How Do You Get Thrown Out of Ider Mule Day?

Remember the DeKalb County chairman for Roy Moore's Senate bid who shoved a cameraman at the Henagar rally? It seems it wasn't his first violent political turn; he was arrested at Ider's Mule Day ten years ago for "poking" a police officer in the chest while campaigning for a state senate candidate. A jury took six hours to acquit him, perhaps because they were laughing so hard.

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For those who really want Roy Moore for a U.S. Senator, they should be informed he can't do math. He told the Henagar rally that he'd served his state and country for 40 years, 50 if you counted his military service. If you check Wikipedia, Moore has a total of 21 years in public service, plus five in the military. 

We really have to ask why tell a falsehood about something that can be checked so easily?

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Colbert Circuit Judge Jackie Hatcher has denied Chris Martin's request for a new trial with a different judge. Was she totally impartial? We'll be looking at some similar cases around the state. 

Our take? Other issues with the trial were much more prejudicial. Didn't anyone for the defense know how to object?

Two Views of Induced Abortion - Moore v. Jones

Roy Moore and Doug Jones:  A Vote of Conscience

Abortion will likely be an influence in the upcoming Alabama Senate race between Judge Roy Moore and Doug Jones.  Judge Moore clearly stands against abortion as do nearly 60% of adults in Alabama (who) believe that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases according to a recent Pew Poll.  

In a recent interview with F. Chuck Todd of MSNBC on September 27 Moore’s Democratic challenger Doug Jones said, “I’m a firm believer that a woman should have freedom to choose what happens to her own body” and that he opposed a ban on abortions after the 20^th week of gestation, which is in a bill passed by the U. S. House of Representatives and now being considered by the Senate.  He went on to say, “I’m not in favor of anything that is going to infringe on a woman’s right and her freedom to choose.  That’s just the position I’ve had for many years.  It's a position I continue to have. But I want to make sure people understand, that once a baby is born, I'm going to be there for that child. That's where I become a right-to-lifer."  

In an interview with AL.com on Nov. 2 Jones said, "To be clear, I fully support a woman's freedom to choose to what happens to her own body. That is an intensely, intensely personal decision that only she, in consultation with her God, her doctor, her partner or family, that's her choice. Having said that, the law for decades has been that late-term procedures are generally restricted except in the case of medical necessity. That's what I support. I don't see any changes in that. It is a personal decision."  

Seeing how the Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood have backed Jones it appears to be the official position of the Democratic Party.  In founding Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger wrote in a 1921 article, “The most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective.”  She once wrote that "consequences of breeding from stock lacking human vitality always will give us social problems and perpetuate institutions of charity and crime."  Sounds like Sanger is trying to play the role of God to me.  Doesn’t that sound a lot like the Nazi Party of Germany in the 1930s?  And the Democrats bash any one or any idea from the South with the “Lost Cause” myth and call them Nazis?  Democrats are just mad they don't  get credit for inspiring Adolph Hitler.

Southern Son

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Two Preliminary Questions on Fetal Life

Does life begin at conception? If you said yes, why doesn't it begin just a little earlier (approximately three or four days) when the sperm fertilizes the egg? Medical data tells us 50% of fertilized eggs don't result in conception (attach to the wall of the uterus). Were they not life too? I'm pretty sure your answer of no is followed by a "but." 

My second question is why fetal death in the Old Testament isn't considered murder. I'm talking about the fetuses mentioned in Exodus that God says you have to pay a fine for destroying. Kill the mother and it's manslaughter, but kill the fetus and it's a property offense? Please explain that in view of those today who call it murder. Do they know more than God?

Just for the record, I don't believe abortion should be used as birth control. I do think our schools and government do a horrendous job of helping a woman/couple BEFORE pregnancy, but then want to step in after conception.

I'm leaving my third question for later, and yes I'll be voting for Doug Jones because Roy Moore is everything that's wrong with our state and country.

One Navy Nurse

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There you have two very different takes on the Senate race. Both SS and ONN present some interesting ideas. Comments always welcome.

Surratt Strikes Again/Ray Davies Had It Right

We casually scanned some Lauderdale County arrests this morning; we would say we were shocked at one arrestee, but were we actually? Who was he? Gerald Winston Surratt Jr.

