Civility

I'm not sure if we solved any of the incivility problem, but we certainly did talk about it this morning!

     The David Mathews Center for Civic Life and The Alabama Humanities Foundation invited me to sit on a panel discussing the lack of civility in politics and society, with the centerpiece being an essay written by a University of Alabama-Huntsville professor, Dr.Nick Jones (that's him at the podium in these pictures.)

      Most of the colleges in the state were invited to submit an essay on the topic, and a panel selected his as the best. The six finalists will be published on the Alabama Humanities Foundation website.

     Among those on the panel with me was former For The Record guest and longtime Jacksonville University History professor Harvey "Hardy" Jackson and veteran Birmingham broadcaster Shelley Stewart (the picture of the gentlemen NOT at the podium), who runs a foundation targeting the High School  drop-out rate. Shelly will turn 80 in about two years!

     One of the most interesting questions asked came not during the panel, but after it, by a fella who asked about a disparaging comment I had made about Rush Limbaugh...he pointed out it was not very civic. Hmmm. Good point, I thought. How do you criticise lack of civility without, yourself, being uncivil.

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.