Free Republic

Sarah Palin visit: Hundreds already in line to get limited number of wristbands By Kent Faulk -- The Birmingham News November 22, 2009, 11:00AMSarah Palin brings her 'Going Rogue' book tour to Birmingham on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. A throng has gathered on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 to snag a wristband for a spot in line for the signing. (Special to The Birmingham News)Hundreds of people were already in line at the Books-A-Million store at  Colonial Brookwood Village to get a wristband for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's visit on Monday. [See the GUIDELINES set for Palin's visit] People are...

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday he plans to filibuster President Obama’s first judicial pick, Judge David F. Hamilton. Sessions told reporters in a briefing that he will vote “not to consider” the nomination. “I think I intend not to support going forward (with) Hamilton’s vote,” Sessions said, adding that each senator has to vote his own conscience. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has called for a cloture vote on the nomination Tuesday, which would force the Republican filibuster of Hamilton, whom Obama indicated is the kind of nominee he...

At a time when many of its competitors are struggling and most businesses are downsizing, executives at Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc. say their company is on the verge of its best year ever. The company's chicken-driven sales are expected to cross the $3 billion mark for the first time in the next several weeks and will likely end the year up 9 percent from a year ago. Same-store sales are expected to be up about 4 percent. Next year, the company plans to add nearly 70 stores -- including its first in Chicago, the backyard of fast-food rival McDonald's Corp. It...

-- Vote could come as early as MondayHe has been called "extreme" by some. But to others, he's beyond extreme... he's a "Radical's Radical."  Whatever he is, he could become President Obama's next choice for the federal judiciary. This radical is Judge David Hamilton, and he's been nominated for a position on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Hamilton has made many political enemies on the right, seeing that his politics are to the far left of the political spectrum.  Oh yes, judges aren't supposed to be political, but this one has engaged in quite a bit of leftist activism....

000 WTNT31 KNHC 081758 TCPAT1 BULLETIN HURRICANE IDA SPECIAL ADVISORY NUMBER 19 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112009 1200 PM CST SUN NOV 08 2009 ...HURRICANE WATCH EXTENDED EASTWARD ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST...IDA STRENGTHENS A LITTLE... AT 1200 PM CST...1800 UTC...A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA BORDER TO MEXICO BEACH FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA TO MEXICO BEACH FLORIDA. THIS WATCH DOES NOT INCLUDE THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. A HURRICANE...

MARION, Ala. — The sign going on the front door at the Perry County courthouse reads: "Closed for the Obama Holiday." The rural, mostly black county has proclaimed Monday as an official holiday celebrating the election of the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. It's one of Alabama's poorest counties, but it's sparing little during five days of festivities.

MOBILE, Ala. -- Two men who admitted taking trips to Thailand for sex with young boys face 6½-year prison terms, but could trim the time by testifying against the alleged organizer of the encounters. Burgess Lee Burgess of Mobile and Mitchell Kent Jackson of Pensacola pleaded guilty in November 2008 to traveling to have sex with a minor and conspiracy to do so. The two men once lived together in Mobile.

Authorities finally released the name of the person killed in an attempted robbery Tuesday morning in Yantley, Ala. 19-year-old Daniel Law, Jr., was shot and killed Oct. 20 when officials say he tried to rob the Citgo store on Highway 10. Law was a 2009 graduate of Choctaw County High School. Investigators say the owner of the store fired the fatal shot. No charge was filed. The case will be presented to a grand jury. Sheriff James Lovette said officials don't think anyone else was involved in the robbery attempt.

A barrage of gunfire erupted during a robbery attempt in the Center Point area Tuesday night, authorities said today. Two employees of the Phone Store at 2111 Center Point Road were closing up for the night about 8 p.m. when a man came from behind a trash bin and pointed a gun at the female employee as she was getting in her car, saying "Give up your money; you might as well give it up." When the male employee tried to take cover, the gunman opened fire. The male employee returned fire, firing eight shots at the robber who took...

