Church Usher's Run

This story is old, but it's funny. Because of the identities of those involved and the need for discretion, the pages of Alabama Confidential are the best place to tell the tale.

If you are from Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, or any other place in the South, you know the conflicts and attitudes about drinking booze of any kind. I call it the "Baptist Influence." Really, that is being unfair to the Baptists, because many denominations in the South have the same prejudices against partaking alcoholic beverages. The story I'm going to relate is a tale of four young men who boldly defied the prevailing attitude of the time - right in their own church. Well - maybe not exactly "in" the church.

It's okay to mention the town in this story because there are enough churches there that it would be impossible to figure out where the deed took place. The Episcopal and Catholic churches - because of their more liberal attitudes towards booze - are excluded from this tale...

Brewton, Alabama is the town and the church shall go nameless except to say it's a good place to be seen by the connected.

Like all churches, seating the congregation and collecting their money falls on the shoulders of the ushers. These men and women perform a critical function for any church. Leading the elderly to their pews, controlling the lines to the communion rail, making sure everyone has an opportunity to put their donation in the collection plate, and being on standby for the needs of the pastor are just a few of the functions of the usher. Each church does it different. Sometimes the designated ushers are rotated each Sunday and sometimes the same ones do the job every Sunday.

According to my corroborated sources, these,young, fairly good looking men did the task so often that they were familiar with the length of the service and all of its variances down to the minute. All the young men were below the age of 18 and were students at the local high school.

The largest gap in time during any church service is the time from the beginning of the sermon until the dismissal. Usually this takes from 30 minutes to an hour, depending upon the church. In this church the time was approximately 45 minutes for no other reason than to give the congregation a good head start in racing a larger congregation from down the street to Brewton's favorite buffet line. The young ushers had the time down.

We will never know which of the four teenagers started the tradition that contributed to their fame or better said, infamy, but here's how it went:

In Century, Florida near the point of the Alabama line, there was a beer joint. Not an ordinary beer joint, but one that had package sales through a drive-in window and sold beer on Sundays. At the time there was no such establishment in Brewton due to blue laws. The proprietor of the establishment didn't care about the ages of his customers and had no ethical problem with selling beer to underage young men.

Depending on the route, from Brewton to said beer joint in Century, a person driving a good fast car could be there in fifteen minutes. Breaking the speed limit, one could be there much faster. A round trip would take at least 30 minutes depending on legal speed.

So this became the game of the four ushers: Leaving the church at the beginning of the sermon and being back before they were needed at the dismissal, as well as chug-a-lugging, Lord knows how many beers.

Two of the ushers have turned out well as adults and two not so well. How long the usher's run lasted no one could tell me, but it leaves one question. Did the departing congregation think the "beery" smell in their church at the end of the sermon was a new type of shave lotion?

Drivers be careful when you're driving in the late morning hours of a Sunday on U.S. 29. You might be blown off the road by four young men on an "usher's run"

Another People's Republic of China Outlet Store to Open in Brewton

This from China Daily about the store who's slogan is "always low prices." A store who will open a new retail center soon in Brewton,Alabama.

The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, says its inventory of stock produced in China is expected to hit US$18 billion this year, keeping the annual growth rate of over 20 per cent consistent over two years.

The trend is expected to continue, company officials revealed.

"We expect our procurement stock from China to continue to grow at a similar rate in line with Wal-Mart's growth worldwide, if not faster," said Lee Scott, the president and CEO (chief executive officer) of Wal-Mart.

An unnamed company official also stated the firm will extend its procurement base from South China's Pearl River Delta to the North and East China in the coming few years.

A market rumour says the retailer has its eyes on a 340,000-square metre warehouse at a logistics garden of the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Bonded Area.

Scott covertly visited the site earlier this month, and hopes to own the whole warehouse to accommodate the firm's further expansion in China.

At present, Wal-Mart has quite limited warehouse resources in East China.

Xu Jun, Wal-Mart China's director of external affairs, ruled out the rumour, saying the CEO has never visited that or any other site for a warehouse.

Nevertheless, he said China is Wal-Mart's most important supplier in the world. The overseas procurement home office in Shenzhen, a city of South China's Guangdong Province, has played a key role in the firm's global purchasing business.

Wal-Mart shifted its overseas procurement centre from Hong Kong to Shenzhen in February 2002 to better serve the purchasing and exporting business.

"If Wal-Mart were an individual economy, it would rank as China's eighth-biggest trading partner, ahead of Russia, Australia and Canada," Xu said.

By the end of September, 2004, the top seven trading partners to the Chinese mainland are the European Union, the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), South Korea and China's Taiwan Province, state statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.

Last year, the firm bought US$15 billion products from China, half from direct purchasing, the other from the firm's suppliers in China.

More than 5,000 Chinese enterprises have established steady supply alliances with Wal-Mart.

Good quality and low price are the major attractions of the retailing giant.

Insiders point out Wal-Mart's imports from China have largely influenced the US trade deficit in China, which is expected to reach US$150 billion this year.

Xu declined to comment if the anti-dumpling measures of the US Department of Commerce have impacted the firm's procurement of textile commodities and household appliances in China, saying again that China is an important sourcing base for the firm.

