THE TIME IS NOW: THE FIRST POST THAT MADE ME CURSE!

I am angry. I have the flu. The latter precluded me from being able to attend and videotape the festivities at the Wetumpka City Council budget meeting today at 3:00 p.m. The former would indicate it is probably better that I have the flu. My video camera did attend without me, however, and initial reports are that the meeting went terribly. I don't know all the facts but I will soon. When I do, those of you who are interested will be able to read all about it right here.

My best understanding at this point is that Hammock, Washington, and Holt have no intention of doing anything other than whatever it is they want to do. They are embarrassing to our city and to their respective districts. I can't imagine anyone other than a select few sidekicks of theirs being satisfied with the horribly inept job they have done and continue to do almost one year into their terms.

My question is this: Does anyone care enough to do anything about it? I know that many of you are concerned and you've expressed it on this blog and in our community. I'm not sure it has been communicated to these people by us, the citizens of Wetumpka, in a way that makes them understand that we've had enough. At the end of this four year term, if things continue in the direction they are going, the City of Wetumpka will have taken giant strides right in the wrong direction. Backward. The citizens are not being heard, at least not the majority of them because there has been no change in these three councilmen's behavior and change doesn't appear imminent.

I refuse to let my life be hijacked by these ne'er-do-wells and watch them run the city that I call home into the ground. Wetumpka has far too much potential to be a leader in the River Region in so many ways to have it squandered by these irresponsible simpletons who don't care about any of us. Only themselves. That is a fact.

NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK AND BE HEARD. I'm not sure what it might take for them to actually stop asking pointless questions long enough to hear us but we can make it happen if we have the intestinal fortitude. Share your suggestions, PLEASE! Call, write cards, write newspapers, make people aware! If we wait much longer before taking action it will be too late and our chance will have passed us by. We'll be left in the dust of other cities like Millbrook and Prattville and maybe even the Redland area. They'll be enjoying new opportunities and development while we watch our own beloved city grow stagnant and depressed. It doesn't matter who you did or didn't vote for. The fact is that you are a citizen and they are hurting you with these shenanigans whether you voted for them or not.

They'll run me down and tell you the only reason I write on here is because I'm doing the mayor's bidding. They are wrong. I have two children that I hope will grow up and live right here in Wetumpka. Anyone, ANYONE, who isn't doing their d---dest to make Wetumpka a better place for them and for your families is worthy of any derision that may be cast in their direction! If they tell you these things, then just keep watching this space and you'll see with your own eyes, over the course of time, how they act and what goes on at these city council meetings. My camera will continue to show up and you can see for yourself here or in person should you choose to attend a meeting. Mere words can't even begin to express my disgust at how almost one whole year has been frittered away. I hope that you, like me, refuse to sit back and allow three more years to be utterly wasted.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong, but I'm not. Not this time.

WOW!

The response to the two most recent posts on this blog has been incredible! I have heard from people from every part of our community and with the exception of one anonymous person it has all been overwhelmingly positive. Your comments, both on the blog and in person, tell me that you are ready for city government to stop fighting and start doing their job. Serving the citizens of Wetumpka and not themselves.

I would encourage everyone to call their councilperson and express to them your desire for Wetumpka to move forward and that can't happen if they continue the infighting and arguing.

You can find their contact information here: Wetumpka City Council Contact Information

Several of you have asked about the video from the meeting Monday night. I am waiting on that to be delivered to me so that I can post it. I promise that as soon as I get it I will post for everyone to see. I plan to continue recording the meetings so keep watching this space in the future. Hopefully I will be able to streamline the process and get the video up sooner when I become more familiar with posting and editing video. Be patient with me while I learn!

We can make a difference! Thanks for reading and commenting and encouraging! It is greatly appreciated! Any suggestions or ideas you have to make this blog more interesting or useful are welcome! Just keep reading!

