Siegelman, Scrushy convicted

From the Mobile Press-Register:

MONTGOMERY – A federal jury has found former Gov. Don Siegelman guilty of seven of the 32 remaining criminal charges against him, and the panel found guilty on all counts the trial's other high-profile defendant, former HealthSouth Corp. Chairman Richard Scrushy.

The AP has the following reports:

"Former Alabama Governor, ex-HealthSouth CEO convicted of corruption"

"Convicted in bribe scheme, Scrushy facing more HealthSouth trials"

"Key points in Siegelman government corruption trial"

"List of counts and verdict in Siegelman trial"

The Montgomery Advertiser has the following reports:

"Siegelman found guilty on 7 of 32 charges"

"An emotionally charged trial"

"The government's case against Siegelman"

Siegelman verdict form

Politics in Alabama has a full rundown, including links to the Siegelman, Scrushy, Hamrick, and Mack verdict forms.

Move it on over

A new state law will go into effect this Saturday requiring drivers to move over a lane when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle on highways with four or more lanes. So...is that all drivers in all lanes, or just the ones in the closest lane to the PO-lice? Hmmm...clarification is needed.

Anyway...that's riveting news, but it's nothing compared to this: tomorrow, the New York Times will report that U.S. intelligence has intercepted a highly unusual electronic transmission from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. Curiously, it is addressed to conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh. The message, which is related to Mr. Limbaugh's latest legal troubles, has been classified as top-secret, but the Times has decided to run the story anyway. Luckily for you - my loyal readers - I have managed to obtain a copy of the original message from Mr. Kim, and the full text is transcribed below (must be read with a Korean accent for full effect):

Dear Mr. Limbaugh,

I regret that we have had such lingering differences in the past. That is truly lamentable. Nonetheless, please accept my utmost sympathies on your latest run-in with the U.S. government. As you know, I have never held an election in my whole life, but look at me! I am still lobbing missiles in all directions, happy as can be. Consequently, I've got the whole world on its knees, begging me not to lob the big one in their direction. All this attention from world leaders gives me really, really intense and powerful feelings. And the great thing about it is that an election is completely unnecessary.

So, Mr. Limbaugh...hang in there, buddy! And remember, sometimes it is lonely at the top.

Regards,

Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il (aka the "Little Dictator")

Siegelman jury deadlocked

The jury in the Siegelman-Scrushy-Hamrick-Roberts trial is nine days into deliberations and still hasn't reached a verdict. Apparently, some jurors have lost interest.

I'm (finally) reading the Da Vinci Code

I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about. That's one reason I haven't been posting much lately. Luckily, it's a pretty fast read, so I should be finished soon. The main thing holding me back is trying to keep track of all the lies and half-truths that Dan Brown manages to cram into his story line. This has all been discussed in great detail elsewhere, of course, but something Brown wrote in Chapter 28 really threw me for a loop:

"Those deemed 'witches' by the [Catholic] Church included all female scholars, priestesses, gypsies, mystics, nature lovers, herb gatherers, and any woman 'suspiciously attuned to the natural world.' ... During three hundred years of witch hunts, the Church burned at the stake an astounding five million women."

Yup, pretty darned astounding...mainly because it's a complete fabrication. Five million women over 300 years comes out to 16667 a year, a figure that no reputable scholar would ever come up with. Now, I understand that the book has to be read with the understanding that it's a work of fiction, but come on. This assertion is presented as a "fact" by a character - Professor Langdon - who is supposed to be an expert in such matters. If Dan Brown's intention was to write a farce, then we'd expect him to make routine use of that kind of gross exaggeration - but from what I've heard, he wants his book to be taken seriously, or at least semi-seriously. I don't see how such cruel distortions serve any purpose other than to annoy those readers who know better.

Anyway...the DVC may be annoying and downright silly at times, but I agree with almost everyone else who has read it - it's a tough book to put down, and the sooner I can do that, the better. Needless to say, I won't be seeing the movie.

Polls shows Riley with 28-point lead over Baxley

The latest Press Register/University of South Alabama poll shows Gov. Riley with a comfortable lead over Democrat Lucy Baxley:

The Press-Register/University of South Alabama poll found that Riley, the Republican nominee, was the choice of 53 percent of those polled, while Baxley, the Democratic challenger, garnered 25 percent support. The remaining 22 percent were undecided. ...

