DOC Hosts Nasty Bathroom

The Huntsville Times reports that a woman was denied a clean environment to breast feed her baby at the Limestone Correctional Facility. The woman complained because the restroom she was directed to use was "nasty". 

During her most recent visit, July 14, when the guard told her to go into the restroom, [mother Latosha] McKenzie said she asked the guard if he would eat his lunch in the bathroom.

She said the guard told her that he would not eat in there, but that it was her only choice.

"The guard said, 'You wouldn't go into Hardee's or McDonald's to nurse your child, would you?' And I told him, 'Yes, I'll go anywhere and nurse my child,' " McKenzie said. "I was really humiliated and devastated."

Prison officials indicated that breast feeding outside of a restroom may be a public safety issue, although they had allegedly provided the woman involved an empty room on previous visits.

 

I'm wondering why the prison bathroom was "nasty" in the first place. And why, if it was "nasty", prison officials were being hardheaded about the mother's request.  If nothing else, why didn't they just clean the restroom?

 

Maybe when the Department of Corrections sells off some of its unneeded land, they can use the proceeds to buy some Pine Sol... and a conscience.

Is this really a crime?

I don't know if the news article has provided the complete context, but I wonder if this should really be a crime.

Now This is Interesting

Check out this article about strange things found in passenger luggage - items that could arguably resemble improvised explosive devices.

Name that Speaker

Who said this?

"We're not trying to get anything that we don't got."

Joe Reed, the supposedly esteemed Alabama State University educator and leader in the Alabama Education Association.

 

From the Montgomery Advertiser.

Montgomery's Most Wanted

I found out tonight that the Montgomery Police Department has a posting on its web site of Montgomery's "most wanted" perps .

 

I was surprised to see that in a city of Montgomery's size that there are only 4 "most wanted" on the loose. (The report shows six, but two have been captured.) Given all the hype about Hispanics moving into Montgomery - and given the hype about racial politics in this city - I was surprised to see that all the most wanted perps are black.

Alabama State: Let them Stay at a Holiday Inn Express?

Alabama State University is having a hard time getting some dorms renovated, according this article in the Montgomery Advertiser.  It seems the school has spent $1.6 million dollars and in return all they have to show is two gutted buildings and paychecks to architects and consultants.

 

The dorms in question were slated to open for the upcoming fall semester. The completion date has been moved back about a year. Strangely, though, the winning bidder to do the actual renovation work hasn't even been selected.

 

In the meantime, the school reports that students who were supposed to live in the dorms this fall will be put up in hotel rooms, although the article doesn't mention what hotels.

 

My question:  Is Nancy Worley on the ASU Board of Trustees. Oh, wait. Joe Reed is.

What's in Your Wallet?

I wonder about the logic of Capitol One when they have a black man - a cop no less - asking that in a commercial.

 

First, there are the standard stereotypes of blacks being muggers. Then, each day, it seems we hear more and more about cops gone bad.  Do we need a black cop in a commercial mouthing a shakedown line?

 

I know, I know. Capitol One isn't portraying a mugging or a police shakedown.  Just seems like a bad choice of imagery to make their point.

 

 

Is It Uncommon for Business to Screw Government?

Okay. I know the argument is that privatization is good. A business supposedly can deliver a service or product much more efficiently and effectively than a governmental agency.

 

Does it count against that theory when a business screws up delivering the one governmental program that everyone allegedly hates?

 

Alatax/RDS, a collection service for county and city taxes, screwed the Elmore County Board of Education out of $1.2 million dollars. Instead of delivering the tax receipts to the Board, Alatax gave the money to the City of Prattville and the Elmore County Commission.

 

Now Prattville and Elmore County are trying to work out a way to get the money back to the Elmore County Board of Education.

 

And what will happen to Alatax?  From the article in the Prattville Progress:

Asked if Alatax would be cen­sured or its services terminated for the error, Medders said she was not sure what would hap­pen.

"The law reads that the tax is to be collected by Elmore Coun­ty, so I don't know if we'll take over that duty when the con­tract is up with Alatax or not," she said.

Let the Man Talk!

It seems ironic to me that in response to claims that she won't address women's issues, Hillary Clinton's husband is out front defending her in this article - with no comments from Hillary herself!

The Cottonmouth Strikes

Gita over at Cottonmouth Press has this take on Trey Granger's 32-hour work day.

Necessity (or Desire!) is the Mother of Invention

Some inmates cooked up this scheme for getting out of jail. Copyright their names, then demand large sums of money from prison officials who used their names.  When the prison officials don't pay, file liens against the property of the prison Warden and have the property siezed. Refuse to release the property until the officials let them out of prison.

 

From the article:

The four men and William Michael Roberson, 50, of Baton Rouge, La., were indicted on accusations of conspiring to impede the duties of federal prison officials, Richter said. Roberson is accused of assisting the four inmates in the scheme, which allegedly took place in late 2003 and early 2004.

All five were also indicted on charges of mailing threatening communications with the intent to extort.

Maybe this a strategy that should be presented to those concerned about being in jail for marijuana use or possession?

 

In fact, why don't we copyright our names and prohibit their use on any government document we don't like, like tax notices or arrest warrants?

 

Give those guys some credit for ingenuity, although they can't be too smart since they got caught for the crime that got them in jail in the first place - and it looks like they may get some additional time for this.

Hasta La Vista (maybe)

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has shut down his campaign operation in Alabama. McCain once led in the polls in Alabama but his support is slipping because of his support for President Bush's strategy in Iraq and the recent immigration proposal in the U.S. Senate.

 

I draw two possible conclusions from his actions. Maybe McCain feels that he is so weakened politically that he cannot regain even the high level of supports he had one time in Alabama. Or, maybe  McCain is not convinced that a win in Alabama next Feburary will help bolster his campaign and make it more viable further into the nomination season.

 

Either way, it seems like McCain has is placing a "no confidence" vote on Alabama.

Staredown Smackdown

Read here, courtesy of the Toledo Blade.

Readership Map

The map is showing a broad geographical reach for this blog. I hope to keep adding new towns!

 

If you enjoy reading Mama's Applie Pie, please pass the address along to family and friends!

My Heart Weeps for You

In the "my heart weeps for you category", the Atlanta Journal Constitution has a report on how a new law in Georgia is disrupting the ability of illegal immigrants to register the cars they buy in Georgia. (Hat tip to reader D.S.) It seems the car dealers and insurance agents are a bit concerned about the business they are losing.

 

Money quote from Georgia state Senator Chip Rogers, sponsor of the legislation:

"If [car dealers and tag services] have built their business on people who are here illegally, I'm sorry, but at some point they had to realize that was not going to continue."