Surratt has in the past been arrested for theft and attempted rape. He, as far as we know, remains a suspect in a kidnapping/robbery. More recently he was arrested for sending indecent photos to two very young girls via Facebook. In all, a quick Google search shows at least 18 arrests for our bad boy in the past five years. Quite a record, isn't it?

Surratt is currently awaiting trial on his two charges of sending indecent communications, but is out of jail again. It's his current arrest charge that is baffling. What was it? Besides a failure to appear in circuit court, and giving a false report to law officers, Surratt was arrested for third degree domestic violence.

Domestic violence can include any family member, and his arrest conceivably could have been in relation to his mother or brother; however, it's a pretty safe guess it was a love interest who saw the brunt of Surratt's wrath this past week. Yes, we infer Surratt actually has a new girlfriend.

It's also a safe bet that until he lost any temperance he might have with her, she would have told anyone that he was really a nice guy. One of his exes once wrote us that he was very good at keeping his dark side hidden. 

Is he the only one who who has chameleon like traits? No. Oddly enough, Ryan Kent Pollard was listed in the same crime roundup/arrest report. Pollard is being held on a probation violation. He actually remained free for four weeks this time and was able to enjoy Thanksgiving with whomever would offer him hospitality. We're not holding out any hopes for a joyful Christmas.

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For years we've supported laws giving churches, any reputable churches, tax-free status. Yet tonight shows why this may no longer be a good idea. The Baptist church where Roy Moore spoke called the gathering a worship service. Really? A worship service where Moore was allowed to campaign?

One a similar note, those who came to hear Moore applauded him. We trust they did know that no part of a worship service should be applauded? 

Well, at least they were glad he was a man, and so's Ambrosia...

Chief Handjob Has Two GoFundMe Pages?

Regular readers know it's always been our stance that your money is just that - your money to do whatever you wish. Yet we do have to wonder about some people. Why purchase (usually illegal) substances to slowly kill yourself? Why purchase tickets in a lottery you know you'll never win? 

Now something really odd has been brought to our attention. There are not one, but two, GoFundMe pages for suspended Killen police chief Bryan Hammond, dubbed Chief Handjob on AL.com. 

The first GFM account is seeking 1,800.00 and lacks 1,000.00 as of this hour. This is what its blurb states: 

Bryan Hammond, Killen police chief has been suspended without pay right before the holidays- for 15 days- after having a social media sarcastic conversation between friends. He helps you all, time to help him. The monetary help is not about his conversation. It's about appreciation for his hard work and service for us.

Chief Hammond has done an outstanding job for years as a public servant for this community and he deserves our support. We know he has a huge friend circle. We would like to ask the community to help at this time with a monetary donation for him and his family during the holidays. He invests his time in making and keeping our community safe for us and our families so the least we can do is show our support for him in a time of need. Donations can be made with debit or credit card. Your consideration is greatly appreciated. Thank you and share please...everyone.

The second GFM account is seeking 10,000.00 and lacks the total amount as of this hour. This is what its blurb states: 

Chief Hammond has been forced to sacrifice 15 days of his salary due to a political misunderstanding in regards to a private posting he made which was intended to be humorous. Politically correct persons have pretended to believe that it was true, although it was obviously never intended to be taken at face value, and was also private in nature.

Please help Chief Hammond at this Christmas season. God bless!

One thing leaps out at us: conversation between friends? private posting? Unless anyone has their FB page set to private, anyone can read the postings. Any "friend" can make a screen shot and pass it around. Even those pages marked private sometimes appear in searches for some odd reason. Therefore, if you don't want your boss to read what you wrote...don't write it!

Bryan Hammond lost two weeks of salary because of something he joked about on a public site. As police chief, he knew he was under scrutiny. He knew what he said was controversial. Yet he chose to take the chance...and lost. Do we feel sorry for him? Take a guess...

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Speaking of Facebook pages, senate write-in candidate Col. Lee Busby is taking a drubbing from some Roy Moore supporters on his personal page that's set to public. Funny that we don't see any Doug Jones fans criticizing Col. Busby for entering the race. The former Marine will take votes from both candidates, probably in equal number. So why all the Moore animus?

Then we have the Moore DeKalb County campaign manager shoving the videographer last night. Nice, huh? Even if the cameraman was out of line, wouldn't it have been preferable to have called some kind of authorized security to intervene? And what was wrong with videoing Moore's arrival in the first place? 

