In the News
Alabama Legislature votes to raise unemployment benefits
The Associated Press, 5/9/2008, 11:53 a.m. CDT
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The Alabama Legislature has voted to raise the state's maximum weekly unemployment compensation benefit.
The Legislature passed a three-bill package Thursday night that will increase the maximum weekly benefit by $20 in July to $255. Then it will add another $10 in July 2009 to make the maximum weekly benefit $265.
The bills were worked out between labor and business groups, and they passed the Legislature overwhelmingly.
Speaker of the House in state for Democrat event, Lakeshore visit
May 5, 2008
Birmingham News, Dean, 05/03/08
**Siegelman also at annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner **
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a speech before Alabama Democrats on Friday night accused President Bush of leading the nation into war, into debt and politicizing the nation's Justice Department.
The charge that federal lawyers under Bush have played politics with the law sent a charge through the crowd of about 500 in a Birmingham ballroom that featured former Gov. Don Siegelman. He was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to almost seven years in prison in 2007 on federal corruption charges, charges that Siegelman and his supporters have maintained were politically motivated.
Continue reading "Speaker of the House in state for Democrat event, Lakeshore visit"
Committee threatens Rove with subpoena: Panel wants Republican to testify in Siegelman corruption case
May 5, 2008
Anniston Star, Evans, 05/03/08
The House Judiciary Committee threatened Thursday to subpoena former White House adviser Karl Rove if he does not agree by May 12 to testify about former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's corruption case.
In a letter to Rove's attorney, committee Democrats called it "completely unacceptable" that the Republican political strategist has rejected the panel's request for sworn testimony even as he discusses the matter publicly through the media.
"We can see no justification for his refusal to speak on the record to the committee," the letter states. "We urge you and your client to reconsider ... or we will have no choice but to consider the use of compulsory process."
McCain gets discount on Homewood space rental
April 25, 2008
Birmingham News, Bryan, 04/25/08 Republican presidential candidate John McCain got a deal when his campaign rented gathering space from the city of Homewood for a private fundraiser earlier this week. His campaign was given a discount of about 80 percent off the standard booking rate for Rosewood Hall. In September, Jefferson County Democrats rented the same facility and were charged the full rate. The McCain campaign was charged $250 to use two rooms in the hall, which normally would book for $1,200 on a weeknight. The campaign also was given free labor from Homewood City Jail inmates to set up tables and chairs for the event, avoiding a $100 set-up fee, but did pay a standard $50 cleaning fee. Homewood Mayor Barry McCulley said the rental rate was discounted because the event was on Monday, a slow day for business. City Council members say they always vote on such discounts but didn't get a say in this deal. They're upset, as are local Democrats.Continue reading "McCain gets discount on Homewood space rental "
Panel OKs end to grocery tax
April 24, 2008
Associate Press, Rawls, 04/23/08
A proposed constitutional amendment to remove the state sales tax from groceries has one more legislative hurdle to clear.
The Senate Finance and Taxation Committee voted 7-0 Tuesday to approve the proposed amendment, which passed the House on April 15. The proposal now goes to the Senate for a vote. If approved by the Senate, it will go on the general election ballot Nov. 4 to see if a majority of voters statewide will put it into the Alabama Constitution.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, called the committee's vote an important step "toward tax fairness."
Continue reading "Panel OKs end to grocery tax"
GOP senators kill bill named for Ledbetter
April 24, 2008
Associated Press, Kellman, 04/24/08 Senate Republicans killed legislation Wednesday aimed at removing limits on how long workers can wait before suing their employers for pay discrimination. Democrats, speaking to key constituencies of women, minorities and swing voters this election year, said they weren't finished trying to pass the bill. "Women of America: Put your lipstick on, square your shoulders, suit up" and get ready to fight, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said moments after the bill's opponents denied supporters the 60 votes needed to proceed to full debate and a vote on passage. "The revolution starts tonight."Continue reading "GOP senators kill bill named for Ledbetter"
Party split on food tax
April 15, 2008
Huntsville Times, Lowry, 04/15/08
Local Democrats back plan; vote likely to be close
The Madison County House delegation is split along party lines on a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate the state's 4 percent sales tax on groceries and end Alabama taxpayers' federal income tax deduction.
