Alabama leaders support call for U.S. sanctions on Russia
U.S. Congress is largely backing President Joe Biden’s decision to confront Russia with potentially escalating sanctions for the crisis in Ukraine. Russian troops launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions, warning other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen.” Alabama’s congressional delegation is reacting to the invasion, calling on harsh sanctions, possibly even worse than what the Biden Administration is calling for currently. House Armed Services Committee Lead Republican Mike Rogers, along with other House Armed Services Committee members, released the following statement, “The last few hours have laid bare for the world to witness the true evil that is Vladimir Putin. Today, we stand resolute with the Ukrainian people and resolve to provide them with the tools they need to withstand and repel this unprovoked attack. Every drop of Ukrainian and Russian blood spilled in this conflict is on Putin’s hands, and his alone. “In response, we are committed to enacting the strongest possible sanctions and export controls to cripple Russia’s ability to make war, punish its barbarity and relegate the Putin regime to the status of an international pariah. We cannot respond like we did in 2008 or 2014. The world must never forget or forgive this heinous act.” Rep. Jerry Carl stated on Twitter, “Putin’s invasion of Ukrainian sovereign territory is an act of pure evil, and he should be met with resolve and strength to support #Ukraine and its people. The United States stands with the people of Ukraine and our NATO allies, and I strongly urge @POTUS to enact the toughest possible sanctions to cripple Russia and prevent them from continuing unprovoked attacks.” Rep. Terri Sewell issued a statement commending Biden’s call for sanctions. “I have been closely watching the troubling situation in Ukraine. America must continue to stand for democratic values around the world, and I commend President Biden for standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and sending the clear message that America is committed to NATO,” Terri stated. “I was glad to see President Biden attempt to exhaust every diplomatic option possible to avoid a war in Ukraine, and I applaud him for the strong sanctions he announced yesterday. If Russia chooses to continue on this path, there will be swift and severe consequences, including additional crippling sanctions. “As Americans, we will continue to stand with the Ukrainian people and our European allies and support their sovereignty and democratic values.” Congressman Robert Aderholt condemned Russia’s actions, stating in a press release, “What we have seen over the past few hours in Ukraine is truly heartbreaking. Vladimir Putin has attacked a sovereign nation without cause. This is something that has not occurred in Europe since World War II. “Ukraine is a peaceful, freedom-loving people. This invasion is a brutal effort by Putin to stamp out a democratic nation on his doorstep. This invasion will lead to thousands of innocent deaths. I am praying for, and encourage us as a nation, to stand with the Ukrainian people during this dark time.” Barry Moore called the attack “unprovoked” and criticized President Biden. “Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine is unprovoked and evil, but despite what President Biden says, this aggression was not inevitable,” said Moore in a press release. “President Biden’s history of weakness and delayed action opened the door for Putin to continue the annexation of former Soviet territory that began with the invasion of Crimea during the Obama Administration. Pseudo-toughness, passive support and platitudes will never be enough to stop immoral autocrats like Putin. We must never forget what is happening today – and why it happened. I hope you’ll join me in praying for the people of Ukraine as they fight for their freedoms and calling on the Administration to – for once – act decisively and hold Putin accountable for this heinous aggression.” Rep. Mo Brooks condemned the attacks. In a press release, Brooks stated, “Communist dictator Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is barbaric and evil. Putin brought war to a peaceful people. Unfortunately, Ukrainians are learning the hard way that freedom and a republican form of government are never granted, they are hard-won.” Brooks concluded, “While Putin’s Ukrainian invasion and murders are heinous, this is first and foremost a problem for Western Europe to resolve. America should impose maximum economic sanctions to force a hefty price on Russia for its brutal Ukraine invasion. America should wait and consider military assistance to our European allies only if Europe asks and, even then, only if Europe takes the lead military role in whatever defensive measures, if any, Europe decides is appropriate to counter Russia’s barbaric