So far, more than 70 per cent of the commodities sold in Wal-Mart are made in China.

Experts say Wal-Mart's plan of increasing its procurement from China has granted the firm a positive corporate reputation in the country.

"Buying more products in China means more job opportunities, which helps the firm win not only the government's hearts, but also the customers' appreciations," said Wang Yao, director of information department under the China General Chamber of Commerce.

In the United States, poor people find it possible to afford cheap "Made In China" products for their daily necessities, Wang said.

Wal-Mart, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, entered China in 1996. It has opened 39 stores, including supercenters, "Sam's Clubs" and neighborhood markets in 15 cities around China, including Beijing, Harbin and Dalian.

It has recently announced the opening of its first store in Shanghai, slated for the middle of next year.

The firm has a total of 4,900 stores in 10 countries worldwide.

FROM THE ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE:

China's entry into the World Trade Organization was supposed to improve the U.S. trade deficit with China and create good jobs in the United States. But those promises have gone unfulfilled: the total U.S. trade deficit with China reached $235 billion in 2006. Between 2001 and 2006, this growing deficit eliminated 1.8 million U.S. jobs (Scott 2007). The world's biggest retailer, U.S.-based Wal-Mart was responsible for $27 billion in U.S. imports from China in 2006 and 11% of the growth of the total U.S. trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2006. Wal-Mart's trade deficit with China alone eliminated nearly 200,000 U.S. jobs in this period.

Here We Go Again! Who vandalized the Golf Carts?

The ever diligent Brewton Standard reports today of the apprehension and arrest of three teens who allegedly vandalized property at T.R. Miller High School. Everybody is in on this one. Brewton police chief Monte McGougin says:

The acts committed by the suspects are ones law enforcement officials find senseless, McGougin said. “This is something we simply are not going to tolerate,” McGougin said. “We will investigate any acts of vandalism and work to arrest those responsible for this type of activity.”

Then Brewton City School Superintendent Lynn Smith says:

Brewton City Schools Superintendent Lynn Smith said Friday he had not received a full report about the individuals charged in the case. “I haven't gotten any statement from the police on who the vandals are,” Smith said. “We will be waiting on a full report from them to determine what action we will be taking in the matter.”

Obviously these kids aren't as connected to the system as the ones involved in the Brewton Country Club vandalism several months ago which (unless it was done very quietly and out of the public eye) hasn't been solved. Here is that story:

(May 2)A Sunday morning discovery by workers at the Brewton Country Club has sparked an investigation concerning the vandalism of more than 25 golf carts.

“There are between 25 and 30 golf carts involved in this vandalism situation,” said Robert Lynn, Brewton Country Club manager. “I don’t want to give too much information, because I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation that would get these kids arrested.”

Lynn said Brewton Police were contacted on Sunday morning and Sgt. Eric Suarez was the investigating officer with the department.

Suarez said the department made the initial investigation and assessed the damage to the grounds and golf carts at the club.

“We went out and made a report about the vandalism situation at the Country Club,” Suarez said. “Workers at the Club arrived at work on Sunday morning to find the golf carts had been taken from the shed where they are stored. We found that the greens had been run over by the carts and some of them were wrecked where they were run into each other. We even found some of the carts stuck in the sand traps on the golf course.”

Suarez said since the Country Club is located outside the city limits of Brewton that the case has been turned over to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation.

“We have done all that we can in the case,” Suarez said. “Since it is in the County’s jurisdiction, we turned any further investigation in the case over to the Sheriff’s office.”

Cameron Fillingin is the investigating officer for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.

“We are still investigating this case,” Fillingin said. “I won’t be able to release any additional information until the investigation is complete.”

So what happened with the golf cart vandalism investigation? Did it get solved? Was it ever in the paper again?

New Chapters added to fictional online serial novel about a modern secessionist movement

I have added two chapters to the online fictional serial novel, "Southern Split." Learn how a major city can be shut down with 45 motorcycles and special flashlights. Read the five completed chapters of Southern Split.

Feel free to contribute story ideas by emailing me at miket@thomsontalks.com.

"Nobodies" in Alabama get Busted for Drugs while "Somebodies" skate free

In almost every city in Alabama you read about the such and such "Drug Task Force" arresting some "nobody" for drug possession or distribution. That's very good and I applaud it because I think illegal and some legal drugs are the bane of American society.

Steroid abuse has become so common place in all sports that most fans grudingly accept it, causing me to wonder why baseball, football, and certain track and field events don't just set up different leagues and classifications for steroid and non-steriod athletes. If the steriod users want shorter lifespans in trade for weight gain and hitting the ball out of the park consistently so be it. Forget the argument about being role models for kids - it's not convincing. Pull your 15 year old football player,baseball player,soccer player,or high school weightlifter into the den for a chat. Do they know any of their peers who take steroids? You betcha! Have they ever thought about taking steroids - be tipped off by the nervous foot shuffle.

We live in a culture where drugs are becoming more and more acceptable. The police and enforcers of drug law are conflicted. They want to do a good job of ridding Alabama society of marijuana,cocaine(crack and powder),and certainly want to shut down methamphetamine production and distribution, but struggle with the issue of going after the "big fish" in their town and locality who regularly use drugs,check in frequently to rehab centers, and feel they are "untouchable" and immune from the force of the law. These "untouchables" may be attorneys, county commissioners, wealthy mill and plant owners, and successful business people. It's okay for them to use drugs, but not so for the "scum."