A vote on the plan, which is supported by House Speaker Seth Hammett and most Democrats, could come as early as today in the House.
Continue reading "Party split on food tax"
Rogers' power drops
April 11, 2008
**Ranking of Congress members gives District 3 representative low score **
Anniston Star, Ricks, 04/11/08
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, leads the pack of Alabama congressmen who have seen their influence on Capitol Hill take a dive since Democrats swept Republicans out of office during the last election cycle.
A recent ranking of individual Congress members' power and ability to be effective in Congress rated Rogers 402 out of 435, according to Knowlegis, a private, non-partisan company that provides data and software to lobbyists.
Continue reading "Rogers' power drops"
At last, a ray of hope
April 4, 2008
Huntsville Times, 04/04/08
State voters may get to decide on the sales tax on groceries
Sometimes the Alabama Legislature can surprise you. It can talk about a worthy idea for years but never pass it. Then one day something happens. This may be one of those occasions.
Not in recent years has a proposal to reform Alabama's tax system gotten as far as one did on Wednesday. Committees of the House and Senate voted for a constitutional amendment that, if ratified by the voters, would rescind the state's 4 percent sales tax on groceries.
Continue reading "At last, a ray of hope"
JD Crowe: Siegelman the Avenger
April 1, 2008
![3-30-08BorrowedTime[1].jpg](http://www.aladems.org/3-30-08BorrowedTime%5B1%5D.jpg)
Democrats to honor Cobb, Breland
Decatur Daily, 03/19/08
Awards dinner to be at 7 p.m. on April 12
Rex Cheatham, chairman of the Morgan County Democratic Party, said tickets are now available for the Albert P. Brewer Awards Dinner on April 12 at Burningtree Country Club.
The 7 p.m. dinner is a function of the Morgan County Democratic Executive Committee.
Former Gov. Brewer will present the Albert P. Brewer Public Service Award to Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb.
Continue reading "Democrats to honor Cobb, Breland"
Siegelman case political? Ask the state GOP
March 31, 2008
Tuscaloosa News, Stevenson, 03/30/08
TUSCALOOSA | I thought state Rep. Mike Hubbard, the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, had more class -- and sense -- than to react as he did to former Gov. Don Siegelman's release from federal prison.
In a brief statement issued by the state GOP within the hour of the announcement that an appeals court was ordering Siegelman released late Thursday afternoon, Hubbard said that "the former Governor's release pending appeal does not change the conviction by a jury of his peers. It would be premature to turn this development into anything other than a formality."
Continue reading "Siegelman case political? Ask the state GOP"
Freed Ex-Governor of Alabama Talks of Abuse of Power
March 31, 2008
New York Times, Nossiter, 03/30/08
Former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, released from prison Friday on bond in a bribery and corruption case, said he was as convinced as ever that politics had played a leading role in his prosecution.
Speaking by telephone in his first post-prison interview, shortly after he had left the federal penitentiary at Oakdale, La., Mr. Siegelman said there had been "abuse of power" in his case, and repeatedly cited Karl Rove, the former White House political director.
Continue reading "Freed Ex-Governor of Alabama Talks of Abuse of Power "
Court allows Siegelman release from prison pending appeal
March 28, 2008
[Assoc. Press, Johnson, 03/28/08]
A federal appeals court approved the release of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on bond Thursday while he appeals his conviction in a corruption case.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the former governor had raised "substantial questions of fact and law" in challenging his conviction.
Continue reading "Court allows Siegelman release from prison pending appeal"
Ala. Ethics Commission looking into Montiel's Chapman complaint
March 21, 2008
AP, Rawls, 03/21/08
The State Ethics Commission notified former attorney general candidate Mark Montiel that it is looking into his complaint against Secretary of State Beth Chapman.
Hugh Evans, the commission's general counsel, wrote a letter to Montiel, saying the complaint was being assigned to an investigator who "will be contacting you as soon as possible."
