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“Mrs. Hogwallop up an’ R-U-N-N-O-F-T.” – Wash Hogwallop, a character played by Frank Collison in the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The field is finally set for this year’s general election in November. Well … it is set unless you are reading this from Alabama’s 1st, 2nd, 6th or 7th congressional districts, but that… Read more

“It’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” – Winston Churchill Here’s an impossible question for you. What do the following numbers have in common? 13, 17 and 12. No, these are not the scores of my most recent IQ tests, smarty pants. And they obviously are not the results of my most… Read more

“This is the song that doesn’t end. Yes, it goes on and on, my friend” – Norman Martin and Shari Lewis By now you are probably sick of hearing about Alabama’s congressional districts. I can’t blame you. But before you head over to the classifieds, this article is not just another rehash on court rulings.… Read more

“If you ain’t cheatin’, you aint’ tryin’.” – sports adage If you follow college sports, particularly the cutthroat Southeastern Conference, you probably have heard the above phrase more than once. When winning is really important – and it often is in the SEC – you want your team to find every loophole, exploit every unconsidered… Read more

“Everybody’s got a little light under the sun.” – the band Parliament People tend to remember which horse wins the Kentucky Derby but not the winners of the dozen or so other races held the same day at Churchill Downs. The same is true for boxing or other combat sports. The hardcore followers might be… Read more

“Sometimes you’re the windshield. Sometimes you’re the bug. Sometimes it all comes together, baby. Sometimes you’re a fool in love.” – Mark Knopfler If you are ever feeling smug, try to predict the future. A couple of weeks ago I told you Republicans in the Alabama Legislature were likely to draw a new map of… Read more

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” – Matthew 25:13 Alabama’s primary election day is fast approaching. Maybe faster than you realize. Getting a handle on when Alabama holds its primary election is bit like skeet shooting. The target is always on the move. Traditionally, Alabama held its primary… Read more

“Messy, messy, messy!” – Professor Hinkle, the antagonist magician from the “Frosty the Snowman” Christmas special When it comes to elections, nothing much is straightforward. But there are two areas that always end up being the stickiest of wickets. One is tracking and regulating campaign contributions and advertising. The other is drawing political district boundaries… Read more

“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” – Yogi Berra A few days ago my coworker was telling me how she made a purchase at a fast-food restaurant and was owed $1.03 in change. She got the dollar but was left in want of the three pennies. After regaining the attention of the cashier who… Read more

“Cave canem.” The Alabama Legislature passes a whole bunch of bills every year. But for all the legislation that passes, there will be more bills that fail. Getting a bill all the way through the process from introduction to the governor’s signature is often a tough row to hoe. It is common for a bill… Read more