So what does Law do? To make good theatre for the law abiding folks who are in every Alabama community, the drug task force goes after "nobody" scum that everybody would suspect would be on or selling drugs anyway. It's called the "path of least resistance" and it keeps them out of trouble with their bosses who play golf and suck up to the "somebodies," who, by the way, prefer their cocaine powdered.

If I ain't telling the truth, shoot me!

More Growth for South Alabama

At last Brookley Field in Mobile is getting something worthwhile.

With the Thyssen-Krupp steel mill headed for the Mobile area, Mobile is soon going to be the hottest ticket in the southland. But there's more! This from German paper Spiegel Online:

According to a report in the Monday edition of the Munich daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, Airbus is looking into building a final assembly plant in Mobile, Alabama. The prerequisite for such a move, the paper reports, is a contract for 180 refueling aircraft the United States Air Force has tendered. Airbus is competing against Boeing for the sale, and a final decision won't be made until the beginning of next year. Airbus is targeting the relatively poor state of Alabama in an effort to win political support for its bid.

Were it to win the contract, Airbus would modify the passenger jet A330 to meet the US military's requirements. The factory would also be able to produce the civilian version of the plane, resulting in massive exchange-rate savings to Airbus. Because the plane-maker sells its products in dollars, a $0.10 change in the exchange rate cuts a €1 billion (nearly $1.5 billion) hole in the Airbus bottom line. Furthermore, the company's Power 8 savings program, announced earlier this year, is based on an exchange rate of $1.35 to the euro.

Recent drops in the dollar's value have led Airbus CEO Thomas Enders to warn that more savings measures may be on the way. On Monday, the euro climbed down further from last week's high of just under $1.50 and was trading at $1.466.

Full text of interview between David Gow of British newspaper The Guardian and representative of Marketplace business publication, David Krizer. This was published earlier this month:

Doug Krizner: European plane maker Airbus is reportedly considering a new factory in Alabama. A weak dollar and a soaring euro are the reasons why.

Let's bring in David Gow from London's Guardian newspaper. David, you describe this as the chief of Airbus issuing a wake-up call for Europe.

David Gow: Those were the words he used. He said that Europe has to wake up to the decline of the dollar and the impact that this has on European industry and manufacturing in particular. That it's going to force companies to outsource or relocate more and more of its production to the dollar zone.

Krizner: Now, is the relationship between the dollar and the euro a life-threatening situation for Airbus, do you think?

Gow: Yes. Because basically, every 10 cents fall in the value of the dollar costs Airbus 1 billion euros, which in American terms is the equivalent of $1.4-$1.5 billion.

Krizner: So you are reporting in your article for the Guardian that Airbus officials are confirming that they are considering a plan to set up this new factory in Alabama. What would they produce there?

Gow: First of all, they would produce, if they win the Pentagon contract for these air-to-air refueling planes, they would build them there. But at the same time, they could also build parts for planes which would be destined for the U.S. airlines.

Krizner: So I want to zero in here. What you're saying, then, is that this entire move toward Alabama is contingent upon Airbus winning the Pentagon contract, or not?

Gow: That's right. There's a huge -- it's one of the biggest lobbying campaigns in aerospace that the military in America you've seen for many, many a year. Supposedly, a decision will be taken early next year.

Krizner: David Gow is business report for The Guardian in London. We've been speaking to him this morning from Brussels. David, thanks so much.

Gow: OK, thank you!

Hats off to the Monroe Journal

Truthfully, during the 12 years I lived in south Alabama I didn't read the Monroe Journal very often. That is not to say that I didn't have the opportunity. As a military recruiter during the first 4 of those 12 years, I was in Monroeville every Thursday to bring in applicants for Military Entrance Processing tests at George B. "Buster" Singleton's National Guard Armory. I say it belonged to Buster because he ruled the place with an iron hand. I enjoyed listening to Buster's observations on local history,particularly his authoritative knowledge of William Weatherford, so I didn't have too much time to read the Journal. However given that George is a contributing writer to the Monroe Journal, I suppose I had more exposure than I realized.

Even though I grew up in Tennessee and currently live in Virginia near Washington D.C., my heart adopted Alabama long ago. I keep up with what is going on in the state by reading online editions of papers such as the Montgomery Advertiser, Mobile Register, Brewton Standard, Atmore Advance, and for the last year, The Monroe Journal.

I would include the Tri-City Ledger in Flomaton/Century, but unfortunately outstanding journalist and publisher Joe Thomas does not have a web presence.

With the Monroe Journal I have been particularly impressed by the courageous stand they have taken in their reporting on the proposed Conecuh Woods Landfill. I say courageous because landfill interests have a lot of money to either buy out or stifle opposition. In some communities in America it's literally citizens against the mob.

I became interested in the Monroe Journal because of their landfill stories, but I have become hooked on their other stories as well and their objective "letters to the editor" section i.e. they are confident enough in their own skin to subject themselves to reader criticism. This paper, folks, packs as much wallop in it's once a week paper as some of the surrounding papers manage to get out in six weeks.