Baxley led Riley among black voters 38 percent to 28 percent, with 34 percent undecided. She led Riley among Democrats 55 percent to 22 percent, with 23 percent undecided. Conversely, Riley's advantage among his party faithful was 80 percent to 8 percent. Among white voters, the governor led 61 percent to 21 percent, with 18 percent undecided.

That a Republican Governor polled so well among blacks is truly remarkable, raising the tantalizing - albeit unlikely - prospect that many black voters in Alabama are reconsidering their historic allegiance to the Democratic Party.

Siegelman trial update

Yesterday was the third day of jury deliberations - no verdict yet.

Shhhhh! Don't use the "G-Word"

Here's a disturbing story from Clark County, Nevada:

She knew her speech as valedictorian of Foothill High School would be cut short, but Brittany McComb was determined to tell her fellow graduates what was on her mind and in her heart.

But before she could get to the word in her speech that meant the most to her -- Christ -- her microphone went dead. ...

Clark County School District officials and an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union said Friday that cutting McComb's mic was the right call. Graduation ceremonies are school-sponsored events, a stance supported by federal court rulings, and as such may include religious references but not proselytizing, they said.
They said McComb's speech amounted to proselytizing and that her commentary could have been perceived as school-sponsored.

Before she delivered her commencement speech, McComb met with Foothill administrators, who edited her remarks. It's standard district practice to have graduation speeches vetted before they are read publicly.

School officials removed from McComb's speech some biblical references and the only reference to Christ.

That's why, for what she said was the first time in her life, the valedictorian who graduated with a 4.7 GPA rebelled.

"I went through four years of school at Foothill and they taught me logic and they taught me freedom of speech," McComb said. "God's the biggest part of my life. Just like other valedictorians thank their parents, I wanted to thank my lord and savior."

It's sad how the mere mention of Christ's name can provoke such intolerant excess from the anti-Christian Left.

Normally, I would say that teaching kids to defy authority is a bad thing, but this case and others like it are unique. I am a "law-and-order" conservative, through and through, but when we teach young people that they should play by the rules and respect authority, the underlying assumption is that the rules have been made legitimately. When laws are made and order is enforced by usurpers and miscreants, we are under no obligation - morally or otherwise - to abide by them.

One of the most outstanding virtues of American civilization is its religious tolerance; it is a virtue fostered by the thoughtful humility of the American people and necessitated by the various guarantees of religious freedom in our federal and state constitutions. It is also one that the Left - in its repulsion for "virtues" of any sort - has tried its best to undermine and ultimately eradicate, at least when the toleration of Christians is at issue.

Whether or not they were acting on faith, Clark County, Nevada school administrators have proven themselves quite capable of performing the works necessary to appease the Godless Left. By censoring all meaningful references to "God" and "Christ," they will certainly win the favor of the ACLU and its friends for years to come.

Meanwhile, Miss McComb can rest assured that she did the right thing. By forcing the hand of school administrators, she helped to illustrate once again just how far the Left will go to silence dissent and to eliminate all discussion of God from the public sphere. She showed more wisdom than a roomful of ACLU attorneys when she said: "People aren't stupid and they know we have freedom of speech and the district wasn't advocating my ideas...Those are my opinions...It's what I believe."

The only suggestion I have for Miss McComb is this: the next time you make a speech, bring a bullhorn...just in case.

Connie Chung

View her farewell "performance" here. (Story here.)

Dixie Chick: Taking the wrong way

Dig that hole a little deeper, Natalie:

The Chicks can't hide their disgust at the lack of support they received from other country performers. "A lot of artists cashed in on being against what we said or what we stood for because that was promoting their career, which was a horrible thing to do," says Robison.

"A lot of pandering started going on, and you'd see soldiers and the American flag in every video. It became a sickening display of ultra-patriotism."

"The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism," Maines resumes, through gritted teeth. "Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country… I don't see why people care about patriotism."

UAH Prof responds to Al Gore warming hysteria

Drudge linked to this story today: "Scientists respond to Gore's warning of climate catastrophe." It's a very interesting article, showing that many climatologists are skeptical of claims that global warming is due primarily to human activity.

