Today marks two-year anniversary of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
The United States withdrew from Afghanistan two years ago. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Congressman Jerry Carl (R-AL01) marked the occasion with statements on their Twitter accounts. The frantic evacuations of civilians, many of whom had worked for the Allied forces during the war, were halted when 13 U.S. service members were killed by a terrorist bomber. President Joe Biden was widely criticized both for his decision to abandon the war effort and the poorly planned withdrawal from the country. “Today is the two-year anniversary of the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” said Sen. Katie Britt on Twitter. “Despite losing 13 brave Americans and surrendering control of the country to the Taliban, the President continues to push foreign policy built on a foundation of weakness.” “Two years ago today marks President Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan which resulted in 13 American servicemembers losing their lives,” said Rep. Carl on Twitter. “May we honor the lives of those brave 13 servicemembers and pray for their families during this time.” The war against the Taliban began on September 11, 2001, when terrorists seized control of three large passenger jets and flew them into the two towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth jet crashed into a field in Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to take back control of their plane. The attacks were planned and orchestrated by the terrorist group Al Qaeda, who had the protection of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Nineteen years of war followed, with the U.S. and its allies having a lot of early success but with Taliban insurgents continuing to control wide swaths of the country. Biden, like Donald Trump before him, vowed to get the United States out of Afghanistan. Biden signed a treaty with the Taliban for the U.S. to withdraw by September 11. 2021. The phased withdrawal of U.S. forces resulted in senior Afghan government and military leaders fleeing the country ahead of the withdrawal, and the Afghanistan national army crumbled before U.S. forces had even withdrawn. The Taliban forces picked up hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. military hardware from the retreating Americans and the fleeing Afghan army. The Taliban had occupied the presidential palace in Kabul. At the same time, the U.S. was still frantically trying to evacuate American civilians in the country, Afghan intellectuals, Afghans who had worked with the allies, citizens of U.S. allies, and Afghan civilians terrified of a return to life under the harsh rule of the Taliban. That evacuation of civilians ended when those 13 soldiers were killed. The Taliban are now entering their third year in power. Taliban official Zabihullah Mujahid recently spoke with the Associated Press about their rule. Mujahid said that the ban on female education will remain in place. A flurry of restrictions now keeps Afghan girls and women from classrooms, most jobs, and much of public life. The Taliban celebrated Tuesday as a public holiday. Women were prohibited from celebrating as their movements outside their homes are strictly limited. Much of the power over the nation now resides in Kandahar, the spiritual capital of the Taliban, where supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada lives, rather than the Taliban-led government in Kabul. Mujahid said that Taliban rule is open-ended because it draws legitimacy from Sharia law. “There is no fixed term for the Islamic government,” Mujahid explained. “It will serve for as long as it can and as long as the emir (the supreme leader) isn’t removed for doing something that goes against Sharia.” “There is no need for anyone to rebel,” Mujahid said, claiming that Afghans are united. “Everything will be under the influence of Sharia.” When asked why the Taliban aren’t enlisting Muslim-majority countries with Sharia-based systems to restart female education, he said the Taliban don’t need the help of others. Akhundzada, the supreme leader, is believed to be the leading force behind the classroom ban, which was issued unexpectedly in March 2022. Mujahid acknowledged disagreement among religious scholars on female education and suggested that maintaining harmony among them was more important than getting girls and women back into classrooms. World Vision said the number of people in need of assistance has increased by around 5 million. It said 15 million people will face “crisis” levels of food insecurity this year, with 2.8 million in the “emergency” category, the fourth highest globally. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Republicans seek appointments in Jefferson County