Part II of the Report Card Post

I would beg this council to simply act like adults. I'm sure that you would like to leave a legacy of your time as a public servant. You have an opportunity to do that by taking advantage of a growing population in one of the fastest growing, desirable communities in the whole state! The potential is limitless and I know from living and working here that there are many people who want to invest there time and money right here in Wetumpka. You saw that last night with the new owners of the former Dakoda's establishment and the changes they want to make with it as a more upscale business.

They are two of many who see the exciting possibilities and incredible potential that Wetumpka has! We have a beautiful city with all sorts of natural and man-made resources. We have a beautiful river right in the middle of town that hosts boat races, two whitewater outfitters, and a whitewater festival. The expanded Fourth of July celebration with the concerts and street dance on Friday night was a rousing success that exceeded even the loftiest expectations and Christmas on the Coosa is one of the most anticipated events of the River Region! In less than two weeks, over 200 participants will take part in the Coosa River Challenge Adventure Race which begins just a few miles up the road at the Swayback Bridge Trail and finishes right in downtown Wetumpka at our own Gold Star Park. Factor in volunteers, family members, well-wishers, and those who are just curious and you will have over 1000 people, probably a conservative estimate, who will stop in Wetumpka to eat, play, and watch the race! My goodness, we just hosted one of the biggest outdoor events in the country with the Bassmaster Elite Series setting up camp right next door to city hall! The whole country got a look at Wetumpka, Alabama and just a tiny bit of what we have to offer! Movies that have been filmed here and our rich history and heritage bring visitors from all over. It's not unusual to see out of towners walking through downtown taking pictures.

Throw in new businesses who will want to locate here especially in a revitalized downtown area with specialty shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and entertainment and you have the makings for something very special! There may be those who don't wish to see growth but the ship has already sailed on that topic. Growth is not only coming, it is happening right under our noses. This administration has the responsibility and privilege of being able to facilitate this growth in a way that can change Wetumpka from what some would say is nothing more than a bedroom community(I would disagree with this assessment) of Montgomery to a destination city! A place where people come to play on our river or ride our bike trails or visit and shop at our downtown shopping/entertainment area or stay at a bed and breakfast. There are those who would love to have an opportunity to see an expansion of fine arts in our city through music or dance or the visual arts. Music and art festivals could prosper in such an idyllic location as Wetumpka.

All they want is support from our local government. A promise that this and future administrations will do everything they can to create an environment that gives them an opportunity to grow and succeed. I can't imagine anyone other than the most staunch hater of change being opposed to much of anything I've mentioned in this space. The people are coming whether we like it or not. The time is now, regardless of the supposed depressed state of the economy, to dream big and if I may use a cliche, think outside the box. To begin to set the stage for the big things that can come if the mayor and city council can see past their differences and focus on what I hope is their common goal of making Wetumpka into a better place to live with each passing year.

This first year of your four year term has been a considerably less than ideal one. There has been too much petty bickering and backbiting. There has been too much mountain out of molehill making and I think that now is the time for it to come to an end, both for the good of those of us who proudly call this city home and for your own legacy. In twenty years, I'd love to look back and say that 2009 was the year that Wetumpka began to tap into its potential and that this administration was the catalyst. Whether you like me or not or vice versa is irrelevant. I, and I hope you, don't mind giving credit where credit is due. All of you are smart enough and good enough people to make the next three years something worth defining. To make them be remembered for something other than all this current useless drama as it is referred to in today's vernacular. What a shameful waste. There is plenty of time to change things. All of us are counting on all of you. Please don't disappoint us!

