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 Sometimes, these stereotypes are based at least in part on truth, though much of it is outdated.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.