It's also worth noting that one of the scientists responding to Gore was UAH's own Dr. Roy Spencer. Dr. Spencer is also a frequent contributor to TCS Daily, and you can find his bio and a list of his TCS columns here.

UA College of Social Work gives Peace Award

From the UA Dialog Online:

The Peace Award is granted annually to a UA faculty member who in his/her teaching, research, practice and professional life has demonstrated exceptional levels of involvement in mediating human disputes, helping overcome prejudice, promoting justice and establishing peace.

The recipient will receive a $1,000 monetary award and will be recognized at a ceremony in spring 2006. Although the award is administered by the School of Social Work, any UA faculty member may receive the award. The specific criteria and nomination form may be downloaded at www.socialwork.ua.edu.

This year's Peace Award winner was UA Poly Sci Professor John Oneal.

An education department or an ideological pep rally?

Last month, David French asked that question about the UA College of Education on NRO's Phi Beta Cons blog.

The University of Alabama College of Re-Education

In light of the University of Alabama's pending request for significant increases in tuition, this seems like a good time to mention a few of the ways in which UA spends (or rather, mis-spends) the vast sums of money it receives from students, parents, and the state's taxpayers.

First off, let's consider the College of Education. Back in February, the American Enterprise Institute's Frederick M. Hess wrote a column for the Washington Post (registration required...you might try this link instead) in which he noted the following about the UA College of Education:

For those who have been troubled by the tendency of universities to adopt campus speech codes, a worrisome new fad is rearing its head in the nation's schools of education. Stirred by professional opinion and accreditation pressures, teachers colleges have begun to regulate the dispositions and beliefs of those who would teach in our nation's classrooms.

At the University of Alabama, the College of Education explains that it is "committed to preparing individuals to promote social justice, to be change agents, and to recognize individual and institutionalized racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism." To promote its agenda, part of the program's self-proclaimed mission is to train teachers to "develop anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-sexist . . . alliances."

George Will mentioned the same thing in a column he wrote back in January:

In 2002 the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education declared that a "professional disposition" is "guided by beliefs and attitudes related to values such as caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice." Regarding that last, the Chronicle reports that the University of Alabama's College of Education proclaims itself "committed to preparing individuals to"—what? "Read, write and reason"? No, "to promote social justice, to be change agents, and to recognize individual and institutionalized racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism," and to "break silences" about those things and "develop anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-sexist community [sic] and alliances."

Funny...I always thought that Colleges of Education existed to teach prospective teachers how to teach. I guess I'm behind the times. If anyone thinks that the University of Alabama has somehow managed to buck the latest campus trend of actively promoting a leftist agenda and disguising it as scholarship, think again.

Here's the full UA COE statement that Will and Hess referred to, straight from the UA College of Education web site. Read it and weep:

The College of Education is committed to honoring diversity, respecting difference, and promoting social justice. Many problems and issues confronting professionals lie beyond the classroom or clinic. An understanding of the larger social, political, cultural, and economic influences and reflecting upon this complexity is necessary. Inquiring about the knowledge base(s) for practice requires seeking the participation from other knowledge communities and sharing power in decisions that affect them. The College acknowledges and celebrates the diversity that exists in educational settings and considers it as particular source of strength and possibility rather than an obstruction to normal practice (Banks, 1993; Dilworth, 1992; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Valencia, 1997).

The College of Education regards color-blind approaches to educational service that ignore the race, gender, sexuality, disability, and class of students as inadequate for addressing contemporary inequities (Giroux, 1994; Kivel, 1996; Linn, 1993) and recognizes several levels at which it prepares its students to celebrate diversity, respect difference, and promote social justice. The College of Education conceptualizes the promotion of social justice in an education setting as an issue of prejudice reduction and equitable service to individuals (Banks, 1993) with attention to the social and historical roots of cultural difference and emphases on empowering members of marginalized communities in decision making.

The College of Education is committed to preparing individuals to promote social justice, to be change agents, and to recognize individual and institutionalized racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism (Abelove, 1993; Fine, 1993; Fordham, 1996; Post, 1998). It includes educating individuals to break silences about these issues, propose solutions, provide leadership, and develop anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-sexist community and alliances.

