One of the highlights was a lowlight. It did not
happen on the floor of the House but late at night at a Mobile legislator’s
home while he was on his computer responding to emails. The email he responded
to was a generic letter sent by a man in Jefferson County to all members of the
legislature. It was not even intended specifically for Rep. Joseph Mitchell.
Eddie Maxwell, a white, retired, Jefferson County
coal miner sent a benign innocent letter to all members of the legislature
urging all 140 members not to pass any laws that would restrict gun ownership.
Maxwell sent his mass email to all state legislators at 10:54 p.m. on January
27. Rep. Joseph Mitchell responded from his Alabama House email account at
11:59 p.m. and boy did he respond.
Rep. Mitchell, a black Mobile lawmaker since 1994,
wrote, “You folk never used all this sheit [sic] to protect my folk from your
slave-holding, murdering, adulterous, baby-raping, incestuous, snaggle-toothed,
backward, inbred, imported, criminal-minded kin folk.” Maxwell simply replied,
“That’s not the type of reply I expect from a state legislator.” I guess not.
Mitchell’s vitriolic email was not only egregiously
outrageous, it was distasteful, repugnant and inflammatory. Maxwell was not a
constituent of Mitchell’s. His response should have been no response at all.
At first blush I wrote it off as Joe simply having a
bad day or night. I know Joe and served with him in the legislature. There is
no question that he is a proud African American man and one of the most liberal
members of the legislature. Even though Joe and I were diametrically opposed on
issues and on different sides of the philosophical tent, I liked him. We got
along well.
I knew Joe was a liberal and outspoken but I never
saw this racist and mean-spirited side of him. So when asked about it on
television, I took up for Joe. I told the interviewer that he had been in
declining health for the past several years and that late at night he may have
either been in a lot of pain or feeling no pain, which could have made him a
little delirious or uninhibited. However, Joe dispelled my alibi for him. He
showed no remorse for his email. He later told the Associated Press that
citizens who descended from slaves and were disenfranchised by the state
constitution have a different view of history and the constitution than white
folks.
The Alabama Democratic Party immediately sought to
distance itself from Mitchell’s inflammatory remarks stating, “As far as the
Alabama Democratic Party is concerned, Rep. Mitchell stands alone in this
matter and speaks only for himself.”
This saga is simply an illustration of the tremendous
divide and rancor that exists in Montgomery today. There is no doubt that
partisan acrimony, which has been prevalent in Washington for the past decade,
has now arrived on Goat Hill.
Speaking of the internet, the internet sensation of
2010, Dale Peterson, has again made the news recently. Peterson became a much
watched internet video sensation when he ran third for Agriculture Commissioner
three years ago. In the video he brandished a rifle and talked tough about
criminals and thugs. In October of last year Peterson was arrested in a Hoover
Wal-Mart for pushing his cart past cash registers without paying for several
cases of beer. Following that arrest Peterson said he was in line to pay but
had to go to the restroom. Being of a certain age, I can understand and
sympathize with Peterson’s excuse so I took up for him.
However, six months later in March he was caught
eating cashews from a can while shopping at Sam’s Club and not paying for them.
Peterson was again arrested by the Hoover authorities. My belief that Mr.
Peterson simply had a prostate problem may be generous. He may have a petty
kleptomania problem.
See you next week.
About the author: Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading
political columnist. His column appears weekly in more than 70 Alabama
newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. He may be reached
at http://www.steveflowers.us.
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