Hats off to a fine paper and a great tradition of unbiased reporting!

Have Pro-Landfill Forces Politicized the Battle?

The proposed Conecuh Woods Landfill in rural southwest Alabama will be the largest landfill in the United States when completed. Up until now, the citizens engaged in opposition to the landfill have more or less been involved in a fair fight. With a change in public relations firms, from the Patrick Slevin Group of Tallahassee, Florida to Matrix LLC of Montgomery, the dynamic has changed tremendously. Below is a post I wrote for the Stop The Conecuh Woods Landfill blog:

With the defacto mouthpiece of the Conecuh Woods Landfill being a former Alabama Democratic State Executive Director, has Conecuh Woods politicized the process? Does this mean that Democratic Chairmen in Monroe, Escambia, and Conecuh counties have been enlisted in the big money fight to bring an environmental atrocity to Southwest Alabama? If you are opposed to the landfill and live in one of the most affected counties mentioned above, you might want to ask your local Democratic chairman if they are opposed to the landfill or for it. You might want to ask them what their relationship is to Conecuh Woods mouthpiece and former State Democratic Executive Director, Phillip Kinney.

In case you don't know who your local Democratic chairmen are, I am happy to provide contact information for you:

Conecuh: The Honorable Tommy Chapman home: 251-578-1406 work 251-578-4977

Monroe: Mr. Milton Coxwell home 251-743-4055 work 251-575-2146

Escambia: Mr. Reo Kirkland Jr. home 251-578-5115 work 251-867-5711

Just so you don't think that I am invading these gentleman's privacy by publishing their phone numbers, this information is easily accessible on the State Democratic website.

What's going on at the Escambia County Jail?

"There wasn't a melee. Mr. Presley slipped and fell and hit his head on the floor," he said. "They're after money. That's what a lawsuit is." Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith responding to allegations of prisoner abuse in pending federal lawsuit.

The plaintiff's attorney, Charles Morris III, attempting to show a chronology of "systemic" problems at the jail, cites over 20 news articles in the Mobile Register:

"When you read the records, you'd have to answer that question, 'yes.' They've had problems back to '93," he said. "They have people breaking out of jail. They have people breaking into jail. They've had indictments of inmates. They've had indictments of staff. They're sorely understaffed."

The plaintiff, Rodney Stewart Presley, has filed suit asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for head injuries he sustained in a melee in June of 2006. Presley was a pre-trial detainee at the time for a charge of burglary which was later dropped.

Also named in the suit against Sheriff Grover Smith is the Escambia County Commission.

According to a story in the Mobile Register by staff reporter, Brendan Kirby:

A federal magistrate judge in Mobile on Wednesday[November 28] ordered Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith to provide records about his jail's policies to a Bay Minette man who is suing over injuries he suffered at the jail last year.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bert Milling Jr. ruled that Rodney Stewart Presley must use the Policy and Procedures Manual for the lawsuit only and cannot give it to anyone other than his attorney and expert witnesses who might testify.

Milling also ruled that Smith and the Escambia County Commission can have access to Presley's medical records, but they likewise must keep the information confidential.

Stay tuned, this promises to be serious for Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith.

Are you a Secessionist?

Strange question isn't it? Surprisingly a growing number of people are. It's a natural tendency for humans when life gets too complex to wish to escape. Southern secessionist see federal laws, judicial mandates, and multinational corporations destroying the land of cotton, magnolias, and pecans. They may have a point. The South I grew up in is not the South I live in today. It's not just the South, but the rest of the country as well that is laboring under discontent.

Recently in Chattanooga,Tennessee, Southern secessionists and Northern secessionist met to consolidate forces. Now the Northern secessionist differ radically from the Southern secessionists. The secessionists from New England and New York, not surprisingly, are more liberal, easy going, tree hugging folks who have had enough of the United States government playing "mommy" with their lives. According to recent polls 13% of the population of Vermont wishes to secede from the United States. See Article in Boston Globe.

In the South the biggest secessionist organization is the League of the South based in Alabama and led by Dr.J.Michael Hill (pictured above) of Killen,Alabama.

During the first week of October, 2007, both Northern and Southern secessionists, seeing more commonality than differences, had a consensus of opinion which resulted in the Chattanooga Declaration.

Stay tuned!

Racism at Georgia Pacific?

Brunswick Georgia is a few hundred miles from Brewton,Alabama. Yet Brewton, Al and Brunswick, Georgia have Georgia Pacific operations in their towns. Recently - in Brunswick - Allegations were made that Georgia Pacific Lumber Division had reverted to the past and had a "White's only" toilet. Folks, I'm only reporting something I've seen on the web. Read the story yourself. A Whites-only Bathroom on the First Coast

Joe

He’s tall and lean and some say mean and to all he’s rather vile. His stock and trade is extorting, you see, and that’s why he has a file - on people he knows and some that he don’t,and on their evil deeds unseen.

Joe grew up with many of wealth and worked to get in close with them all. Watching and waiting, then jubilating for each, who had less than a virtuous fall. With a smile full of grace, and friend to their face, truth is, Joe hates each and everyone of them all.

