The "Gay" Tea Video

 

We're not going to speak for all who blog here from time to time, but Shoalanda herself will admit to often being about as hip as a Festrunk brother. So when we began receiving copies of a new video being widely circulated in Shoals cyberspace, we didn't quite get the full impact...at first.

What in the world is "tea?" A quick check of the urban dictionary informed us that it's the 411/skinny/dirt on a gay person or perhaps told by a gay person to other gays. 

There are good, bad, and mediocre politicians out there. If they're abysmal, it's not because they're gay. We should all remember that in case Roy Moore initiates a new purge. 

Let's also remember the object of good leadership should be helping as many in the community as possible, not adding to the coffers each reporting period. It's not telling lies and making outlandish promises to be elected. 

Unfortunately, the politician in question is about as honest and caring as Shoalanda is hip...

No Gasoline? Don't Blame the Former Mayor...

 

Before COVID, we'd reconciled ourselves to a possible life changing event. After all, short, fat Korean man might eventually get a bomb that would make it to Guam. Our lives would change, perhaps forever. We never expected a plague straight out of Stephen King. 

We also never expected a gasoline shortage of any magnitude. Of course, there's really not a shortage, just a supply problem. Shall we blame Biden? How about the hackers? No, we can't blame them. If we did, we'd have to rethink Mayor Holt being responsible for the hacking of Florence Utilities. Then again, perhaps it was Agatha (Andy) all along?

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Speaking of the plague... Have you noticed how many comment on Facebook that they're happy the vaccine is bringing the number of victims down, but don't want to take it themselves? It's certainly their choice, but what if everyone felt that way? 

One question: If you now contract COVID, do you want us to feel sympathy for you?

For those who've had a long 14 months:

Time to Pay a Decent Wage/FB Page

 

First, our blog Facebook page is again accepting posts. Apparently we had to authenticate again, even though we had done so a few years ago. All unposted blogs from Shoalanda and Shoals Crime are now on the page. If you've previously viewed the offerings on our personal page, there's nothing new, so just ignore them. 

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There's much to be said both pro and con for raising the minimum wage. A reader sent us this take on hospitality workers leaving for greener pastures:

This from the industry people. We are not being heard. Ok, so Alabama's unemployment rate is 3.8%. Which is lower than it was prepandemic. The whole "Nobody wants to work" saying is really biting me in the ***. As a hospitality worker, let me enlighten you non-hospitality workers on a few, cold, hard facts. 

#1. When the pandemic started and everything shut down, we were laid off. Yes, we drew unemployment a few weeks. But when our businesses opened back up, if we didn't go back, our benefits ceased. Period. 

#2. We didn't feel safe was not an option, so we found better jobs that were either remote from home or paid better. 

#3. We finally realized we don't have to work every night, weekend, holiday to provide for our families. We can so do better. So we did. 

#4. When employers got that PPP, several did not bring back employees nor compensated the ones that were there. 

Yet no one is talking about that. I personally know not a soul riding out unemployment. I do however have several friends that found a better way of life that doesn't involve a base pay of 2.13 an hour to deal with ***holes who expect great service with subpar pay. 

When all this started "If you're so afraid stay home" was everywhere. Now you're pissed they stayed home? "Fast food is the bottom, find a better job." They did, and now your ****ed? 

Let's not forget the lives that were lost from covid because they worked guess what "hospitality." When the extra unemployment runs out, we will still have a shortage of employees in the industry. Because people have moved on and learned trades, went back to school, and bettered themselves like everyone on the internet told them to. 

The problem is not lazy people (which they are out there, nothing new.) The problem is people realize they deserve a living wage and they found a way to make that happen. People are leaving the service industry in droves because they are not being paid fairly, treated fairly and they are Tired! 

And before you come at me, I still work at a restaurant. Let me also add, as a single Mom at a point in my life, the industry helped me raise my kids. Right now, single Mom's have also started working from home while also homeschooling which is not easy. And big majority of waitresses and bartenders are single Moms. So there is another reason why 'No one wants to work."

