Way to make me proud, boys!

As a native of Alabama's capital, I'm defensive of my home turf and its people, and to some degree, the state in which I now reside - Mississippi.
Both states have long been maligned as filled with backward, ignorant, callous and racially insensitive people. Sometimes, these stereotypes are based at least in part on truth, though much of it is outdated. Thankfully both states have made tremendous, genuine strides in moving in reality beyond these perceptions.
Mississippians even developed their own campaign to ward off these opinions - Mississippi Believe It! And both states are experiencing major economic development in such sectors as the automotive and steel industries.
But our good friends in the Alabama legislature added to their great list of dubious accomplishments Thursday and put another stain on the state's reputation. Hopefully they can act like adults and straighten this mess out. But from the people who unplugged clocks to finish budget votes, fell asleep in front of people with cameras and - in one really proud moment, created a situation in which the presiding officer of one of the chambers urinated in a jug to avoid leaving and getting outvoted, I present this:



And here's the Montgomery Advertiser story.

Senate ends with a bang

Wow.

All I've got to say is: Gentlemen, for the sake of the rest of us, grow up, get your stuff together, act like the people you are supposed to be - leaders - and move this state and region forward. If you can't do it, then maybe the good people of Alabama will stop electing the same old people like yourselves and put fresh faces and minds in there who will.

Mad about Studio 60

OK, NBC's been cleaning out its stock of "Studio 60" episodes since they made the decision to pull the plug on the brillant but seldom-watched show. I've already written about this but it needs to be said again - this show was one of the best on television this year. It was smart, funny where it needed to be, serious much of the time and just a brilliant, behind-the-scenes look at how television, particularly a live sketch comedy show, lives - and sometimes - dies.
I hope this television show will get another life, maybe on NBC's sister network, USA.
Unfortunately, we live in a country where reality television - most of which is designed so we can switch off our minds - largely dominates the attention of television viewers, not well-crafted pieces of art, what "Studio 60" is.
We so soon forget that television shows are, from a business standpoint, vehicles through which advertising is sold and money is made.
Ultimately, that's all that really seems to matter in the end.