Continue reading "Ala. Ethics Commission looking into Montiel's Chapman complaint"
Riley endorsement of McCain called payback for withholding e-mail
March 6, 2008
Birmingham News, Dean, 03/05/08
The presidential race revisited Alabama on Tuesday when the Democratic National Committee charged that Gov. Bob Riley's endorsement of Sen. John McCain amounted to payback for McCain withholding information that would have linked Riley to a now-jailed lobbyist.
Riley endorsed the Arizona senator and presumptive GOP presidential nominee on Monday. On Tuesday, the DNC charged the endorsement was a reward for McCain's having withheld an e-mail discovered during a Senate investigation by a committee McCain led. The e-mail would have tied Riley to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the DNC said.
Abramoff is serving time for defrauding Indian gaming clients out of millions of dollars. McCain's Senate hearings have been credited with uncovering some of that fraud. McCain has used his role in the investigation to show he is a maverick who will fight special interests, even those aligned with the GOP if they do wrong.
Continue reading "Riley endorsement of McCain called payback for withholding e-mail"
Race Matters Less in Politics of South - New York Times
February 21, 2008
On the front page of The New York Times today appeared the following article regarding the win by James Fields in Cullman a few weeks ago.
Race Matters Less in Politics of South - New York Times
Coached Testimony and threats to witnesses in Siegelman Case
February 12, 2008
Corruption in a U.S. Attorney's Office
DEPARTMENT No Comment
BY Scott Horton
PUBLISHED February 10, 2008
One of Weimar Germany's great satirists, Kurt Tucholsky, once offered some very pointed analysis. "If you want to judge the internal qualities of any society," he said, "I give you this test. How do they treat the political opposition? A true democracy will tolerate opposition political figures and will allow them space to assert their views, however uncomfortable to the mainstream. But if the political opposition becomes the focus of attacks by the tools of justice, democracy itself is in jeopardy, for the transition to tyranny has begun."
Continue reading "Coached Testimony and threats to witnesses in Siegelman Case"
Fields gets historic win
January 30, 2008
By David Lazenby and Brittany Woodby
The Cullman Times
-- The victory party started early at James Fields' political headquarters in Cullman as preliminary results indicated a win for the State House District 12 special election held Tuesday.
Denise Learned's announcement of the City Hall results showed Fields leading his opponent, Republican Wayne Willingham 51-29 sparked a barrage of cheers and clapping at the Democrat office.
Further totals would prove the first box results to be a microcosm of the election as Fields beat Willingham by 1,188 votes, taking 59.34 percent of the ballots.
Continue reading "Fields gets historic win"
Cullman's Fields 1st black person in District 12 seat
January 30, 2008
The Birmingham News
KENT FAULK
News staff writer
CULLMAN - Democrat James C. Fields Jr. made Cullman County history Tuesday as the first black person to lay claim to the House District 12 seat when he handily won a special election to fill the vacant post in the Alabama House of Representatives.
Fields had 3,693 votes, or 59.3 percent, and Republican Wayne Willingham had 2,505 votes, or 40.3 percent, with 37 boxes of 38 boxes counted. The uncounted box includes provisional ballots which are usually counted only in contested outcomes.
Fields will be the first black person to represent the mostly white House district. Republicans had tried had to wrest control of the seat long held by Democrats.
Continue reading "Cullman's Fields 1st black person in District 12 seat "
Democratic State Senator Honored
January 24, 2008
Holly Hollman
Decatur Daily
The Lincoln-Bridgeforth Park Committee named state Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison, its recipient of the Dr. C. Eric Lincoln Humanitarian Award.
Committee member Jimmy Gill said Butler received the award for helping secure more than $15,000 during his Senate tenure for the park. A recent $5,000 grant paid to expand the pavilion.
The award is given in honor of Lincoln, who was born in Athens and became a university professor and author.
Sessions holds up prisoner rehab bill
January 20, 2008
Senator concerned about spending, untested program
The Birmingham News
Thursday, January 03, 2008
MARY ORNDORFF
News Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON - Sen. Jeff Sessions, in the final days of the congressional year, temporarily blocked legislation to help former prisoners re-enter society because of concerns that it would dramatically increase federal spending on untested programs.
