Centerfield

I think it also shows that even the so-called red states are a lot more diverse today than is commonly thought. The South is no longer 99 and 9/10% White Southern Baptist (to the extent that that label has any political meaning). The state has become diverse enough that a simpleminded appeal like Moore's doesn't carry as much weight as perhaps it might have at one time. That's presumably true in most places; plenty of Hispanic and Asian immigrants end up in places where you would not expect them based on conventional stereotypes.

So Marc are you suggesting that all those white folk were going to vote for Moore? Would that be one of those "conventional sterotypes"?

Now, if the good folks of Alabama can ship some of their spare good sense across the border to Dekalb county, we can get rid of Ms. McKinney and make this a two-fer!

I think it also shows that even the so-called red states are a lot more diverse today than is commonly thought.

Most folks on the coasts seem to think it's solid white across the interior. Far from. VERY.

*shudders* To paraphrase Rhett Butler; "My dear, I've seen eyes like that below a sign that says "God Hates Fags." They evoke no ardor in the sensible voter's breast."

LOL. Saw those eyes last weekend, Jean, but they were far outnumbered by these. I hear the Great BM of Westboro Baptist hasn't been seen in public in a while, and he didn't show up Saturday. One suspects that he's still breathing, but no longer among the cogitative. If, that is, he ever really was. Or maybe he's doing his impression of Mother Bates.

If anyone is getting the impression that my sympathies for Roy Moore and his supporters are somewhat limited, well, DUH!

While Moore may not win he does have lots of signs in front of homes in rural areas. There are a scary number of people that do support him. At least in the SE part of the state I wouldn't be suprised if he made a respectable showing. I'm still hoping that he is completely trounced and goes away for good.

Since I'm not a resident of Alabama, I won't have the pleasure of voting against the patrion saint of the Religious Right, Mr. Roy Moore. Nor will I have the opportunity to vote against his Republican primary opponent, Governor Bob Riley, or either of the lackluster candidates in the Democratic primary, former Governor Don Siegelman or Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley.

Personally, I'm rooting for the underdog--only the underdog isn't a Republican or a Democrat--it's a Libertarian.

Last month, civil liberties activist and founder of the United States Marijuana Party, Loretta Nall, secured the Libertarian Party's nomination for Governor of Alabama. Essentially, Nall's big claim to fame came when members of the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department and Alexander City Police Department raided her home and turned up 0.87 grams of marijuana following a tip from an "anonymous" informant. Curiously, the raid on her home occurred exactly SIX DAYS after she wrote a letter to the editor encouraging reform of the state's marijuana laws. Now, it would be very tempting to simply write Nall's "I was targeted because of my political views" off as a desperate excuse, except, an examination of the search warrant served to Nall when the authorities came to raid her home reveals that her pro-marijuana letter to the newspaper DID IN FACT play a central role in the decision to raid Nall's home (although the fact that police were able to exact a confession of sorts from Nall's 6 year old daughter certainly helped their case).

Of course, this wouldn't be the first time pro-drug war zealots targeted a marijuana activist based upon his or her political views on marijuana laws--it's just the first time that I can think of that the target of one of these drug war raids went on to run for a high-profile political office.

Yes, she'll lose, and she'll lose by a huge margin, as is the fate of any third party candidate who has to face the obstacle of draconian ballot access laws foisted upon them by Republicans and Democrats in office (who, interestingly, are not subject to the same ballot access laws). But it's a solid vote for liberty (she's anti-drug war, anti-gun laws, anti-censorship, anti-eminent domain laws), an argument that cannot be convincingly made in regards to her gubernatorial opponents.

Chris,

I didn't mean to imply that all the white folks would vote for Moore, but, I assume his base of support is conservative Protestants(white or black). That doesn't mean all of them will vote for him, but, as the demographics change, it seems likely that his support will diminish.

ROTFL, Tully. But Mother Bates had no eyes, did she? At least, not when Marion Crane discovered her. ;-)

Thanks for the link! Yes, the Patriot Guard are my new heroes, especially after PF's thugs chose to disrupt a funeral for a Missouri soldier killed in Iraq, thus proving that the Westboro gang's manners are as primitive as their political leanings. We've had our differences over the Iraq war and public criticism, but we can agree that soldiers' funerals are neither the time nor the place for protests.