Teaching Protesting at UNA?

 

From a faithful reader:

The University of North Alabama expansion in Tuscumbia may soon be ready to use. The new location will host meetings and events. It will also feature office, gallery, and classroom spaces.

The Alabama Center for the Arts in downtown Decatur is a collaborative effort between Calhoun Community College and Athens State University. Governor Ivey recently awarded them $15M for a residence hall to be built.

UNA and NWSCC could find their niche if they would work together. Both schools should form an agreement with the Lauderdale County Ag Authority. The LCAA should make education their #1 priority.

In our area, the only way we can advance is for everyone to work together. Every city, agency, and entity - including UNA and NWSCC -should be audited by an outside source.

No matter your feelings about Donald Trump every person understands the concept of the swamp i.e. draining the swamp. Well Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers. Mitch McConnell was born in Sheffield. The Senator McConnell grew up in Athens.

At this very moment it seems almost every official in Limestone County is either under indictment or investigation. What if our local political cesspools were drained? What would be left? A solid foundation.

UNA should use the new space for political science courses. Students could also learn a lot by using it as a meeting hall. Just please don't tell me if their intention is to use the new space as a place to teach how to protest. If so I have a phrase they can borrow: hey hey, ho ho, Kitts has got to go.

Meanwhile in Sheffield:

Auburn by the Numbers (It's Not Pretty)

 

Realistically, one can't expect any college team to win every game year after year; however, when coaches are paid a veritable king's ransom each of those years, one does expect more than Auburn has produced the past few seasons.

An Auburn alumnus sent us these very interesting stats:

Gus Malzahn: By The Numbers 

As of Saturday, November 28th, 2020, Gus Malzahn is: 

3-5 (38%) vs. Alabama [1] 

2-7 (22%) vs. Georgia [2, 6] 

3-5 (38%) vs. LSU [3, 4, 8] 

2-5 (29%) in bowl games 

1-4 (20%) in bowl games vs. major conference teams 0-12 (0%) in Baton Rouge, Athens and Tuscaloosa 

39-27 (59%) vs. SEC opponents 

15-17 (47%) vs. SEC opponents on the road 

7-6 (54%) vs. non-conference Power 5 teams 

20-26 (43%) when playing ranked teams 

8-16 (33%) when playing top 10 teams 

2 NY6 bowl appearances, and is 0-2 (0%) in them [5, 7] 

6 straight seasons (and counting) with at least four losses 

1st loss to a non-major conference team in 27 years [7]  

1st loss to Tennessee in 19 years (20 years at home) [10] 

1st loss to South Carolina in 87 years (1933) [14, 15] 

0 playoff appearances 

0 National titles 

2 first-round NFL draft picks since 2014, both in 2020 

Went 5 seasons without a single first-round pick [13]

Perhaps Tommy can get Gus a gig in D.C.?

For the Third Time This Year, Local Police Chase Has Taken a Life

 

Eleven years ago, a young Florence man from a well known family died while being pursued by Florence police. The death made national news and caused many to question the advisability of such chases.

Obviously, there are pros and cons to any police chase, but this blog was interested in knowing what actual law enforcement officers thought concerning the prudence of a pursuit. Five officers answered our Facebook query, and four of those opposed this type of chase. In other words 80% of those who took the time to answer thought a vehicular police pursuit was dangerous enough to make it inadvisable.

These officers also noted that each department has its own guidelines. While one city might encourage officers to let a subject go, others might demand that their personnel attempt to arrest the subject at all costs.

The local toll this year:

February - Tab Kennedy Waddell, 32, ran a traffic light in downtown Florence. When a Florence officer pursued Waddell into Sheffield, a resulting crash took the young man's life.

June - Joe Dewayne Cothrum, 35, was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a cousin. When Florence police attempted to pull the driver over for speeding, he crashed into a creek where Cothrum drowned.

November - Kenneth Ray Belue, 52, was attempting to run from Tuscumbia police officers when he left the road and crashed.

