Our Opinions
Slugging senators

By now, everyone has heard and seen the famous Alabama State Senate punch. It not only made the news everywhere in Alabama but across the nation and around the world, too.

Certainly, there is no excuse for it but given the tempers and tantrums that have been boiling in the Senate all session it is no wonder it came to this.

State Sen. Charles Bishop, RJasper, is hot-tempered, no doubt about it. He has invited more than one person "outside" over the years.

State Sen. Lowell Barron, DFyffe, is a political bully who has thrown his weight around in the Senate for years.

Sen. Bishop said Sen. Barron called him an S.O.B. (but he didn't use the abbreviation) and the Walker Countian said he couldn't talk about his Mama like that and he punched him.

Sen. Barron said Sen. Bishop used far harsher words against him.

It is interesting that what sparked this incident was a disagreement over allowing the Senate to vote on the last day on a bill to reform political action committee (PAC) transfers. Sen. Bishop wanted to vote on the bill but Sen. Barron wanted to kill. Sen. Bishop may have been wrong to punch Sen. Barron but he was on the right side in support of this needed legislation.

Cussing didn't provoked this this confrontation. Rather it was the result of the Democrat-Republican infighting that has been going on since the Senate first met to organize in January. Zealots on both sides of the aisle have refused to compromise and work together for the good of the state and their constituents.

Those differences are going to have to be put aside if next year's session is to accomplish anything.

Perhaps a boxing ring should be set up in the center of the senate chamber and the 2008 session could start with a knock-downdrag out between the two sides. Whoever wins the fight would run the outfit for the session.

Crazy? Yeah, but it works about as well as things did this session.

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