Public Defenders, Bloggers, & Other Pariahs

Technically, the State of Alabama doesn't have "public defenders," but "court-appointed attorneys." A few counties have contracted out these glamorous positions, but in the Shoals a judge will still appoint representation for a defendant found to be indigent. A recent commenter has bemoaned the fact that these JDs are not competent to handle murder cases. We'll add that the commenter, PayAttention, now has the dubious honor of being only the second to be banned from this site due to his/her language and trollish posts.

We disagree with those who claim court-appointed lawyers are inept or don't care. We know several local attorneys who take such cases, but is it fair to choose just one and showcase him or her to the exclusion of the others? It doesn't seem so; therefore, tomorrow we'll be looking at a Huntsville attorney who routinely takes court-appointed cases. It promises to be enlightening.

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Any of our readers attend the Florence Christmas parade? If you didn't, here's a review by a new local blogger. We'll say two things: Just don't shoot the messenger and if we'd known the Rotary Club was dispensing Laffy Taffy we would have made it a point to be there.

Pardon Me

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Our friend Jeremy Britten loved the parade, but after reading the caption of this photo, he could be accused of a temporary lapse in judgment.

Uber hip? If you say so, Jeremy. If the car didn't say "Florence City Council," we would have thought it was a casting call for the next season of Walking Dead.



Shoalanda