The three enumerated above are just the ones who died in 2020; many others lost their lives between 2009 and 2020. If you feel local governments need to reevaluate their positions on vehicular chases, we urge you to contact your local city and county representatives.

Strong Criticism of the Colbert Shelter

 

Presenting a special blog from a former member of our team, Trader Connections:

For Years The Colbert County Animal Services has been treated like a "Red Headed Step Child".

This is a direct statement to the Colbert County Commissioners and Council Members of Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. In this statement, I want to recognize some of the Shoals area citizens who are working in the Shoals area on their own time and at their own expense.

You should give Collie Barker of Sheffield a key to your city. She and her volunteers have and continue to demonstrate how and what you have to do in order to provide ADEQUATE PROTECTION and RESCUE OF OUR FOUR LEGGED CITIZENS IN COLBERT COUNTY.

Over the years, they have saved the county and your city thousands of dollars and asked for nothing in return. Meanwhile, while they were out in heat and extreme cold, saving abandoned animals you were sitting in your easy chairs at meetings arguing for weeks over a 15 cent raise to protect our 4 legged citizens...

Most of you never showed your carcass at the Animal Service building. Question: You are responsible for the welfare of not only the care of animals turned in, but also the financial security of the employees and adequate funding so they can do their job adequately...

How can you do this without going to the shelter yourself to see what is needed and how much. You claim to be a leader and the citizens gave you that opportunity. So far you have failed them when it comes to the shelter.

Don't you think it's time to show you're what you convinced your supporters you were? I could name who you are, but for now I am going to see if you are going to do what you are supposed to do.

Have you met the standard the Colbert County citizens expect of you in regards to funding of the shelter ? The answer is a loud. "Hell No."

Now ! let's step back to the pitiful 15 cents, that is 10% of a glass of tea that costs $1.50. Then, when you passed that embarrassment of an increase in funding, you gloated over it and pounded your chest instead of hanging your heads in shame. As for me, I was highly disappointed in you and if you have any pride in performing your job well you should be disappointed in yourself.

To the Citizens of Colbert County, you need to know for the past 20 years, the Colbert County Commissioners and City Councilmen of the Colbert County area have kicked the can of adequate funding down the road. They have lied to you repeatedly. They said we don't have the money, but that is not true. You see the real reason is the suffering and pain of their four legged citizens was not important enough to raise the priority scale to be funded so they could provide better service for you.

When complaints came in about the Colbert County Animals Services not answering calls within what you thought was a reasonable amount of time, some of them used the shelter employees as their scapegoat. Yep! they covered their butts for their failure to fund the animal services as they should have.

Commissioners and Councils, the Citizens of Colbert County need to know you are directly to blame.

You have not adequately funded the Animal services for medical needs, you have not funded the Animal services for equipment needs, you have short changed the employees in financial support, by starting them at poverty wages and for years never gave them a raise at all.

As of this date, I still hear other things are more important than providing adequate funding for Colbert County's 4 legged citizens.

I want the new commissioners and new councilmen to recognize, It's time for the county commission and the cities to own the inadequate funding of the past.

It's time you acknowledge the funding has been skimpy at the least and anemic at the best. It's time you recognize your method of funding the shelter has done nothing but caused the problems because of your refusal to change how you fund.

Then it appears you scratch your heads as you can't figure out why you keep getting the same financial problems ever year.

It's citizens like Collie Barker in Colbert County and citizens like Chapel King, Diane Michael and others in Lauderdale County, that without them you would be subject to being charged for neglect and cruelty. Why you ask ?

Because it is your duty by law to provide what is adequate shelter and medical treatment for all animals taken in. You as a commissioner or Councilperson are not exempt from being charged if you have not adequately taken care of the animals brought into the shelter by your citizens.

You have nothing in your budget about medical costs. You have for years depended on the shelter employees and other volunteers to do bake sales or yard sales to raise money for the medical bills and other costs.

They have done this on their own free time and without compensation of any kind.

They do this for the their love of our 4 legged citizens and have for years done this without a thank you or any assistance from you.