My Report Card on Last Night's Wetumpka City Council Meeting(Which a Friend and I Videotaped)

I want to preface this post by saying that this is the longest post thus far on this blog. I am finishing it at 10 p.m. on Tuesday night after starting on it around 5 p.m. In it you will find grammatical errors of various sorts because, quite frankly, I don't want to go back and proofread it and spend another 5 hours changing the way I worded certain things. I hope that you get the point in spite of whatever errors you may find. Also, I am breaking it up into two parts. The first part consists of my observations from the Wetumpka City Council meeting from September 21st. The second part is my challenge to the current administration to begin to make use of the many resources we have available here in Wetumpka. Finally, I would encourage you to check out some of the comments on the shorter posts below from where I blogged from the meeting itself on what was happening at the time. You will find some very good insights into this most recent meeting and the city council itself. Comment freely and critically because as always...I could be wrong.

Several of you are aware that I decided to videotape the Wetumpka City Council meeting last night. It is something I have been considering for several months now and last night was the premier!

I wasn't exactly surprised that the meeting didn't get underway without my being questioned as to why I was recording it. My inclination was to say because I wanted to. I didn't think that would be proper decorum so I gave a more polite answer, although neither decorum nor politeness is usually present at these meetings.

I was surprised at the high level of agitation Councilmen Hammock and Washington seemed to have over the camera being there. Mr. Hammock appeared visibly angry and made a snide remark to the mayor as the meeting began. As I said, decorum has no place in a Wetumpka City Council meeting.

The Mayor, who, in the interest of full disclosure, is my father-in-law, asked me if I would like to speak to the council and those in attendance as to why I was there with a camera. I replied in the affirmative, told everyone about my blog and that I would be putting some or all of the video here, and then proceeded to read aloud section 36-25a-6 of the Alabama Open Meetings Act which states: "A meeting of a governmental body, except while in executive session, may be openly recorded by any person in attendance by means of a tape recorder or any other means of sonic, photographic, or video reproduction provided the recording does not disrupt the conduct of the meeting." About five seconds into my recitation of the applicable section of this so-called "Sunshine Law," Mr. Washington interrupted me to ask me my name because even though I've met him countless times, he was one of about 7 people in attendance who didn't know me. But that is neither here nor there.

It was just after I finished reading this that Mr. Hammock seemed the most disgusted and uttered something unintelligible and in a rude tone of voice to the mayor and when asked by the mayor what he said, he replied, "Go on with your meeting." Funny how I've never heard Mr. Hammock or Mr. Washington complain about a TV camera being in the meeting and they have been frequently. Apparently they only want to be on TV, or on my blog in this case, if it makes them look important and my blog doesn't fit the bill I don't suppose.

Nevertheless...I thought I would grade each of the council members on their conduct last night, especially in light of the fact that they were being recorded.

District 1 Councilman, Ken Hammock - C

I'm not sure why he had such an aversion to being recorded. I believe he even mentioned something about talking to his attorney. Whatever warped reasoning was behind his disdain for what I was doing is beyond me. If you don't want to be in the public eye, Mr. Hammock, then you might consider not running for PUBLIC office to serve the interests of the PUBLIC! It's only a video camera and I only intend to let those who are interested watch it just as it is. What is the negative behind allowing more of the public know what is going on in the public city council meetings? Mr. Hammock did seem to lighten up as the meeting progressed and even made a pretty funny joke as the meeting was ending. I'm not out to get anybody, Ken. I only want to let those who don't or can't come to the meetings have a chance to see their representatives handle the city's business. They do have that right.

District 2 Councilman, Lewis Washington - D

He didn't seem to mind too much that we had a camera there. He still asked innumerable, often pointless questions. Most of them were intended to point out some wrongdoing by the mayor or the public works director. Mr. Washington, as I said briefly in an earlier post, doesn't appear to be a very happy man and doesn't seem to like anyone at all. He is constantly questioning and commenting, often redundantly, about anything and everything. It is a rare occasion that he doesn't "have a question" about an issue. Usually it is at the end of the discussion of said issue and another ten minutes is wasted rehashing everything that has just been discussed. He appears to thoroughly enjoy his time in the "spotlight" as well as the sound of his own voice. He complained that the Public Works Department and its director, Lynn Weldon, don't do their job well. He complained that that he gave the mayor a list of thirteen things that needed to be done in his district and that these things were never done. The mayor said he would follow up on the list because he was sure all the tasks were completed. He said that he and Mr. Washington could ride around together and check on them to which Mr. Washington replied that he wouldn't ride with the mayor, that the mayor could ride by himself. Mr. Washington desperately needs to stop behaving as any nine-year-old boy would and do what he was elected to do. Which is not to constantly and publicly chastise city employees at every turn. Typical Councilman Washington behavior, though. No surprises there.