invasion of an otherwise peaceful nation.” Brook continued his criticism of Biden on social media and praised former President Donald Trump’s handling of Russia. On Twitter, Brooks stated, “Joe Biden has all the strength of a marshmallow. President Trump, on the other hand, had it right and was very forceful in dealing with authoritarian dictator Vladimir Putin.” Over the weekend, Sen. Tommy Tuberville attended the Munich Security Conference with a bipartisan delegation to discuss tensions in Eastern Europe. Tuberville stated, “As we’ve seen from Putin’s aggression, strongly-worded statements don’t stop wars. Rather than discuss a diplomatic resolution, Putin chose to invade Ukraine and test world order. His actions must be met with a tough and targeted response.” Tuberville also called for European countries to contribute more to their own security, stating, “For 80 years, Americans have sacrificed to bring security and peace to the European continent. The events of the past 24 hours underscore that it is time for Europe to contribute more to its own security. The United States should support Ukraine and provide assistance to Ukraine’s military through weapons and funding for emergency equipment while leveling tough and targeted sanctions to halt Russian escalations and cripple Russia’s economy. The incremental sanctions issued by President Biden today are a weak response – the time to have imposed harsh sanctions was yesterday. “Allies and adversaries across the globe
Jim Zeigler pushes plan to deter election fraud
Secretary of State candidate Jim Zeigler announced a plan to deter election fraud in Alabama. Zeigler told the Houston County Republican Women at their Thursday lunch meeting that six convictions for voter fraud have all been in Alabama’s Wiregrass region – five in Houston County and one in neighboring Henry County. Zeigler said the plan is to make it illegal for someone convicted of election fraud to play any role in elections for the next five years. The plan is included as part of SB249, introduced Tuesday by State Sen. Sam Givhan of Huntsville. Here is the plan from SB249: Any individual convicted of an (election) offense shall be prohibited from doing any of the following for five years after the date of conviction: (1) Hold public office. (2) Serve as an appointed official for the state or the state, or any board or commission of the state, or any city or county. (3) Serve as a notary public. (4) Serve as a poll worker, poll watcher, or election official. (5) Serve as a witness of an absentee ballot. The bill was assigned to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Zeigler is running for the open seat of Secretary of State. Incumbent John Merrill is barred from seeking a third term by constitutional term limits.
Congress backs Joe Biden on Russia sanctions, clamors for more
With rare but fragile alignment, the U.S. Congress is largely backing President Joe Biden’s decision to confront Russia with potentially escalating sanctions for the crisis in Ukraine as lawmakers brace for perhaps the most daunting foreign policy crisis the nation has faced in a generation. But the next steps are highly volatile. With isolationist impulses rising at home, Congress has no appetite for war. Yet Americans also appear ambivalent about the U.S. working to keep the peace. New polling from The Associated Press and NORC says just 26% of Americans want the U.S. to play a major role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine is “an attack on democracy,” vowing that the U.S. will stand united with its allies around the world in swiftly imposing sanctions on Russia and ensuring financial and political support for an independent Ukraine. Pelosi, who returned to the Capitol from a diplomatic overseas trip, situated the aggression from Russia toward Ukraine alongside intervention in the United States’ own democratic process during the 2016 election. “There will be a price to pay for Vladimir Putin,” she said, flanked by lawmakers who had joined her delegation at the annual security conference in Munich. While Republican critics of the Biden administration — and even some Democrats — want the White House to go even tougher with swifter and more severe sanctions on Russia, most have given varying degrees of support for the White House strategy, including Biden’s move Wednesday to sanction the company building the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, said sanctions on Nord Stream 2 are “long overdue, but I cannot overstate how critical they are to showing Putin that violating a nation’s sovereignty has consequences.” Risch, who has worked with colleagues on a bipartisan basis for years trying to end the pipeline, said: “It is good to see President Biden do the right thing.” Republican leaders have sought to steer the conversation to their preferred terms, as the party whose defense hawks once led the nation on the national