He’s conned the best and wooed the rest trying to convince them that he’s good. He claims that he’s smart and sometimes acts the part, but no one really does know,because what he’s done to his brain with booze and cocaine makes for a really dumb show.

The bars of a cell may be his final Hell in a world he can’t dominate, but wait,he's found Jesus he says ...., but, friends, is this meeting too late? No friends he has left, and some say he’s turning to Meth, I’m afraid soon they’ll be slamming the gate…

Prophecy?

There is all sorts of trouble in South Alabama over landfills. Residents of Conecuh, Monroe, and Escambia County are trying to keep a Florida group from establishing the largest landfill in the United States in Conecuh County. Meanwhile, leakage problems seemed to have occurred in the existing Timberlands landfill in Escambia County. There are sure to be lawsuits and more problems in the future associated with these two landfills.

In 2003, long before these issues boiled to the surface (no pun intended), I wrote a fictional novel about a murder of a young teenager in a fictitious city (Crawfordville) in south Alabama. A subplot of that story concerned the danger posed by a nearby landfill. Here is an excerpt from the introduction to Chapter Nine. Did I foretell the future?

Crawfordville, Alabama – the present

The landfill was located in the northeastern portion of Big Creek County. It covered just less than 300 acres. The popular former state executive who owned the landfill had seen to it, prior to leaving office that the Big Creek County Environmental Corporation got every break it legally could in the permitting process. Consequently, the Big Creek County Landfill had the largest daily tonnage capacity of any of the thirty state permitted landfills in Alabama. 2500 tons a day of solid waste doesn’t seem like much until you convert the figure to 5,000,000 pounds per day extended to 1,800,000,000 pounds per year. Given that Big Creek County had a population of only 30, 000 that figured out to 167 pounds of trash per day per resident of the county.

Big Creek County Environmental Corporation would bankrupt itself if it had to depend on Big Creek County and its various municipalities to supply 2500 tons of trash per day, so various arrangements and contracts had been made with 24 other Alabama counties; 4 counties in Florida, and 8 counties in Mississippi and Texas to make up the difference. Eighteen wheelers rolled to the Big Creek Landfill from all directions. Trash from Pensacola, Mobile, Montgomery, Houston and even trash from the casinos in Biloxi and Gulfport made its way to Crawfordville on a daily basis. From five miles in all directions the rich soured scent of the landfill was present and pervasive. Highway damage and increased levels of spilled trash on the right-of -way had become a problem. The quality of personnel manning the landfill was a much bigger problem, however, than spilled trash...

The landfill was self-monitored. Ideally each truck carrying solid waste into the fill was inspected and weighed with any illegal waste being turned away. Prohibited hazardous waste and medical wastes made their way into the Big Creek County Landfill for an "under the table" fee. Once a local environmental activist complained and she was hounded out of town for being a "nutcase". The politicized Environmental Protection Agency was called in to investigate, but would not release their findings until a Montgomery based environmental watchdog group sued. The EPA investigation was summed up as, Question: "Did you fellows break the law?" Answer: "No we didn't break any laws." EPA response: "Well that sounds good enough for us, sorry to bother you." The EPA declared the case closed without ever testing the landfill, performing any stakeouts or surveillance, nor conducting any type of investigation.

Meanwhile, in the landfill itself, a concoction of toxic chemicals, organics, and trace metals had conglomerated themselves into a mixture known as a plume that was seeping towards an unexpected crack in the low permeable liner of the landfill. Below the liner was the water table. Crawfordville was downstream and eleven miles away....

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Joe Scarborough - Almost an Alabamian

One of the freshest funny faces I have seen on TV lately is Joe Scarborough of the new MSNBC "Morning Joe" which fills the 6am to 9pm morning time slot formerly held by the fallen Don Imus. I say Joe is almost an Alabamian because he is very proud of graduating from the University of Alabama in 1985. He will frequently and spontaneously erupt with a "Roll Tide" shout during the show.

On the show, the former Florida Congressman, shares the set with two co-hosts who not well known -for now - have a good amount of chemistry with Joe. While Mika Brzezenski and Willie Geist are not widely known,they are definitely breaking out of the shadow of their famous parents - Zbigniew Brzezenski, former National Security Advisor to Jimmy Carter and Bill Geist - regular commentator or CBS Sunday and Sixty Minutes.

Scarborough has another show on MSNBC called "Scarborough Country" which is very political in nature but not nearly as funny as "Morning Joe." While there is a lot of politics discussed on the show, Joe comes across more as a conservative free thinker than a lockstep Bush Republican - even though there is no doubt that he was there once.

Joe frequently appears on the show attired in a uniform someone from Lower Alabama or the Florida Panhandle can identify with - blue oxford shirt without tie and not tucked in, dark trousers and loafers without socks. He gives an easy going image of a party getting ready to happen.

I didn't think anyone could replace Imus for that time slot, but Joe is doing well with it. I think the reason for his success is because he's working at being "Joe" and not "Imus."

The National I.D. Card is here - But, did you know it?

Starting in May, 2008 you will need a federally approved ID card to travel by air, open a bank account, apply for your social security benefits, or use most government services. President Bush signed The Real ID Act in 2005 and states have until May 11, 2008 to be in compliance.