The Mid-Alabama Republican Club (MARC) met on Saturday for their regular meeting and a legal briefing on the Congressional redistricting case in federal court by attorney Albert “Bert” Jordan. Hoover City Council President John Lyda is the President of MARC. Former State Representative Johnny Curry asked the MARC members to write Governor Kay Ivey on his behalf. “My name is Johnny Curry – I seek appointment by the Governor to tax assessor for the Bessemer Cutoff,” Curry said. “Currently, there are no Republicans in the Bessemer Courthouse. I served four terms in the Alabama Legislature representing Hueytown.” “I am not the only Republican seeking the office,” Curry said. “I can win reelection.” Appointments are up to Gov. Ivey. Ivey is a Republican, but some Republicans have criticized her in the past for appointing Democrats in Democrat-controlled areas of the state – areas like Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Tax Collector’s Office in the Bessemer Division became open following the sudden death of Assistant Tax Collector Eric Burks in July. Former Judge Brian Huff was also at the MARC event. He is also seeking an appointment from Gov. Ivey. Huff said that he previously was a Jefferson County judge appointed by Gov. Fob James and then elected in 1998. “I lost in 2012 along with all the other Republicans,” Huff said. “Now a vacancy has opened in divorce court in Place 1 in Jefferson County.” “My name went down to Governor Ivey on Wednesday with three other peoples,” Huff said. “I think the bench is important in Jefferson County.” “I would appreciate any support that you can give me,” Huff said. Huff is currently in private practice. He is a former Circuit Judge at Jefferson County Family Court. He is a graduate of Gardendale High School and West Birmingham Christian School. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a law degree from the Birmingham School of Law. Greg Fanin is running in a special election for Alabama House District 16, which was vacated by Rep. Kyle South when South accepted a position as head of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. Fanin said that he became a Republican in the 1980s. “I was a Reagan Republican,” Fanin explained. “I served in the Army.” “I am asking for your vote,” Fanin said. “September 26 is the date.” HD16 includes parts of Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Fayette Counties. “I have a super strong connection to Jefferson County,” Fanin said, citing attending school in the county growing up. “I am asking for your support.” Fanin is a veteran of both the Army and the Air Force. He currently serves as the Commissioner of Coal Mines (ASMC) appointed by Gov. Ivey. He is a real estate appraiser and President of Gemini GEM Inc. He is the father to two daughters, Erin and Meg. He attends the Church of the Highlands. Allison Hepola is the head of the Republican Women of Shelby County. She asked for members of the MARC to support the club in its ongoing efforts to elect Republicans. Hepola was also soliciting signatures so Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could have ballot access in Alabama’s upcoming Presidential primary on March 5. Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight thanked the members of the MARC for their help electing former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin in a special election last month to fill an open position on the county commission. The GOP victory means that the Republicans maintain their narrow 3 to 2 control over the County Commission. Chris Brown is the Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. Brown similarly thanked the group for their efforts in electing Bolin to the Commission. “I am very proud f the cooperation we got from the Alabama Republican Party,” Brown said. “The Jefferson County GOP knocked on over 2,000 doors in three weeks.” Brown also thanked U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville for recording a robo-call to remind voters to get out and vote for Judge Bolin. The Republican Party lost its last countywide elected official in Jefferson County in 2018 when Sheriff Mike Hale (R) was unseated by Mark Pettway. Gov. Ivey defeated Democratic nominee Yolanda Flowers 67.38% to 29.36% in 2022, but Ivey lost Jefferson County to Flowers. Brown was unmoved by the last decade of history, saying that if you look at where the growth is in Jefferson County, Gardendale, Trussville, Vestavia, and Hoover, are Republican areas. “I think we are at a point where we can flip the county back to the Republicans,” Brown declared. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Trendco investing $43 million in Macon County
On Thursday, Trendco USA announced plans to invest $43 million to launch a nitrile medical glove manufacturing operation in the new Regional East Alabama Logistics (REAL) Park in Macon County. The company plans to create 292 jobs over five years at its new facility. South Carolina-based Trendco also considered sites in Georgia and the Carolinas for the project. Darryl Hunter is the CEO of Trendco USA. “We are very excited about our move to Alabama and look forward to building our PPE manufacturing facility in Tuskegee,” said Hunter. “We believe the people of Tuskegee and the surrounding communities will play a vital role in our success in the medical technology sector.” Trendco is an early-stage company that has been producing medical-grade examination gloves in Louisiana through a partnership with another company. The company plans up to install as many as 10 glove production lines at the REAL Park location in Tuskegee. Once these lines are established, the company plans to expand production into masks and gowns, ensuring a reliable domestic source for these important PPE items to mitigate potential supply chain disruptions. The recent COVID-19 global pandemic and the global shortages in PPE that resulted “Trendco decided to locate its manufacturing facility in Tuskegee after considering many locations in other states, and I know that the company made the right choice by selecting Macon County for its investment project,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. “I look forward to seeing the company grow and thrive in Sweet Home Alabama.” Economic developer Dr. Nicole Jones told Alabama Today, “When a company grows rapidly and needs to choose a new location to manufacture its product or provide services, having a building ‘ready’ is a tremendous advantage in the site selection process because it reduces or eliminates many of the unknowns associated with construction timelines. The initial 168,000 square foot, Class A warehouse, and manufacturing spec building (Building 100), part of a multi-phase project, helped make the site selection process more efficient. Trendco has signed an agreement to lease over 100,000 square feet of space in Building 100 in REAL Park. There the company will initially set up a distribution operation as it ramps up its new glove manufacturing lines. Trendco is seen as a catalyst project for the new 700-acre Class A industrial park located off Exit 42 on I-85. “REAL Park, located near the interstate, has a capacity to eventually expand into 6 million square feet. As qualified companies such as Trendco USA lease within the park, the long-term economic benefits for Macon County and our entire state will be profound,” Jones explained. Justin Patwin is a principal at Farpoint Development – the master developer leading the project. “REAL Park will eventually offer a combined 6.2 million square feet of space when the project’s three phases are completed in five to seven years,” Patwin said. “We and our partners at OPAL are very excited to welcome Trendco to REAL Park. They are making a significant commitment to Macon County and the State of Alabama to bring many new jobs to the community — we feel this is an incredible start to the overall economic impact REAL Park will have in the region.” Alex Flachsbart is the founder and CEO of Opportunity Alabama (OPAL) and the principal of the Opal Fund – the lead investor in Building 100. “We created The OPAL Fund to invest in catalytic projects that could produce compelling returns for both investors and communities across Alabama, and Building 100 is the perfect example of that thesis in action,” explained CEO Flachsbart. Greg Canfield is the Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “The park is perfectly positioned to capitalize on the growth of the I-85 corridor, and I believe other companies will be putting down roots there in the near future,” Canfield said. “We believe the people of Tuskegee and the surrounding communities will play a vital role in our success in the medical technology sector.” The Macon County Commission, Macon County Economic Development Authority, and other local institutions are supporting the Trendco project with utility upgrades and industrial access roads at the site worth $1.1 million, and other in-kind services. Joe Turnham is the director of the Macon County Economic Development Authority. “Trendco USA also chose our community, in part because of our community’s rich history and our local stakeholders’ spirit of enthusiastic partnership in assuring their company’s success,” Turnham said. AIDT, the state’s primary workforce development agency, is also providing services to advance the project. Brenda Tuck is the Rural Development Manager at the Alabama Department of Commerce. “We’re committed to seeing rural Alabama fully realize its growth potential, and this project headed to Tuskegee is another illustration of how we’re making progress on that front,” Tuck said. “Opportunities are flourishing in the state’s rural communities, and the business world is paying attention.” “Trendco USA is the only minority-owned medical glove and PPE manufacturer in America and is one of the few companies offering ‘Made in the USA’ medical glove products,” Turnham said. “Now, these gloves will also carry a ‘Made in Tuskegee’ label.” To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Cam Lanier: Reform the permitting process to support a stronger economy for Alabama
A broken, dysfunctional, and entirely too slow federal permitting process is holding back Alabama businesses, our energy potential, and our entire economy. It is well beyond time for our leaders in Washington to pass bipartisan permitting reform, just as they did with infrastructure. In fact, reforming our inefficient permitting process is the only way to move vital infrastructure projects forward and continue growing a stronger economic future for our state. As CEO of ITC Capital Partners, I know all too well the frustrating delays that are part of trying to obtain a federal permit these days. The entire process is wrapped up in bureaucratic formalities that can add years to a given project timeline. That is true not only for rural broadband service providers, but for an array of energy, infrastructure, and economic development efforts. Alabama’s congressional delegation, including Senator Katie Boyd Britt, should push their colleagues to pass federal permitting reform to help ensure critical infrastructure projects—whether that’s rural broadband deployment, repairing our aging roads and bridges, or water safety improvements—can move forward in a timely manner. As they work to address permitting reform, Alabama’s lawmakers should also fight to advance policies that will help our state continue to strengthen energy innovation by advancing an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes clean energy. Communities in East Alabama are ready to embrace a more diverse array of energy resources, but that all relies on Congress funding and deploying new technologies that will help reduce our environmental impact. Reforming our broken federal permitting process will help move critical infrastructure projects forward in our state while enabling us to build a cleaner, more sustainable economy. Congress should seize this opportunity and pass permitting reform without delay. Cam Lanier is the CEO of ITC Capital Partners.