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For the first time last night, Roy Moore called one of his accusers a "liar" while addressing a public group. For Leigh Corfman, it was the last straw. Here's what she said in response: 

Leigh Corfman to Roy Moore: Where Does Your Immorality End? 

Hmmm, she seems pretty sure of herself for someone who's "lying."

Is the Town of Killen Ethically Challenged?

The town of Killen has a zoning board; however, we're not sure the town knows what it's for. It seems one board member lives or owns property on Locke 6 Road. It further seems that a builder has requested a zoning change for property on Locke 6 Road; he wants to build apartments on land that is currently zoned R-1 (totally single family dwellings).

Obviously the zoning board member who lives on the road in question should not be allowed to vote. Yet that's not the problem. The problem is the board member, whose property will be devalued, has not been allowed to speak as a private citizen. 

It gets better. If the decision should go against rezoning, as the board member has wished, no apartments will be built in that location. Pretty straight forward. So why is Florence Utilities already moving power lines and cutting trees on the property? Perhaps it's a coincidence? Or precognition? Or...oh, well, you fill in the blank.

The zoning meeting was at 5:30 this afternoon. Did anyone feel a disturbance in the force about that time?

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Now here's another one of life's little mysteries. Three morally challenged youths are alleged to have stolen a flashlight from Walmart in Muscle Shoals last Thursday. Police are rumored to have given chase from Woodward Avenue to George Wallace Boulevard where the chase ended in a flipped vehicle and three ejected youths. Was it a jewel encrusted flashlight? 

Two of the young (probable) thieves are in good condition. The third? He's in critical condition. His own fault, you say. Yes, it was. Still, even if you don't care if the young man dies, the city will have to face a lawsuit if the account of the chase can be proved. No one should be happy over this outcome for any reason.

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Now we have a Marine colonel (retired) who's running for the Senate against Doug Jones and Roy Moore. Barring anyone digging up any major dirt on Col. Busby, he may just get a sizable chunk of the vote.

We'd been told to expect a Monday surprise, but we hadn't anticipated this one.

Why Roy Moore Now?

The first question Roy Moore fans ask about his bad press is why now? Why did his accusers of sexual impropriety not come forward during his previous bids for office? 

Most of us know of one or two or even three local politicians who can't make it through the day without a drink...and then a session behind the wheel. Is there a need to out them now (not that a large percentage of the electorate doesn't already know about them)? How about the elected official who skims profits from his business illegally? Is there a need to blog on that now? We're certainly not planning on it.

But what if the local alcoholic or thief were running for what's basically a national office and the Washington Post came calling? What if the WP were asking about a matter much more personal than alcoholism or theft? What if the question were: Did this man assault you sexually? That's pretty personal, isn't it?

Think long and hard. If you were one of Moore's victims, wouldn't you be ready to tell your story now that someone was actually asking...actually willing to listen and give credence to that horrible memory, or maybe just creepy memory, you've kept hidden away?

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John Merrill. He may be dishonest. He may be an adulterer. He may be pure sleaze wrapped in slime. But he's not running at this very minute for the U.S. Senate. We have absolutely no interest in protecting him from anything, but we do have a marked interest in more pressing political topics.

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Today is the last day to register to vote in the December 12th Senate race. You can register online. Just do so before midnight:

https://www.alabamainteractive.org/sos/voter_registration/voterRegistrationWelcome.action

Are We Protecting John Merrill?

Before we get to the main topic, we have some words of wisdom: If you call a black person a "n****r," especially one who's technically your boss, you just might expect him to try to have you fired.

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Earlier today a regular reader suggested we have previously protected Secretary of State John Merrill. Let's give you some background on this.

First, according to most government flow charts, the secretary of state is an office that ranks third in the executive branch of our government, following the lieutenant governor and preceding the attorney general. He or she is responsible for state elections and business governance.

It was only a few months ago that we became aware that current secretary John Merrill had been embroiled in a sex scandal in 2014. Why hadn't we known? We obviously miss a great deal that goes on in our government, but that is a biggie. We could have been working on a time-consuming assignment or we could have had the flu or we may have been the victim of defective technology the week this story broke. 

The bottom line is: she said they met once and engaged in oral sex; he said they met once and kissed and he broke it off before anything more serious happened. We're going to take a wild guess here that Merrill's wife must have thought whatever happened was serious enough.

