Birmingham Blues

Tom DeLay has been indicted for criminal conspiracy by a Texas grand jury. I’m trying not to gloat, but it’s difficult. DeLay is either the most clueless idiot who ever walked the halls of Congress or he is a GIANT hypocrite who pounds other people over the head with “values” rhetoric while using [...]

Not really. But he does a pretty good job of blaming everyone but himself for the ongoing crappiness of the Federal storm response. My first instinct is to say he needs to quit whining and own up to his failure. He should never have taken the position as head of FEMA, given [...]

Sen. Hank Erwin (R-Montevallo) has opened his mouth in public again, and once again it was a mistake. He says God sent Hurricane Katrina and other storms that have caused devastation on the Gulf Coast as punishment for sin. According to Hank, “New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have always been known [...]

Steve M. over at No More Mister Nice Blog is on fire today. Check out this post about Laura Bush appearing on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” and this one about a Republican lawmaker in Georgia who is seeking immunity from drunk driving charges because he says he was doing state business while he was [...]

Hurricane Rita spawned tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama this weekend. We watched the weather news this afternoon and saw warning after warning in Tuscaloosa. We did not take that to mean that God doesn’t like the University of Alabama, despite the fact that we are Auburn fans.
Tornadoes killed at least two people and [...]

The Birmingham News actually covered yesterday’s antiwar rally and march. Times really are changing. Not that the News is a right-wing rag; it does lean conservative but is generally fair. I’ve just noticed a tendency to avoid covering controversial local events.
A reasonably detailed and basically positive article indicates recognition that a majority [...]

This is sad. The damage to schools, combined with the toxic crud that remains after the water is drained, will keep most children out of New Orleans till at least January. Their absence will impact lots of people:
“….a whole sector of the economy will be in limbo - not only child [...]

This is not good. The weakened levees are not keeping out the water from the early feeder bands of Rita. The reporters on CNN are saying right now that the storm surge is already eight feet. Rita has shifted to the east, which may mean that Galveston and Houston will avoid [...]

Doris Powell has been named the new chair of the Birmingham Regional Transit Authority Board of Directors. She actually uses our barely adequate (at best) bus system, something I doubt her predecessor did.
Fountain Heights neighborhood president Doris Powell was elected chairwoman of the transit board Wednesday, ending the tenure of embattled chairman Phil Gary. [...]

Here’s yet another problem brought on by our crazy weather: we’re almost out of names for new storms. We’re now up to 17 named storms for the season, and we aren’t even through September yet. The four remaining names are Stan, Tammy, Vince, and Wilma. I don’t think I’m ready for Hurricane [...]