In Alabama, your national/real ID will take the form of your state driver's license which will not really be a state driver's license anymore. It will be a Homeland Security ID card. To get the new identification your old ID will have to be recertified. This means that you, your grandma, Uncle Charlie, and God knows who else will have to make a personal visit to a state office with certified birth certificates, current U.S. Passport, Social Security Card, and proof of address. The state will have to certify these certificates are real, digitize them, and store them permanently.

Once everyone's personal information is on file, then the Department of Homeland Security will require Alabama to set up an information database that will be shared by ALL states to allow information verification.

There will be a barcode on the back of the ID which will allow bars, banks, airlines, and so to swipe through card readers. Instantly upon implementation of the Real ID there will be a new kind of second class citizen - those who do not possess a card. The following is from a website that is devoted entirely to opposing the new ID card requirement:

If it's possible to create a scheme worse than a national ID card, this is it: a privatized National ID card. The citizens of every state will not only be at the mercy of a company like ChoicePoint or Acxiom to 'approve' their identity, but will have no privacy protections whatsoever on that data. Your sensitive drivers license data can be bought and sold along with everything else these companies sell, such as your credit information. The federal government can then gain access to this information without having to comply with any laws, such as the Privacy Act.

DHS is granting the right to control our identity to private industry. It will be Identity-Mart, Inc.: Always Low Privacy, Always.™ Congress needs to take immediate action to stop this travesty.

Do you remember those movies from the Cold War about Eastern Bloc Communist Countries that required a national ID? The cold eyed security agent would approach the hero and say the dreaded words, "Show me your identity documents!"

Alabama citizens, starting next year, will be in the same pickle.

Until next time...

The Gutless Attack on Lou Dobbs by the Liberal Southern Poverty Law Center

A friend of mine who is a writer for the Partial Observer expressed to me his fears of writing certain articles because of fear of being intimidated by people on his job. It seems there is an overkill against the exercise of free speech by certain groups in this country. It's been going on for a long time, but now the practice of crucifying free speakers and free writers seems to be escalating. Shock Jock Don Imus - who among other things is one of America's leading charitable fundraisers was carried to the gallows by Al Sharpton and company. Opie and Anthony who said crude vulgar things about the Queen, Hillary, and Conoleeza Rice were suspended this week because of their words.

Now, Alabama's "fine" Southern Poverty Law Center has launched a full scale attack on CNN host Lou Dobbs because he brought to the attention of the American Public the rise in certain uncommon diseases that have accompanied illegal aliens into this country. One of those diseases is Leprosy. The SPLC has gone on a tirade against Dobbs impuning his integrity and accusing him of outright lying about the illegal immigration situation in this country.

Alabamians - if you look around and think back about 15 years, do you think Dobbs is exaggerating the illegal immigration situation in this country?

Morris Dees who founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery is one of the most artful fundraisers in the "stir the sympathy" business. He once won a lawsuit for a black lady against the KKK. The settlement was less than $60,000. Dees, however, in a solicitation letter based on the same case was able to raise several million dollars in fundraising. The man is shameless.

He is now setting his sights on Lou Dobbs - the only person in America who has brought the public the truth about illegal immigration. Will Dobbs go the way of Don Imus? We'll see...

Until next time...

From today's news:

Illegal Immigration Timebomb

Alabama may seize property of illegal aliens

Are illegals going to cause us all to have a communistic national ID Card?

Illegals trying to vote in Alabama?

From Cotton to Steel - Change is coming to South Alabama!

"Some days are diamond and some days are gold," says Governor Bob Riley quoting a Bob Denver song, when hearing the announcement of Alabama getting the ThyssenKrupp steel processing facility which will be located in Mount Vernon, Alabama.

How much is a billion dollars? Think of it this way, Alabama's annual budget is about 18 billion dollars give or take a few hundred million dollars(I'm not great with numbers - as I'm a Tennessee graduate). With that 18 billion all government in the state of Alabama is funded.

The ThyssenKrupp plant is a big deal. ThyssenKrupp is putting a $3.7 billion dollar investment into the area. That's about 18% of the Alabama budget. And that's not all - the plant will employee 2,700 workers and MORE - the construction phase will create 29,000 new jobs. Over twenty years the plant will create as many as 60,000 jobs not directly related to the plant facility.

Michael Rademacher, Vice Chairman and CFO of ThyssenKrupp Stainless, said. “This facility represents the largest investment in the history of ThyssenKrupp Stainless. While our direct entry to the US market is perhaps a bold step, it is also a logical and forward-looking one. The stainless steel market throughout the NAFTA region offers significant potential, and we are now poised to further strengthen our position.”

Money! Money! Money! More people moving into the area! More housing construction. Every small city within 100 miles of Mount Vernon will be impacted directly and indirectly by the decision made in Dusseldorf, Germany. Mount Vernon is about 87 commuting miles from Brewton, Alabama and 54 commuting miles from Atmore, Alabama.

I grew up in a town that has a 3500 employee aluminum plant. Alcoa Aluminum impacts cities up and down the Tennessee Valley. ThyssenKrupp will do the same thing. The Alabama automobile manufacturering market will be impacted and influenced to move closer to the steel! Expansion and more car manufacturers are likely on their way because of this development.