I'm an alumnus of the University of Alabama, and I love it dearly, but until this kind of political propagandizing comes to an end, I say: don't give the University another dime. The people of Alabama don't go to work everyday so that their tax dollars can be spent teaching future educators how to "promote social justice." If UA faculty and administrators honestly believe that the production and promotion of this drivel is a part of their job descriptions, then perhaps they should seek employment elsewhere. I hear the Alabama Democratic Party is taking applications.

Rolling in the dough at UA

In the 2003-04 school year, the University of Alabama increased tuition by 16.25%. In 2004-05, it raised it another 12.2%. This year, unsatisfied with a whopping 17% increase in dollars from the state (amounting to $25 million), President Witt and the University are asking for yet another increase - 8.5% for in-state students and 13.2% for out-of-staters. The increase, which will be considered by the UA Board of Trustees this Friday, is expected to bring in an additional $12 million per year for the University.

Birmingham abortion clinic surrenders its license

Birmingham's Summit Medical Center is shutting down...hopefully for good. From the AP:

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A Birmingham abortion clinic has surrendered its license amid allegations that a woman delivered a nearly full-term stillborn baby after a clinic staffer gave her an abortion-inducing drug and performed other medical treatments without a doctor present, health officials said Wednesday. ...

State health officials say in February a Summit staff member, rather than a doctor, performed an ultrasound on a woman seeking an abortion and determined she was six weeks pregnant, even though she was nearly full term. The nurse practitioner, rather than the doctor, gave the woman the RU 486 abortion drug even though the woman's blood pressure was dangerously high.

The state health department said in a report that the woman went to a hospital emergency room six days later with the head of a baby protruding and "delivered a stillborn, macerated, foul smelling, six pound, four ounce baby."

Safe, legal, and rare. Yeah, right.

Who are the Darby Democrats?

Larry Darby, the Holocaust-denying atheist who ran against Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson for Attorney General, managed to earn over 160,000 votes in last week's Democratic primary. That amounts to approximately 44% of the total votes cast in the Democratic race for Attorney General.

So, who were these Darby Democrats? How many of those 160,000+ votes were genuinely for Darby and how many of them were due to mere ignorance on the part of Democratic voters? The Mobile Press-Register and the Huntsville Times attempted to answer those questions last week, and gave a few possible explanations for Darby's popularity among Alabama Democrats:

1) Since candidates' names are listed alphabetically, Darby was first on the ballot. Presumably, undecided (clueless?) voters are more likely to choose the name that comes first when candidates have low name-recognition;

2) The state's major black Democratic group - the Alabama Democratic Conference - didn't endorse anyone in the race. The conclusion: many black Democrats didn't know who to vote for since they weren't told how to vote;

3) "Darby" is a common family name in Alabama. The assumption: when in doubt, Alabamians vote for long-lost relatives; and

4) Voters were simply unaware of Larry Darby's beliefs, in which case they must not have been reading my blog recently.

Those are all interesting conjectures, but here are a few relevant facts to illustrate just how embarrassing this is, or at least should be, for Alabama Democrats.

Darby won a majority of Democrat votes for Attorney General in 33 of Alabama's 67 counties. The votes for Darby in those 33 counties contributed just over 50% of his total. Adding in his votes from Jefferson County (the state's most populous, where Darby's measly 36% amounted to 16,504 votes), you get to 60% of his total.

Larry Darby outpolled Don Siegelman in 45 counties, including Madison county, the state's third largest, where he received 52% of the votes. He got more votes than Lucy Baxley in (only) one county - Russell.

In comparison to the Republican candidates for Governor, Darby fared even better: in terms of total votes, he surpassed Bob Riley in 37 counties and Roy Moore in 46.

Darby's highest percentages were in Russell (63%), Lawrence (60%), Lauderdale (60%), Blount (59%), Limestone (59%), Cherokee (59%), Coosa (57%), Cleburne (57%), Franklin (56%), and Clay (56%) counties.

Those are the perhaps the most embarrassing statistics for Democrats, but let's continue:

None of Alabama's 11 majority-black counties (Marengo, Montgomery, Hale, Dallas, Perry, Wilcox, Lowndes, Bullock, Sumter, Greene, and Macon) gave Darby a majority. His vote in those counties ranged from 25% in Greene County (81% black) to 48% in Macon County (84% black).

