Birmingham Blues

It’s at 6 pm at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and will include a showing of “It’s a Thick Book”, with discussion to follow.  Check it out.

Rep. Demetrius Newton (D-Birmingham) pulled his constitutional convention bill from consideration today rather than see it defeated in the Alabama House.  The bill would have called for the election of two delegates from each House district, and it had a really important provision that would help to limit the influence of special interest groups:

(2) Other than contributions a candidate for delegate makes to his or her own campaign, a candidate is prohibited from accepting a campaign contribution (including any “in-kind” contribution) exceeding one hundred dollars ($100) from any one source. For the purpose of this limitation, a run-off election shall be considered a separate election in which a candidate may accept an additional amount not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100) from any individual source.

Blues reader Peggy listened to the live feed of the debate, and she says Rep. Greg Canfield had a problem with that contribution limit:

“…Limits donations to $100 which would not allow the wealthy fair representation….”

Huh?  He didn’t really say that, did he?  Let’s see.  My Senator opposes the convention bill because he says it will be taken over by well-funded special interest groups.  My Representative opposes the convention bill because contribution limits would prevent the wealthy from buying delegates.  Hey, guys, did y’all tag team that one?

So it’s back to business as usual with Alabama’s constitution.  Legislators will pay lip service to an article-by-article rewrite (Paul DeMarco will actually try to do something about it), and we’ll keep facing a ballot full of amendments at every election.  Hey, when you already have nearly 800, what’s a few dozen more?

UPDATE:  Dan heard Greg Canfield’s comment differently:

“Actually, Canfield said that the $100 contribution limit would ONLY allow the wealthy to campaign, because the bill doesn’t limit the amount of personal funds a candidate can use to campaign.”

That sounds a little better, but I’m still unhappy with his opposition in committee and in the full House.  He may oppose a convention personally, but what’s the problem with letting the people of the state make the decision?  After all, there’s no limit on how much Alfa could spend to persuade them to vote “no”.

Alabama’s House Constitution and Elections Committee yesterday approved a bill calling for a statewide vote on a constitutional convention.  Last year, the same committee killed the bill.  Its Senate counterpart was approved unanimously in committee but somehow never made it to the floor for a vote.

I’m disappointed, but not surprised, to see that Greg Canfield (R-Vestavia Hills), my representative, voted against the bill despite what appears to me to be strong support for it among VH residents.  I don’t know everyone here, of course, but I’ve gathered petition signatures for the “Let the People Vote” movement, and it’s rare that anyone says no.  The Republican party line seems to be support for an article-by-article rewrite, but — other than Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood) — I haven’t seen any of those who espouse that viewpoint actually doing anything about it.

And anyway, this bill doesn’t mandate a convention; it just lets the citizens vote on whether or not we want one.  It seems the Republicans could follow the lead of Sen. Steve French (R-Mountain Brook), who supports our citizens’ right to make the decision.  There’ll be plenty of time for anti-convention forces to demagogue the issue and scare people into voting no.

That’s assuming the bill passes muster with the entire Legislature, which I don’t see happening this year.  But all cynicism aside, the people who are working so hard for a new constitution aren’t going to give up.  And they’ll prevail in the end.

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.

• In Mobile, Monday, March 5, 7pm at Spring Hill College, Byrn Hall (Contact Leigh Ann Litwiller Berte, litwiller@shc.edu, 251-380-4499). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

• In Huntsville, Monday, March 5, 7pm at Church of the Nativity (Contact Bill Goodson, Whgoodson@aol.com, 256-536-7535). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

• In Florence, Tuesday, March 6, 6:30pm at the Shoals Theater at the Corner of Seminary and Mobile Streets (Contact Barbara Nash, bn830@comcast.net, 256-764-5961). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

• In Montevallo, Wednesday, March 7, 7:00pm at University of Montevallo, Harman Building, Room 201 (Contact Jennifer Phillips, jphillips6@umail.montevallo.edu, 205-665-6180). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

• In Tuscaloosa, Thursday, March 8, 7pm University of Alabama, Ferg Theatre, (Contact Matthew Lewis, lewis132@bama.ua.edu, 334-462-5868). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

• In Marion, Friday, March 9, 1:30am Judson College, Adams Armstrong Lecture Hall, (Contact Fightress Stallworth, Fightress@constitutionALreform.org, 205-393-5351). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

• In Anniston, Friday, March 9, 7:30pm at Zannie Theatrein the Buckner Center (Contact: Amy Sedlis, Amy@constitutionALreform.org, 205-910-7801). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

• In Montgomery, Saturday, March 10, 2pm at Capri Theatre (Contact Rebecca Jackson, accrmontgomery@hotmail.com, 334-546-1549). DOWNLOAD FLIER.