security front. But it’s not at all clear whether today’s GOP can keep Republicans from tapping into an impassioned non-interventionist strain unleashed by Donald Trump’s “America First” approach. It was Trump who sought to strip protections for Ukraine from the Republican Party platform for the 2016 election and who was impeached by the House for abuse of power after he pressured the Ukrainian president to dig up dirt on Biden ahead of the 2020 campaign. This week, Trump cheered on Putin as he massed military forces near Ukraine’s border and recognized the independence of its separatist regions in a move Biden and others warned was the start of an invasion of Ukraine. As president, Trump had been critical of NATO, working to distance the U.S. from the historic partnership and berating allies to contribute more money to defense. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a longtime champion of NATO, spoke highly of the Western alliance this week, but some within his party are gravitating away from that traditional Republican position and toward Trump’s views. McConnell said he wants to see Biden impose the “toughest possible sanctions.” Other Republicans, though, most notably Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a potential Republican presidential hopeful, has said the U.S. should be paying closer attention to the greater challenges he believes are posed by China. Still, most Republican senators are backing Biden’s sanctions on Putin, even if some are clamoring for more and taking political punches at Biden for seeming too tepid. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a sometimes Trump ally who is also one of the party’s leading defense hawks and who used to globetrot with fellow GOP Sen. John McCain, invoked his late colleague this week in urging Biden to confront Putin more forcefully. Graham said Congress should impose “sanctions from hell” on Putin and his regime when lawmakers return to work next week. Sen. Ted Cruz, who had single-handedly blocked Biden’s nominees for various State Department posts to halt the Russia-to-Germany pipeline, said with the announced new sanctions, he would lift his blockade. “President Biden has now taken positive steps,” Cruz, R-Texas, said in a statement. “But much more still needs to be done to deter and counter the threat that Putin poses to our allies in Ukraine and across Europe.” Pelosi said Russians need to understand what their leader is doing. “It’s stunning to see in this day and age a tyrant roll into a country,” Pelosi said. “This is the same tyrant who attacked our democracy in 2016,” It’s unclear what more, if anything, Congress will do to confront Russia, as lawmakers hold back their own legislative response to Putin while Biden engages U.S. allies in a more global strategy. The Senate has bipartisan support for a robust sanctions package, but after running into differences over the scope and timing of the response decided to shelve a vote as the White House pursued its own approach. Graham has suggested a supplemental spending package for Ukraine, which already receives money and defensive equipment from the U.S., but it does not yet appear that additional funds are being considered. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Kay Ivey signs bill to provide tax relief to Alabama families
On Wednesday, Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 231, sponsored by Rep. Jim Carns and Sen. Dan Roberts, into law. The bill allows families who received the child tax credit to save money on their taxes this year. The amount will be based on the number of children in the household. It is projected to save millions of dollars. “I am proud to sign this needed tax relief into law so that money will return directly into the hands of hardworking Alabamians,” said Ivey. “I commend the Alabama Legislature for their work on this and look forward to this benefitting Alabama families this tax season.” Effective for the tax year ending on December 31, 2021, this act allows individual taxpayers to calculate their federal income tax deduction without consideration of certain items allowed under the American Rescue Plan Act. Any reductions to the federal income tax attributable to the federal child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, and federal child and dependent tax credits will be calculated under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code in effect on December 31, 2020. If you have already filed your taxes, legislators say you’ll need to make an amendment to what you’ve filed. “If you have two children, this is probably right around $200 that they will not pay. They’ll get a tax credit on it and save them $200 in taxes,” explained Roberts. For more information on receiving this additional tax deduction or how to amend a current return if already filed, visit the Alabama Department of Revenue’s 2021 Federal Tax Deduction fact page.