District 3 Councilwoman, Kathy Holt - B

She certainly seemed more than a little interested in why the camera was there but she didn't look or act like it was a problem with her. I was pleasantly surprised by this. She asked some questions on some issues that seemed genuine, as though she wanted to make sure she understood what action was being taken or needed to be taken. She had several exchanges with the mayor and other members of the council, none of which from my vantage point seemed particularly combative in nature. Hopefully her apparent dislike of the mayor is something she is trying to deal with in a more constructive manner. After all, nobody is asking any of them to take family vacations together. In fact, we're not even asking them all to like each other. We're simply asking them to put aside whatever axes they may have to grind with one another and do what they can to make life better for those of us who live and work and shop in Wetumpka. Surely, six grown men and women can accomplish this. Here's to hoping the trend continues.

District 4 Councilman, Chris Carter - B

Again, several questions which seemed to indicate a desire for a better understanding of the issue at hand were asked by Mr. Carter. He was polite in both his words and body language. He never seemed irritated and when I talked with him following the meeting(I live in District 4) he said he had no problem at all with the camera being present. When I told him I'd be continuing this practice he was supportive. He appears to share my view that a more informed citizen is a better citizen. A huge pat on the back to Mr. Carter for simply attempting to do his job and representing the citizens of District 4. There was even a light moment between he and the mayor just before the meeting adjourned. I'll share that in a minute. Hang in there, Chris, and do the right thing. We won't always agree but we can certainly do it as friends and neighbors in a way that serves all of us well.

District 5 Councilman, Greg Jones - I

Mr. Jones was not present because of an illness. I've seen nothing thus far from Mr. Jones that would indicate to me that he would have had any issue at all with being videotaped. He has been one of the most level-headed, sincere members of this administration thus far and I don't expect that to change. Perhaps his many years of service to the people of the State of Alabama as a State Trooper have given him a greater understanding of what the title "public servant" means. Keep up the good work, Greg!

Mayor of Wetumpka, Jerry Willis - B

I mentioned earlier that Mayor Willis is my wife's father. He is the grandfather of my children and he is a good one. Having said that, for those of you who may think I am the mayor's yes-man, he will be the first to tell anyone with a concern that just because we are family doesn't mean that we always agree on issues. We have before and will again. I campaigned for him and voted for him and am happy that he won. I did inform him the day before the meeting that I would be recording the meeting and he had no problem with it. He never seemed to lose his cool or become agitated even when Mr. Washington was grilling him about something, which happened several times throughout the course of the night. I'm certain that the way this first year has played out is not at all what he envisioned and he has expressed his honest disappointment.

Overall, I'd give the council as a whole a solid C. This would be higher, as would each member's individual grade, if only someone, ANYONE, would have some intestinal fortitude and politely tell Councilman Washington to shut up! He was elected by his constituents to represent them and, as such, should certainly have a voice in city business and policy. However, he seems more interested in bullying and "writing up" employees he deems unworthy of being told they are doing a good job than in public service. I won't beat that dead horse, though it was mentioned by two citizens who attended the meeting last night that the councilman is the one who should be written up. Mr. Washington's opinion is no more important than any other member of this council. Why each of the other members seems to kowtow to him is something that I simply don't understand. Especially considering that he appears to be nothing more than someone who wants to do nothing more than stir the pot and cause disunity.