The Alabama Republican's staff asked for more time to review the Second Chance Act, which passed the House in November by a wide margin and has broad bipartisan support in the Senate.
Sessions supports the goal of helping released prisoners become productive citizens and less likely to commit another crime, his spokesman Stephen Boyd said Wednesday. But the proposal increases spending on grants for state and local governments from $16 million to $55 million. Sessions argued that some of those programs have not been fully evaluated and may duplicate existing programs.
The grants can go toward helping the recently incarcerated find employment, housing, substance abuse treatment and other assistance.
Continue reading "Sessions holds up prisoner rehab bill "
Mitchem's Office Gets Good Marks on State Audit
Bob Lowry
Huntsville Times
Senate President Pro Tem Hinton Mitchem, D-Union Grove, got high marks Friday in a state audit of his office.
"Nothing came to our attention to indicate that the office had not complied with applicable Alabama laws and regulations," said the report by the state Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
Mitchem said Friday he steered clear of potential problems by having every contract proposed by a senator pre-cleared by Ronald Jones, chief state examiner.
Continue reading "Mitchem's Office Gets Good Marks on State Audit"
Democrats Blast Riley Fundraising
January 19, 2008
Sebastian Kitchen
Mobile Press-Register
The chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party bashed Republican Gov. Bob Riley on Friday, saying he should stop his current fundraising effort to help the GOP gain control of the Legislature until he signs a bill requiring people who lobby the administration to register with the state.
Democrats, including party Chairman Joe Turnham, said people giving to the fundraising campaign chaired by Riley, some of whom have pledged to give $10,000 annually for four years, could expect favorable treatment from the governor.
Continue reading "Democrats Blast Riley Fundraising"
Folsom Proposes Tax Changes After ExxonMobil Judgment Cut
January 17, 2008
Phillip Rawls
Associated Press
Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. said the state's loss of nearly all the $3.6 billion court judgment against Exxon Mobil demonstrates a need for the Legislature to rewrite Alabama's tax on oil and natural gas production.
"Alabama is blessed with wonderful natural resources, but we must require powerful corporations to pay a fair price if they are going to take advantage of our natural resources — like our oil and gas," Folsom said Wednesday.
Continue reading "Folsom Proposes Tax Changes After ExxonMobil Judgment Cut"
Senator's Party Switch Raises Issues
January 14, 2008
Montgomery Advertiser Editorial
The party switch by state Sen. Jimmy Holley, a longtime Democrat from Elba, changes nothing in the structure of the sharply divided Senate. However, it does raise some issues well worth considering, including whether a mid-term party switch is fair to constituents.
Holley was one of a handful of Democrats aligned with the 12 Republican senators in the minority bloc in the Senate. His becoming a Republican makes the membership 13 Republicans and 22 Democrats, but because he had been voting with the minority bloc most of the time already, the split in the Senate remains unaffected.
It is Holley's personal prerogative, of course, to join any political party he wishes. That said, a crucial question his party switch raises is whether the voters of his southeast Alabama district were fairly treated by his decision. They sent a Democrat to the Senate in the last election.
Continue reading "Senator's Party Switch Raises Issues"
Mobile and Baldwin Voters Must Be Nimble
George Altman
Press-Register
With Alabama's early presidential primaries and no clear Republican or Democratic front-runners, the state will likely have more of a say in determining the parties' nominees for president.
But to cast ballots, voters in Mobile and Baldwin counties will have to work around Mardi Gras, two voting dates and different election-day plans in each county.
Continue reading "Mobile and Baldwin Voters Must Be Nimble"
Cullman Democrats Rally for James Fields
David Lazenby
Cullman Times
State Democratic Chairman Joe Turnham came to Cullman Saturday to coach area Democrats on getting the team’s freshman player, James Fields, into the game of state politics.
Fields is running against Republican Wayne Willingham in a Jan. 29 special election to fill the state’s House District 12 congressional seat vacated in August by Democrat Neil Morrison.