We're going to take another wild guess that, judging from Merrill's self promotion as secretary, he plans on running for an even higher office during the next election cycle. While the woman involved with Merrill was certainly no teenager, her involvement with the politician would certainly do him no good. 

That brings us to the next point of our reader: Did we seek to cover up the fact that Merrill used state resources to hide his behavior. Since we were unaware of his behavior to begin with, how did we seek to cover it up? Our reader thinks this blog was not unaware, but had been sent information on the scandal in 2014.

We've thoroughly looked through our e-mails for that time frame, since this is the route he said the material was sent to us, and we've found nothing. Do we ever delete the communications? Only ones which ask something akin to: My boyfriend drove to work drunk this morning. Can you check to see if he was involved in the fender bender at the corner of Pine and Irvine? If we had received information an elected official was using our tax dollars to hide an extra-marital affair, does anyone out there really think we would have hidden this from our readers? 

We're going to continue to look into the allegations against Merrill. Obviously, no one found them to be legitimate at the time; however, we think our readers have a right to know as much as possible about the claims. If Merrill is planning on running for lieutenant governor or governor, these charges will soon resurface no matter what. 

Rest assured there will be more to come, and comments are welcome...

And What of McBride in Muscle Shoals?

The 15 day suspension for the fourth grade teacher at McBride Elementary in Muscle Shoals should now be over. Or did the board of education meet and set a more permanent punishment in place? 

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Remember the parent who got a royal runaround from the Lauderdale County Board of Education? Some are saying she's the cause of the state audit, the first in decades, that indicated Lauderdale schools weren't monitoring their financial shortages - and there were plenty of them.

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Speaking of Lauderdale schools, it was only a few months ago that Jennifer Gray wanted to become superintendent of a neighboring system. Now she's "retiring." Many are saying her send off will be standing room only...as in give the people what they want. 

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Things change... Remember that old song with the line "the day we tore the goal post down?" It might sound like fun, but Auburn has been fined $250,000.00 after fans stormed the field following its win over Bama. Ouch.

Goodness! Just think how much the fine would be for storming the field in Muscle Shoals! 

A Few Points to Ponder...

Families are not now and have never been Ward and June. It wasn't unusual for a younger sister in the 1800s to marry her older sister's widower to help with the children. It's happened in our family, and if you check your family tree, it probably happened in yours also. Flash forward to 2017, we wondered why a cousin of ours was still using her second husband's name after marrying her fourth husband. It turns out that her new husband is her former brother-in-law. At least they live far enough away from us that we don't have to worry about it.

Why the discourse on odd family life? Here's a little political column that's very revealing. Before you read a few sentences and think it's all about putting Roy Moore down, we suggest you read on:

Kayla's Family

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Now here's something in the For What It's Worth Department: The two former waitresses who have attempted to debunk the account of one of Roy Moore's accusers are sisters. But...wait...that's not the really odd thing. Their maiden name? Kisor.

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Hmmm, it looks like Titus has attacked that elephant. We understand the rogue K-9 is still off duty until someone makes an official decision on his future. More on this later...

Russellville Follies (or Both Sides Are Bonkers)

If you haven't been keeping track, the City of Russellville has been home to some interesting hijinks the past few weeks. There are some major gaps in what news has so far been released in this ongoing story, but we're attempting to fill in what we can.

First, we take it that most are familiar with the county seat of Franklin County. Russellville is long on Hispanic Indians and short on African-Amerians, but District Four is comprised mainly of the almost segregated area of Reedtown. Recently many black residents have accused the police department of unfair treatment. Chief Chris Hargett has not commented on these accusations, at least publicly. We assume he has more pressing business at the Russellville Housing Authority.

The Russellville police officer involved in this particular brouhaha is Brett Evans. Evans is a 2011 Russellville High graduate who was quite the jock, and is not one to take life overly seriously:

Brett Evans When Not On Duty

We want to stress here that the Russellville council has stated several citizens have complained about Evans, but the, one might say, final straw involved a traffic stop in early November. Patrolman Evans stopped a vehicle without a license plate and then discovered the driver did not have a valid license to operate the car. The driver, we'll name only as Mark, was to be the recipient of at least two tickets and a few hours in jail. He asked Evans if his companion Sharon, who did have a valid driver license, could simply drive the vehicle the few short blocks to his home instead of having the car towed. Evans refused.