And...

Councilman Washington wants to make sure everyone is doing their job, notably the mayor and public works director. The mayor is reading a proclamation regarding a retiring employee and we will be wrapping it up.

Did anyone read any of this, either here or on facebook? Even if you didn't, I'm going to continue to do it so that at least a few more people can be aware of the machinations of our city council. Let me know if you have any suggestions and be watching for video segments from this meeting and others soon.

Better yet, come to the meetings and see what goes on for yourself. Wetumpka is a better place when it's citizens are most informed.

Good night and...I can't remember the rest of the exact quote, but you know what I mean!

Budget stuff...

Councilman Carter just made a motion that the requisition requests that are under $5000.00 which require a signature from the mayor and a councilman be amended to be signed by the mayor and the councilman whose district the requisition affects. Currently it only requires the signature of the mayor and any city councilman.

The motion has been seconded and Councilman Washington misunderstood the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

I'm Back...

For those of you who enjoy a frosty, adult beverage from time to time, the former Madison's Tavern/Dakoda's is reopening under new ownership. They got themselves a liquor license tonight.

They will also, apparently, be finishing the road to the bright, shiny new sports complex that hasn't seen a ballgame yet! Don't give up hope!

Councilman Washington is now blaming the mayor for not making sure that some grass in his district wasn't cut. He said the grass is 16 inches high and hasn't been cut this year. He is asking the mayor to explain why he and the public works director, Lynn Weldon, have not done what they should be doing. The mayor says that every item on the list has been done and that he checked it himself. Mr. Washington says "that's not true." Mayor Willis says the crew is out working and that with the large amount of rain we've had has made this type of thing difficult. He says he is going to get the list out tomorrow and follow up on each of them to make sure it is done. Says he thinks that the Public Works Dept. is doing a good job. Says he wants to make sure each of the city's districts gets what they need done to be done. Councilman Hammock made a joke. A pretty good one at that! Mr. Washington is still complaining. He says that the Public Works Dept. is NOT doing a good job and that he will show him how they are not. Mr. Washington asked, "WHy is you gonna cut on one street" and then not on another street. Mr. Washington doesn't appear to like anyone except the city attorney. He is now chastising employees who don't do their job. He says that there are poles in his district that aren't updated. He is now chastising Lynn Weldon in front of everyone because she asks for money and doesn't do her job.

Almost break time...

My battery is almost dead and they will wrap up the work session shortly. I am going to get my AC adapter so I can continue to post this fascinating content!!!

And more...

Councilman Washington asked that the bid and contract process be on the agenda. He is not happy with the way that this process has been handled. Lynn Weldon is speaking to his concerns regarding the contracts that fall under the Public Works department. It amazes me the amount of needless talking goes on here. Even if the points are valid, you often have three different people asking the same questions with different words.

Councilman Carter is making the valid point that getting the police department pay raise issue is being made far more complicated than it should be. After his comment, Councilman Washington restated what had already been decided upon.

Still More...

The police chief, rightly, is saying that everything that needed to be done has been done for the police department raises to take effect. Believe it or not...Councilman Washington has a question.

Their is some discussion now on whether or not the council should proceed with the changes to the pay scale/classification for the Police Department as a result of questions and concerns by the city attorney.

More...

I'm not sure why any public official would care if they were being videotaped or not. Apparently it's okay for TV news to do but not a simple blogger like me. There seemed to be more than a little agitation at the camera being here.

Meeting stuff...

I was questioned at the start of the meeting about why I have a video camera here to tape the meeting. Councilmen Hammock and Washington didn't seem to care for the idea. I had to read the section of the Open Meetings Act just to prove to them I had the right to do it. More to come...

Jimmy Carter Strikes Again!

Jimmy Carter is a moron. In an interview with NBC he said, "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man."

Balderdash!

