TRYIN' TO CATCH UP

I’ve been in Venice on a little vacation and just returned last night.  I’ve been trying to catch up and see that there have been few dramatic events in the last 10 days.  I thought the www.fivethirtyeight.com piece was especially good, though the comments reflected the anti-Alabama knee-jerk reactions of those who live outside [...]

“SAY WHAT?”

If you’ve been following Artur Davis’s campaign for Governor, you probably were not surprised to read that he was NOT endorsed by the New South Coalition (one of two major statewide black political organizations).  If you were surprised, it must have hit you over the head.  How does a credible, smart, and gifted African-American [...]

MARCH MADNESS

TOP TEN INDICATIONS OF MARCH MADNESS

10.  Eric Massa inviting us to ask the 10,000 Navy men he served with whether he is gay.

9.  Larry Langford hitting the jackpot 33 times in one day and not remembering it.

8.  Ron Sparks being able to make payments on a $500,000 loan with an income [...]

HAPPY FEBRUARY

Under the “B” … June 1 

                 I’ve tried to follow BINGO rules and BINGO raids.  I’m not sure I understand the law, nor do I get the motives of many of the principal players.  I bet many of you know a heck of a lot more about this than I.  But one thing [...]

Suffering from Political Hangover

It has taken me a while to get back to “Purple Dot,” mainly because I have been suffering from a kind of political hangover. Since Christmas, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what’s going on in our politics. I guess I haven’t changed my mind about the quality or lack thereof civil [...]

THANKSGIVING JUST IN TIME

THE WASHINGTON SAUSAGE FACTORY Watching the health care debate reminds me of the old joke about “loving the law and liking sausage.” Start with the vote taken Saturday night. Harry Reid and the Dems prevailed on the vote to proceed with debate on the health care reform bill. To get to 60 votes, the [...]

WHERE TO BEGIN …

I know I’m behind and the topics to address keep growing. Let’s start with where I left off.

STATUS: BHAM MAYOR I mentioned the Mayoral contest in Birmingham. At least one of you noted that I had omitted Scott Douglas, Executive Director of Greater Birmingham Ministries, from the list. I have since [...]

FIRST THOUGHTS ON THE RACE FOR BIRMINGHAM’s NEXT MAYOR

Let’s see how much trouble I can bring upon myself this week

BHAM MAYORAL RACE: The conviction of Mayor Larry Langford was the story last week. The official period of “mourning” lasted about 20 minutes. Rep. John Rogers said it was actually five minutes before his cell phone started ringing with talk of who [...]

DAVIS-SPARKS REDUX

Last Friday night, the NAACP held a Gubernatorial forum (have you ever wondered why we don’t call these guys “gubernators?”) featuring Artur Davis and Ron Sparks. I was asked to share the moderating duties with Rev. Anthony Johnson. The crowd numbered about 150. The questions were submitted to the NAACP, and members of that [...]

ARRINGTON ENDORSES WHO(M)?

I know we’re paying a lot more attention to the Langford trial than to the 2010 Governor’s race, but how can we not talk about former Mayor Richard Arrington’s endorsement of Ron Sparks over Artur Davis? Over the years, I have been an admirer of Mayor Arrington. He’s a Ph.D. in zoology, for goodness [...]

WEEK OF THE WOMAN

Having survived my first post, I probably should quit while I’m ahead. Thanks for all of your encouraging words.

It’s been a good week for women. First, Elinor Ostrom, a political scientist, won the Nobel Prize in Economics for her work in economics (go figure). OK, the Nobel Prize “ain’t” what it used [...]

LET’s THINK PURPLE

So, I finally decided to give it a try. This is my first attempt at a serious (or not so serious) blog. As we gear up for the 2010 elections, I thought that it might be useful, helpful, or just plain fun to contribute to Doc’s Political Parlor. I have been accessing “Doc” for [...]

Legislative Dispatch

A Look from the Rearview Mirror

This Thursday will mark the last day of the legislative Session.  For some, it was a Session that seemed would never end.  For others, it was one that ended much too quickly.  It may be early, yet, to write an obit on this Session, but as we approach the finish line, some perspective may be in order.

[...]

Putting Students First

As you know, a very important piece of legislation will be presented for our consideration in the House tomorrow in Montgomery – Senate Bill 310 – the “Students First” tenure and fair dismissal reform bill. Like me, many House members have been inundated with phone calls and emails from opponents of this bill, and some have been [...]

Legislative Transparency

There are a lot of issues to debate before we begin the final days of this session. In fact, I am quite certain there will be some comments on this post debating many of them. Before we get into the last seven day of the session I wanted to bring up a topic that [...]


Daily News

Daily Headlines, Wednesday, 5/16/2012

Montgomery AdvertiserBill on sagging pants dies in Senate

Montgomery AdvertiserLegislature uncertain on special session

Montgomery AdvertiserLifeSouth responds to HIV lawsuit

Montgomery AdvertiserIllness closes Children’s Center

Montgomery AdvertiserCouncil to purchase flood-prone property

Huntsville Times [...]

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