Following Turnham’s pep talk at the monthly meeting of the Cullman Democrats, one organization stepped up to make a motion the group donate $1,000 to Field’s campaign. The motion was approved unanimously.
Continue reading "Cullman Democrats Rally for James Fields"
Senate Democrats Seek Peace With GOP
David White
Birmingham News
Two Democratic leaders of the state Senate, in a bid to get senators to work together better this year, vowed Thursday to block the Senate from passing any bill to redraw legislative or congressional districts.
Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. and Sen. Hinton Mitchem, D-Union Grove, said a legislative redistricting bill likely would be disruptive and trigger delaying tactics by lawmakers opposed to having their districts changed.
They said the Senate had bigger things to worry about, such as passing state budgets that may have less money to spend next year. The Legislature's regular session starts Feb. 5.
Continue reading "Senate Democrats Seek Peace With GOP "
The Island Getaway
January 9, 2008
Huntsville Times Editorial
An industry-hunting trip to Hawaii seems like a dubious idea
His critics accuse Gov. Bob Riley of many things, but being politically tone deaf doesn't usually arise when Riley bashers congregate. That makes the governor's recent involvement in an industry recruitment venture so puzzling.
The project was billed as "Sweet Home Alabama," a trite but effective title for a worthwhile endeavor - wining, dining and lobbying industry hunters to look at and, Alabamians would hope, ultimately choose the Heart of Dixie for another new plant with good jobs.
What could possibly be wrong with that?
Nothing .... except it was held in Hawaii.
Continue reading "The Island Getaway"
Exxon's Troubling Influence on Court
January 9, 2008
Tuscaloosa News Editorial
Many Alabamians were stunned when the state Supreme Court late last year threw out most of a $3.6 billion verdict for the state against oil giant Exxon Mobil in a royalties dispute.
No one was more shocked than the foreman of the jury, who said the evidence was so persuasive, "From the moment we walked into the jury room, everybody was ready to vote, and everybody was ready to vote against Exxon."
But those who were shocked didn't factor in the support for the oil giant on the court. After all, eight of the nine justices - the eight Republicans who voted to toss out the bulk of the verdict - have received $5.5 million in campaign contributions over the last six years from Exxon Mobile lawyers, lobbyists and groups allied with the company, according to Harper's Magazine.
Only Democratic Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb voted to retain the original jury award. And only Cobb has actively supported discontinuing the election of appellate judges in Alabama.
Now, with its judgment drastically trimmed, Exxon is back in court, arguing that it should pay even less.
Attorneys for the state argue that the oil giant owes $142.8 million in royalties and interest. Exxon Mobil's attorneys say the state is charging $20.4 million too much in interest.
A Montgomery circuit judge heard arguments on the case Tuesday. The losing side may appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court for more review. Given the inclination of the majority on the high court, it seems hardly worth the state's time to pursue the issue.
Jurists typically say that campaign contributions do not influence their decisions. At the very least, however, there is a perception of bias in this case.
Alabama has the most expensive judicial elections in the country. The candidates depend on big business or trial lawyers to put up the money. And that's an unhealthy situation.
No Good Reason for Siegelman's Appeal to Languish
January 8, 2008
Tuscaloosa News Editorial
Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman shouldn't have to wait in prison for months and months until a court finally hears his appeal.
Yet from the looks of it, that's exactly what is happening and he can't do anything about it.
Siegelman, a Democrat, was found guilty on June 29, 2006, of bribery and other charges in a government corruption case. Rather than allowing him to remain free on bond pending appeal, Judge Mark Fuller ordered that he be rushed off to prison.
Fuller didn't even allow Siegelman time to tell his family goodbye.
Continue reading "No Good Reason for Siegelman's Appeal to Languish"
Federal Courts Unfair Compared to State Courts
January 7, 2008
Dec 30, 2007
Julian McPhillips: Federal courts unfair compared to state courts
While everyone else enjoys Christmas and New Year's, somebody must say it. Due process (or "fundamental fairness") in federal criminal law is grossly lacking. Alabama courts, and most other state courts, provide much more fairness than do federal courts.