Its time to rethink how the shelter is funded. It's time to stop repeating the same funding procedure every year, because it is within itself a failure and does not achieve what the shelter needs.

The issue of how to fund the shelter is going to be presented. How you respond is going to be revealed to your citizens. I hope most of you are open minded enough to realize it's time to stop the band-aid financial management style.

Thanksgiving 2020

 

We hope everyone is just about stuffed right now. Unfortunately, we're sure that some in our area did not eat well today...if at all. 

Thanks to Crossroads Community Outreach and Room in the Inn/Room at the Table for helping to alleviate this hunger. If you live in Florence, be sure to tell the mayor and your council members that you want city government to support these two organizations where no one is turned away and all contributions stay in the Shoals!

Florence Police Chief: Who Do You Love?

 

From a long-time reader:

Just like that... obeying the law seems much more appealing to the City of Florence.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

About that 25K Fine...

 

A regular reader has sent us a most informative and profound comment on the monument removal issue:

Like so many of the things going on today, we only get part of the story. The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act is a good example of this. In listening to the news reports about moving the Confederate statues, I heard there is a $25000 fine for violating the law, and I thought, "this can't be all there is". As it turns out that is not all there is. The officials who approve moving the statue not only have violated their oath of office and can be punished for violating the law, they are subject to a $5000 a day fine until the statue is replaced.

The bill says;

This bill also reduces the proposed penalty increase from $10,000 per day on entities that fail to get a waiver to rename, relocate, remove, alter or otherwise disturb public property until the property has been restored to its original condition to $5,000 per day until the entity has taken full restorative action to comply with the provision of this bill. However, this bill provides that the Attorney General may state the fines upon submission of supporting documentation that the restoration has begun.

The Alabama attorney general said;

“First, any elected official who removes a historic monument or statue in violation of Alabama law has broken the law. He has not simply decided to ‘pay a fee’ so that he can lawfully have the monument or statue removed. He has committed an illegal act.

“Second, any elected official sworn into office by taking an oath to uphold the law, who then breaks a duly enacted and constitutional law, has violated that oath.

“Third, despite what some newspapers might have you believe, any elected official who disregards the duties of his office in this manner has done so not out of courage, but has done so out of fear. This should not be celebrated, for disregarding the law subverts our democratic system.

The law is clear, why is it not enforced?

State Reduces Hubbard's Sentence by 40%

 

We're pretty sure Mike Hubbard has good attorneys. We're also pretty sure he's paying his lawyers with funds he gained unethically. Oh, well, at least they put away the guy on the corner selling dime bags.

Good news for Mike - his sentence has been reduced to only 28 months. Not to mention that he's in Limestone now, a much cushier prison. 

Who wants to bet that he's already signed up for some of that personal tutoring?

Why Does Colbert County Animal Shelter Have to Beg?

 

We've said before how all donations to local government sponsored animal shelters are appreciated, but they shouldn't be depended upon to run an operation. A shelter may not have funds for the five or ten surgeries an injured animal may need, but it should have the money to purchase such staples as cat litter.

Yet both Lauderdale and Colbert Shelters regularly request specific donations of basic supplies. This is especially true of Colbert. We hope all our readers will come through for the shelter, but that does not absolve the county commission from its duty.

John Merrill Takes on Project Say Something

 

It seems Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has made Newsweek...with his comments on Project Say Something:

"This group, Project Say Something, is well known in Alabama as a liberal racist group that is designed to tear down businesses, tear down individuals and tear down conservative causes that they are opposed to, They use any opportunity that they can identify to do that very thing. And it doesn't matter who it is or what it is—if it's something they think they can take advantage of, they do."

It's okay, Florence. As long as this brouhaha hasn't made the Daily Mail, we're all right.

Andy Betterton has Some Serious 'Splainin to Do!

 

Those who are regular readers of our blog know that we have for some years lobbied for either a balancing memorial at the Lauderdale County Courthouse or the removal of the current CSA monument to the Florence City Cemetery. Our take on the current situation is that it's the Lauderdale County Commission barring the removal at this time.

