Yesterday I attended a public hearing on Senate Bill 52, which proposes a statewide vote on a constitutional convention. I’ve supported constitutional reform ever since I attended my first ACCR meeting quite a few years ago. If you’ve been reading here, you’ve already seen my rants about our current constitution. If you’re a history geek like I am, check out A Century of Controversy, edited by the late Bailey Thomson. It’ll tell you all you need to know about how we ended up with this piece of crap, which has been amended 772 times since 1901.
I was asked to speak on behalf of the state PTA and the Vestavia Hills PTA Council, so I set out early for Montgomery, giving myself plenty of time to find a parking place and the meeting room. When I arrived, there was only one other person there, a pleasant, mild-mannered gentleman with a Ten Commandments pin on his lapel. This was my first clue that we were not on the same side. The hearing room slowly filled to well over capacity, and those of us who wanted to speak signed up as “proponents” or “opponents”. When the chairman called the hearing to order, he asked that all speakers be brief and respectful. I thought he was just giving the usual pro forma instructions. I was mistaken.
The speakers alternated pro and con, and it didn’t take long for the dialogue to deteriorate. First we heard about how the 1901 constitution was written to protect us from carpetbaggers coming in to ravage our state. We were told that reformers just want to raise taxes and grab land. That nice, mild-mannered gentleman I mentioned? He opened his remarks by saying that he had come to speak to the Christians and the non-Christians could just snooze for a few minutes, because non-Christians don’t believe in absolute truth. Then he informed us that the Bible invented capitalism and self-government, that supporters of reform were anti-Christian and anti-American, and that every war the US had ever fought was against people who would support reform. I got to follow him with my nice, rational PTA-mom speech. Opponents in the audience had felt free to heckle until they started messing with me. I actually had to turn to a bunch of old white men, who probably pride themselves on their good manners, and tell them not to interrupt me when I was speaking.
Then we really moved into la-la land. Two different speakers informed us that the UN and the Ford Foundation are scheming to brainwash the people of Alabama. They characterized the leaders of the reform movement as highly paid outsiders – and we don’t like outsiders telling us what to do here in Alabama. A good Christian woman got up and said God had dropped it on her spirit to tell us that reformers were planning to take God out of the constitution. She said she had stood with Judge Moore in defending the Ten Commandments, and that if we would all live by “thou shalt not steal” and “thou shalt not kill” we’d all be better off. Then she said those reformers were trying to take away our guns and “she needs her gun”. No, I am not kidding. Next she went after the gays. “I don’t know if there are any homasexshuls here today. I don’t mean to offend anybody. I love you, and God loves you, but it’s a SEE-yun.” And the reformers are going to make it illegal for preachers to preach against sin. She almost stopped, but then she went back to the podium and said, “Y’all think this constitution is long? If you don’t live in Bibb County, don’t read about Bibb County. If you don’t live in Macon County, don’t read about Macon County.” I think someone up front pointed out to her that this was part of the problem, because she said, “All right, then,” and stomped out. She was tearing up the whole time, grieving about these evil people who want to take away her God-ordained constitution.
The low moment of the day came when the chair finally called on a black person to speak. Some of the same “well-mannered” white men who were heckling earlier actually WALKED OUT of the hearings rather than listen to a black woman speak. One of them called her a liar as he was leaving. How brave…
The high point came when one of the UN nuts was railing about out-of-state money, and Sen. Roger Bedford pointed out that the Christian Coalition (which is adamantly opposed to reform) had received $500,000 from out-of-state casinos. There just wasn’t any way to spin that, so the nut stopped talking and started passing out smear sheets that supposedly “expose” the leaders of the reform movement.
If I hadn’t been there to see it, I’m not sure I’d believe that you could cram that many nuts into such a small space. Alabama readers, call the committee members and ask them to support SB52. Don’t assume that they’ll ignore the nuts. The Christian Coalition and Alfa have lots of pull in the legislature and will do whatever it takes to stop reform. Our legislators need to hear from lots and lots of sane citizens, and they need to hear it now. They vote next week.
PS (thanks, Renee!) There were some excellent pro-reform speakers there: Lenora Pate, Rev. Jim Evans, Rev. Max Blalock, and Callie Greer, among others.
Great post, Kathy! What a bunch of wackos! I’m sorry you had to witness that, but am extremely glad you were there to speak the truth.
Awesome post, Kathy. That sounded like it would give me nightmares. Mr. Ten Commandments pin was probably one of the Roy Moore true believers. I hope there was TV coverage or photos of some kind.
Pam, I didn’t see anyone taking pictures. There was a guy there videotaping, but he didn’t have any TV mikes or a station logo, so I guess it was just in-house. I haven’t seen any news coverage so far; it was probably just politics as usual for the Montgomery reporters.
Thanks for standing up for common sense. I’m very proud of you.
I never cease to be amazed by those who are so certain that they have Christianity figured out to such an extent that they can tell others they are not Christian because the “others” have Christ-like beliefs. One day, they are going to be shocked when they realize that He is serious about what the Bible says about love and our responsibility to the least among us. I guess until then we just have to pray for those who think Jesus wants tax cuts and that His greatest concern is the “homasexul agenda.”
Lord, give us strength.
Kathy, I’m sure you would recognize Roy Moore if he were there, but could the man you first saw when you went in have been John Giles by any chance? Last year when I went before the same committee to speak for the Initiative and Referendum constitutional amendment there were TV crews filming from a glassed-in area in the right rear corner of the House Chamber. Was that where you were, or in another room?
No, it wasn’t John Giles; it was some guy from Tuscaloosa. John was there for part of the hearing, but he left before Bedford blasted his out of state casino $. My brother suggested, with tongue firmly in cheek, that he might have been a bit embarrassed by the antics of his minions. The hearing took place in one of the meeting rooms, and it was rather crowded.
[...] Have you been wondering why I frequently rant about the need for constitutional reform in Alabama? Here’s one way to find out: attend a showing of “It’s a Thick Book” when it comes to your part of the state — and invite your friends to join you. This documentary was created by Homewood High School graduate Lewis Lehe, and it looks to be quite entertaining as well as informative (see trailer here). Film Schedule as of February 22, 2007: • In Birmingham, Sunday, March 4, 3pm at Workplay (Contact: Amy Sedlis, Amy@constitutionALreform.org, 205-910-7801). DOWNLOAD FLIER. [...]
[...] If you can go to the hearing, do it. Committee members are swayed by strong shows of support, and your presence could help to counter the influence of lobbyists for groups like Alfa, which is adamantly opposed to anything that might threaten its control. And, if nothing else, some of the opposition speakers may provide some entertainment value. [...]