Report: Alabama teacher’s union gave millions to many GOP lawmakers
A recent report by the conservative Alabama Policy Institute says Republican state lawmakers have received millions of dollars in contributions from the state teacher’s union despite a party ban. According to the report, the Alabama Education Association was the most significant contributor to GOP candidates in the last election cycle. The report says the teachers’ union gave House members in the 2022-23 reporting period $875,000 in direct contributions and senators $682,500. The teachers’ union has given more than $2.4 million to 85 of the 105 members of the GOP-majority House over their careers. The Alabama House has 76 GOP members, along with 27 Democrats, and only 18 Republican representatives declined union contributions. According to the report, only seven state senators have passed on union cash, while over their careers, the rest took in $1.51 million. The state has 27 GOP senators and eight Democrats. While many lawmakers were happy to receive campaign cash from the teachers’ union, most statewide officials, including Gov. Kay Ivey, didn’t partake. Some notable exceptions included three members of the state Board of Education – Tracie West, Yvette Richardson, Tonya Chestnut, and Wayne Reynolds – and Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, a Republican who received $60,000 of the $195,000 given to statewide officials over the course of their electoral careers. Download PDF Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justice
As bystanders trained their smartphone cameras on the riverfront dock while several white boaters pummeled a Black riverboat co-captain, they couldn’t have known the footage would elicit a national conversation about racial solidarity. Yet, a week after multiple videos showing the now-infamous brawl and valiant defense of the outnumbered co-captain were shared widely on social media, it’s clear the event truly tapped into the psyche of Black America and created a broader cultural moment. Andrea Boyles, a sociology professor at Tulane University, said a long history of anti-Black racism and attacks and current events likely magnified the attack’s impact and response. “Especially at a time like now where we see an increase in anti-Black racism through legislation and otherwise, whether we’re thinking about history, the banning of Black history and curriculum and all sorts of things across the state of Florida” and elsewhere, Boyles said. “So this is why it is on the forefront of people’s minds. And folks are very much tuned in, Black people in particular.” Many see the Aug. 5 ordeal on the riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama’s capital city steeped in civil rights history, as a long-awaited answer to countless calls for help that went unanswered for past Black victims of violence and mob attacks. “We witnessed a white mob doing this to him,” said Michelle Browder, an artist, and social justice entrepreneur in Montgomery, describing the attack by boaters on the Black riverboat co-captain. “I call it a mob because that is what it was; it was a mob mentality,” she added. “It then became a moment because you saw Black people coming together.” After being inundated with images and stories of lethal violence against Black people, including motorists in traffic stops, church parishioners, and grocery shoppers, the video from Montgomery struck a chord because it didn’t end in the worst of outcomes for Black Americans. “For Montgomery to have this moment, we needed to see a win. We needed to see our community coming together and we needed to see justice,” Browder said. Videos of the brawl showed the participants largely divided along racial lines. Several white men punched or shoved the Black riverboat co-captain after he took a separate vessel to shore and tried to move their pontoon boat. The white boaters’ private vessel was docked in a spot designated for the city-owned Harriott II riverboat, on which more than 200 passengers were waiting to disembark. The videos then showed mostly Black people rushing to the co-captain’s defense, including a Black teenage riverboat crew member who swam to the dock. The videos also showed the ensuing brawl that included a Black man hitting a white person with a folding chair. As of Friday, Alabama police had charged four white people with misdemeanor assault. The folding chair-wielding man turned himself in Friday and was charged with disorderly conduct. Jim Kittrell, the captain of Harriott II, told The Daily Beast that he thought race might have been a factor in the initial attack on his co-captain, but the resulting melee was not a “Black and white thing.” “This was our crew upset about these idiots,” Kittrell also told WACV radio