Population growth, economic growth, and cultural changes will create new demands on old stale county and city governments. While it be beneficial for most, the change will be painful for some as the region is delivered into the 21st Century.

I live in Loudoun County, Virginia, the wealthiest county in the United States. Our roads are packed along with our schools and hospitals. We have sections of Northern Virginia that look like Saigon, Calcutta, and Tijuana. In a scaled down way, the same thing will happen to south Alabama. There's no hiding place from change - you better get used to it. It's been a long time coming.

Hats off to Governor Riley and the hard working team that made this happen!

Check the ThyssenKrupp website for employment and vendor opportunities.

Until next time...

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Mexicans and Drugs in Alabama

Juan Carlos Ayala is on the Drug Enforcement Agency's Most Wanted List for conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine (meth). Juan is from Mexico. His last known address was not in California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas. His last known address was at the Quail Run Apartments in Florence, Alabama. The New Orleans Field Division of the DEA has a most wanted list of drug fugitives in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Before you read on - click on the DEA link - and look at the names and faces of the DEA's most wanted. The majority are Mexican - if you don't believe me, count them!

The following blocked statements are not mine. They come straight from the DEA's website in it's report on Alabama:

Mexican and African American DTOs [Drug Trafficing Organizations] are major transporters and distributors of illegal drugs in Alabama. Organizations consisting of street gangs and motorcycle gangs may be contributing to the local drug trade; however, law enforcement does not have statistics to support this. Local groups and individuals according to law enforcement are responsible for the distribution and sometimes trafficking of illegal drugs in Alabama.

Money laundering continues to pose a threat in Alabama, especially in Birmingham and Montgomery. The most obvious businesses utilized are used car lots and Mexican restaurants. These businesses tend to be cash-intensive and lend well to the laundering of illegal proceeds from illicit drug trafficking. An ongoing investigation has identified several Mexican restaurants in Alabama and Florida utilized to launder illegal drug proceeds.

... methamphetamine has been identified by law enforcement as the number one drug threat in Alabama. Methamphetamine production in the state has seen a substantial decrease as a direct result of the restricting of psuedoehpedrine sales; however, it remains the most significant threat in Alabama as Mexican DTOs increased the total quantity available.

The Mexican DTOs[drug trafficing organizations] are responsible for transporting much larger loads of cocaine than the African American DTOs. The northern and southern regions of Alabama are supplied mostly from sources of supply in Houston, Texas. The central part of the state receives most of its cocaine from Atlanta, Georgia

.

The drug threat in Alabama is the widespread availability and abuse of illegal drugs arriving from outside the state, along with its homegrown marijuana and the increasing danger of local manufacture of methamphetamine and designer drugs. Conventional drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana comprise the bulk of drugs arriving in and shipped through Alabama. Colombian, Mexican, and Caribbean Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), regional DTOs, as well as local DTOs and casual or one-time traffickers are responsible for the transportation of these drugs. Additionally, Mexican, Caribbean and regional DTOs have extensive distribution networks within the State of Alabama. Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs are also supplying methamphetamine on a very limited basis through their own distribution network within the state. Local production of methamphetamine is on the rise.

I used to live in the small wealthy town of Brewton, Alabama. Brewton has quite a large number of millionaires - out of proportion for its population. There are many young white kids who were born wealthy. Drugs have always been a problem there. The money in the town is a magnet for drugs.

Yet, when you read the news reports, none of the rich white kids are being apprehended for drug use or possession of narcotics. There are no Mexicans in Brewton being apprehended for drug distribution either. Brewton's Hispanic growth rate has rocketed in the past few years.

HOW COME THE SHERIFF AND POLICE CHIEFS AREN'T CATCHING ANY BIG FISH?

This situation isn't just common to Brewton or other small towns in Alabama. It's happening elsewhere in the U.S. Maybe this quote from Tom Tancredo might enlighten you. Tom Tancredo is one of the stronger advocates for tightening laws against illegal immigration:

"The corruption spreading from south of the border is not confined to Southern California," he writes. "In Cameron County, Texas, the former sheriff and several other officials were recently convicted of receiving drug-smuggling bribes..."

Back to Brewton - which I'm not picking on by the way. Through my sources, I know of two men both in their late forties or early fifties who have extremely serious drug problems. One is rich and the other has always had plenty of money. These men's drug problems are documented because both have been to rehabilitation on different occasions during the past few years. Obviously both have access to drugs. Expensive drugs. Where are they getting their drugs and why aren't the local police shaking them down? One, in fact, has regular contact with the police. Police cars are seen at his house on the most fashionable section of town very frequently. Are the police bringing him his drugs? The man has been arrested in a different county for DUI, but no one, absolutely no one, will touch him in Brewton, Alabama.

In the little town of Maryville, Tennessee where I grew up in the fifties and early sixties, moonshine liquor was a big problem. My late uncle was chief deputy. Every year, poison liquor contributed to a number of deaths in the county. Every year the sheriff and his deputies - including my uncle - would pose for their annual photo in front of a busted-up moonshine still. They always raided one or two small operations each year - although there were hundreds. I asked my uncle once why he participated in this hypocrisy? He replied that the people aren't going to support an unpopular law...