For a former President to level such an accusation at what is a quite large number of Americans demonstrates ignorance on his part. Even President Obama disagrees with former President Carter's assertion that those of us who disagree with his policies are all card-toting racists. Are there those who dislike the president based on the color of his skin? Unequivocally, yes. Is it a large number? I don't think so. At least not relative to the number of those of us who disagree with the president's views based on nothing more than the fact that we have a different idea of what we think is best for America.

The race card is played far too often by many on the left. It is for no other reason than to demonize those people who disagree with them. As crazy as it sounds, most people, even here in the south, have long since recovered from the issues of the civil war and civil rights era. I can honestly say, as a lifelong Alabamian, that I don't know a single person who has a bed sheet with eye and mouth holes cut out of it hanging in their closet. If they do, they hide it quite well. Racism will never be eliminated from society. It will always exist in some form or other. To think it can be eliminated is naive. It simply cannot, however, be constantly used as the reason someone disagrees or expresses dissatisfaction with something someone of another race does or says. Not the way that Jimmy Carter and so many others use it.

There are those of us who happen to think that the road that this president and administration would have us take as a country would be detrimental to society. We ought to be able to disagree with this president without being branded as someone who hates black people! As hard as it may to believe, it has nothing at all to do with the fact that he is our first multi-racial president. I disagreed with much of what Bill Clinton wanted to do and accomplish as president. You don't get much more white and southern than the ol' slickster!

My advice to those who scream racism at every turn would be to consider this: Continue to use racism as the reason for everything that happens that you don't like and you will eventually begin to create racism in people where it did not exist before. People may grow so weary of being labeled the dreaded "r" word that they may just decide that since they are going to be called one every time they speak out, they might as well become one. They won't be burning crosses on your lawn or joining white supremacist groups. It won't be an overt racism and likely will have little, if anything to do with the color of your skin. It will be a kind of de facto racism which will essentially eliminate any respect they may have had for you and your cause or beliefs. Whatever sympathy that may have existed in them for your plight, whatever that may be, will be replaced by contempt at constantly being labeled something as vile as a racist. The endless claims of racism are becoming quite irksome.

As always, these are my opinions and they certainly could be wrong. Regardless of that, Jimmy Carter and his not-so-merry band of race-baiting rabble-rousers would do well to learn how to actually explain and defend their views and plans rather than try to discredit anyone who disagrees with them. It is very unbecoming of a former president and statesman. I wish I could say it surprises me but then I'd be lying.

Bradley Byrne in 2010?

Excellent piece in The American Spectator on Bradley Byrne. Definitely worth a read. Alabama Byrne-ing by Quin Hillyer

What Did You Think About the President's Speech to the Joint Session of Congress Last Night?

What did you think about President Obama's speech to the joint session of congress last night? How about an honest discussion on the issue of health care?

I was only able to watch a few minutes but I did notice two things. One is probably quite trivial but I'm going to mention it anyway. This president comes across to me as being rather, shall we say, self-assured. He is a very good public speaker, the likes of which we haven't really had since Ronald Reagan. Unlike President Reagan however, President Obama seems to communicate his ideas in a way that comes across as more than a little arrogant, as if he can't believe the whole country doesn't simply trust him and fall in line behind him on this or any other issue. President Reagan, from all that I've read and heard from those who knew him and worked with him, Republicans and Democrats alike, could speak to someone in a way that made them at least want to believe that what he said was right even if they really didn't. I realize how inane this point may seem. Just one of my observations.

There was also some irony. I will acknowledge that the comment by Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina was inappropriate. I will also acknowledge that I might have done the same thing under the circumstances. This is an emotional, heated debate that has involved and captivated practically everyone in the country and I would hope that a small outburst would be forgivable even if it did push the boundaries of decorum. It seems no one is without a strong opinion and most of us are still unclear on what exactly health care reform will entail. The irony is that amid the great hue and cry over Rep. Wilson's impromptu remark, it seems to have gone unnoticed, or at least unacknowledged, that the president stood on national television and essentially called anyone who might question the specifics of this bill a liar. A tad sanctimonious, don't you think?