Mark then called his friend, Councilman Arthur Elliott:

District Four Councilman Arthur Elliott

Mr. Elliott then asked Evans if Sharon couldn't drive the vehicle home since it was a short distance. Elliott said his rationale was that the impound lot, Eddie Hicks Collision, was located on Highway 24 outside the city limits, and therefore Russellville would make absolutely no money on the $150.00 towing fee, which he theorized Mark would spend in Russellville if he didn't have to pay said fee outside the city.

Now here we have to ask why the City of Russellville uses an impound lot located outside the town? Isn't there one available in Russellville? Does Eddie Hicks get special treatment for some reason? Questions and more questions.

Evans, now speaking on Mark's cell phone to Councilman Elliott, again refused. Here, the story is blacked out, no pun intended, for most of us. Obviously, there was more to this conversation, but at this point we're not privy to what Evans said to the councilman. We can only infer that what was said was not to Elliott's liking. 

On November 6th, Arthur Elliott moved in a council meeting that Patrolman Brett Evans be suspended for 14 days with pay. Councilman Gary Cummings seconded the motion, and the suspension was approved by Mayor David Grissom and the entire council. Several members of the black community were in attendance and voiced concerns about the police's general treatment of African-American citizens. Mayor Grissom announced that the Russellville Police Department would be conducting an internal investigation into the actions alleged against Brett Evans.

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Whew! Let's take a break. Any of you doing anything special tomorrow afternoon?

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At this point, suspended patrol officer Brett Evans must have felt threatened; he hired Florence attorney Tony Hughes to represent him. Hughes is a former Florence police officer who became an attorney after his career tanked with the FPD. Was this why Evans specifically sought him out from two counties away?

Hughes accompanied the gum-popping Evans to the next council meeting on November 20th. The Florence attorney accused Elliott of attempting to get Evans to let Mark go...something Councilman Elliott strongly denies. 

During this meeting, it was revealed that the council had enlisted the help of former ABI detective Darrell Tatum to look into claims of abuse against Evans. The council voted to reinstate Evans, with Elliott abstaining.

Now Tony Hughes says he is going to file ethics charges against Councilman Elliott for overstepping his bounds. We predict the Alabama Ethics Commission will instruct Mr. Elliott to review various rules and regulations concerning what he can and can't do as an elected council member. 

Still, Elliott will be allowed to answer Hughes' allegations in a public comment. Remember comments about what Evans may have said to Elliott or words he may have used were kept in executive session during the council meeting. This may prove interesting...

Colbert County Talk/A Lawyer's Lawyer?

We're happy to announce the Midnight Rider has paid us a visit for the Thanksgiving holiday:

The Midnight Rider Returns

By: The Midnight Rider

I have heard from Shoalanda that several readers have asked about my whereabouts. I have been working on the farm, gathering hay for the horses this winter. But that is over now. So, I am back. There is so much going on in the world today. Where to start?

Sheffield Trunk or Treat

We did not attend this year’s Sheffield Trunk or Treat. However, we did hear that there were a lot of people there but there were fewer vendors there this year. Has this event lost its appeal?  We hope not. This is for the kids.

Tuscumbia’s Fall in the Park

This seemed to be a big event. There were lots of people. Kids and grownups had fun it seemed. This was the first time this event was held. It will be interesting to see how both events do next year.

Inspiration Landing…………………….

I’m not even going to get started on this fiasco.

Cell Phones

This is really sad to write, but this happened the past week. I was at a restaurant eating when I observed a male and female at the next table. I never saw them speak to each other. The whole meal, they were playing on their cell phones. Hmm, I don’t remember dating being like this. We use to talk to each other on a date.

The second part is speaker phone. Three times this past week, I was present where someone was having a conversation with someone while using the speaker on their phone. One of the conversations was not to be had in mixed company. Come on people, no one wants to hear your conversations. Why would you do this?

Has Society become so stuck with cell phones that we as a whole are brainwashed by them? Remember the Terminator movies and Skynet? Sometimes technology may not be a good thing.

Sheffield Police and Fire

I saw in the Times Daily Newspaper yesterday and today that the City of Sheffield is talking about raises as well as making a list of potential candidates to replace lost personal. Okay, this is how the Rider looks at it. If you don’t treat your employees right and don’t pay them correctly, they are going to leave. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. Come on City Council, get with the program.

