Alabama
updated
8:04 a.m.
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For a week, I've been meaning to comment on the Huntsville Times' report on the February 2 meeting of the Republican Women of Huntsville. Alabama PACT killer, Kay Ivey, was the featured speaker at an event attended by many other AL-05 and Madison County candidates - though, of course, not Parker Griffith. Perhaps he thought Mooncat and I might be hoping to sample some of the Le...
Left in Alabama - 7:06 a.m. - 5 clicks 
Sen. Richard Shelby has released most of the Obama appointments he had held hostage to obtain pork federal largesse. "The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national security -- the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI's Terrorist Device Analytical Center," the spokesman said...
Left in Alabama - Mon 8:20 p.m.
The following rankings are from "Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2009 Kids Count Data Book " How Alabama stacks up on children's well-being: Overall Ranking - No. 48 Percent low-birthweight babies - No. 48 Infant Mortality - No. 48 Child Death Rate - No. 43 Teen Death Rate - No. 47 Teen Birth Rate - No. 39 Dropout Rate - No. 46 Children not working or in school - No. 44 ...
Left in Alabama - Mon 7:08 p.m. - 4 clicks
Last July 29 Danny reminded Ron Sparks that he needed to establish a principal campaign committee: Alabama law requires a candidate to file the statement within 5 days of raising (or spending) $25,000 for the candidacy. Fundraising for this election cycle could begin on June 1. Sparks filed the appropriate paperwork with the Alabama Secretary of State that very day. At the ti...
Left in Alabama - Mon 12:28 p.m. - 3 clicks
We were trying to make a point last week about Alabama Governor Bob Riley and his wacky anti-gambling task force--and darned if we didn't stumble into a Web phenomenon . It all was quite by accident. A reader sent us a brief video that supposedly featured behind-the-scenes footage of a recent task force meeting. But the video actually was from a movie about the last day's of Adolph Hitler's regi...
Legal Schnauzer - Mon 11:10 a.m. - 5 clicks
This diary stems both as something I have been reflecting on as well as as a response to this comment on George Wallace in another diary. One of the concepts presented by historians, political analysts, editorial writers, and others is the "New South Governor." This term refers to the generation of Southern governors that were elected to office primarily in the '60s and '7...
Left in Alabama - Mon 11:10 a.m. - 5 clicks
I started out last fall looking forward to Ron Sparks becoming the next governor of Alabama. Like many people in the state, I was in the minority that has rallied for and campaigned desperately for Obama, but I knew that there were some barriers that would never be crossed in Alabama. So, like most of my friends I rallied around the likely nominee of Ron Sparks, as he was hailed as the “mo...
Left in Alabama - Mon 7:26 a.m. - 3 clicks
Gubernatorial Forum Monday, Feb. 8, 7 pm Taylor Road Baptist Church 1685 Taylor Rd. Montgomery, AL Could be an interesting evening. Will Bradley Byrne out-Bible Roy Moore? Will Moore even show up? Have any of the candidates taken more gambling money than the Christian Coalition itself? ...
Left in Alabama - Mon 3:23 a.m. - 7 clicks
GOP conveniently discloses unsavory past of Democrat -- immediately after he wins primary. Scott Lee Cohen sold himself to Democratic primary voters as a shining example of integrity, transparency and business acumen. "Scott is prepared to bring his professional and life experience to the office of lieutenant governor," declared his campaign Web site. From the earliest stages of his campaign...
Left in Alabama - Sat 10:33 p.m. - 18 clicks
Senator Richard Shelby Demands Earmark Cash in Unmarked Bills (Washington D.C.) Ucs News: The nations deadly stand off Sen. Richard Shelby entered it 4th day with no end in sight. As the nation's capital cowers Richard Shelby continues to swagger through the halls of power intent on delivering budget busting earmarks to his home state. According to capital police, the Alabama Senator is n...
Left in Alabama - Sat 10:48 a.m. - 3 clicks
There is not hotter topic in the state of Alabama right now than gambling, its legal status and its future. Here's a short roundup of the latest events in what may become known as the ballad of bingo. Sen. Marc Keahey has proposed the Alabama Bingo Control Act . The Poarch Band of Creek Indians are backing this one. The Greene County sheriff won't allow the Governor's tas...