It's also our take that the current standoff between the city and county will be solved only by the repeal of the 2017 monument legislation that forbids such a relocation. Cost? If the law is repealed, there will be no fine, only the actual removal charges that the city would pay to complete this task legally. With city workers to perform the removal, it shouldn't be an astronomical cost.

So what's new? It seems a relocation is in the works, legal or otherwise:

As of earlier this month, the platform for the monument is at least partially complete. Cart before the horse? Why is Handy Dandy Andy so sure the monument is about to be moved? Is "in the dark of the night" included in this scenario? Is this why a new city council member publicly stated Florence's mayor isn't afraid of anyone's wrath? 

Breaking the law, whether illegally moving monuments or assisting in ANY illegal activity, would appear to many to be offenses that would preclude public office...

Salvation Army: Church or Agency?

 

Excerpt from a WHNT story:

At a meeting Tuesday, the council unanimously approved more than $169,000 in emergency solutions grants that will be divided and distributed to the Community Action Agency, Safeplace, and the Salvation Army of the Shoals.

The funds are being given through a program with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

“Our issue with homelessness cannot be fixed with a single meal, or a doctor’s appointment, or gas; it takes coordination between all the agencies,” City Council President Dick Jordan said.

Jordan said the funds can be used for outreach, homelessness prevention, and rapid re-housing.

There's so much wrong here that it's almost laughable:

1. Can the Salvationists not make up their mind if they're a church or an agency?

2. Tricky Dick needs to learn when to use "between" and when to use "among."

3. "All the agencies?" Really, Dick?  Didn't you leave out quite a few that you simply just don't like?

4. How is the "outreach" to work? Does an agent approach a disheveled man walking into a hardware store and proceed to ask him if he's homeless or merely working on the plumbing under his house?

Remember: All donations to Room in the Inn remain local!!!

What Cretin Dumped This Little Girl?

From HASRA:

We try our best to stay neutral when taking in dogs, we understand circumstances are beyond people’s control sometimes..... but...... sometimes..... it’s hard to bite our tongues. Someone witnessed this very pregnant, as in due ANYTIME, and very sick girl get pushed out of a truck in a town south of us (Franklin County). Luckily she had a collar on, but.... when we called the number, we were told “she is no longer our dog, you can keep her......” If you are able to help, please donate to her care, and care for her about to be newborn puppies....

What we thought was a prolapse in her bum, but it’s not. Surgery is still not ruled out as it’s still an issue, just not the worst possible outcome We also found out she’s has a week or so before delivery, she’s just been so over bred, her lady parts are super swollen. More pictures to come, but for now, SHE IS SAFE IN A HASRA FOSTER HOME !!!!

Insights from J. Redmon

 

* Why did Shoals' area 'big name' brand gas stations RAISE their prices $0.10/gal this past Thursday while on the same day, gas stations in Decatur LOWERED their per gallon prices by $0.06?

* On Tuesday, November 10, the 'big name' gas retailers in The Shoals collectively raised the price of Regular gasoline to $1.96/gal. On THE SAME DAY, the same brands in Decatur LOWERED their prices of Regular gasoline to $1.72-1.79/gal. Are you scratching your head, yet?

* Mo is within his Constitutional authority to refuse to ratify any election results. If the shoe was on the other foot...

* The actions of FPD in removing individuals from private property without a court order was illegal. If such was done at the insistence of the Mayor, the Mayor's term in office may be cut short. As for 'removing a monument': the 'monument' is on COUNTY property, far-removed from the grasp of the Mayor. Let him get his panties in a wad....

* I thought that Betterton was a Liberal? While he may have run on that platform, his actions toward the homeless in Florence paint him as more of a fascist.

https://www.livescience.com/57622-fascism.html

QUOTE: "Once in power, fascist dictators (who campaigned as progressives) historicaly suppress individual liberties (removing hungry, disadvantaged people from private property without a court order)...,and authorize unlimited police power in the name of community unity (safety)."