Sheffield Man Rapes, Threatens to Kill Daughter

 

A Sheffield man is currently in jail in Metro Nashville after he allegedly raped his own 14 year-old daughter and then threatened to shoot her dead if she told anyone. Are all our readers sick yet?

Pictured above is a screen shot of the arrest taken from uber popular Tennessee crime site Nashville Scoop. While the article doesn't give the address of Travis Wade McGraw, it's in Sheffield. Specifically, the moral degenerate lives on Dover Avenue. Before that, McGraw lived in Tuscumbia and Florence. 

If McGraw did this to his own daughter, and there seems to be incontrovertible evidence that he did, what would he do to a neighbor? Or to a stranger he met in some isolated location? Parents, keep your children safe. Ladies, be sure you know what kind of man you're marrying and/or having children with. News flash: Some men improve with age, but there's no guarantee. Marry a serial killer, you just may get a serial killer for life.

Note: Thanks to a friend for sending us this. It's difficult to publish, but it needs to be common knowledge.

Is Shawn Childers' Killer Now Dead?

 

Robert DeShawn Childers disappeared from north of Florence over four years ago. While his body has not been found, many in his family sadly believe he's deceased, murdered by an abuser.

This psychopathic abuser who told so many falsehoods to the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department, who had a minor criminal record and was wanted in Florence, has now died. Did his death remove any chance of finding Shawn?

At one point after an online news article was published, this person of interest contacted us and others, asking how he could turn himself in for outstanding warrants. This came from a man who had been arrested many times and certainly knew how to find the police station. Nevertheless, we responded as politely as we could. Nothing more came of this.

Obviously, the man whom many believe killed Shawn liked to play with people. He certainly told enough total fabrications to the Childers family. Did he ever tell anyone the truth?

If you have any information on the location of Shawn Childers, now is the time to come forward. This career petty criminal and manipulator can no longer harm you. The Childers family is still hurting; please contact authorities now.

Saluting Our Mothers...or Most of Them

 

It's Mother's Day again. Today marks our second such day in at least a partial lockdown of regular life. We salute all mothers for getting through this, but...

But we're going to be slightly more serious this year. We're asking all mothers not just to be role models, but also not to be enablers. Why now?

Just over eight years ago we published a blog about a young man, fresh out of juvenile confinement, who orchestrated a home invasion. He pistol whipped a woman...a totally innocent woman...in her 80s. Then this young man fled the scene in a new sports car his mother had purchased him as a gift for surviving his incarceration. A quick look at his Facebook page told the world just what he thought of his mother and her boyfriends. Was she ultimately to blame for his actions?

No, not ultimately, but she was an enabler. As of this second, the man is residing in a lockup in some Alabama county, hopefully on his way to another long prison sentence. When local online news published our eight year old blog in connection with this story, at least one person chastised us for even mentioning his mother.

Let's be clear: This horrible excuse for a human being would in all probability not be where he is today if his mother had not made excuses for him, pampered him, and supported his every action...all the while paying more serious attention to her men friends than she did her own son.

If you're a young mother, learn from this horrible tale. You may not have to answer legally for your children's actions, but nevertheless you do hold a great deal of responsibility. Make sure you're there for them in the right way.

Shoalanda

Campaign Against Rogersville Speed Limit

 

There's now quite a campaign against the 45 mph speed limit just east of Rogersville. If you're interested in knowing more about the move to raise the limit or make other changes in Rogersville, you may wish to contact Steve Modas on Facebook. Mr. Modas is the father of the Rogersville store clerk injured in a recent incident with a wanted felon.

We've mentioned this speed limit several times in previous blogs. We've always used it as an example of an inane law that should be followed simply because it's the law. We remain firm in that belief. Laws are not ours to pick and choose from.

That brings us to the UTV issue again. We'll be addressing it in the next few days.