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., Nov. 3, 2009 – Experimental test pilot Army Chief Warrant Officer Cary Nadeau views his job as being the consumer advocate for Army aviators. And like any good consumer advocate, he reaches out to his customers – in his case, in combat zones. Army Chief Warrant Officer Cary Nadeau, one of only 30 experimental test pilots in the Army, has left Redstone Arsenal, Ala., for a six-month deployment in Iraq, where he will provide technical and liaison support to a combat aviation brigade for the Chinook helicopter's new laser-based countermeasure system and for the brigade's entire fleet...

Bobby Bright (AL-2) Washington D.C. Office 1205 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 p. (202) 225-2901 f. (202) 225-8913 Dothan Office 188 North Foster Street Suite 105 Dothan, Alabama 36303 p. (334) 794-9680 f. (334) 671-1480 Montgomery Office 22 Monroe St. Suite 1B Montgomery, AL 36104 p. (334) 277-9113 f. (334) 277-8534 Opp Office 101 North Main Street Opp, AL 36467 p. (334) 493-9253 f. (334) 493-0370 Ozark Office 275 N. Union Avenue Suite 214 Ozark, AL 36360 p. (334) 445-4600 f. (334) 445-0517 Contact him https://forms.house.gov/bright/contact-form.shtml Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Congressman-Bobby-Bright/105468186762?ref=search&sid=1072359854.2422322198..1 To read further follow the link http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977880434

. Amp Energy Drink 500 Sunday 1:00 pm on ABC from Talladega Superspeedway SPEED Pre-race show at 10:00 EasternABC Pre-race show at 12:00 Eastern Green Flag 1:19 Please visit the FR Canteen - Dedicated to our troops, veterans, and their families: The FR Canteen God Bless Our Troops Please pray on this day, and every day, for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.

THEODORE, Alabama - An Irvington woman is arrested in connection with two robberies in broad daylight. Mobile police say 40-year-old Terry Guidry tried to rob the M&D Coin Laundry on Bellingrath Road in Theodore Thursday morning. But when she pulled out a knife, the owner of the laundromat pulled out her gun and Guidry ran. She did the same thing about two hours later. According to the Sheriff's Office, Guidry robbed the Dollar General on Irvington/Bayou La Batre Highway. But this time, she got away with some cash. The Sheriff's Office received an anonymous tip about Guidry around 4:30 p.m....

New research in the FASEB Journal opens the door for new drugs that could prevent severe flu-related lung damage As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama researchers have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the flu—antioxidants. In an article appearing in the November 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) they show that antioxidants—the same substances found in plant-based foods—might hold the key in preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs. "The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid...

TUSCALOOSA | The Tuscaloosa City Council Finance Committee voted to move ahead with an $8.5 million bond issue rather than waiting a year as Mayor Walt Maddox recommended. The committee's vote is a recommendation to the full City Council, but a straw ballot of council members, who were all present at the committee meeting, indicated that a majority favors the bond issue. On a 20-year repayment schedule, the bond issue would cost the city about $650,000 a year in debt service. The council had asked Maddox for a recommended list of projects. The estimated total and the annual debt service...

Carole Smitherman is now the city's mayor following the conviction of Larry Langford. Smitherman, who had served as the City Council president, will meet with city employees Thursday morning. She's already been in contact with Langford Chief of Staff Deborah Vance-Bowie and also plans to talk to Langford. "I have a very heavy heart right now for the city of Birmingham, our employees and the people of the city of Birmingham," Smitherman said. "My heart goes out to Mayor Langford. History will certainly be kind to him as a progressive mayor who loved this city and its people."

Northrop Grumman Corp. on Wednesday suggested it could file a lawsuit or even withdraw from the U.S. Air Force tanker contest because of its concerns over the fairness of the competition. Top Northrop officials said they were working with the Pentagon to address their objections to the Air Force's draft Request for Proposals, released to potential bidders Sept. 25.

MONTGOMERY | Alabama has earned a spot on a Top Ten list it didn't want. For September, Alabama had the 10th highest unemployment rate among the 50 states. It also recorded the nation's third-fastest growth in unemployment for the past year. The director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama said moving into the worst 10 states for unemployment has psychological impacts, particularly for the unemployed who have been looking for work and are on the verge of giving up. 'It has a dampening effect on morale,' Sam Addy said Tuesday. Alabama's unemployment rate...