I am and always will be

The Midnight Rider

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What does an attorney's attorney say about him? We once took part in a discussion about a former Florence attorney who represented a very ethical and prominent Lauderdale County official. The bottom line was no one was sure why this official used this particular attorney who is now disbarred and sitting in jail. It's always been our belief that many attorneys basically do their own legal work, but need a second attorney to sign off on it, so to speak. 

So what about the attorney representing Roy Moore? His name is Trent Garmon and we'll have more on him later. Until then, here's his glamour shot:

(Is that nail polish on his right hand or did he hit his finger attempting to hang a photo of Ambrosia Starling?)

Happy Thanksgiving 2017!

Our country has a great privilege in being able to celebrate Thanksgiving each November. Yet even this holiday is under assault from some who think it demeans a segment of our population. History is history; it can never be rewritten even if many try. Yet it can be hidden.

This is a holiday that in one hundred years may be no more important than Arbor Day. Let's give thanks while we can!

All of Us at Shoalanda Speaks

The Return of TK the AG?

Yet our lawmakers never tell us about this:

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Troy King is again seeking the post of Attorney General of Alabama. He lost in 2010 to Luther Strange, if that tells you anything. During his previous tenure in that office, he created a laundry list of "crimes of moral turpitude" which is still being whittled down, as well as attempting to prosecute crimes from out of state. 

One might say that King attempted to enact laws while he was in office. It's early yet, but let's cross TK the AG off our list right now, shall we?

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We'll be publishing just once and are hopefully caught up on guest blogs for the moment. If you've submitted one that hasn't been published, please resend it. 

Let's Talk Euthanizing Titus...

Titus is a Florence Police K-9, ostensibly a German Shepherd, or Alsatian, if you prefer that term. On November 11th, Titus' handler was visiting in a home in northern Florence and placed Titus in the home's backyard. Apparently Titus was not comfortable in his new environment and promptly jumped over the fence while handler Josh Hein and his girlfriend socialized inside. Titus then wandered to another home where he attacked a woman who was retrieving items from her vehicle.

The attack was totally unprovoked and occurred entirely on the victim's property. Her life will never be the same. She's currently in rehab for injuries inflicted by Titus and is reported to need more surgery at a future date. 

To say that Florence is now on the receiving end of a lawsuit should be unneeded. Yet what about Titus? Make no mistake, we love dogs, but we've been told that once a dog refuses to obey commands, his working days are over. Sadly, with Titus' training, his days on this planet would also be over is he were the property of anyone or anything but a law enforcement agency.

We find it hard to accept the truth here, but would you want Titus in your home? Would you want Titus (and Josh Hein) as your neighbor? We're guessing you're answering a resounding "no." We've seen conflicting reports of Titus being on duty or being off duty. What we can definitely say is that if Titus had belonged to a private citizen, he would probably have been shot at the scene of the attack, and if he hadn't he would be in a 30 day quarantine at a veterinary facility.

We support the Florence Police Department; we also realize they invested at least $10,000.00 in Titus, not counting specialized training. It's a sad end for Titus, but if he were human, he would be looking at First Degree Assault charges and facing a prison sentence. 

Let's think of the victim and the city's liability in this (meaning you the taxpayer). Do you want to pay out on a second claim because of Titus?

Go Fund Me for Victim

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This year is really special. Not only do we have the Iron Bowl to divide us, we have the December 12th Senate race. Just think of the angst of those hosting large gatherings tomorrow when considering seating arrangements. May we suggest four separate tables?

Tommy Battle Said What?/Why Did Moore Go to Australia?

Tommy Battle, Republican candidate for governor, visited the Shoals recently and made two comments. First he wants everyone to know that Huntsville and the Shoals are "smart." Good...but he also is planning to vote for Roy Moore...a little discrepancy there.

Second, he made the comment that the Shoals and Huntsville are sister cities since they share a television market. With the exception of APT, the Shoals has been home to only one major television station, a station purchased by a Huntsville company and for all practical purposes shut down, at least in the Shoals where it originated. Did Huntsville play dirty or did the Shoals just give up? No matter, Battle would do well to research his talking points next time.

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Ah, Thanksgiving is almost here. Been seeing those ads for the "largest TD edition of the year?" It's certainly not false advertising, but what the TotallyDecatur fails to mention is that it's 95% advertising for stores you wouldn't shop at on the slowest Tuesday of the year, much less Black Friday...and it costs 1.50!

