DISQUS

Wow, Ben, you really got under his skin.



"Ultraliberals"? When did you join that club? Is it too exclusive for us regular liberals to join?



One comment on your blog does not a smear campaign make.



I recall a reporter at the Tuscaloosa News, with 35-40 years' experience, who'd seen and done it all. Great guy, with one minor exception: don't park in his accustomed (but unassigned) parking space. He would go completely ballistic. Dunno what reminded me of him.

Dang, wish now I'd taken some shots of my tattered flag for you. I took it down 'cause it was getting disgraceful; wrestled with leaving it up in that condition anyway as a protest; then ran out of time and just ripped it down and bagged it. Sad but true.

The general suspicion of any and everyone -- especially outsiders, Yankees in particular -- is a part of "Southern hospitality" that rarely gets mentioned. I've seen many people passing through get frustrated with it, but letting it show just makes people here move even slower (cashiers, gas station attendants, et al.) for sheer spite.



I've gone around my neighborhood just trying to get opinions for our neighborhood association, and gotten fearful "no, thanks, sorry..." replies followed by a quick door slam. Little old white people are very uneasy about knocks on their doors.



I walk most lunchtimes in downtown Montgomery, and nearly once a week I give directions to the Civil Rights monument, Dr. King's Dexter Ave. church, etc. My pleasure.

Dad is a retired elementary principal (1975-1991). He saw kids with behavioral problems, health problems, all kinds of problems. The ones he had the most trouble with were the ones whose parents probably needed some parenting classes. When he had to enforce discipline, he always had to be ready for parents yelling at him for either doing too much or too little.



Teachers have one of the hardest jobs in the world. It may be harder now than it's ever been. But there's got to be a better way for Ja'eisha than this.

Talking with old-Montgomery people revealed similar stories: how real estate on the wrong side of town became undesirable, unsellable, overnight thanks to desegregation.



When we put our historic-neighborhood house up for sale, we were admonished, "don't sell to black, now..." Not "blacks", but "black". Anyone who's lived in the south awhile will recognize the phrase.



My feeling was I'll sell to whoever brings the right price -- green is the color that concerns me. But rather than try to re-educate white retirees, I kept quiet.



Economic discrimination.... right. Still injustice, no matter what adjective is used.

Still no further word from the community here, though people DO remember the name Deroyal Carter. I'm still asking around. I'll be blogging about it shortly, too. But Ivan has everyone a bit distracted right now.

Found your site through a reference to the Winston Carter story. I'm in Montgomery, AL, do not subscribe to the local paper or watch the local TV "news", and this is the 1st I've heard of any of this. I'll be watching and listening closely from here on, though...