Why do I say this? Because people like former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, Richard Scrushy, and others convicted of federal crimes must immediately begin serving their sentences without a higher court determining if reversible error occurred in their convictions.
Continue reading "Federal Courts Unfair Compared to State Courts"
Tickets big deal in ISP contract
January 1, 2008
Huntsville Times
Sunday, December 30, 2007
By BOB LOWRY
Hubbard says he's never used firm's share for gain
MONTGOMERY - The number of football tickets state legislators receive from the University of Alabama and Auburn University each year pales in comparison to the number controlled by a single lawmaker.
As president of Auburn's affiliate of the sports marketing firm International Sports Properties Inc., Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, controls 547 Auburn football season tickets for each game.
Continue reading "Tickets big deal in ISP contract"
The Work Remaining
THE NEW YORK TIMES
EDITORIAL
It has been nearly a year since the United States attorneys scandal broke, and much has changed. Many people at the center of the scandal have fled Washington, and new laws and rules have been put in place making it harder to use prosecutors’ offices to win elections. Much, however, remains to be done, starting with a full investigation into the misconduct that may have occurred — something the American people have been denied.
Continue reading "The Work Remaining "
In the Age of Noah
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Jakarta, Indonesia
A couple of weeks ago, The Times’s Jim Yardley reported from China that the world’s last known female Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle was living in one Chinese zoo, while the planet’s only undisputed, known giant soft-shell male turtle was living in another — and together this aging pair were the last hope of saving a species believed to be the largest freshwater turtles in the world.
It struck me as I read that story that our generation has entered a phase that no previous generation has ever experienced: the Noah phase. With more and more species threatened with extinction by The Flood that is today’s global economic juggernaut, we may be the first generation in human history that literally has to act like Noah — to save the last pairs of a wide range of species.
Continue reading "In the Age of Noah"
Tuskegee Golden Tigers National HBCU Football Champs
By A. Stacy Long
Montgomery Advertiser
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Tuskegee senior Terrance Stringer had an unusual reaction while the Golden Tigers huddled around their newest trophy.
Tuskegee's wild 58-51 victory over Virginia Union in Saturday's Pioneer Bowl -- in which the last surprise was a last-minute, go-ahead touchdown -- left the Tigers in position for their eighth black college national championship.
Continue reading "Tuskegee Golden Tigers National HBCU Football Champs"
State officials recognize human rights day
Birmingham News, Dean, 12/11/07
A small group of Alabama union leaders and politicians celebrated International Human Rights Day on Monday by praising labor and calling for greater protections for workers to join and form unions.
That right to join and form labor organizations was made law decades ago, but it's a right employers constantly seek to undermine, charged Stewart Burkhalter, president of the Alabama AFL-CIO.
Continue reading "State officials recognize human rights day"
Davis Announces Drought Relief Money for Farmers
Extension of aid to farmers urged
By Doug Abrahms
and Kym Klass
Montgomery Advertiser
Farmers in Alabama could be eligible for part of $600 million in federal aid as part of a massive spending bill Congress is expected to debate this week.
Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, announced Monday that a measure extending the eligibility for disaster relief will be added to the spending bill.
Continue reading "Davis Announces Drought Relief Money for Farmers"
ExxonMobil Verdict Cries for Examination by Voters
By: Chairman Joe Turnham
Opelika-Auburn News
Jackpot Justices
“We were 100% sure they had defrauded the state. The evidence, letters from their own attorneys warned the company they were not paying the correct amounts to the state, that’s all we needed to convict.” I tell you, Exxon is laughing all the way to the bank.” This is the reaction quoted by Joseph King of Montgomery, the foreman of the last jury in the ExxonMobil Fraud Case after learning that the Alabama Supreme Court by an 8-1 verdict threw out all punitive damages against the world’s largest corporation.
Continue reading "ExxonMobil Verdict Cries for Examination by Voters"
Clark Calls on Democrats to Rally Before Election
Saturday, December 01, 2007
TORAINE NORRIS
News staff writer
Gen. Wesley Clark, considered by some to be a potential Democratic vice-presidential candidate, encouraged state Democrats on Friday night to marshal their forces and recruit voters before next year's general election.