Langford was found guilty on all 60 counts against him, ranging from bribery to money laundering which occurred during his tenure as president of the Jefferson County Commission. Prosecutors convinced the jury Langford took bribes of about $236,000 in exchange for sending county business to the Montgomery firm of investment banker Bill Blount. In return, Blount sent cash and gifts to Langford through Democrat lobbyist Al LaPierre.

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA--Larry Langford, Birmingham's mayor and a former Jefferson County commissioner, has been found guilty in his federal bribery trial. Langford was found guilty of taking about $236,000 in cash and gifts from Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre. Both pleaded guilty in the case and testified they made cash payments to Langford while he was the president of the Jefferson County Commission to ensure business for Blount's investment bank, Blount Parrish & Co.

NEW ORLEANS -- Federal officials plan to ban sales of raw oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico unless the shellfish are treated to destroy potentially deadly bacteria.

MOBILE, Alabama - Mobile police say a possible burglar was shot and killed while he was trying to break into a home. Police say they received a call of a burglary in progress on Louise Drive around 6:45 Tuesday night. Details are scarce, but police say the man was attempting to break into the home when he was shot in the chest by a female inside. According to police, the man was transported to USA Medical Center where he pronounced dead. His name has not been released.

Since I have lived in Tuscaloosa my whole life, I figured I'd keep my fellow FReeper friends up to date with the Larry Langford bribery trial. Begin Article: TUSCALOOSA | Testimony in the corruption trial of Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford portrayed his personal finances as a disaster area Monday, with scant assets and liabilities of about $650,000, including nearly $240,000 in credit card debt. The testimony came as federal prosecutors neared the end of their case and tried to show Langford had a financial incentive to accept bribes while he was on the Jefferson County Commission, a charge that Langford...

TUSCALOOSA -- Larry Langford was por trayed last week as a serious clotheshorse whose love of shopping was like a heroin addiction, a man who couldn't pay his tai lors, was behind on his taxes and past due on a fat bank loan. If that wasn't enough, federal prosecutors in Langford's cor ruption trial charged he used his power and influence as then-president of the Jefferson County Commission to trade millions of dollars in county business for cash and gifts. Langford's own lawyers portrayed him as a victim of slick Wall Street bankers and as a man too trusting of...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Coastal insurance bills proposed by lawmakers from Mobile and Baldwin counties don't go far enough, according to a grassroots group of local homeowners. "Right now, our legislators are listening to big money, and they need to listen to us," said A.C. Leggett, a member of the Homeowners' Hurricane Insurance Initiative, in an e-mail. "Our legislators want to do a little bit at a time. We cannot afford to do that." Insurers have vigorously, and successfully, opposed some of the same bills that the homeowners group considers too weak.

Police Report iconBROMLEY, Ala. -- A 13-year-old boy shot his father Tuesday night to protect his mother from harm, authorities said Wednesday. Joseph "Simp" Pruitt, 46, was shot in the arm and side after threatening his wife with a 9 mm pistol, according to Baldwin County Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack Jr. Pruitt remained in critical condition at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, a hospital spokesman said Wednesday. "We believe Mr. Pruitt was attempting to shoot Mrs. Pruitt," Mack said. "Their 13-year-old son became aware of this and retrieved a 20-gauge shotgun." No one involved in the...

<p>An Army investigation has found that soldiers should have never been sent to a small Alabama town after 11 people died in March during a shooting spree.</p>

This is the original manuscript that I submitted to the Crimson White, my campus newspaper. While I understand their need to edit the size of the article, they truncated much of the content that I believe was necessary to explain my position. I know that they could have included it because I was under the 800 word limit. The published article can be found at the source URL. Anyhow, here goes... (Begin) Candidate’s Progressive Views Troubling Gregory Poole I am appalled at the brazenness of State House candidate Susan Pace Hamill’s approach on taxation as quoted in the October 15...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Mayor Larry Langford, who could be tossed out of office and go to prison if convicted of federal bribery charges, recently offered some advice to a new Birmingham City Council member. "The illusion of power is the most dangerous drug on the planet," Langford said. "A little bit of power — nothing intoxicates like it." Last week's comment may sound a lot like the government's opening argument against Langford, 61, the most recent in a long line of prominent names in the state Democratic Party to face corruption charges. Jury selection begins Monday. Prosecutors claim a...