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Ready for a late November or early December surprise? We're not certain there will be one, but rumors indicate there's a very good chance of one. It's no secret that during Roy Moore's first stint in Gadsden as an assistant district attorney and later private attorney, he was the subject of two ethics inquiries. The first one was dismissed as unfounded (he had accused the Etowah County Sheriff's office of financial wrongdoing, even convening a grand jury, but anyone can make a minor mistake), and the second was dismissed for unknown reasons. 

It was after the second dismissal that Moore suddenly quit his practice and moved to Australia for a year. Now many state pundits are saying a revelation is coming? Will it...and if it does, will Moore supporters believe it?

What They're Saying About Killen

AL.com has now reported on the suspension of Killen police chief Bryan Hammond. These are some of the comments from readers:

collin taking a knee for BLM - firable offense
cop joking about sexual assault - free speech free speech!

A police chief should know better but saying "silence means consent" shows that a lot of crimes likely were not investigated under this police chief because victims of crime are often told to obey the attacker which often times means silence which to this police chief means consent.

Making up such false allegations of sexual molestation is NOT "free speech."

sorry, the Bill of Rights will not protect you from getting fired by your employer for making ignorant comments.

Awww sorry, you can't break the constitution like your idol Moore.

Dude needs to take that time off and go on a diet and hit the gym. Schlubby disgrace to the uniform. Set the example there chief NomNom McDoughnutmunch.

This kind of slander goes WAY beyond "dumb."

"Sarcasm" will be what every defense attorney uses as a defense in every criminal trial this guy is the arresting officer over or every case his department has in criminal court. A cop, much less the chief can not make public statements that put his credibility in doubt, especially in regards to suggesting a crime has taken place, even if it is "sarcastic". That is basic stuff, this guy is a liability for his department.

At least there were no more references to Chief Handjob. We would say it's the truth in that last comment that raised the wrath of Mayor Tim Tubbs. Now we await the next town council meeting.

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We had a few readers ask if we were sure Ory Moore is male. Yes, we know it's almost always reported that Ory is female, but this photo seems to give definitive proof of his gender:  
 

If Ory should be female, we'd say with that arm, she has great potential in the professional softball circuit.

Family Law Reform Mtg/Sheffield

On Tuesday, December 5^th, the Alabama Family Rights Association will join the Concerned Citizens in Lauderdale Co. hosting a Family Law Reform Informational Meeting at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, 350 N Wood Ave, Florence, Alabama 35660, Board Room.

There will be two opportunities to attend:

·         11:30 am to 1:00 pm; (FREE light lunch will be provided) and

·         5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

The meeting is open to the public and includes a FREE workshop-discussion about efforts to change the current Alabama child custody law (which was enacted in 1852) to guarantee that no child is put at risk.

The Informational Meeting will highlight the scientific data that when both parents are involved in a child’s life, the outcome measurably improves both the child’s life and community.

Guest speakers will include:

·         Senator Larry Stutts, Alabama State Senator, District 6 (Colbert, Franklin, and parts of Marion, Lawrence, and Lauderdale Counties.)

·         Kenneth Paschal, State President, Alabama Family Rights Association, U.S. Army Retired

·         Other local and state elected officials are invited to attend

The Alabama Family Rights Association will also discuss “State of the Children in Alabama”, the proposed child custody legislation for the 2018 legislative session, action steps for citizens to take.

We would like to invite those impacted by the family law practices, clergy, elected officials and candidates, parents, school counselors and other educational staff members, the administrative office of courts, therapists, mediators, parent-child coordinators, social workers, Alabama DHR representatives, family law attorneys, district attorneys, and judges to attend. One of the greatest economic stimuli for our state is to protect and safeguard the parent-children relationship.

Contact: Debbie Zeiger, State VP                                         

Phone: (205) 626-9458

E-mail: info@alfra.org

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We want to correct an error on our part...and seemingly on the part of many media outlets. We had questioned why Roy Moore always mentioned only one daughter when he had two. In reality, his child Ory who is almost always identified as female is actually male. Therefore, Moore wasn't slighting anyone.

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If Roy Moore Were a Tom Cat...

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Speaking of elections, it seems as if Sebastian DeVaughn will again be running for city council in Sheffield. She's apparently getting an early start by contacting us.

If we lived in Sheffield, we would be more interested in the status of Inspiration Landing than the next election cycle. The amphitheatre was scheduled to be finished between March and June of next year. Anyone know how that's coming?