"This is the time to build the strength of the Alabama Democratic Party," he said.
Continue reading "Clark Calls on Democrats to Rally Before Election "
Democrats Open Money Tap for Vet Programs
By Tom Philpott
Veterans organizations are thrilled with a $43.1 billion appropriations bill that Congress is set to pass next month for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The money for veterans programs and sites is 19 percent higher than demoralized Republican leaders left behind a year ago.
Continue reading "Democrats Open Money Tap for Vet Programs"
Rep. Keahey Raises Growth Issues in District 65
Lawmaker says TK mill brings new needs
By SEBASTIAN KITCHEN
MONTGOMERY -- With his second session in Montgomery less than three months away, state Rep. Marc Keahey -- the youngest of Alabama's 140 legislators -- said he is focused on helping rural Washington County plan for a massive steel plant.
Keahey, 27, said he's excited that ThyssenKrupp AG is building the $3.7 billion facility on the Mobile-Washington County line but cautioned that schools, roads and other infrastructure needs must be addressed.
Continue reading "Rep. Keahey Raises Growth Issues in District 65"
What Would Happen if Atlanta Goes Dry?
Continue reading "What Would Happen if Atlanta Goes Dry?"
A Dollar-Less Oil as Greenback Falls a Reality...World Needs Dems to Take Whitehouse
Rudy's in Hot Water with Judith Regan Lawsuit/Kerik Claims...ALGOP Supporters Scrambling!
Rudy...Rudy...Rudy...Judith...Judith...JudithWorld's Scientist Predict Dire Circumstances for Planet
Continue reading "World's Scientist Predict Dire Circumstances for Planet"
Bob Riley Failed In Water Planning...Crisis Here
Alabama still has no plan on water
Mobile Register
Sunday, November 11, 2007
By BRIAN LYMAN
Capital Bureau
MONTGOMERY -- Despite a record-breaking two-year drought, Alabama still has no effective plan to manage its water supply, which some experts say has already hurt the state's case during ongoing water disputes with Georgia and could hinder economic development efforts.
A drought response plan -- which suggests, in part, that drought can lead to suicide -- has been in limbo at the Alabama Office of Water Resources for the past 3½ years. The state has not counted the number of dams within its borders since 1981, and has no accurate measure of how much water belongs to the state.
Experts cite a lack of urgency as the chief reason for the state's inaction.
Continue reading "Bob Riley Failed In Water Planning...Crisis Here"
Veto Override Is First of Bush’s Presidency
The Senate overrode President Bush’s veto of a massive water resources bill Thursday, marking the first time since he took office that Congress has enacted a law over his objections.
With Republicans deserting the president in droves, the Senate voted 79-14 to override Bush’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act. The tally comfortably surpassed the two-thirds majority required.
Continue reading "Veto Override Is First of Bush’s Presidency"
Gadsden Times Questions Exxon Ruling
Decision will do nothing to combat notion that justice is for sale
Gadsden Times - Editorial
The state lost the $3.5 billion in punitive damages awarded in two trials of a lawsuit against ExxonMobil over years of natural gas royalties not properly paid, according to the state's contract with the company.
The Alabama Supreme Court ruled 8-1 the $51.9 million and interest awarded as compensatory damages for breach of contract would stand. The court ruling found ExxonMobil did not commit fraud in its contract dealing with the state.
The lost of that $3.6 billion judgment is nothing to sneeze at. But it's far from the only thing lost with this ruling.
Continue reading "Gadsden Times Questions Exxon Ruling"
Exxon Juror Laments Decision
The Alabama Supreme Court has slapped the citizens of Alabama in the face with their corporate-loyal hand. They voted 8-1 to throw out most of the verdict against ExxonMobil, stating the state failed to prove fraud.
As a juror member I sat for weeks and listened to evidence of fraud. The president of Exxon wrote a letter admitting to not paying Alabama the amount of royalties according to their contract.