Ala. Mayor Accused Of Taking Rolex, Bribes Jury selection to begin in corruption trial against Mayor Larry Langford BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Mayor Larry Langford, who could be tossed out of office and go to prison if convicted of federal bribery charges, recently offered some advice to a new Birmingham City Council member. "The illusion of power is the most dangerous drug on the planet," Langford said. "A little bit of power — nothing intoxicates like it." Last week's comment may sound a lot like the government's opening argument against Langford, 61, the most recent in a long line of prominent...

(This is from an e-mail writeup I sent to family. Slight alterations for the forum. Names are changed for privacy reasons.) Yesterday, I arrived at the Planned Parenthood of Alabama at around 11:00 AM. It's situated in such a manner that it sits on a little thoroughfare between two roads; it's a building with a large brick partition that varies in height (at its tallest, its at chest level) separating it from the parking lot, so you can't really get that close without violating solicitation laws. It made trying to talk to those going in and out of the building...

CARTERSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- Officials say a drunk father and son burglarized a Cartersville home and were caught after the son was found passed out under the invalid homeowner's bed. DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris said Wednesday that 37-year-old Christopher Wright of Trenton, Ga., and his son, 19-year-old Caleb Wright, of Higdon, were arrested Sunday. Harris said they broke into the home around 2 a.m. Sunday and took car keys, medication, about $200 in cash and $100 worth of jewelry. They were about to leave when one of the residents woke up, and they hid. Christopher Wright sneaked out but...

BREWTON -- An 81-year-old man shot and killed a masked gunman during a home invasion early this morning at a residence north of Brewton, Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith said. The sheriff said the robber had been released from a Nebraska jail just two days before he was killed. Smith declined to identify the homeowner, but said the man and his wife were in bed in their home along U.S. 31 north of town about 3 a.m. when the intruder kicked in the door to the home and entered their bedroom, demanding money. Smith said the homeowner managed to retrieve...

DECATUR, AL -- Decatur police have arrested one suspect in a Sept. 11 gang-style shooting at Funland Park and are searching for a second suspect who is considered to be armed and dangerous. Jose Luis Gonzalez, 19, was arrested Tuesday at the B&B Trailer Court on Modaus Road and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, three counts of attempted murder, three counts of second degree assault, shooting into an occupied vehicle and shooting into an occupied vehicle. He's being held in the Morgan County Jail on bonds totaling $400,000. Police are still searching for Samuel Trejo Carbajal, 19, of Elkmont....

"A former judge is facing life in prison after being charged with sexually abusing male inmates in exchange for leniency. Respected circuit judge Herman Thomas, who was once the Democratic Party’s choice to be the first black federal judge in south Alabama, is accused of bringing inmates to his office and spanking them with a paddle.His trial for charges of sodomy, kidnapping, sex abuse, extortion, assault and ethics violations is set to begin today.The 48-year-old insists he is innocent and claims he was trying to mentor the inmates.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Herman Thomas was a rising star in Alabama politics with an enviable track record at the polls: a black Democrat who kept getting elected in a county overwhelmingly white and increasingly Republican. He seemed to have it all. Respect as a circuit judge and at one time the Democratic Party's choice to be the first black federal judge in south Alabama. Then his career on the bench collapsed -- first under allegations that he was bringing inmates into his office and spanking them with a paddle, then with an indictment that accuses him of having sex with...

<p>MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Herman Thomas had an enviable political record as a black Democrat elected and re-elected in a county overwhelmingly white and increasingly Republican. The respected circuit judge once was the Democratic Party's choice to be the first black federal judge in south Alabama.</p>

A Chilton County [AL] woman is fighting an effort by federal prosecutors to seize her home and 40 acres in a marijuana case against her husband, who committed suicide during his trial. Mara Lynn Williams, 56, a cancer survivor who works as a nurse at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery, said she knew that her husband, Royce, 53, used marijuana for chronic pain after multiple surgeries. But she said she did not know he was growing it on their acreage, and she was not charged in the criminal case. Her husband was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot in a car...

Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), an often contrarian member of the Congressional Black Caucus, on Sunday called proposed penalties against small business that do not provide their workers health insurance, "indefensible." The congressman addressed insurance mandates that would levy fines against small businesses of 25 or more employees that do not provide health insurance or would require a business to offer health coverage based on the size of its payroll. "Frankly, the House leadership seems wedded to keeping that in," Davis told the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. "And the more you look at it, the more indefensible that is."

The Richard Scrushy vehicle auction will go ahead as planned today. The former HealthSouth Corp. chief executive’s 19 valuable vehicles will be sold at noon at Weil Wrecker Service, 3400 Second Ave. South, in Birmingham. The jailed former corporate titan tried Wednesday to get the auction postponed. His lawyers argued at a hearing in Jefferson County Circuit Court that the auction was improperly advertised and is being held at an improper place. Judge Allwin Horn rejected both arguments. That means high-dollar cars will be up for sale to the highest bidder. The collection includes a Rolls-Royce, two Porsche sports cars,...

The State of Alabama has just dedicated $6 million in federal stimulus money to combat a certain invasive weed, and the two men chosen to lead this ground war can already hear you laughing. Millions of dollars to kill some weeds? Sounds like another good-old-boy boondoggle. Heh-heh-heh. But we’re not talking dandelions here. This weed is the killer weed, the nearly indestructible weed, The Weed From Another Continent — a weed that evokes those old science-fiction movies in which clueless citizens ignore reports of an alien invasion, leaving the heroes to rail in frustration: The fools! Don’t they understand? This...

Prayers most appreciated for my son who is dealing with swine flu. See comment below for more history.

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Perdido Key firefighters say two Louisiana tourists drowned at a Pensacola beach and 11 swimmers were rescued. Authorities say they received a call Tuesday afternoon of swimmers tangled in the beach's strong riptides.

Congressman Spencer Bachus comments on ACORNBy Shannon Delcambre Assignment Manager Published: September 16, 2009 Press release from U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus Office: Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6) Tuesday called for an end to federal funding for ACORN, a leftwing activist group linked to voter registration fraud and other criminal activity. Bachus became an original cosponsor of the Defund ACORN Act, which would eliminate all ties, including financial support, between the government and the organization. He also signed a letter to President Obama demanding a termination of taxpayer assistance to the group. Congressman Bachus said, “Taxpayer funding for ACORN’s far left agenda...

September 15, 2009 Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), ranking Republican on the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, today wrote to committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Inspector General, Kenneth Donohue, calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the activities of the Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Shelby’s call for an investigation follows recent news reports surrounding the arrest of individuals in Florida for falsifying voter applications while employed by ACORN leading up to the 2008 elections, as well as video of employees in...

Note: The following text is a quote: September 11, 2009 ICE works with local law enforcement to arrest 23 gang members BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Twenty men, two women and one juvenile with ties to the violent gangs Sureno-13, La Quemada, MS 13, Brown Pride 13, Southside Locotes, Lejion Negra (Mexico) and Judas 13 (Mexico) are facing deportation following a four-day enforcement operation involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and several local law enforcement agencies. The arrests were made as part of an ongoing initiative by ICE's National Gang Unit dubbed Operation Community Shield. As part of the initiative, ICE...

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia is seeking a Nov. 9 execution for John Allen Muhammad, mastermind of the deadly 2002 sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area. A prosecutor requested the execution date in a letter sent on Wednesday to Prince William Circuit Court in Manassas.

On Tuesday morning, 14-year-old Ta’veon Tashawn Mason should have been at his desk at Austin High School, but he and two friends skipped school. Police said the ninth-grader died in a Southwest Decatur backyard from a single gunshot wound. A press release said a resident shot him inside the house during a burglary at about 10:30 a.m. Noel Mclean at 1432 Fifth Ave. S.W. said he shot Mason. He said he was awakened by the intruders and he shot out of fear. One of three suspects Lt. Jonathan Green, public information officer, said Mason was one of three teen boys...