station. He later explained that several members of his crew, seen confronting the pontoon boat party after the riverboat docked, “felt they had to retaliate, which was unfortunate.” “I wish we could have stopped it from happening, but, when you see something like that, it was difficult. It was difficult for me to sit there in the wheelhouse watching him being attacked,” Kittrell told the station. Kittrell told The Associated Press by phone that the city had asked him not to talk about the brawl. Major Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department said on Tuesday that hate crime charges were ruled out after the department consulted with the local FBI. But several observers noted the presence of a hate motivation, or lack thereof, on the part of the pontoon boat party was not why the event resonated so strongly. “All these individuals having smartphones and cameras have democratized media and information. In the past, it was a very narrow scope on what news was being reported and from what perspectives,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said. The technology, Johnson added, “opened up an opportunity for America as a whole to understand the impact of racism, the impact of violence, and the opportunity to create a narrative that’s more consistent with keeping African Americans and other communities safe.” The riverfront brawl spawned a multitude of memes, jokes, parodies, reenactments, and even T-shirts. “Lift every chair and swing,” read one shirt in a play on “ Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing,” the late-19th century hymn sometimes referred to as the Black national anthem. Another meme likened the co-captain’s toss of his hat into the air to sending the “bat signal,” a reference to the D.C. Comics character Batman. One image of the scene captured from bystander video was altered to imitate Marvel Comics’ Avengers characters assembling through magic portals on the dock to defend the Black co-captain. Many observers on social media were quick to point out the significance of the city and location where the brawl took place. Montgomery was the first capital of the Confederacy, and the riverfront is an area where enslaved people were once unloaded to be sold at auction. The area is a few blocks from the spot where Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying bus segregation laws. “Much of (the riverfront brawl reaction) is emblematic of the history of Montgomery,” said Timothy Welbeck, the director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University in Philadelphia. “This is the home of the bus boycott; this is the home of intense, racialized segregation and various forms of resistance today,” he said. “Even if there wasn’t an explicit mention of race, many people saw a white man assaulting a Black man as a proxy for some of the racist behavior that they’ve seen before. It brought about a sense of solidarity and unified fate, too, in this
Alabama inmate arrested after ‘security incident’ at state prison
An Alabama inmate who appeared on social media videos with what appeared to be a handgun, while describing the prison as a deadly “war zone,” was arrested for what the prison system called a security incident at the lock-up. The Alabama Department of Corrections said Derrol Shaw, 35, was arrested and will be charged in connection with a “security incident” early Sunday morning at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer. No prison staff were injured, the prison system said. The prison system has so far released few details of what happened. The prison was placed on lockdown Sunday morning as a large law enforcement presence rushed to the facility. Videos circulating on social media purported to show Shaw, wearing what appeared to be an officer’s vest and holding what appeared to be a gun. He likened prison conditions to a war zone, saying they were both deadly and chaotic. “They killing us. They create the conditions so that we die all the time,” Shaw said. An Alabama Department of Corrections spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email asking about the incident and the firearm. Al.com reported that Shaw is being charged with escape, illegal possession of a firearm, promoting prison contraband, and making a terrorist threat. The warrants were issued Monday by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office in the Bessemer Cutoff, the news outlet reported. The U.S. Department of Justice has an ongoing lawsuit against the state, saying Alabama houses male prisoners in violent facilities that violate the U.S. Constitution. The state, while acknowledging problems with prison staffing levels, has denied the government’s accusation. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