* A plausible possibility for the difference in responses to COVID (research indicates that it IS more contagious than the flu, but NO MORE deadly, BTW), is, I believe, 'sour grapes' on the part of Dr. Satchel. She lost. Part of the reason she lost was due to her tirade on the Colbert County courthouse steps last summer where she proclaimed support for certain a 'nefarious party'. She's leaving a mess for Chris Hand to deal with in January, because she can, plain and simple.

A Word to a Sheriff, a Wife, & a Girlfriend

 

A Facebook friend recently asked a question about one of the many political parody accounts that have popped up in Shoals social media in the past six months. We had very little information concerning who was who, but it did prompt us to start reading. Did we get an eyeful!

First, we now understand that a certain sheriff is comparable to Bull Connor. Yes, someone actually said that. It would be laughable except for the fact that similar false rhetoric cost an honorable mayor his job and gave a local town someone less than competent in his place. We don't need this to happen again. We're urging the sheriff to address this promptly; it will only get worse if you don't.

Second, we see that some are alleging a close friendship between two city employees. To the male employee's wife, we suggest you spend more time at home observing just what's under your nose and less gallivanting across North Alabama political hot spots.

To the female employee, we suggest you learn from history. Franklin County some years ago - Two employees of a local government caught in the act. Which one was fired? Which one is still there? Not too fair, was it? Colbert County much more recently - Female employee lost not only her job, but her husband as well. Do you want to add to this list?

Lauderdale Lame Duck Super v. Colbert's

 

Neither the Superintendent of Lauderdale County Schools nor Colbert's will be returning for a second term. At this point, both should be interested in what's best for students and not in which parents they might offend with any command decisions. Yet, John Hatton and Gale Satchel have made strikingly different choices on basically the same issue.

While you may be ready for COVID-19 to be over, the virus seems to have different ideas. Each day it worsens, and we're now told we're looking at January before a vaccine is available. More and more students are becoming ill and taking the deadly virus home to families. What is the best plan of action? 

From Lauderdale:

Lauderdale County Schools Superintendent, Jon Hatton, said today that all students in grades PreK-12 at Lauderdale County High School are transitioning to remote learning. This is due to several teachers and students being quarantined. The remote learning will last from Friday, November 13, 2020, through November 30, 2020. This is for students only (Grades PreK-12). Faculty and staff members not in quarantine will report to school as usual. During this remote learning and quarantine time period, any students or staff members who test positive are to notify the Lauderdale County High School administration or school nurse. Students at Lauderdale County High School are expected to return to in-person learning at school on November 30, 2020.

From Colbert:

All Colbert County Schools will return to virtual learning until January, beginning November 16. CCS Superintendent Gale Satchel confirmed all schools will go virtual for the remainder of the year in order to keep the spread of Coronavirus down. She says the last day of in-person classes will be Friday, November 13.

That's an extra four weeks virtual learning for schools south of the river. What do parents say? More than a few say the Colbert School Board was never consulted...and they're not happy. Apparently, some of the school board agree with them. Which superintendent made the most prudent choice? Did Dr. Satchel think this was the only way to accomplish what was needed to minimize the virus in the Colbert system?

After the month long hiatus, the new Colbert super will be taking the helm. What will he say or do? It's anyone's guess at this point, and we don't envy him. 

Just How Local Are "Our" Homeless? How Cruel the Salvation Army?

 

A regular reader recently offered up this comment on Facebook:

The real issue: homeless people were moved from other locations in the country to live here, this action created federal money into the several spots in the quad cites, which were created for the money. The citizens of our community lost an support mechanism because of the greed of the planners in the area of collecting money. A good decision.

We would be greatly interested in knowing more about any effort to recruit this demographic to Florence. We have no doubt that it's true, but to what extent we don't know. If you have any pertinent information, please contact us. All replies are confidential.