I'll delve into things a little more in detail when I've had a chance to read/hear more of what the president said. As for now, what are your thought? I'd really like to hear from you.

Toughen Up a Little!

(You grammar police have fun with this one as I didn't feel like proofreading it!)

The ACLU or Americans United for the Separation of Church and State or some other extreme left-wing group is always calling for God's name or prayer or any other demonstration of Christian faith to be banned or banished or ruled unconstitutional. An example is the recent story of a principal and coach in Pace, Florida facing possible jail time for praying at what may or may not have been a school function(which is irrelevant, in my opinion). This is only one of the most recent examples of the many, many times where someone is offended or threatened by something like this.

How in the world is a prayer offensive or threatening? Who goes home at night and says, "The principal of the high school prayed today! I almost wet my pants out of sheer terror! I'll bear these scars for the rest of my life!" Was this person picked on as a child and are they simply looking to exact revenge of some sort on the rest of the world?

I refuse to believe that someone is so offended or threatened by an expression of faith in Christ, whether that is in the form of a prayer or the quoting of a Bible verse or something printed on a t-shirt, that they feel they may be damaged if they should be exposed to it again. So, they get an attorney and they file a lawsuit and get extremist organizations like those mentioned above involved and valuable time and money is wasted so that they won't get their tender little heart broken again.

Guess what? I don't care for having to walk by magazine stands in grocery stores or drug stores with my children and have them see what could almost be considered soft-core pornography on the covers of several magazines that are prominently displayed there.

I don't like hearing someone's loud, booming music with lyrics that are often vulgar and misogynist while I'm sitting at a gas station or at a traffic light.

I don't like having to explain to my three year old daughter what those things are that are hanging off the back of the pickup truck, obviously of the male variety, in front of us.

I don't like all of the vile, tasteless stickers that I see on so many cars these days, often with a cartoon character urinating on something the driver of the vehicle obviously is not fond of.

I don't like that TV and radio advertisements use language and subject matter that is inappropriate for family viewing and/or listening. Not just late at night, but at all hours.

I don't like these things but they neither scar me or scare me. I understand that things like this will happen throughout my life and the lives of my wife and children and I deal with it. I am trying to teach my children to do the same.

My advice to those who wear their fragile hearts on their sleeves is this: Toughen up and grow up! Between 75 and 80 percent of Americans identify themselves as "Christian." You're bound to hear a prayer now and again and will likely see a Nativity scene displayed prominently somewhere during the Christmas season. Maybe even on some courthouse lawn somewhere. If this offends you when it happens, stop, take a breath, and remember that you are in a small, small minority. If it's a prayer that offends you, "amen" is coming soon. If it's a Christmas Nativity scene, it'll be boxed up and in a storage room somewhere in just a few weeks. Last time I checked, there were no uniformed national guardsmen at each place forcing you to worship a God in whom you don't believe or don't care to worship publicly. You may turn and freely walk away when you see fit. You may keep your eyes open during the prayer or plug your ears if you wish. I have done both in certain situations and actually lived to tell about it.

Imagine that.

Caption This Picture

Matt Schulz, age 36, of 1501 Taylor Oaks Circle, was arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution during a sting Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009.

I saw this picture in the paper last week and thought it was very funny for some reason. Thought I'd put it up for all of you to share in the joy while I finish a post concerning the large group of Americans who are very easily offended.

Anyway, this picture is from the Montgomery Advertiser, via the Montgomery Police Department, from a prostitution sting last week.

I've seen a lot of mug shots in newspapers and on TV which are quite funny. This one jumped out at me for some reason and is begging for a caption.

I've never been particularly good at the whole "CAPTION THIS PIC" thing. Maybe some of you are. What was this guy saying or thinking when this picture was being taken?