Left in Alabama - Sat 10:24 a.m. - 8 clicks
As we all have heard the news about U.S. Senator Richard Shelby and his decision to hold up all appointments unless his state gets porkbarrel funding. As has been diaried most recently by TomP: Shelby's Hold Threatens Security of Americans Well since his office is in such a need for pork I thought it appropriate to have the country give him what he wants. More after the jump: ...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Fri 6:49 p.m. - 5 clicks
President Barack Obama has tried to play nice with U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), showing unusual deference on federal nominations--especially for the sensitive U.S. attorney position in the Middle District of Alabama. What was Obama's reward for his careful approach to Shelby? A knife between the shoulder blades. And it appears to be driven by Republican Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts, lea...
Legal Schnauzer - Fri 11:06 a.m. - 10 clicks
I admit it has been a while since I have read or contributed to Kos. Usually a daily visitor, too much shit has gone on for me to have time to blog or read blogs. I know I am just one person with one small/tiny/microscopic company in a backwards state (Alabama) but I see suffering all around me. Talk of hitting bottom gives me serious doubts. I would wish it true of course, but I fear it ...
DailyKos (Alabama) - Fri 10:45 a.m.
A veteran investigator and journalist, who is in hiding because of apparent threats on his life, is calling for impeachment proceedings against the federal judge who oversaw the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. John Caylor, who has reported extensively on corruption in south Alabama and northwest Florida, says U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller acted corruptly in the Siegelman c...
Legal Schnauzer - Thu 9:42 a.m. - 5 clicks
A lead prosecutor in the Don Siegelman case is close to receiving a JAG appointment as chief defense counsel for the U.S. Military Commissions in Guantanamo, a source tells Legal Schnauzer. Stephen P. Feaga now is an assistant U.S. attorney, working for Leura Canary in the Middle District of Alabama. But our source learned from two senior Pentagon officials that Feaga is close to landing a posi...
Legal Schnauzer - Thu 8:24 a.m. - 7 clicks
Alabama Governor Bob Riley says his anti-gambling task force is designed to ensure that the rule of law is upheld in our state. But with each passing day, we learn details that indicate the task force itself is a sham. The latest example comes with reports that John Tyson, the new commander of the task force, received more than $200,000 in campaign funds from political action committees funded ...
Legal Schnauzer - Wed 9:28 a.m. - 5 clicks
Our coverage of two major figures in the Deep South--Paul Minor in Mississippi and Paul Bryant Jr. in Alabama--has received notice recently in the blogosphere. Joan Brunwasser, of OpEd News , interviewed me about our coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC and its possible impact on the Minor case . Minor's attorneys make a compelling argument that their client...
Legal Schnauzer - Wed 9:03 a.m. - 5 clicks
These are wacky days on the justice front. The U.S. Supreme Court has loosed corporate interests to wreak untold havoc on our democracy. Alabama Governor Bob Riley is waging a crusade on gambling that mixes Three Stooges buffoonery with middle-of-the-night, Gestapo-like tactics. We could use a break from all the nuttiness. And what better way to get it than with a musical interlude from one of ou...
Legal Schnauzer - Tue 9:45 a.m. - 3 clicks
University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban is being hailed as a master recruiter after leading the Crimson Tide to a national championship just three years after taking over a team that was about .500. Thanks to nifty reporting from Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News , we now know one reason Saban is such a strong recruiter: He has a whole lot more money to use than did his predecessor, M...
Legal Schnauzer - Tue 9:45 a.m. - 4 clicks
A group of people associated with Mississippi casino interests met in mid January to discuss ways to combat increased gaming activity in Alabama. Is it coincidence that Alabama Governor Bob Riley, who reportedly received campaign support from Mississippi casino groups, ordered attempted raids on two Alabama facilities roughly two weeks after the meeting? According to news reports in Alabama,...