A woman recently wrote this critique of the local Salvation Army:

We are treated like animals put outside everyday from 7:30 am until 5 pm no matter the weather, without as much as a sandwich or a bottle of water. This virus outbreak makes it impossible to get shelter anywhere, no library, no coffee shop, nowhere to go. I have a full time job at a major hotel, was supposed to sign lease on an apartment 3 days ago. I am now laid off, and apartment complex will not be processing leases for two weeks. I have nowhere to go all day for at least 2 weeks, or until my job goes back to normal. People are dying here, salvation army needs to step up and actually DO something to help it's own residents. They will stand under a tent in the pouring rain (last Friday), handing out jars of peanut butter, jelly and loaves of bread to random people in the community but send their residents out in the rain without even a sandwich.... pathetic.

"Treated like animals?" Is this really where you wish to donate your hard-earned funds?

Homelessness and the Origins of the Court Street Zone

From a reader:

Several years ago the Timesdaily ran an article implying that a man living in Florence was the city's very first homeless person. The writer made a huge deal about how well dressed the man was and that he frequently used the computers at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library to get on the internet. Well obviously saying that man was the first homeless person was naivety, but nevertheless the article did a good job shining a light on what at the time was still a touchy subject. A subject not talked about very often but one most readers were already well aware.

Even in the most rural parts of Lauderdale County homeless people exist everyday. Living away from downtown Florence it may be harder to see them but that is only because many live in wooded areas. In the 1970s, 80s, and even early 90s laws were very different in Florence. Most homeless people in North Alabama gravitated to living under overpasses in Huntsville due to the easier availability of things such as alcohol.

Fast forward to a few years ago when a young man was arrested for creating fires, to stay warm, inside a Florence Post Office on a freezing cold January night. If I recall correctly it was around that time when a few elected officials in Florence started to become more vocal and more defensive about the homeless situation. Wasn't the wife of one city councilman later quoted in the same paper mentioned above saying something that was thought to be very insensitive towards the homeless population at the time?

One thing that I know about the City of Florence is that some people would much rather have problems out of sight and out of mind. If at all possible place the blame on someone or something else. That does not change the fact that poverty, drug abuse, and mental illness are huge problems in this city as well as the surrounding areas. Take a look at the mug shots printed each and every week. Quite frankly, I do not see where arrests here are disproportionate by race. What I see are alcoholics, meth heads, and twenty year old white guys with tattoos in between their eyes.

The old ECM Hospital could have been used as a resource for mental health and drug rehabilitation. Instead what will the city do with the barren land? The sheriff of Lawrence County, Tennessee, was quoted 20 years ago saying that 90% of all crimes in that area were directly related to methamphetamine. Not drugs in general but he specifically placed the blame on meth. Did that come from an exact statistic? I'm sure that number was stretched during a moment of frustration, but still the point remains the same. I'm sorry if this offends members of the garden club or the fine arts league but what about here? What about now?

Does it not seem to be misguided anger that members of the LGBTQ community have latched onto blaming a 100 year old statue in front of the courthouse for the problems in our area? The Confederate Monument is an easy problem to solve. Let the people of Lauderdale County decide by vote if we want state law to be broken or not. Whether it gets moved or not it will not change the harsh realities of modern real life problems that every person in Lauderdale County face each and everyday. For example, why would the Florence Police Department run off homeless people waiting for a free meal yet allow protesters to yell at paying customers of a restaurant? If a homeless person told the police that they were protesting would the officers have left them alone?

With all of the enlightened people that we now have living in Florence I wish just one would answer this final question. What is more important - the name of a college building or the quality of education received inside? A very prominent African American Florence resident told me recently that he wouldn't mind seeing a statue of George Wallace, Jr., placed in front of the courthouse. Of course my mouth fell wide open, but when I regained myself I asked him to please explain. He said it was because of the number of books that have been placed in the hands of white and black students with the creation of Community Colleges in Alabama. This gentleman went on to teach me about people in the Bible. He explained to me how people can do terrible things at one point in their life but later still be used by God for His goodness.

He opened my eyes that things are not always what they appear. People are not always what they appear. We should not forget the bad times, but we also should not allow the bad times to keep us from remembering the good.

Room in the Inn v. Ricatoni's?