Please visit the “Events” section of our web site (www.constitutionALreform.org) in the future to find out when other venues have been scheduled.

After you see the film, you may be even more motivated to contact your state legislators and urge them to call a constitutional convention, or at least allow the people to vote on whether or not to have one.

Wow! I am amazed and thrilled that SB52 passed on a 10-0 vote in the Senate Constitution Committee. Now the bill has to make it to the Senate floor for a vote. I don’t know if it has a chance of passing, but I’m thrilled that it even has a chance. Way to go, all you folks who have worked so hard for so many years. Change is coming slowly, but it is coming. Maybe we’ll get a new constitution before I’m too old to care.

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.

On Wednesday, Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform and Greater Birmingham Ministries sponsored a “Let the People Vote” rally on the steps of the state capitol building. It’s not easy to draw a crowd on a weekday, but there were around 350 people in attendance. There were also boxes full of petitions signed by more than 65,000 registered voters, asking our legislature to allow the citizens of the state to vote on a call for a constitutional convention. Under our current (and horrible) constitution, only the legislature can call a convention, and that’s not going to happen without tremendous public pressure.

College students from around the state began reading the constitution aloud at 9:00. After a three-hour public hearing, several senators and representatives joined the rally around 11:30, including Sen. Ted Little (D-Auburn) and Rep. Demetrius Newton (D-Birmingham), the sponsors of SB52 and HB109 respectively. The students were close to the 100th amendment at that point. They only had 670+ to go.

Among the speakers was Mrs. Johnnie Carr, president of the Montgomery Improvement Association since 1967. Mrs. Carr turned 95 yesterday, but age hasn’t dimmed her enthusiasm or her commitment to justice. She is an inspiration, and as I listened to her speak, I could only hope to have half of her energy and passion.

I’m always surprised by opposition to constitutional reform. After all, wouldn’t anyone want to dump a document that was written to be racist and exclusive, that was almost certainly ratified by a fraudulent vote, and that hamstrings progress in this state every day? But, as usual, the “Christian” Coalition and Alfa are up in arms about anything that would help the average citizens of the state. Coalition head John Giles is convinced that this is a ploy to raise taxes (it’s absolutely ridiculous that our tax code is imbedded in the constitution, making it almost impossible to update, so we currently have families here who start paying state income tax when they earn $4,600/year). Alfa is afraid that its constituents might have to pay reasonable property taxes (timberland currently makes up more than 70% of land in Alabama but produces less than 2% of property tax revenue).

A new constitution would provide the opportunity for real tax reform, and it might mean that those who have the most to spare would have to pay a bit more. Shouldn’t the citizens of Alabama, most of whom claim to be Christians, be willing to lift the burden off the poor and to provide stable funding for our public schools, knowing that education is the best way out of poverty?

This should be a no-brainer, but even Ted Little doesn’t expect his bill to pass during an election year. It’s up to the citizens to keep the pressure on our legislators. After all, they are supposed to representing us, not special interest groups. Yeah, I’m naive and idealistic, but sometimes that’s what it takes.

Demetrius Newton; Ted Little; GBM’s Democracy Quilt

If you’ve been reading here long, you know I’m a big supporter of rewriting Alabama’s obscenely racist and ridiculously unwieldy constitution. The constitution was ratified by a fraudulent vote in 1901, and its stated intent was to disenfranchise everyone who wasn’t white, male, and rich. It’s been amended ad nauseum, and quite a few articles have been nullified by federal civil rights statutes, not to mention the 15th, 19th, and 24th amendments.

Today, the House held a public hearing to discuss a bill that proposes allowing the citizens to vote on a constitutional convention. Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform also held a “Let the People Vote” rally on the Capitol steps (more about that later, with pictures).

I spoke to several reform supporters who attended the hearing, and it sounds like the rhetoric got a bit heated. They were told they were “enemies of the state” and accused of being paid by the Ford Foundation to push for a new constitution. Hey, I’ve been collecting petition signatures and teaching classes, but I never got my check. No fair!

But by far, my favorite quote was this one:

“You say [the] constitution is long and old. Well, so is the Bible,” said Patricia Godwin of Selma.

Yeah, but the Bible hasn’t been amended 772 times.

It’s good to see the growing groundswell of support for a new state constitution. I worked registration at a local middle school last week and collected page after page of signatures for ACCR’s petition asking the Legislature to call a constitutional convention. Of course, the Usual Suspects, including our esteemed “Christian” Coalition, oppose any reform and use every possible scare tactic to prevent our citizens from writing a usable basic governing document. Greater Birmingham Ministries has developed an educational curriculum to counter those tactics with good, solid information. ACCR, GBM, and other advocacy organizations are beginning to see the fruits of their labors. Maybe we really will see a new constitution in my lifetime. I live in hope.