Legal Schnauzer - Feb 1 - 6 clicks
Governor Bob Riley's Anti-Gambling Task Force attempted to raid two gaming facilities early this morning , but so far, has been turned away. That's because state troopers assigned to the task had a slight problem--they were trying to invade private property without search warrants. Troopers reportedly tried to raid the Country Crossing facility near Dothan and VictoryLand near Montgomery. But wi...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 29 - 12 clicks
The development of city school districts is resegregating American schools along racial lines imposed by municipal boundaries, according to a recent report. Jefferson County, Alabama, home to Birmingham, was prominently cited in the study, which was published in the journal of the American Bar Foundation. Author Erica Frankenberg could not have picked a better place than Jefferson County to c...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 28 - 5 clicks
James Armstrong, a central figure in the civil-rights movement, died a few weeks back in Birmingham . Armstrong, a barber by trade, was best known for his role in a six-year lawsuit that helped end formal school segregation in the Deep South. Armstrong lived to see integrated schools in his native Alabama. But he could not outlive "employment terrorism," a tactic that was used against civil-righ...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 28 - 9 clicks
For seven-plus years now, Governor Bob Riley has treated the citizens of Alabama as if they have the combined intellectual capacity of a stump. Alabama's mainstream press has been Riley's enabler in this effort--and it still is going on. The latest example came with news that Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr. is the new commander of Riley's anti-gambling task force. One of Tyson's fi...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 27 - 4 clicks
Recent reports about Alabama Governor Bob Riley and his threats toward those who oppose him hit close to the bone here at Legal Schnauzer . My wife and I know what it's like to be targeted by those who have ties to Riley. I was cheated out of my job as a state employee, after 19 years of service at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and evidence strongly suggests that someone con...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 26 - 8 clicks
According to public documents, Alabama Reassurance was a highly successful company, with more than $238 million in admitted assets at the end of 2006. So why did company executives, who include University of Alabama trustee Paul Bryant Jr., indicate near the end of 2007 that they intended to merge Alabama Re into its parent company (Greene Group Inc.) and then liquidate it? Why did they indicat...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 26 - 4 clicks
Alabama Governor Bob Riley, sounding like a character from one of the Godfather movies, recently issued a clear threat to those who oppose him--and perhaps to those who cover his administration. A Montgomery television reporter was there to capture it all on tape. Eileen Jones, of station WSFA, interviewed Riley about reports that a private investigator hired by VictoryLand's Milton McGregor ha...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 25 - 4 clicks
It's not often that we get to say, "I told you so," so we mustn't let those moments pass. With that in mind, it's a special pleasure to report that a private investigation led to the recent resignation of David Barber, the head of Alabama Governor Bob Riley's Anti-Gambling Task Force. Milton McGregor, owner of VictoryLand near Montgomery, said he hired a private investigator, who caught Barber...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 22 - 6 clicks
We have established that a company owned by University of Alabama trustee Paul W. Bryant Jr. was involved in a massive insurance-fraud scheme that led to a 15-year prison sentence for a Pennsylvania lawyer. But several intriguing questions remain: How did the lawyer, Allen W. Stewart, come to pick Bryant's company as a conspirator? Of all the insurance companies in the country, why did Stewart ...
Legal Schnauzer - Jan 21 - 4 clicks
If you’re eligible to vote in the city of Birmingham, do it! The weather is beautiful, the lines will likely be short (unfortunately), so get out and do your civic duty. ...
Birmingham Blues - Jan 19 - 4 clicks
I attended the 24th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center this morning. The East Exhibition Hall was packed with people who had come to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King. A few of them may have been a bit surprised at what they heard from keynote speaker [...]...
Birmingham Blues - Jan 18 - 5 clicks
…from Frank Matthews “Faith” in Birmingham. Brought to us by the same email address that delivered Frank’s open letter to the citizens of Birmingham, decrying the proposal to expand Pre-K in Birmingham. Because better educational opportunities for the city’s children are part of the gay agenda. Or something. Now it’s right out in the open. In [...]...
Birmingham Blues - Jan 18 - 2 clicks
Frank Matthews. Yep, “nggers and gays!” Frank Matthews is at it again, concern trolling Birmingham mayoral candidate Patrick Cooper’s support for Howard Bayless’ 2007 candidacy for the Birmingham School Board. He’s written an open letter (PDF) to the citizens of Birmingham that is, he assures us, in no way intended to attack the character of [...]...
Birmingham Blues - Jan 17 - 4 clicks
