment of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to head up an unprecedented
program for the recovery of the Gulf Coast states. Yesterday, I met with
President Obama and I handed him a letter requesting greater speed and
efficiency for paying claims to Gulf Coast residents and asking for the
appointment of Secretary of the Navy Mabus to oversee clean-up operations. I
want to thank President Obama for his leadership in coming down to the Gulf
Coast and listening to state and local officials and the people on the ground.
There's no doubt in my mind that by the President coming down to the Gulf Coast
and seeing the hurt and the pain of the people here that I feel confident help
is on the way.

Sparks had already shown his concern and his resolve in dealing with the tragedy, having said this when the oil first began reaching Alabama shores:

“The catastrophe has begun. Photos of oil on Gulf Shores' beaches
make me sick and I fear this is the beginning destruction of a way of life in
south Alabama. I pledge with every ounce of the fight in me, I will make
BP pay for all damage they do to our state. And they will not stop paying
until our state, our beaches, our wildlife and our seafood industry are made
whole again.”

We need a governor who is on top of things, who knows the industries (remember, Ron Sparks, as Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, has his name on every gas pump in our state), and who can work with the President and federal authorities and not against them in the recovery effort.

We need Ron Sparks as governor.

So, what's going on at the beach?

Everyday, Bruce at the Beach posts a video from Orange Beach. Yesterday he posted this one about a sea turtle who laid her eggs and what was done so save them from the beach activity. Notice, though, that the sands are still sugar white and the water that inviting pale green color. Who's up for a visit to the Gulf Coast?