Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster), Cumberland Law School Dean John Carroll and Democrat activist and consultant Martha Bozeman talk about the current political shocker on Good Day Alabama. Watch here.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

“Well-intended people are working on extending those 3 weeks,” Jim Pratt says.

Pratt, who moves into the president’s role in three weeks, says the county budget shortfall threatens a domino-effect across the criminal justice system if not resolved.

“No way to run a court system. It’s triage for one of society’s most important institutions.”

Pratt also takes exception with critics of the county’s effort to raise new revenue. Those critics contend the county has money in reserve to sustain the county’s basic services and staff.

“It’s just not true,” Pratt says, “I’ve looked at the finances. There’s a $75 million reserve… with one sign of the pen, that 75 million could go away.”

The “one sign of the pen” reference refers to a judge overseeing the lawsuit between the county and Wall Street investors in the sewer debt crisis. Wednesday the Birmingham News reported that a court-appointed receiver for the sewer system demanded $75 million from a settlement agreement with JP Morgan Chase.

Also Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported one leading analyst advised investors to “shy away from all Alabama bonds” because the state has not helped remedy the long-running sewer debt crisis.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

The future for Alabama’s Black Belt Region? In a word, Marsha Folsom says… “bamboo.”

“It’s the new cotton,” Folsom told me this morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama, “sustainable, ecological, a very environmentally friendly crop.”

An increased demand for bamboo products has created a shortage in supplier nations primarily based in Asia. Research by Mt. Vernon, Washington biotechnologist Jackie Heinricher created Boo-Shoot Gardens. Folsom’s introduction to Heinricher and her research prompted the Cullman county native to promote bamboo as an Alabama (and Deep South) cash crop.

Currently the University of Alabama has an acre of bamboo growing in Moundville as an example of “what could be” for Black Belt landowners. Northport has a downtown project called Black Belt BamBoost. Then there is Bike Lab in Greensboro. The group focuses on building bicycles made of Alabama bamboo.

Sometime Thursday morning Marc OBrien joins three more Bike Lab teammates for a Hale County to San Francisco trek called Ride Alabamboo.

On a political note, Folsom says her family is enjoying private life since Republicans swept statewide races in November, preventing Jim Folsom Jr. from another term as lieutenant governor. Her husband is the son of two-term governor “Big Jim” Folsom, who served in the 1940’s and 1950’s. “Little Jim,” as he is sometimes called, rose from lieutenant governor to governor in 1993 when Guy Hunt was removed from office. Jim Folsom currently works with an investment firm.

When asked off camera if her now adult children would ever consider entering the family business, she laughed and asked, “investing?”

Read more of Rick Journey’s political blog here.

Here it is: when do you become a person? At birth or is it the minute the sperm fertilizes the egg?

Now throw in this complication. What if the fertilized egg isn’t in the womb. Is the human embryo a person even then or only after implantation in the womb?

Rep. John Merrill (R-Tuscaloosa) and Sen. Phil Williams (R-Gadsden) have introduced legislation to legally define l personhood “from the moment of fertilization.” Read HB409 here

Williams bill awaits a full vote in the Senate. Merrill’s version will come up for a vote in the House Health Committee.

“Personhood” legislation has popped up in several states. The closest to passage at this time is Mississippi, where the court’s are considering a ballot measure that would allow voters to decide if it should be put in the state constitution.

The idea: outlaw abortion by declaring fertilization constitutes personhood, thus setting up a potential U.S. Supreme Court battle. Personhood USA is a national anti-abortion movement that has seen limited success in other states and now has included Alabama in it’s focus. Read more here.

“The purpose of the legislation is to protect the rights of the unborn,” Rep. Merrill says, “we’re dealing with peoples’ lives when talking about the abortion issue.”

“I have the highest regard for life, maybe more so than anybody else because I understand the value,” says Jessica Sasser, “that’s what I’m fighting for is a baby. But at the same time, especially with the wording of this bill, there are scientific things you need to look at.”

Sasser testified against the current wording of the bill two weeks ago. Like one in seven U.S. couples, the 26 year old and her husband need fertility specialist to try to get pregnant. After two years with no success, in vitro fertilization appears to be their last, best hope.

Her doctors, and fertility organizations like the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, contend it could raise serious legal questions for fertility clinics if “personhood” is adopted in it’s current language.

ASMR’s Dr. Robert Rebar writes:

Even with natural conception, most fertilized eggs never develop into human beings. This is also true when the conception is accomplished using ART techniques. Because many of the fertilized eggs will not continue their development, physicians generally create several embryos for each patient. This is necessary so that the embryologist can choose the most developmentally competent embryo(s) for transfer and thereby increase patients’ chances of achieving a pregnancy and having a baby. Almost all ART cycles result in extra embryos. If their extra embryos have developed well, patients usually choose to freeze them for later transfer- to try for a pregnancy again if the current attempt was unsuccessful or to have another child. Read the full letter here.