In ten of Alabama's twelve counties where whites make up more the 90% of the population (Winston, Cullman, Blount, Marshall, DeKalb, Cleburne, Marion, Franklin, Cherokee, Jackson, Walker, St. Clair), Democrats gave Darby a majority. (The two where Darby didn't rack up majorities were Walker and Cullman - which gave him 45% and 48%, respectively.)

There are 14 counties in which over 80% of the population is white and in which most voters voted in the Democratic primary. In all but two of those counties, Democrats chose Darby. Here's a table summarizing the relevant data from each of those 14 mostly-white, mostly-Democrat counties:

County	White Pop.%*	Dem Voters %**	Darby %
DeKalb	96%	60%	52%
Cleburne	95%	73%	57%
Marion	95%	84%	54%
Franklin	94%	89%	56%
Cherokee	93%	84%	59%
Jackson	93%	87%	54%
Walker	92%	78%	45%
Lauderdale	89%	65%	60%
Lamar	88%	87%	55%
Fayette	87%	84%	54%
Covington	86%	52%	53%
Etowah	84%	50%	51%
Clay	84%	66%	56%
Colbert	82%	70%	48%

* From 2004 U.S. Census estimates of each county's total population
** Based on number of 2006 primary votes for Governor

What does all that say? Well, first of all, it gives Alabama Democrats a huge black eye. That's a given. Secondly, it strongly suggests that something other than mere "random choices" by uninformed voters was at work here. While the Democratic Party has sought to blame black voters and black political organizations for the Darby fiasco, it appears that they have chosen the wrong scapegoat. The fact is that large numbers of white Democrats gave Darby their votes - by a landslide in some areas. The lingering question is why.

Washington Post: Election is "welcome news"

From the editorial page of Thursday's Washington Post (registration required):

THE MOST welcome news from Tuesday's elections came in Alabama, where incumbent Gov. Bob Riley trounced former chief justice Roy Moore, of Ten Commandments fame, in the GOP primary. Moore was removed from his judicial office after defying a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument he had installed in the courthouse rotunda. Alabama Republican voters are to be commended in their refusal to let the judge turn his contempt for the Constitution into a path to political power.

That almost makes me wish that Moore would have won; at least it would have pissed off all the right people.

Naaaah.

Democratic primary voters outnumbered Republicans

But not by much. The Birmingham News reports:

In the closest primary vote total yet, Democrats cast 465,023 votes for governor Tuesday compared to the 459,759 Republican ballots cast, a difference of just 5,270 votes. [That's 50.28% to 49.72%.] ...

In all, Democratic gubernatorial candidates received more votes than Republicans in 42 of the state's 67 counties. Republicans pulled more votes than Democrats in 25 counties. But among those 25 were the state's most populous counties, including Jefferson, Mobile, Montgomery, Madison, Shelby, Baldwin, Tuscaloosa, Lee, Morgan and St. Clair.

Election recap

I made it back to Huntsville last Thursday...just haven't had much time for blogging since then.

The good news since my last post is that most of my guys won in the primary election last week. I think that the Republicans have managed to select a very strong ticket for November's general election. Gov. Riley beat Roy Moore handily in the Republican race for Governor, and the Tom Parker slate was resoundingly defeated in the races for Supreme Court. Here's a recap of last Tuesday's Republican primary results (these are uncertified numbers via AL.com; "my guys" are indicated by asterisks; candidates facing runoffs, assuming these numbers hold up in the certified results, are in italics):

Governor:
Bob Riley* - 67%
Roy Moore - 33%

Lieutenant Governor:
Luther Strange - 48%
George Wallace, Jr. - 33%
Mo Brooks* - 16%
Hilbun Adams - 3%

Attorney General:
Troy King* - 75%
Mark Montiel - 25%

State Auditor:
Wes Allen - 31%
Samantha Shaw - 26%
Tripp Skipper - 22%
Chess Bedsole - 21%

Public Service Commission Place 2:
Perry Hooper, Jr. - 41%
John Amari - 31%
Jack Hornady - 28%

