Promised Immigration Lawsuit Filed

     The Civil Liberties Union of Alabama and The Southern Poverty Law Center have joined a national immigration group in a suit against Alabama's immigration legislation.

     An AL.com story quotes the sponsor of the new law as saying he knows the motivation of those organizations:

State Rep. Mickey Hammon, R-Decatur, defended the bill he sponsored in the Legislature, saying, "It is no surprise that liberal groups working to shield those who live here illegally are trying to block implementation of our state immigration statute."

     The suit was filed in Huntsville.

SPLC target featured on 60 Minutes

     The "Sovereign Citizen" movement...basically people who say U.S.  laws don't apply to them...is the topic of a 60 Minutes piece tonight at 6:00pm (on CBS-8 in Montgomery), and the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery was a resource for the report.

     The SPLC's page about the "movement" describes such a convoluted conspiracy theory that you may want to take an aspirin before reading it.

The SPLC's Hate List--Can't we all just, you know, get along?

     The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery is out with it's list of hate groups in America, and there's been a steady increase in the total since 2000...from 602 to 1,002.

     On top of that, the number of "patriot" groups has jumped sharply since 2009, when President Obama was elected.

     Last week Frank Rich wrote about an outbreak (OK, a mini-outbreak) of civility after the Tuscon Shootings.

     Add in the attempt to kill the Live Oaks at Toomer's corner and there couldn't be a much better time for an event I've been invited to take part in next month.

     I've been invited to sit on a panel discussing civility on March 25th at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

     The event is co-sponsored by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life (mathewscenter.org) and the Alabama Humanities Foundation (ahf.net). People like Dr. Harvey Jackson of Anniston and Shelly Stewart of Birmingham radio fame are also on the panel, giving me the feeling that my invitation was an accident. Pretty high cotton, I'd say.

    But I'll be willing to bet nobody will lose their cool.

Beck

     The Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center is quoted by NY Times columnist Bob Herbert today regarding the great rally in D.C. by "talk" host Glen Beck:

     "The Southern Poverty Law Center tells us that in a twist on the civil rights movement, Beck said on the air that he 'wouldn’t be surprised if in our lifetime dogs and fire hoses are released or opened on us. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of us get a billy club to the head. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of us go to jail — just like Martin Luther King did — on trumped-up charges. Tough times are coming.'





     He makes you want to take a shower."

     What does Beck really believe? Hard to say. Between the tears and the jeers, he seems to be mostly rallying people to the cause of Glen Beck. Comparing himself to Dr. King? Really? Does anyone truly buy that?