Ball Healthcare facility sued for putting patients at risk
A federal judge has ruled that an Alabama nursing assistant who was fired on the 13th day of her COVID-19 quarantine can continue her disability discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, AL.com reported. U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. denied a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit of Lucious Brown vs. Roanoke Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. Brown was an employee at Roanoke Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center from September 2019 through July 2020. On June 29, 2020, she got sick and tested positive for COVID-19 two days later. She had symptoms of severe weakness, fatigue, brain fog, high blood pressure, cough, difficulty breathing, fever, and swollen eyes. At the time, the healthcare center maintained a policy that required a 14-day isolation period for any employee who tested positive for COVID-19. This policy was consistent with then-CDC guidelines. According to the lawsuit, Brown’s supervisor, Rebecca Farr, called Brown on July 7, 2020—seven days into Brown’s 14-day isolation—and instructed her to report to work to be tested again for COVID-19. She did not go into be tested. Three days later, on July 10, 2020, she was asked again to come in and be tested and was told the next day if she didn’t comply, she would be considered as having “voluntarily quit.” She did not comply because of her severe symptoms and was terminated. The day after her termination, Brown’s physician re-tested her for COVID-19. Brown once again tested positive. Roanoke Healthcare Services and Ball Healthcare Services have argued that Brown was not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) while she was ill. Judge Huffaker disagreed, arguing that some courts have interpret”d the ADA broadly and that determining whether Brown was disabled due to her symptoms at the time of diagnosis or not should t”ke place at a later date. “In other words, while Brown may win the battle at this stage, she could ultimately lose the war at the summary judgment stage,” the judge wrote in his decision. Clarence M. Ball, Jr. is the owner and President/CEO of Ball Healthcare Services, Inc (BHS). The company operates ten skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Alabama. BHS is privately owned, and its corporate headquarters are in Mobile, Alabama. In addition to these facilities, BHS operates Hi-Tech Medical Services Inc., Medchoice Pharmacy, and Nursing Home Physician Services.
AP-NORC poll: Most in U.S. oppose major role in Russia strife
There’s little support among Americans for a major U.S. role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to a new poll, even as President Joe Biden imposes new sanctions and threatens a stronger response that could provoke retaliation from Moscow. Biden has acknowledged a growing likelihood that war in Eastern Europe would affect Americans, though he has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine. Gas prices in the U.S. could rise in the short term. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has a range of tools he could use against the U.S., including cyberattacks hitting critical infrastructure and industries. “Defending freedom will have costs for us as well, here at home,” Biden said Tuesday. “We need to be honest about that.” Just 26% say the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Fifty-two percent say a minor role; 20% say none at all. The findings are a reminder for Biden and fellow Democrats that while the crisis may consume Washington in the coming months, pocketbook issues are likely to be a bigger priority for voters heading into the midterm elections. A December AP-NORC poll showed that Americans are particularly focused on economic issues, including rising inflation. The Biden administration has argued that supporting Ukraine is a defense of fundamental American values and has made a concerted effort to declassify intelligence findings underscoring the dangers it sees for Ukraine and the wider European region. But the survey shows widespread public skepticism of the U.S. intelligence community. White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday noted that Americans may have different interpretations of a major U.S. role and reiterated that Biden would not send the U.S. military to Ukraine, though troops have deployed to nearby NATO member countries. “We make national security decisions based on what’s best for our country’s national security, not on the latest polling,” she said. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict, 32% to 22%. Overall, the poll shows 43% of Americans now approve of Biden’s handling of the U.S. relationship with Russia, a downtick from 49% in June of last year. Despite the clear reluctance about major involvement in the conflict, Americans are hardly looking at Russia through rose-colored glasses. The poll finds 53% say they’re very or extremely concerned that Russia’s influence around the world poses a threat to the U.S., an uptick from 45% in August 2021. Jennifer Rau, a 51-year-old mother of three adopted teenagers who lives on Chicago’s South Side, said she listens to local public radio for her world news. But in recent days, when the news turns to Russia and Ukraine, she has started to turn it off. “I’m so frustrated. It’s enough. We’re bombarded,” Rau said. “There are other stories in Chicago that need to be covered.” Rau is a political independent who voted for Biden. But she believes the U.S. gets involved in foreign wars to make money. She is more concerned about rising crime in Chicago, the prevalence of guns, and systemic racism that affects her three children, who are Hispanic. “I just feel like there’s a war going on in the United States, every day, in Chicago,” she said. “And it is really scary. And I feel like no one helps us.” Edward Eller, a 67-year-old retiree from Shady Valley, Tennessee, said the White House needs to focus on lowering oil prices. “They want to send millions of dollars of ours to stop a war that we have nothing to do with,” he said. “I’m sorry they’re involved in a mess, but it’s not our problem.” The poll was conducted Friday to Monday during a period of rapidly escalating tensions, culminating with Putin recognizing the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, widely seen in the West as a step toward a wider war. Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces have been locked since 2014 in fighting that’s killed 14,000 people. Russia has massed at least 150,000 troops on three sides of Ukraine and continues to establish bridges, camps, and logistics necessary for a protracted invasion. U.S. officials believe Putin could attack Ukraine at any time. A full-on war in Ukraine could result in thousands of deaths and huge numbers of refugees fleeing for the U.S. or elsewhere in Europe. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Russian banks and oligarchs, with more measures possible this week. The White House has warned in increasingly strong words about a Russian invasion while trying to persuade Putin against launching one. It has declassified Russian troop positions and detailed allegations of “false-flag” plots that could set a pretext for a military attack on Ukraine. However, the poll shows there remains skepticism among Americans of the U.S. intelligence community. Only 23% said they had a “great deal of confidence” in intelligence agencies. Another 52% say they have some confidence and 24% have hardly any. U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, says the intelligence he’s received on Ukraine “has been very, very good. Sadly, it’s been accurate.” But he often hears from constituents who are uninterested in Ukraine and more focused on health care and the coronavirus pandemic. Over time, Quigley said, he has developed comments about why Ukraine matters to the U.S.: its role as a strategic ally and a “sovereign democratic nation at Putin’s doorstep,” and how a new war could hit already disrupted technology supply chains that use exports from Russia and Ukraine. Among Russia’s biggest threats to Americans is its capability to wage cyberwarfare. Previous Russia-linked cyberattacks have cut off services at hospitals and breached the servers of American government agencies. A ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline linked to a Russia-based hacking group temporarily shut down gas stations across the East Coast. And Russia was accused of interfering in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. “I think it’s an incredibly difficult time to message because of everything else that’s topping the list of what Americans care about. It’s hard to bump COVID, inflation,
Alabama House approves controversial anti-riot legislation
The Alabama House of Representatives approved legislation Tuesday that would create a new definition of a riot and provide tougher penalties for people who participate in one. Republicans supporting the bill said it is needed to quell violent protests that have caused injuries and property damage. But critics argued that it would have a chilling effect on protests and that a loose definition of rioting could allow an officer to make arrests based on presumptions — and prejudices — about the people involved. Legislators voted 75-27 for the bill that now moves to the Alabama Senate. Rep. Allen Treadaway, a retired Birmingham assistant police chief, proposed the bill after a summer protest turned violent in Birmingham in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis. “What I observed then was very disturbing to many of us who watched these protests across the country play out. What I saw was individuals coming into these cities, planting incendiary devices, gasoline, sledgehammers, and bricks,” said Treadaway, a Republican from Morris. The bill, as approved by the House, defines a riot as “the assemblage of five or more persons engaging in conduct which creates an immediate danger of and/or results in damage to property or injury to persons.” Attending such a gathering after an order from police to disperse would be a misdemeanor punishable by a mandatory 30 days in jail. Several lawmakers who are Black expressed concern that the bill’s definition of a riot is subjective. They said an officer could make arrests based on his or her presumptions about the people involved. “The definition doesn’t require you to do anything. The perception of the person is in the eye of the beholder,” said Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa. Rep. A.J. McCampbell, a Democratic lawmaker from Gallion, said a police officer could look at a group of young Black men and “subjectively say they are looking like they are going to cause a riot.” McCampbell, a former police officer, referenced instances both past and recent where Black people were treated differently by police. He wore a shirt with a photo of civil rights protesters being attacked by police in 1965 in Selma. He described a recent video from New Jersey that showed a Black teen being handcuffed after a mall fight with a white youth, who was directed to sit down on a couch. “And you tell me I don’t have reason to be worried about a riot bill. Laws, if they are applied justly and equitably, are the best thing that we can have. But when you are born Black, that equality fails to be something that you can expect,” McCampbell said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
U.S. vaccination drive is bottoming out as omicron subsides