Supreme Court Chief Justice:
Drayton Nabers* - 61%
Tom Parker - 39%

Supreme Court Associate Justice Place 1:
Champ Lyons* - 60%
Ben Hand - 40%

Supreme Court Associate Justice Place 2:
Tom Woodall* - 72%
Hank Fowler - 28%

Supreme Court Associate Justice Place 3:
Lyn Stuart* - 72%
Alan Ziegler - 28%

Supreme Court Associate Justice Place 4:
Glenn Murdock* - 61%
Jean Brown - 27%
Tracy Gwyn Birdsong - 12%

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3:
Clay Crenshaw - 34%
Sam Welch* - 28%
Beth Kellum - 27%
Alva Lambert - 11%

Court of Civil Appeals Place 1:
Terry Moore - 53%
Mark Anderson* - 47%

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3:
Phillip Wood - 41%
Terri Thomas - 31%
Bill Shashy* - 29%

Amendment One (Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment)
Yes - 81%
No - 19%

Headed off to vote

After that, I'm hopping on a plane and headed down to Florida. For work, not pleasure. Fun, fun. Anyway, I'll be back Thursday...hope to see y'all then.

Alabama Marriage Protection Act

Here is the text of a statute already on the books in Alabama concerning same-sex marriage:

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Alabama Marriage Protection Act."

(b) Marriage is inherently a unique relationship between a man and a woman. As a matter of public policy, this state has a special interest in encouraging, supporting, and protecting the unique relationship in order to promote, among other goals, the stability and welfare of society and its children. A marriage contracted between individuals of the same sex is invalid in this state.

(c) Marriage is a sacred covenant, solemnized between a man and a woman, which, when the legal capacity and consent of both parties is present, establishes their relationship as husband and wife, and which is recognized by the state as a civil contract.

(d) No marriage license shall be issued in the State of Alabama to parties of the same sex.

(e) The State of Alabama shall not recognize as valid any marriage of parties of the same sex that occurred or was alleged to have occurred as a result of the law of any jurisdiction regardless of whether a marriage license was issued.

(Code of Alabama. Section 30-1-19)

The Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment

Here's the ballot language for Amendment 1, as it will appear on tomorrow's ballot:

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide that no marriage license shall be issued in Alabama to parties of the same sex and that the state shall not recognize a marriage of parties of the same sex that occurred as a result of the law of any other jurisdiction.

Proposed by Act 2005-35.

Yes ( ) No ( ).

Here is the full text of the amendment:

(a) This amendment shall be known and may be cited as the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment.

(b) Marriage is inherently a unique relationship between a man and a woman. As a matter of public policy, this state has a special interest in encouraging, supporting, and protecting this unique relationship in order to promote, among other goals, the stability and welfare of society and its children. A marriage contracted between individuals of the same sex is invalid in this state.

(c) Marriage is a sacred covenant, solemnized between a man and a woman, which, when the legal capacity and consent of both parties is present, establishes their relationship as husband and wife, and which is recognized by the state as a civil contract.

(d) No marriage license shall be issued in the State of Alabama to parties of the same sex.

(e) The State of Alabama shall not recognize as valid any marriage of parties of the same sex that occurred or was alleged to have occurred as a result of the law of any jurisdiction regardless of whether a marriage license was issued.

(f) The State of Alabama shall not recognize as valid any common law marriage of parties of the same sex.

(g) A union replicating marriage of or between persons of the same sex in the State of Alabama or in any other jurisdiction shall be considered and treated in all respects as having no legal force or effect in this state and shall not be recognized by this state as a marriage or other union replicating marriage.

For Supreme Court - Nabers, Lyons, Woodall, Stuart, Murdock

For Chief Justice - Drayton Nabers

Drayton Nabers wrote the book on character (literally). He is a traditional conservative jurist and an effective administrator, and he understands that the proper role of a judge is to interpret the law, not to make it. Nabers's opponent, Tom Parker, has unleashed a grossly misleading ad campaign against him. (I provided a full transcript and gave my take on it here.) Perhaps Tom Parker should read Justice Nabers's new book.

For Associate Justice Place 1 - Champ Lyons, Jr.
For Associate Justice Place 2 - Tom Woodall
For Associate Justice Place 3 - Lyn Stuart

Champ Lyons, Tom Woodall, and Lyn Stuart are all incumbents. They are all excellent judges and traditional conservative jurists who believe, like Chief Justice Nabers, that the proper role of a judge is to interpret the law, not to make it. Their opponents - Ben Hand, Hank Fowler, and Alan Zeigler, respectively - have pledged their allegiance to Tom Parker and given their wholehearted approval to his campaign tactics.

