Sweet Home Alabama by Joe Murray - (AgapePress) August 29, 2006 Category: Political

HERE IS AN old Aesop's Fable that describes the tale of three tradesmen -- a brick layer, a carpenter, and a currier. These three workers lived together in a great city that bestowed to them a number of benefits. As fate would have it, the great city was besieged and a question was asked to all the city's inhabitants. The question? What was the best material to protect the city from the attackers? Focusing on their self-interest instead of the city's security, the tradesmen answered. The brick layer clamored for bricks, the carpenter for wood, and the currier for leather. While all quarreled, the city fell. Politics is one of mankind's strangest inventions. Its purpose is to promote and advance a common good, but its success is dependent upon the cooperation of many factions, each seeking power and prestige. It is a delicate balance that has disappeared in the Magic City, otherwise known as Birmingham, Alabama. Last week was a defining moment in Democratic politics. While many an American laid on the beach, sat in a canoe or walked on a nature trail, a civil war erupted in the Yellowhammer State, and this time Stonewall took on a whole different meaning. But first, a little background. The Democratic Party has always been a hodge-podge collection of misfit toys, but this is especially true in the Bible Belt. To be a Democrat in the South is the equivalent to being a Republican in Hollywood. For the most part, Southern success and the party of the donkey have not walked hand in hand. Because of this political development, Democratic Party politics became more about power than principle -- and the number-one question is who will sit at the helm of the Democrats' southern Titanic? Ever since Bull Conner turned on the fire hoses in Birmingham, blacks have answered that question. Blacks were to the Dixie Democrats as sweet tea is to the South; and for almost half a century, blacks in the South enjoyed a hegemonic reign -- that is, until the arrival of the homosexuals. With the rise of gay activists in Democratic politics, it was only a matter of time before gays below the Mason-Dixon Line attempted to flex their political muscle and challenge the prominence of the party's black leaders. And with primary election of the homosexual lobby's lesbian lieutenant -- Patricia Todd -- the Democrats' Bull Run followed. But who is Patricia Todd? Todd is a candidate for a spot in the Alabama State Legislature, and she ran in the Democratic primary against Gaynell Hendricks. The winner was assured victory due to the fact that GOP sat this one out because District 54 was designed to be a black Democratic district. Oh yes -- Hendricks is a black business woman and Todd is a white lesbian. Well, as luck would have it, Todd won the primary by 59 votes. This, however, did not sit well with black Democrats, especially black party boss Joe L. Reed. What happened next is what exposed the deep divisions in the Democratic Party and the power of the gay lobby. Upset about the win, Mattie Childress, the mother-in-law of defeated black candidate Hendricks, filed a complaint with the Alabama State Democratic Party. Lou Chibbaro, writing for the gay news publication Washington Blade, reports: "... Todd's election was called into question 10 days later when Hendricks' mother-in-law filed a challenge with the state Democratic Party. The challenge alleges that Todd sought to hide from the voters a $25,000 contribution from the Victory Fund [a homosexual lobbying group] by waiting until the day before the election to file a required campaign finance report." Thus, the white glove was off and the homosexual hoedown between blacks and gays had begun. After days of party in-fighting, the Alabama Democrats voted to keep Todd on the ballot and recognize her win. Nevertheless, this split caught the eye of Howard Dean, who monitored the situation closely. While Democratic National Committee spokesperson Damian Lavera stressed that DNC rules prevented national interference in such matters, pro-homosexual bloggers were giddy with the news that Dean had called eight times during the meeting and been on the phone with Yellowhammer Democrats all week. Pushing the internal intrigue aside, we must ask this question: What lesson came out of Montgomery last week? The Todd story shows there is a power shift occurring in the Democratic Party. Homosexual activists are marching out of strongholds such as San Francisco, South Beach, and Provincetown, and they have their eyes set on other places, such as the Land of Cotton. It is not a coincidence that Howard Dean took great interest in this obscure Alabama race, for Patricia Todd stands to be Alabama's first lesbian representative -- and this will be seen as a major victory in cultural politics. Dean understands the new look of the party he chairs. And while it may be true that some party bosses, such as Joe Reed, may be worried that District 54 will become a Michael Jackson district (i.e., once black and now white), the crux of this controversy centered on tensions between black and gay ambitions. Black Democrats are not eager to embrace the homosexual agenda. Just look at Miss Childress' complaint. Conservatives need to take notice of this situation, for it is now happening in our backyards. This is not a tale emanating from the Northeast or Left Coast; it has its roots in the heart of Dixie. What is happening? How could a family values state like Alabama become a branch office of the Victory Fund? These questions must be answered. Understand this -- the homosexual lobby is on a quest to raise its rainbow flag over every state house in the Union. Blacks in the South are now learning this lesson, for their party is on the receiving end of a forcible makeover. Make no mistake, Todd was a trophy candidate; a candidate funded by the gay lobby, and her victory signals the Democratic wind is blowing in a new direction. Gays in, blacks out. Right now, just like the tradesmen described by Aesop, black and gay Democrats are quarrelling amongst themselves. This sneeze will soon give the DNC a terrible cold. Traditionalists must recognize this rift and bring the message of traditional values to the newly dejected black southern Democrat. Traditionalists must offer blacks a new home by using the issues of marriage protection, life, and school choice. Traditionalists must show southern blacks there is an alternative to the Democratic Machine -- that it is a reason to break ranks with the likes of the NAACP. Traditionalists must seize the day today, for tomorrow will be too late. As Alabama has taught us, no state -- red or otherwise -- can be taken for granted. Joe Murray (jrm1835@gmail.com) is a civil rights attorney residing in New Jersey. Murray is a former staff attorney for the American Family Association and has also served as national director of correspondence for Patrick J. Buchanan's 2000 presidential bid. Murray has been a guest on numerous radio and television talk shows, including the O'Reilly Factor. More guest columns.