As we’ve all heard by now, the big automakers have submitted their plans that would justify the billion dollars in loans, courtesy of American taxpayers. And too, we’ve all heard the latest out of the sports world and how the NFL has suspended six players for failed drug tests, including the “heart of the Minnesota Vikings”, Kevin Williams and Pat Williams (no relation). The official charges say they violated the league’s steroid policies.

As if these stories and what feels like a million others in yesterdays news weren’t disheartening enough, Birmingham, AL mayor Larry Langford was arrested by the FBI for charges that make one’s head spin. Although information regarding the FBI arrest hasn’t been completely revealed, an SEC

Larry Langford

lawsuit (filed earlier this year) says a Montgomery banker, Bill Blount and Al LaPierre, who is one of Langford’s many cronies, didn’t disclose over $150,000 in payments to Mayor Langford. These payments were the price for some sort of business scheme (probably illegal) within the city of Birmingham. Not only that, but the lawsuit goes on to say the mayor hid the fact that after he received these monies, a 6.7 million dollar contract was conveniently handed to the banker and the cronie. The former commissioner for Jefferson County, John Katopodis, has already been indicted over a bogus charity that Langford founded when he was mayor of a smaller city outside Birmingham. The buzzards are circling, no doubt.

After he was arrested yesterday, his chief of staff in City Hall released a statement that said the arrest was anticipated but suggested the entire “error” was due to bad blood between Langford and a U.S. Attorney, Alice Martin, saying she knows her “days are numbered” as she prepares to exit her current post. Ah, but her hands aren’t necessarily clean either. Her office was ordered to pay $360,000 in June for “misguided prosecution” of an Alabama contractor. Read this story here. It doesn’t stop there. Her less than stellar image has been hit by several controversies, including criticism for her uninvited input during a lawsuit regarding Alabama’s former governor, Don Siegelman. And too, the story with the misguided prosecution of the Alabama contractor has triggered an investigation by the Justice Department into possible misconduct during this trial. There is a fascinating piece that was featured in Harper’s Magazine. Fair warning - it doesn’t put the state of Alabama in a flattering light. In fact, the author, Scott Horton, calls Alabama “home to the nation’s highest profile and most abusive political prosecution”. My guess is Mississippi’s favorite lawyer, John Grisham, will be penning a best-seller regarding these scandals (if he’s not already doing so).

It’s rare that those of us living in the south experience brutally cold temperatures, but it’s heating up fast here, even if it is December. In the meantime, everyone’s waiting to hear the details from Langdon’s arrest yesterday. If you’re interested, he made bail in time yesterday to ensure he’d be present during a City Hall meeting. Those in the know insist this is the tip of the iceberg and promises many heads will roll by the time this scandal wraps up.

Courtesy of FBI

The FBI is in the process of providing new or revised guidelines used for identifying and questioning potential suspects. These guidelines have more than raised a few eyebrows, especially with the ACLU. The primary change would allow the FBI to investigate any American without what’s now considered “just cause”. The guidelines also allow investigations based on one’s race. Brian Roehrkasse, who is the spokesperson for the Justice Department, said “It is simply not responsible to say that race may never be taken into account when conducting an investigation. The reality is that a number of criminal and terror groups have very strong ethnic associations.” My first impulse was similar to how I would handle someone plundering around my life looking for something to gossip about: “Have at it. You’d be better off just asking me, though. I’ll tell you the truth and I can assure you, the truth is far more interesting and makes for better gossip than anything you dig up on your own.”

But, after a little more thought, I realize the repercussions are far greater than the lonesome housewife’s gossip and how she lives vicariously through her neighbors’ comings and goings. Basically, if instated, these laws will allow the same latitudes afforded the FBI when investigating possible terrorism suspects. Most of us are likely to have the attitude of it not affecting anyone who has nothing to hide. And I agree. For the most part.

I was searching for a bank online last night because it’s such a pain for my current bank to grasp the concept of what PayPal is for. I’m all for a security question or two, but my current bank wants to know everything about me up to and including my shoe size. So, I find a nationally known bank with a branch within twenty miles of the house (I live in the country). I like the rates and the commercials on TV make me laugh. I know…that’s never a good enough reason, but still….they make me laugh.

I go through the process, verify the security features they have in place and then I go to log in for the very first time so that I can transfer money to this new account. There was one final security hoop I needed to jump through. They’d been relatively painless up until now. Predictable “pick your security question” processes. This final screen pops up and imagine my surprise when the question is: “Our records show that XXX XXXXX is well known to you. Where is this person’s current residence?” This is followed by four options of cities and states. And one of them is ACCURATE!! This person their records say I know is my sister!! Neither of us go by our maiden names - she’s married and I kept my married name after the divorce years ago. Now, there’d been no reference to my sister at all during my application process. And then I thought well, maybe she’s found some way to play a prank on me. Then I realize how crazy that sounds because a.) she had no idea I was changing banks and b.) this is the same sister who brought her report from one of her labs to me yesterday to “fix” because the columns didn’t line up and she needed it imported into a PowerPoint presentation. Bless her heart - she had no more idea of what PowerPoint is than I do of the subject of her presentation. So I know she wasn’t playing a prank on me. At some point since she got married ten years ago, our names got linked in some fashion and the result was a security question to verify MY identity! Go figure. It gets better. I clicked the little radio button with the correct answer, the little hourglass does its dance and the page loads and says (No…I’m NOT making this up!): We’re sorry, your answer does not match our records. Please contact customer service during normal business hours.

Last time I checked, my sister and I lived within about ten miles of each other, and as far as I know, she hasn’t relocated to Evanston, Indiana. I managed to laugh at this irony and chalked it up to the systems only being as good as the humans who input the information.

Now here I am posting about the FBI’s new guidelines and how’re they designed to further protect us. Then I remember the mistake in the banking system and I can’t help but think we can only be protected to the extent of the accuracy of information any law enforcement agency has. If these guidelines are approved, they will go into effect October 1.

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