Joe Bonamassa ::

Joe will be playing in Birmingham at 8pm tonight at Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center - Jemison Concert Hall. I surely wish I could make it, but if you're in the Birmingham area and like some high energy blues and rock check it out.

Tony's New Mexico Book ::

Tony Triolo spent several days in New Mexico with another mutual friend this past summer and he has produced a book of his work. The book is available for preview and purchase at this link. Take a look!

Parker Griffith's Response On Net Neutrality ::

I received this e-mail today from Griffith's office:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concern. I welcome any opportunity to communicate with North Alabamians when I cannot be home and speak to constituents face to face.



In your message, you expressed your opinion on the concept of Net Neutrality. Like you, I recognize the powerful role the internet plays in our society and economy. Just recently, I signed on to a letter addressing broadband policy to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Genachowski. You may be pleased to hear that in this letter I urged the FCC to reiterate, and not repudiate, its commitment to competition, private investment, and a restrained regulatory approach.



Like you, I believe in a transparent process and stand ready to work with both sides in Congress to ensure that we maintain a free and open environment for all Americans.

I have asked for a clarification on what Griffith considers to be "a restrained regulatory approach", and made the point that most of the world has much better and faster internet access at a lower cost. I eagerly await his response especially since so few of us are offered any sort of ISP competition.

Parker Griffith And "Net Neutrality" ::

I understand that Parker Griffith signed a letter to the FCC this past Friday expressing his opposition to the concept of Net Neutrality. Griffith once again chooses to represent the huge telecom and cable companies at the expense of the constituents who elected him. I just sent Griffith an e-mail expressing my outrage and asking to explain his position. You can also send an automated e-mail to Griffith expressing your support for Net Neutrality at this link.

Here's a copy of the automated e-mail that's sent to Griffith:

Oct 19, 2009

Representative Parker Griffith
Cannon House Office Building, Room 417
Independence Avenue and 1st Street, SE
Washington, DC 20515-0105

Dear Representative Griffith,

An open Internet provides the foundation for innovation, free speech
and democracy in the United States and around the world. But Washington
lobbyists are more concerned with corporate profits than with a
free-flowing Internet. They have convinced some members of Congress
that Net Neutrality is bad for business, but don't be fooled.

We, the undersigned, demand rules that protect Net Neutrality by
keeping the Internet free from blocking, censorship and discrimination.
It's vital that the FCC move forward on its rulemaking to safeguard the
open Internet. Hundreds of millions of Internet users -- people like us
-- need Net Neutrality now.

Some members of Congress have fallen prey to phone and cable company
lobbyists and are pressuring you to pull back from your rulemaking
plans. These lawmakers aren't representing the public interest, and
they don't speak for us. Please stand firm in support of Net
Neutrality. Millions of Americans -- the folks whom Congress was
elected to represent -- are with you.

Sincerely,

Beau Sessions Believes In Rape! ::

I just saw the Daily Show bit about the republicans voting against the Al Franken bill designed to protect employees of government contractors who are victims of heinous crimes. Here's the clip:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape-Nuts
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Our own Jeff Sessions comes out forcefully for rapists and, once again, embarrasses humanity and the state of Alabama! I have long been under the impression that "officers of the court" are supposed to seek truth and justice. Hypocrisy, thy name is Jeff Sessions!

[This video was a pain to post--I snagged it from Crooks & Liars and it had several html errors in it which I had to fix--my brain is too tired after this workweek to be trouble shooting html!]

The Life Cycle Of A Blog Post ::

From Wired magazine. Pretty cool!

Signs Of Fall ::

I guess that one of the signs was the weather alert yesterday, but I drove down to the Lake Guntersville Dam a short while ago and noticed that the leaves are starting to change and the squirrels and chipmunks are scurrying around looking for plant kingdom nuts. I do believe that this is my favorite time of year and I'm going to try to go fishing tomorrow if the weather will co-operate!

A Darwin Award In The Offing ::

From WAFF news:

ALBERTVILLE, AL (WAFF) - A woman was arrested after police discovered a teenager inside a cardboard box on the roof of a vehicle.

Jackie Denise Knott charged told police she had a good reason. Albertville police said the mother told them she was trying to carry a cardboard box, but it wouldn't fit in her minivan. She claimed her daughter was just making sure the box was secure on the van roof.

Drivers in Albertville couldn't believe what they saw Wednesday morning. A minivan was driving down U.S. Highway 431 with a large cardboard box on the roof. But it wasn't the box that raised concern - it was the 13-year-old sitting inside of it.

Many drivers called police and officers quickly pulled Knott over. Albertville police arrested her and charged her with endangering the welfare of a child. Officers said her reasoning behind her actions was astonishing.

"The box was too large to get in the van, so more or less, she needed a paperweight," said Albertville Police Officer Jamie Smith.

Officers asked Knott about the safety of the child and she responded.

"She told the officers she had the box tied to the roof with a wire close hanger," Smith said

The child was not hurt. She was turned over to a relative's custody at the scene and DHR is investigating.

"For the child's sake, more than anything, nothing turned out bad," Smith said. "Obviously a gust of wind, an 18-wheeler passing by could have thrown the box off the top of the van. It could have turned out very bad."

Knott was transferred to the Albertville jail where she posted a $500. WAFF 48 News tried contacting her, but were unsuccessful.

Once again I'm speechless!

Alabama Football ::

Both Alabama and Auburn won today and both are now 5-0 overall. Why isn't Auburn ranked any higher than they are?

5:30 am ::

And it's raining on this Friday morning already.

Parker Griffith Jumps On The Xenphobia Bandwagon ::

From the Sept. 30 issue of The Huntsville Times:

U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith, D-Huntsville, returned from a personal tour of a U.S.-Mexican border crossing saying the U.S. has "failed in our fundamental duty to secure our borders."

"Every day, individuals that are a threat to our communities and our nation attempt to enter this country illegally," Griffith said in a statement released by his Washington office. "We must do more to stop them."

I have to shake my head whenever I hear the politicians demonize the undocumented aliens residing and working here simply because they will not acknowledge that the problem could be easily solved on the employment level if there was any sort of will to do so. Employers love the cheap labor that pads their profit margins! If anyone truly wanted to end illegal immigration all that would be required would be meaningful sanctions for companies and individuals who hire the undocumented!

I also think that a very meaningful argument can be made that our undocumented residents, in general, provide a net economic benefit to our economy, but that is a topic for another day.