A handwritten log kept by nurses tells the story of the losing battle to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19 in this corner of Alabama: Just 14 people showed up at the Marion County Health Department for their initial shot during the first six weeks of the year. That was true even as hospitals in and around the county of roughly 30,000 people filled with virus patients and the death toll climbed. On many days, no one got a first shot at all, while a Mexican restaurant up the street, Los Amigos, was full of unmasked diners at lunchtime. The vaccination drive in the U.S. is grinding to a halt, and demand has all but collapsed in places like this deeply conservative manufacturing town where many weren’t interested in the shots to begin with. The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to about 90,000 a day, the lowest point since the first few days of the U.S. vaccination campaign in December 2020. And hopes of any substantial improvement in the immediate future have largely evaporated. About 76% of the U.S. population has received at least one shot. Less than 65% of all Americans are fully vaccinated. Vaccination incentive programs that gave away cash, sports tickets, beer, and other prizes have largely gone away. Government and employer vaccine mandates have faced court challenges and may have gone as far as they ever will. And with COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths subsiding across the U.S., people who are against getting vaccinated don’t see much reason to change their minds. “People are just over it. They’re tired of it,” said Judy Smith, administrator for a 12-county public health district in northwestern Alabama. The bottoming-out of demand for the first round of vaccinations is especially evident in conservative areas around the country. On most days in Idaho, the number of people statewide getting their first shot rarely surpasses 500. In Wyoming, a total of about 280 people statewide got their first shot in the past week, and the waiting area at the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department stood empty Tuesday morning. The head of the department fondly recalled just a few months ago, when the lobby was bustling on Friday afternoons after school with children getting their doses. But they aren’t showing up anymore either. “People heard more stories about, well, the omicron’s not that bad,” Executive Director Kathy Emmons said. “I think a lot of people just kind of rolled the dice and decided, ‘Well, if it’s not that bad, I’m just going to kind of wait it out and see what happens.’” Marion County, along the Mississippi line, is part of a band of Alabama counties where most people aren’t fully vaccinated more than a year after shots were rolled out. Just to the east, Winston County has the state’s lowest share of fully vaccinated residents, at 26%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 42% are fully immunized in Marion County. The digital sign outside First National Bank flashes Bible verses along with the temperature, and many Marion County residents work in small plants that make mobile homes and components for prefab housing. Most area jobs are blue-collar, and TVs are typically turned to Fox News. A conservative, working-class ethic runs deep. The area went heavily for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. And yet resistance to the vaccine is so strong that two counties over, in Cullman, some booed Trump when he encouraged vaccinations during a rally that drew thousands last summer. COVID-19 has killed almost 18,000 people in Alabama, giving the state the nation’s fourth-highest rate of deaths relative to population. Marion County’s rate exceeds the state average at 1.78%, with more than 140 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Health officials expected to have a hard time persuading Black people to get government-sponsored vaccines in Alabama, home of the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study and a place where distrust of Washington runs deep. They started work on public education campaigns weeks early in mostly Black areas, which now have some of the state’s highest vaccination rates, at 60% or more. But they didn’t expect the stiff resistance among rural whites that has kept vaccination numbers stubbornly low in places like Marion County, which is 94% white. While rural transportation difficulties, confusion over vaccine costs — they’re free — and a lack of health care access have also been factors, the partisan divide in America killed the vaccine drive for some before it really got started, officials said. “Rural white men who identify as conservative are just not interested in this. That caught us off guard,” said Dr. Scott Harris, head of the Alabama Department of Public Health. “By the first or second month of the vaccine campaign, it became clear that those folks just weren’t going to come in.” Richard Kitchens is among that group. The owner of a clothing and sports shoe shop on the square in Hamilton, Kitchens said he isn’t interested in the vaccine after getting COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccines were available and having relatives who contracted the illness developed only minor symptoms and recovered. Short of a proven guarantee against illness — which no vaccine provides — he doesn’t see the point. “I guess if I knew I could go out and get a shot and wouldn’t get it or spread it, I would go get it, and they say it helps,” Kitchens said. “But I think that will be determined sometime down the road maybe.” Doris Peterson is fully vaccinated, but she said she didn’t get a booster on the advice of her two adult daughters, neither of whom is vaccinated. Peterson said she is used to being one of the few people around still wearing a mask in public. “Most of the time I am it,” she said. Kelly Moore, a former Tennessee health official who now heads a CDC-funded vaccination advocacy organization named Immunize.org, recalled seeing data from a recent survey that hit her like a punch to the