For Associate Justice Place 4 - Glenn Murdock

Both Glenn Murdock and Jean Brown would be excellent choices for Place 4, but I prefer Murdock. The Decatur Daily's endorsement of Murdock puts it well:

In his six years on the Civil Court of Appeals, Judge Glenn Murdock showed an independence and strength of character that serves Alabama well. Past partisan squabbles leave former Justice Jean Brown's role on the court diminished. With solid credentials and a calm temperament, Mr. Murdock could serve as a bridge between Justice Parker and the rest of the court where Ms. Brown could not.

Click on the links below to read the endorsements of Alabama's major newspapers in the Republican races for Supreme Court Chief Justice and Associate Justice Place 1, 2, and 3.

	Nabers, Lyons, Woodall, Stuart	Parker and friends
Birmingham News	X	-
Mobile Press-Register	X	-
Huntsville Times	X	-
Anniston Star	X	-
Tuscaloosa News	X	-
Decatur Daily	Chief: X Associates: X	-
Montgomery Advertiser	X	-

Click on the links below to read the endorsements of Alabama's major newspapers in the Republican races for Associate Justice Place 4.

	Murdock	Brown	Birdsong
Birmingham News	X	-	-
Mobile Press-Register	-	X	-
Huntsville Times	-	X	-
Anniston Star	-	X	-
Tuscaloosa News	X	-	-
Decatur Daily	X	-	-
Montgomery Advertiser	-	X	-

Troy King for Attorney General

Mark Montiel has filed so many lawsuits over the past few years on behalf of one partisan cause or another that it's difficult to keep track. Some of those suits had merit, in my opinion, but others - like the one that practically begged the federal courts to redraw the state's legislative district lines to ensure the election of more Republicans - ran counter to the best interests of the state. The Attorney General represents the State of Alabama, not the Republican Party. As the successor to Bill Pryor, Troy King has had a difficult act to follow; although he has sometimes been a bit too publicity-seeking for my tastes, he has performed admirably and he deserves a full term.

Click on the links below to read the endorsements of Alabama's major newspapers in the Republican race for Attorney General.

	King	Montiel
Birmingham News	-	X
Mobile Press-Register	X	-
Huntsville Times	X	-
Anniston Star	X	-
Tuscaloosa News	X	-
Decatur Daily	-	X
Montgomery Advertiser	X	-

Campaign web sites:

Troy King

Mark Montiel (no web site). A B'ham News profile of Mr. Montiel is here.

Mo Brooks for Lieutenant Governor

Mo Brooks currently serves as a County Commissioner here in Madison County, and he represented this area in the legislature from 1982 to 1991. His conservative credentials are impeccable. He strongly opposed Gov. Riley's proposed tax increase back in 2003, he has been a leader in the fight against eminent domain abuse, and he has proven time and time again that he understands what "limited government" really means. Unlike Luther Strange, Brooks has consistently opposed providing direct public subsidies to private businesses (a.k.a "corporate welfare") in the name of economic development. Unlike George Wallace, Jr., Brooks isn't a former Democrat and his last name isn't Wallace.

Click on the links below to read the endorsements of Alabama's major newspapers in the Republican race for Lieutenant Governor.

	Strange	Wallace	Brooks	Adams
Birmingham News	X	-	-	-
Mobile Press-Register	X	-	-	-
Huntsville Times	X	-	X	-
Anniston Star	X	-	-	-
Decatur Daily	X	-	-	-
Montgomery Advertiser	-	X	-	-

Campaign web sites:

Mo Brooks
Luther Strange
George Wallace, Jr.

Bob Riley for Governor

Governor Riley's opponent, Roy Moore, is a man of principle and a welcome voice in the Alabama Republican Party. It's unfortunate that he can't seem to play well with others. Some would even say that Moore is a sanctimonious, humorless bore. Bob Riley, on the other hand, is a proven leader and statesman who is capable of uniting the party's factions and leading the Republican ticket to a big win in November. Riley is the strongest Republican candidate to run against either of the potential Democratic nominees for Governor; Republicans should give him the chance to win a second term.