Merrill says roadblocks for fertility patients is not the bill’s intent. As for the medical criticism of the bill in it’s current language, Merrill considers that “speculative” and in some cases, an “obstacle” by opponents.

Sasser and others who appeared before the House Health Committee hope Merrill will amend the bill to declare “personhood” once the fertilized egg is “implanted in the womb.”

Merrill’s bill will be considered by the House Health Committee Wednesday at 9a.m.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

“Really, Dad, shouldn’t you consider on a case by case basis,” I recall saying.

Nope. He says he has held firm to his “No” strategy over the years.

He now appears to be among the trendsetters.

The Birmingham News Editorial page appears ready to “gum up the works” in the name of constitution reform.

Wednesday the editorial board wrote:

“The fact counties must beg for permission to perform basic functions is the main reason well more than 800 amendments weigh down the Alabama Constitution. What we have isn’t a fundamental charter spelling out citizens’ rights and state government’s responsibilities, but a string of statutory laws for state and local governments.

It makes for inefficient government on a grand scale…. Starting this election cycle, The News’ editorial board will recommend “no” votes on virtually all constitutional amendments.”

The Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform email today:

“Many of us on the Board and supporters of ACCR, Inc., and its efforts to persuade the legislature to allow the people to vote on a constitutional convention, are considering and/or planning to vote “no” on all constitutional amendments next Tuesday.

Although the ACCR, Inc, Board has not officially adopted a Just Vote No strategy, we would like to hear your opinion on the subject as we consider our legislative and advocacy options for the upcoming legislative year.”

There are four statewide amendments on the ballot this year.

AlabamaVotes.gov offers a county-by-county list of sample ballots for Tuesday’s vote.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

Anderson says claims by Republican opponent Luther Strange that he has legal ties to Milton McGregor is “just a story.”

Anderson says he represents Macon county’s sheriff which has put Anderson in court several times this year over attempted raids of Victoryland by the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling.

“You’ve got to follow the law,” Anderson says about the challenge facing the next attorney general when it comes to e-bingo.

“We haven’t had a court say what’s being played at Greenetrack and Victoryland is legal or illegal.”

As for Strange, who campaigned with Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli this week, Anderson says he has never tried a case.

“I’ve tried hundreds of cases,” Anderson says, “he (Strange) is just a Washington lobbyist.”

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

The headline grabbing AG considered a Tea Party favorite is campaigning for Alabama’s Republican nominee for AG, Luther Strange. Cuccinelli has been campaigning for fellow Republicans around the country.

Monday he was campaigning for a Republican candidate in Iowa.

The Strange-Cuccinelli tandem started the day on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama.

Strange says he supports Cuccinelli’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal law overhauling health care.

In September, Cuccinelli told Tea Partiers “the state’s attorneys general are the last line of defense to protect the Constitution from the federal government.”

Strange says there’s “a huge contrast” between him and Democratic nominee James Anderson on the health care overhaul and on gambling in Alabama.

Strange tried to tie Anderson to one of the 11 arrested Monday in that federal corruption probe.

“The person I’m running against is right in the middle of that debate,” Strange says, “he (Anderson) represents one of the gambling interest that’s associated with Milton McGregor.”

A spokesman for Anderson says not so.

Communications Manager Dean Argo says “James represents Macon County Sheriff David Warren, not Victoryland or Milton McGregor. James has represented Sheriff Warren for more than three years.”

Anderson appears Thursday morning on Good Day Alabama.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

Republican nominee Robert Bentley talks illegal immigration in “I Will Not Wait.”

In “Chance,” Democratic nominee Ron Sparks focuses on… wait for it! An education lottery.

Sparks hosts former president Bill Clinton today at a $1,000-a-person fundraiser at Birmingham’s The Summit Club today at 1pm. Wednesday he campaigned across the state with retired general and 2004 Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

State Treasurer and Republican nominee for Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey says she’s “ready, willing and able to make this agenda pass.”

Reaction to the state GOP’s “Handshake with Alabama” is predictable.

House and Senate Republican leaders promoted the agenda Monday in their effort to claim control in one or both legislative bodies in November.

Dems say that’s all you’ve got?

GOPers argue a century of Democratic rule in the legislature has accomplished little.

Some spirited back-and-forth summed it up between Rep. Merika Coleman (D-Midfield) and Rep. Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood) earlier today on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama.

Over at the Birmingham News, Joey Kennedy writes Republicans “have some pretty good initiatives on their to-do list” in changing the budgeting process for the Special Education Trust Fund and ethics reform, but he observes “they had to start swinging the demagogue stick” in the proposal for an Arizona-style immigration law and attempt to block the federal government’s health care reform act.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

McLaughlin & Associates reports 50% of voters prefer the Republican candidate on a generic legislative ballot.
Thirty-three percent favor the Democrat in the survey.

McLaughlin says Republicans get a boost from Independent voters (49%-15%).

When asked “The Democrats have been in control of Alabama’s State Legislature for 136 years, it’s time for a change,” 61% agree with the statement.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.