Glynn Wilson

There is a freeze watch in effect here for the next two nights, meaning sub-freezing temperatures are possible. These conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation, like the corn, greenbeans, cucumbers, cantaloupes and such planted a couple of weeks ago in our Revolutionary Garden. This sux.

But to show we can make light of a bad situation, we are launching a contest to name the scarecrow. Submit your suggestions in the comment section below. My favorite chosen name is John Adams, since he is quite a short fellow, although perhaps too skinny to play the part.

And, this John Adams mini-series on HBO is turning into a film making disaster. How can something be produced that makes building an entirely new form of Democracy look far more boring than propping up a corrupt monarchy? “The Tudors” on Showtime is far more interesting in its production. This may explain something of why the American people are still more interested in stories about the death of Princess Diana than they are in what happened to the $70 billion of U.S. tax money that disappeared in Iraq, as reported on by “60 Minutes” Sunday night. I suspect, without bothering to check, that the Larry King Live show on the 2008 season of “American Idol” drew far more viewers, as well as the cheesy talent show for the tone deaf itself.

Did you read Frank Rich’s column in the New York Times Sunday? If not, check it out on the news page under Editorials of Note. The upshot? The American people long ago stopped paying attention to news about the war in Iraq, including films and books about it.

One can only surmise that the folks who lost their homes in the mortgage meltdown moved back to the ghettos and re-applied for food stamps. As long as they have some fast food and a working idiot box, you can’t turn out 50 people for a peace protest. Maybe when millions of people can’t afford TV anymore when High Def goes into effect, we could get some people’s attention. But then, of course, it will be too late.

Now, don’t forget to watch king George kiss up to the Pope this week to see some monarchy American-style in action. Makes me just want to puke, and maybe call up the militia. Where is George Washington when we need him?

The Food Bank of North Alabama has released the largest study of local hunger ever conducted and found widespread poverty in a state where all the newspapers and most of the telvision news shows say the economy is booming.

The Bush economy is creating a permanent underclass that is not reflected in the unemployment numbers cited by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and all of his corporate press shills.

Here is the pathetic little television news story about the study, which will be a one day story unless someone in the blogosphere takes this on for real: Local hunger study proves astonishing numbers.

The headline is terrible. The lede is pathetic. The details are just not there.

Unfortunately, the group does not seem to have the report on it’s Web site: Alabama Food Banks.

Come on people. We’ve got to get this information out…

FEMA plans to evict thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina on March 15. Thousands have already been evicted. Trailers sit unused.

“Our federal government is engaged in a campaign to exclude poor and black people from the new version of the city it allowed to be destroyed,” according to Democrats.Com.

So on March 14, tens of thousands of Americans will skip work and march from the U.S. Capitol to the White House and say they will not leave until Bush announces a plan for housing and orders an end to evictions.

A press conference will be held from 1-2 p.m. outside the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, and there will be a Mardi Gras-style march for justice from 2-3 p.m., from the Capitol South metro stop to the White House. That will be followed by a rally and protest from 3-11:59 p.m. in Lafayette Square Park.

For more information, go to AfterDowningStreet.Org.

A group called Over the Mountain Democrats turned out at least 50 people last night for a party at the Moonlight Music Cafe in Vestavia. It was good to see some smart, progressive folks getting together to start trying to change some things in these parts, including my old friend and attorney George Huddleston.

The group is planning a series of events to raise money and get more poeple involved in issues such as poverty in Alabama, and have tentatively scheduled a visit from Vice Presidental candidate John Edwards in the fall. We’ll post more details as they become available.

What I’m wondering is: Where was the local press corps? No one from the Birmingham News, the Post-Herald, the Birmingham Weekly or Black and White? What about the TV News crews? Does this mean you can’t get press coverage in this town unless you are a bunch of card carrying Republicans?