Alabama GOP morality questioned in LTTE

[jody]

QUOTE

Morality not reflected in state

John W. Giles, president of Christian Coalition of Alabama, tells us that Bush received 63 percent of the vote in Alabama because "Alabama is concerned about moral issues."

As we know, Alabama residents are the most church-going and "born again" citizens in this nation. And just what has the self-righteous obsession with other people's sexual practices done for the quality of life in Alabama?

Alabama ranks third, behind Bible Belt states Louisiana and Mississippi, in homicide rate. It ranks higher than the national average in forced sex, particularly date rape, with a rate of 10.4 percent vs. 7.7 percent nationally. It ranks first in violence between boyfriend and girlfriend.

As for family values, Alabama ranks fourth, behind other Bible Belt states, in divorce rate. Twenty percent of Alabama's children live in poverty, but only 5 percent receive state or local assistance. Alabama ranks among the top 10 states in polluting God's air.

The state is an educational disaster ranking 49 in number of "highly qualified" teachers. On a national writing test for fourth graders, Alabama tied for last; 250,000 adults in Alabama are illiterate and 25 percent of the population is functionally illiterate.

It is only fair to ask whether Christian conservatism and a stilted sense of morality are the cure or the cause of our ills.

UNQUOTE

[BurtWorm]

1. That's a brilliant letter!

:toast: to the author and to you for bringing it to our attention.

[Qanisqineq]

2. good letter

too bad 25 percent of the population won't be able to read it

[illflem]

3. Don't think the numbers are available

but my bet is AL is also has one of the highest abortion rates in country.
Can you say hypocrites?

[bluestateguy]

4. Alabama is a bigoted, racist, piece of shit state

I'm not holding back anymore.

They were more pro-Bush than Texas was; they voted down an amendment to fix their regressive tax system last year; these people count Roy Moore--a lawbreaker and a demagogue--as a hero; and now they approved of racist language in the state constitution and they rejected the notion that children have a right to an education.

The pundits and corporate media types say that our side needs to better "connect" with such people and "understand" them. I say no. I not only do not want to connect with or understand them, I believe the Democratic Party should continue to repudiate such values.

[jody]

7. Agree but, Alabamians who support Bush's agenda range from unemployed to

billionaires. The majority of Bush supporters in Alabama let racial bigotry influence their vote to the detriment of self interest, e.g. economic, education, and health issues.

Given those conditions, Alabama is a perfect test case to see how Democrats can convince the majority of blue collar workers to vote Democrat.

:shrug:

[charlie]

9. Oddly

There does seem to be a smidge of something to work with in Alabama. If you look at the US electoral map by county, the state has a peculiar strip of blue right in the middle, running through Selma, Montgomery, and Auburn. Shocked the shit out me when I first noticed it -- Kerry counties in Alabama. Imagine that.

[jody]

10. That surprises many people including the fact that the state legislature

is Democratic as well as the Lt. Governor.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. The DNC needs a challenge.

Challenging yourself toughens you up. Think of it as political koteketai(google that).

Why not pull all those bright young boys and girls, with their bright young Harvard, Yale and other Ivy League degrees and send them to fight it out in Alabama in 2006. You know, they might just learn something. The might even win something.

[jody]

13. Excellent idea, call it "Civil Rights II" and start in Montgomery, AL. n/t

[izzie]

5. Well no one has said what these values were.

I also voted my value and voted for Kerry. My values say I can not stand theirs.

[KT2000]

6. Yikes - it is so strange

to see some actual truth being printed in the paper!
Wonderful letter.
Thanks for posting it.

[imenja]

8. they legislate what they won't practice themselves

This fits with my theory that Republicans seek to legislate a morality that they themselves won't practice in their own private lives. It's ironic that MA has the lowest divorce rate in the country, when that's the state where those "godless ho-mo-sex-uals" are threatening the institution of marriage.

[xchrom]

11. morality not reflected in conservative christians period.

they are an immoral, self servicing, small minded group of whining thugs.
worms.
parasites.
shit on the bottom of the american shoe -- and that shoe is pretty well worn out.

[BamaBecky]

14. Just Excellent Post!! Are you also from Alabama! We need to talk. n/t

[jody]

15. The LTTE I quoted is not mine but I do live in Alabama. n/t