Continue reading "Exxon Juror Laments Decision"
Lauderdale Judge Kicks Off Campaign for State High Court
By Phillip Rawls
Associated Press Writer
MONTGOMERY — Lauderdale County District Judge Deborah Bell Paseur kicked off her campaign for the Alabama Supreme Court on Tuesday, saying she wants to help end the perception that justice is for sale in Alabama.
Continue reading "Lauderdale Judge Kicks Off Campaign for State High Court"
Outcome in Exxon ruling shameful
DECATUR DAILY EDITORIAL
The Republican Alabama Supreme Court should be ashamed of accusing citizen jurors of not knowing common sense from legalese.
The Montgomery Circuit Court jury that heard the landmark case against Exxon Mobil had no trouble understanding that the petroleum giant defrauded the people of Alabama by grossly underpaying natural gas royalties to the state from wells in the Gulf of Mexico.
Continue reading "Outcome in Exxon ruling shameful"
Jury foreman shocked by Exxon Mobil verdict being slashed
November 6, 2007
11/5/2007, 6:20 p.m. ETBy PHILLIP RAWLS
The Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The foreman of the Alabama jury that returned a record verdict against Exxon Mobil said he was "completely shocked" by the state Supreme Court throwing out nearly all the $3.6 billion judgment won by the state government.
Continue reading "Jury foreman shocked by Exxon Mobil verdict being slashed"
Dueling affidavits, statements attempt to defend prosecution, trial of Siegelman and Scrushy
Sunday, November 04, 2007By Bob Martin, Editor and Publisher
The governor's lawyer son, Rob Riley, former State Supreme Court Justice Terry Butts, and the governor's 2002 campaign attorney Matt Lembke, have all provided sworn affidavits to the U. S. House Judiciary Committee, stating that to the best of their "recollection" or "memory" they were not involved in an 11-minute telephone conversation with Rainsville lawyer Dana Jill Simpson on Nov. 18, 2002.
Anniston Star Slams ALGOP Chair for Davis Remarks
Hardly a carnival of conspiracy
The Anniston Star - In our opinion
A load of utter nonsense came clattering into the inbox Thursday. Behold a press release with a nifty header worthy of a bad after-school special: “Artur Davis and His Carnival of Conspiracy,” authored by state Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn.
Continue reading "Anniston Star Slams ALGOP Chair for Davis Remarks"
Davis Says Siegelman Prosecution is Unjust
By Mary Orndorff
Birmingham News, Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON - The conviction of former Gov. Don Siegelman was driven by a Republican political conspiracy that consumed prosecutors in Montgomery and Washington, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis said Tuesday, the first time he has asserted that his fellow Democrat was wrongly imprisoned.
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Rep. Davis Writes About Justice in Alabama
By Rep. Artur Davis, 7th Congressional District of Alabama
Special to the Montgomery Advertiser
This year, serious questions have been raised about the integrity and even-handedness of the Department of Justice. An academic study has documented that the Bush Justice Department and its local branches have brought four times the number of cases against Democrats that they brought against Republicans.
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Global Warming... This Isn't Fiction Folks!
By Doug Struck
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 22, 2007; A10
For scientists, global warming is a disaster movie, its opening scenes set at the poles of Earth. The epic already has started. And it's not fiction.
The scenes are playing, at the start, in slow motion: The relentless grip of the Arctic Ocean that defied man for centuries is melting away. The sea ice reaches only half as far as it did 50 years ago. In the summer of 2006, it shrank to a record low; this summer the ice pulled back even more, by an area nearly the size of Alaska. Where explorer Robert Peary just 102 years ago saw "a great white disk stretching away apparently infinitely" from Ellesmere Island, there is often nothing now but open water. Glaciers race into the sea from the island of Greenland, beginning an inevitable rise in the oceans.
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Taking Care of the People's Business
By Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom, Jr.
The people of Alabama will be closely watching the upcoming session of the Alabama Senate. Their increased interest is well warranted and they want answers to some very important questions.
First and foremost, the people want – and have a right – to know if the issues that are important to them will be dealt with in a professional and productive manner. Additionally, they want to know if their concerns and needs will have to take a back seat to partisan infighting.
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