Governor Riley STRICKEN with Aristocracy Syndrome

Danny over at Doc's Political Parlor is reporting that Governor Riley wants the assault on the Senate floor forgotten. Apparently Gov. Riley has succumbed to the condition known as 'aristocracy syndrome'. Little is known about this condition, in which elected officials become convinced that they are entitled to live by a different set of rules than the ones they impose on the rest of us. There is no cure.



I am no fan of either Bishop or Barron so I have no dog in this fight. But violence against another person is not something that should be forgotten. It should be denounced....very forcefully it should be denounced and Senator Bishop should face very severe consequences for his actions.

Upside the Head

The entire country is still laughing at us this morning over the WWF style smackdown on the Alabama Senate floor yesterday. I hear we even made The Daily Show last night.

Splendid!

Pretty much every paper in the state is carrying some version of this story. The Birmingham News has Senator Hank Sanders, who has long had many problems and run-ins with Senator Charles Bishop, credited with the funniest quote in reference to the fight that I have heard so far.

Veteran senators said they never before had seen a senator hit another senator on the floor. "I have been down here 23 years. There have been many heated moments. But I don't know of a moment where a senator has hit another senator upside the head," said Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma.

I don't know exactly why that line about 'upside the head" makes me giggle hysterically....but it does. Perhaps because I have been around Senator Sanders some and I know it came out more like, "upsite ta haid" or perhaps because it is a term I haven't used or heard since I was in fourth grade. Either way...every time I read it, it does me in.

However, Bishops comments make me want to regurgitate the contents of my stomach.

....Bishop walked off the floor without senators barring him. "Yes, I'm going to walk out of here this afternoon. I don't want my colleagues voting on this," Bishop told other senators.

"But I can tell you, when I come back, and you call me a son of a ..., then yes, I might whup you again. I'm not going to lie to you. And I would hope that you would, if you've got any gumption or you have any respect for your mother.

It's pretty hysterical that this goon would claim that those around him lack gumption when clearly, that isn't the case. I promise to call Senator Bishop a son of a bitch next time I am within ear shot to see if I can get him to hit me 'upside the head'. I just cannot resist such temptation.

I do hope that charges are filed against Senator Bishop. He's a real piece of shit....one of those old, redneck, roughneck, Southern, racist dinosaurs that make this state look worse than we actually are.....which is extraordinarily hard to do. I sincerely wish we had recall and referendum so he could be forced out of office before his term is up. As I undersand it, if 24 Senators get together they can expel him for the remainder of his term.

This will be the main story on my favorite news show For the Record at 7 pm on Alabama Public Television. FTR was the only news organization in the state to capture video of the sparring match. Bless'em for that and tune in tonight at 7 pm if you are in Bama. Tim Lennox is bound to make us all howl with his commentary. For those of you unfortunate enough to live outside of Alabama...I'll post the FTR video here as soon as it is available.

Hell, That's the Most Action We've Seen All Session!!!

AP Story

Video of the Brawl

The Alabama Senate has been deadlocked all year long...refusing to pass almost any legislation...after voting themselves a 62% pay increase. I worked on the Compassionate Care Act again this year, only to have to do it again next year because of their inaction. It was so boring in Alabama politics this year that even hardcore junkies like me lost interest.

Then, today, on the last day of the "Do Nothing Senate Session", Senator Charles Bishop (R (big surprise huh?) Jasper) punched and knocked down Senator Lowell Barron (D- Fyffe) because he claims Barron called him a son of a bitch.

Hell, that's the most action we've seen all year. What a shame!

Senator Barron denies calling Bishop a son of a bitch or that he did anyting provocative. If he did it then he is wrong as well...but, not so wrong that he deserved to be punched and knocked down. You know....sticks and stones and all that.

I have to say that Senator Bishop is a son of a bitch (at the very least) in my book. He is racist, has reputed ties to the klan, and is what I consider a complete embarassment to the state of Alabama. The next time I am in within earshot of him I plan to call him a SON OF A BITCH to see if he will take a swing at me. I'll also ask him if he has stopped beating his wife yet.

It's people like Senator Bishop, who I am sure all the voters who voted for him expected to act like an adult, that make people and foreign investors write Alabama off as a redneck backwater.

What a way to show leadership.

I hope that Barron presses criminal charges. After all, they pass the laws that put regular people in jail for assault.