Click on the links below to read the endorsements of Alabama's major newspapers in the Republican race for Governor.

	Riley	Moore
Birmingham News	X	-
Mobile Press-Register	X	-
Huntsville Times	X	-
Anniston Star	X	-
Tuscaloosa News	X	-
Decatur Daily	X	-
Montgomery Advertiser	X	-

Campaign Web Sites:

Bob Riley for Governor

Roy Moore for Governor

Republican endorsements

Here are my endorsements for the statewide races in Tuesday's Republican primary:

Governor - Bob Riley over Roy Moore

Lt. Governor - Mo Brooks over Luther Strange and George Wallace, Jr.

Attorney General - Troy King over Mark Montiel

State Auditor - No endorsement. Candidates are Chess Bedsole, Tripp Skipper, Wes Allen, and Samantha Shaw.

Supreme Court Chief Justice - Drayton Nabers over Tom Parker

Supreme Court Place 1 - Champ Lyons over Ben Hand

Supreme Court Place 2 - Tom Woodall over Henry Fowler

Supreme Court Place 3 - Lyn Stuart over Alan Zeigler

Supreme Court Place 4 - Glenn Murdock over Jean Brown and Tracy Gwyn Birdsong

Court of Civil Appeals Place 1 - Mark Anderson over Terry Moore

Court of Civil Appeals Place 3 - Bill Shashy over Terri Willingham Thomas and Phillip W. Wood

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3 - Sam Welch over Clay Crenshaw, Beth Kellum, and Alva Lambert

Public Service Commission Place 2 - No endorsement. Candidates are Perry Hooper Jr., John Amari, and Jack Hornady.

As for why I think these are the best Republican choices, I plan to discuss each of them in a series of posts between now and Monday. In addition, I will be providing links to newspaper endorsements and campaign web sites.

And don't worry...I promise to keep my own arguments short and sweet: five sentences or less per post. The main thing I want to do is to disseminate information about each of the candidates.

Stay tuned.

Study: Alabama has lowest tax burden in the nation

According to the latest Census figures, Alabamians pay the lowest state and local taxes per person in the U.S.A.

(View the complete state-by-state rankings here.)

Huntsville Times: Ex-justice counts on "unseen voters"

Ah...the ever-critical angelic vote. Well, this is Alabama - at least they'll have a short trip.

Tom Parker

Tom Parker's latest radio ad (listen here) may be the most vile and deceitful piece of campaign propaganda that I've ever heard aired in an Alabama political race. Here's what the ad says:

[Drayton Nabers:] "I'm a conservative."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Drayton Nabers is spending millions claiming he's a conservative. The real record? Nabers led the fight for the biggest tax hike in Alabama history and called voters bad Christians for opposing it."

[Drayton Nabers:] "The law must be based on moral values."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Nabers's court threw out a death sentence based on foreign law and unratified U.N. treaties."

[Drayton Nabers:] "I'm pro-life."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Nabers calls Roe v. Wade the law of the land, and his court backs legal abortion up to the day of delivery."

[Drayton Nabers:] "I believe in traditional marriage."

[Announcer:] "Stop! Nabers says he'd do nothing if a liberal judge ordered Alabama to recognize same-sex marriage. Nabers is no conservative. He's a Jimmy Carter style liberal, using his faith to cover up a liberal record. If he wins, he'll have six years to implement it. Alabama can't take that chance. Tom Parker for Chief Justice. Tom Parker - a conservative leader who backs up what he says and stands up for what he believes. Tom Parker for Chief Justice: fair, balanced, unafraid."

[Tom Parker:] "This is Justice Tom Parker."

[Announcer:] "Paid for by Parker for Chief Justice, Montgomery."

Nabers sets the record straight on his campaign's web site. There's a lot more to say about this, but for now, I'll leave it at this: Chief Justice Nabers is a traditional conservative jurist. He believes that his duty is to follow the law and to apply it justly, without regard to his own personal preferences or agenda. Tom Parker, on the other hand, apparently believes that conservative judges should learn to act like liberals, twisting the law so that it conforms to their own ideological leanings.

If Parker wants to strike fear into the hearts of liberals - a very worthy objective, in my opinion - then perhaps he should seek another office: Governor, legislator, or even dog catcher. Let him take his pick, so long as he stays away from the courts.