 

From a reader:

So let me get this straight. The FPD ran off people waiting on private property for a free meal. The same FPD will allow people on Friday night to try to drive off paying customers from a restaurant, as long as they stay on public property. If our elected officials order the police to assist in the removal of the monument who will be the criminals? Asking for a friend. 

Veterans Day 2020

 

On this 102nd anniversary of the Armistice, let's especially remember those World War II veterans who are still with us. If you know one who served our country during this era, reach out to him or her with your thanks...while there is still time.

Betterton Shuts Down Room in the Inn Intake Center

 

With no prior warning, with hot food on the table (paid for with public donations), the Florence police entered the Room in the Inn intake center on Veterans Drive last night and forced everyone from the premises. Here's a first hand account:

A few minutes after our update post, the Police Chief came to the Room in the Inn intake center, which is on private property that we lease, where we serve a hot meal to anyone hungry three nights a week. Everyone was told they had to leave the premises immediately. No reason was given other than they were not allowed to be there.

We were able to gather back most of the folks who had been waiting so we could pass out meals, but some left and didn’t come back. 

Just as Jesus said in Matthew 14:16 “They do not need to go away, give them something to eat”, we believe that everyone who is hungry should be fed. No exceptions. 

These are vulnerable citizens, being turned away at every turn. This simply isn’t okay.

First, Florence's new mayor Andrew Betterton shuts down RITI's shelter, now he's closed the hot meal program. We hope he feels good about himself, because no decent person has any kind feelings for him at this point.

A conversation in the next 50 years of so:

God: So you decided to close the program in your town that fed the hungry and homeless?

Andy: That's right. No one wanted those people downtown for an hour or more, all congregated together like that. I know I sure didn't want to have to see them.

God: Then you certainly don't want to spend eternity with "those people" do you, Andy? I'll see if I can find you a special place that's much more suitable...

What's a Shoals Sex Worker?

 

Recently, several readers have asked about sex workers here in the Shoals. Just what is a sex worker? How many who self identify this way are prostitutes?

We've looked for statistics, national or otherwise, and can't find an exact breakdown for sex workers. Are strippers included? How about glamour models? It would probably depend on whom one asked. Certainly video exhibitionists and phone line workers would have to be included, but how large or small a percentage these sub-groups are, we have no firm idea.

Suffice it to say that most sex workers are prostitutes. They engage in what's been called the world's oldest profession - an illegal profession in most areas of the U.S. including Alabama. That brings up the question of why anyone would admit to engaging in selling their bodies when it's illegal to do so? Do local police not care or is something else going on?

If anyone has an insight into this activity in the Shoals, we'll be happy to publish your thoughts. We ask that they be kind to either side of the issue and not vulgar. 

2020 As Significant as Civil War & Trail of Tears?

 

Most locals are aware of the movement to rename three buildings on the University of North Alabama campus. These buildings were all named for individuals who have associations with racism. We haven't heard too much opposition to the change concerning Bibb Graves; however, various Methodist organizations support the continued use of the name Richard Rivers (a noted Methodist minister), and some women's organizations are staunch supporters of Lurleen Wallace (was she a victim of the Stockholm Syndrome?). We have no opposition to these name changes; however, we consider the revisions of less than earth shattering importance.

So how did the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area under Kenneth Kitts become immersed in this cause? Tax payer money and all that? Here's one reader's take on some new MSNHA events:

I can't believe UNA is comparing 2020 to the Civil War and Trail of Tears. Seriously, I can't believe it. This is part of the walking tours...

In conjunction with the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, the University of North Alabama has recently installed a sign warning everyone who may become triggered while on campus. The QR code on the walking tour sign takes you directly to the ONCELL MSNHA webpage. This triggered many thoughts within my own head. How many young adults of every race have received an education because of George Wallace and the creation of Community Colleges in Alabama? What about the Guillot Center? We know for sure that any free press will never bear the Kitts name. Maybe the snack bar? Let us hope that a full investigation of the relationship between UNA and MSNHA is currently underway with the National Park System and FBI.

Related: Rename Deshler?