Congratulations Governor "Mule" Bentley--One Day On The Job And You're Already On Salon.com War Room

Salon.com War Room

*Updated Friday Jan. 21

Hoof and Mouth Disease Makes an Appearance During Alabama Governor's Inauguration Festivities

We're not at all surprised by this. "Dr. Dr." Bentley is a dull tack in the sophistication and smarts department anyway, but to scandalize himself and further solidify the impression of Alabama as "backwoods and backwards" during his inauguration, on MLK Day and in Martin Luther's first church to boot, is taking stupidity to new heights.

And this is not the first time he has stuffed his hooves in his mouth. Left in Alabama has gathered some great examples of Bentley's inability to understand a lot of things everyday people deal with. He's gotten to far above his raising to remember what it's like to be one of the many, and not one of the few, who are privileged.

Communications director Rebekkah Mason Caldwell and whoever his speech writers are don't seem well suited to the job of helping a governor portray himself as 21st century. But it was Bentley's "private remarks" when he thought he was a "private citizen" that have the whole country in an uproar. With Alabama "deeply involved" (corporate welfare) in economic development deals with foreign entities,  he may have stepped in it more than he realizes.

We should all chip in and buy Ms. Mason a heavy duty shovel to follow the governor around with, because she is going to be one busy gal. Or maybe the "simple man" Bentley can spare a few dollars of the $1.4 million dollars he collected from the Big Mule crowd and loan her a few bucks.

Like a scolded mule who got a whuppin' from refusing to pull the wagon, he's acting contrite now, but only because he needs to be. He showed his true colors with his insensitive, fundamentalist and holier-than-thou remarks the first time around, and is just another stoic Southern Baptist who thinks he is entitled to judge others through his own social parameters. They frequently hide behind religion as an excuse for bad behavior and bad company and think all is forgiven because they sit in the pews every Sunday.

In the South we call these types Sunday Christians--religion is more of a tool to judge than to live by. Be seen on Sunday and act any way you want to the rest of the week. You're forgiven because your glossy pants are on the bench every Sunday morning and Wednesday evenings.


Kind of like the Balch & Bingham lawyer who reps the notorious Drummond Coal Co. against the Walker County, Alabama family who is suing the coal giant for subsidence damage to their land from longwall mining in the area. That lawyer is a Methodist Sunday School leader at the high and mighty Bluff Park UMC. All inclusive brotherly love doesn't seem high on his list either, but corporate love, well, that might be something to ponder.

Marcus Chatterton has had the privilege of leading a Sunday School class at Bluff Park United Methodist Church since 2004, and he serves on the church’s board of steward
Subsidence Litigation – Along with Chuck Burkhart, David Burkholder, and Houston Smith, Marcus is defending several large corporations against claims of property damage and diminution allegedly caused by subsidence from underground coal mining in Walker County, Alabama.  Many of these cases have already been disposed of by dismissal or summary judgment in favor of the corporations, and the litigation team is aggressively defending the remaining claims.

The point is that we have abundant low hanging fruit on the tree of religious hypocrisy growing in Alabama, and the new governor's remarks are illustrative of what continues to hold Alabama back--religious fundamentalism and bigotry by self-proclaimed anointed ones who are full of the spirits of prejudice and avarice, not the Holy Ghost.
*(post originally published @ 2:37 pm)

Video links:

Newsy TV

Rachel Maddow Show

*Update--Doc's Political Parlor has printed a copy of an email from a group who were planning to visit Alabama on a golf outing. Thanks to Mule Bentley, they will be spending their money and time in another less judgmental and backasswards state. Good job Dr. Dr.
The Montgomery Advertiser claims that "Few in Alabama Are Upset"

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