Spitball Army

Man, that was a nice long 4th of July weekend, wasn’t it?  I don’t know about you, but I made sure to fit in some time for barbecue (Dreamland, which was delicious, as usual), a terrific movie (Before Sunrise, which I admired so much, I am ready to watch again), a few swims, a chilled bike ride with no automotive interruptions, a couple extra hours of sleep.

I hardly spent any time thinking about the sorry state of our city’s political machine, or how the Mayor might be spending his holiday out at his primary residence in Fairfield.  But I do know this: the Mayor and everyone in his office are likely having a good day today.  For the first time in quite a long while, the top five headlines on the Birmingham News feed do not mention Larry Langford, the city council, or the sewer mess.  Instead, at 2:30 p.m., they read like this:

• 16-year-old charged with capital murder
• Nine die in holiday weekend traffic accidents
• Man found dead was suspect in death of Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy
• Woman gets 12-month sentence in death of 3-year-old son
• Update: Birmingham police identify two men shot to death Sunday night

Teenagers, bar patrons, toddlers, law enforcement officers, people driving cars, mothers.  At some point in my life I’ve been a member of four of those categories.  You?  How safe is your city?

Given the choice, I think I would prefer some of those headlines about insane and corrupt government officials, please!