The next time you go to a Mexican restaurant and bite into that taco salad, ask yourself, "How many of the amigos working here are legal? Are any of them hiding out in plain sight from the DEA? Is the owner of the restaurant "laundering" big amounts of cash through his kitchen? What kind of lifestyle is the owner living?" Restaurants are not a traditional source of "big money," so if you see a restaurant entrepreneur with a big car, big house, expensive swimming pool, and other flashy extravagances - you might want to start checking him out! He might be poisoning your kids!

Until next time...

Read about Mexican Meth Raid!

Gay (and Lesbian) Sexual Predators in Positions of Trust in Alabama

"There you go again, Mike Thomson, gay-bashing!"

I beg your pardon, when I speak of gay predators, I am not gay bashing. During the recent scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, "pedophile" was the mis-applied term to certain gay men who used their positions of trust to prey on young male teens. All you have to do is watch about a day's worth of Fox or MSNBC to see that this is becoming a national problem. The recent scandal with Mark Foley and the Congressional pages brought the issue of gay predators to the forefront.

Small sleepy southern towns have always had their resident "queens" and "butches". Many of these men and women are well respected and honorable and live lifetimes without any trace of scandal. Some, however, are not so benign in their lifestyles... Given the current climate and attention given to child sexual abuse,the spotlights are shining on sexual predators. If you were a gay or lesbian sexual predator where would you hunt your teenage prey?

Gay and lesbians sometimes "hide out" in small communities and some are married - with children. Successful gay/lesbian predators will seek occupations or professions where they have the greatest opportunity to interface with young teens and have the least risk of exposure and apprehension.

I am reminded of the story of a manager with a social services agency who was in a position of trust and power with young youthful offenders. These young men had no control over their situation or what was done to them by the manager who turned out to be a gay sexual predator. Charges were eventually brought against the manager. He lost his job, but guess what? Because of his "connections" in the small Alabama community, he now works in a position where he has an enormous amount of exposure to young people everyday. He never experienced jail time or went on a sexual offender list.

Sexual predators of all kinds - gay or straight - can find "cover" in power positions in prisons, youth detention facilities, and law enforcement - district attorney offices, police management, and jailers. They are also found in semi-power positions in schools, colleges, day care centers,church run facilities,sports organizations, etc.

In one small town I am familiar with, a magistrate i.e. a person who recommends individuals for criminal charges, was recently brought up on criminal lewdness charges for having one of his teenage female clients strip for him in his office while he photographed her with his digital camera.

If you or any member of your family fall victim to one of these predators, you should... wait - let me give an example of how this could happen in your family. I love to give examples in fable form - they're more easily understood:

Your son Jimmy, who plays football and has an excess of male hormone, goes to an "after game" party where beer and some "weed" are present. The police swoop in. Jimmy is caught with a "roach" in his hand. He is taken to the person in your community who has the power to bring charges or drop them. First, the "authority" figure tells Jimmy what a serious situation he's in if charges are brought - now this is good - Jimmy should definitely know how serious this could be to his future.

But then Jimmy's situation gets worse. The "authority" figure eases up a bit and begins telling Jimmy how "well built" he is. He might go so far as to massage Jimmy's biceps. At that point Jimmy might "deck" the authority figure thereby causing more problems for himself, or a very frightened Jimmy might acquiesce and let the massaging continue. I won't go on - I think you get the picture...

So what do you do if this happens to your Jimmy? It's definitely a pickle of a situation. Who do you trust? How many like-minded "authority" figures are in cahoots in your local system. In the Roman Catholic Church they discovered, in some cases an entire hierarchy of gay church officials, protecting each other. This can happen in local government also. The only thing you can do is go to the State Attorney General's office.

In Alabama the Attorney General has a number for complaining about public corruption and white collar crime. That number is 334-353-8494. Some advice before you call - write everything down - dates, times, places, and culprits.

Until next time...

Read Mike Thomson's comical serial short story entitiled Harold's Secret Life

Black Mold in Alabama Hospital

We've been hearing a lot on the news these days about the black mold in "Building 18" at Walter Reed in Washington, D.C. Recently someone brought to my attention a serious outbreak of this stuff in a certain Alabama Hospital. Stachybotrys fungi(black mold) has been linked to respiratory problems particularly in children.

Recently, it was brought to my attention that a certain hospital in Alabama had an outbreak of black mold in a critical area of its facilities. Alabama Confidential has never learned if this issue was resolved. If the person who sent me this information confidentially, reads this, could you please give a report and update us?

According to my source, this outbreak was pretty serious and there was an effort in the hospital to keep the information out of the local newspaper. I can see their concern, but was the matter ever resolved?

None of us should go to a hospital and return home sicker than we left. Black mold and other environmental hazards in hospitals can certainly aggravate our health condition. If you are prone to pneumonia - you shouldn't be around these spore which invisibly float through the air into your respiratory system.

In small communities where everyone knows each other, if you know someone who's "inside" your local hospital, you might want to ask them if there are conditions in that hospital the public should know about.

If your information is solid, I'll publish the details here at Alabama Confidential.

If you are a veteran and go to an Alabama VA facility, let Alabama Confidential know what you are finding there. Give us a report card!