Alabama Ghosts

It has been over one hundred years since the cartpetbaggers and scalawags ruled Alabama after the Civil War.   It has been over forty years since Governor George Wallace flamed the fires of bigotry and justified a pride in ignorance by proclaiming that "no pointy headed northern intellectuals" were going to come down here and tell us what to do in Alabama.

The War of Northern aggression is over.  If the South, more particularly Alabama, is to "rise again", it is necessary to cut the cruel chains that anchor us to our burdensome past as certainly as the chains of slavery had to be broken before we could move into the future one hundred and fifty years ago.

It is sad that we cannot change history.  The good people of Alabama held the keys to unlock those most sinful chains of slavery voluntarily.  But our great- great-great grandfathers would not do it.  So those damn yankees  came down and forced us to.  Not in a very intellectual way.  The only pointy thing about it was at the tip of a bayonet or knife.

Here is an interesting historical note that is often lost.  In fact, I didn't realize until a few minutes ago.

In January, 1861, a Constitutional Convention was called by A.B. Moore, Governor of Alabama  to consider secession from the United States, the petition for secession passed.

But it was not unanimous.

It passed 61 to 39.

Hmmmm.  Those numbers sound familiar.

Romney - 60.5 percent.   Obama - 38.4 percent.   2012 U. S. Presidential election results.

The Alabama Legislature knows it cannot afford to secede from the union.  Literally. We can't afford it. The state would go bankrupt tomorrow without federal money.

And so, it does what it can to hang onto the past.  An example.

Common Core is a program to establish educational criteria for K-12, and adopted by the Alabama Board of Education.  It is under attack by the Alabama Legislature.  Proponents of the attack say that Common Core is an effort by the Federal government to take over public education in the States. They also claim that the radical Alabama State Board of Education is disclosing individual student's scores and data to the federal government. In an article on Alabama Live today it is reported that lawmakers claim the Board of Education is lying. They say CC is an arm of the federal "race to the top" educational initiative.  They are fighting this noble battle to protect our sovereign state from this insipid ploy of the demon federal government to take over the minds of Alabama children..

But all that is a lie.  Or inexcusable ignorance.

Common Core was formulated as a joint venture among states. Approved and supported by the National Association of Governors, which is majority Republican.   No federal government involvement. It is voluntary. Not required to be linked to Race to the Top, and it is not so linked in Alabama. .  Alabama gives no individual student data to the federal government.  The Superintendent of Huntsville's schools expressed his dismay over the attempt to outlaw Common core in a recent article.

The new civil war.  Education, health care, voting rights, and whatever else the demagogues on goat hill can find to decry the march of the United States of America into the lives of Alabamians and defend our constitutional right to remain ignorant.

Unless it is the money we need just to keep the State house open. U. S. currency is one immigrant we have no trouble giving amnesty.

Because Confederate money ain't worth a nickel anymore.

But I'm not giving up. 60 percent wasn't everybody during the secession convention.  And it isn't now.

Alabama will rise again.

As soon as our leaders quit rattling the old chains, and get rid of them forever.

And the rest of us quit being afraid of ghosts.

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