SpaceCom indecision, lawmaker trouble, pitching milestones: Down in Alabama
The calendar
It’s awfully good to be back on a beautiful Memorial Day as we take time to appreciate the sacrifices made so that we can exercise this freedom of the press.
The big indecision
Last week ended with more communications in Washington that seem to indicate the decision to place the Space Command headquarters in Alabama may be in jeopardy.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rodgers, an Alabama Republican, put out a letter announcing the committee’s investigation into changes to the criteria being used to determine the location of Space Command.
According to Rep. Rodgers’ letter, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has said he was aware of changes made, but he also said he’s not sure how those changes were made.
Secretary Kendall is the official who supposedly will be making the final decision.
All of this follows the NBC News story from early this Month that reported the Biden Administration was poised to keep the Space Command HQ at its previously temporary location in Colorado Springs. That NBC report put the blame on Alabama’s abortion law.
Since then, Alabama’s representatives in D.C. have called any potential change in plans the politicization of a military decision (if you can imagine such a thing).
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley and Madison County Commission Chair Mac McCutcheon released a joint statement that said, in part: “A blatant attempt to skew independent findings and use highly questionable tactics to award SpaceCom headquarters to a fifth-place nominee should be an affront to the DOD and U.S. Air Force. It is not in the best interest of our military, the safety and security of our warfighter, our country, and our allies. It breaks our trust in everything we know to be right and true.”
Honors and take-backs
One of the ways we try to make mortals into immortals in this world is to name something after them. Streets, buildings, statues, holidays. And then politics change or we learn some dirty little secret and it can get … complicated.
And sometimes it gets complicated quickly.
Just over a year ago, a youth ballpark in Birmingham was dedicated as the Fred Plump Athletic Fields at Lowery Park, to honor the state Rep. Plump for his support of youth sports. Last week AL.com reported that Plump, a Fairfield Democrat, is facing federal charges and is accused of taking state money intended for his nonprofit youth baseball league. Plump has resigned from the legislature and could be facing prison time.
So now, AL.com’s Joseph D. Bryant reports that Birmingham’s Park and Recreation Board will be considering this week whether to remove his name from the facility.
If Plump’s name is removed, it certainly wouldn’t be the first second thought that’s been given to similar honors in the Birmingham area. In recent years we’ve seen former Jefferson County Commissioner Chris McNair’s name removed from a health clinic, and the names of former Jefferson County Commissioner Mary Buckelew and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy removed from parkways.
Heralded hurlers
The Alabama softball team is back in the Women’s College World Series.
In the regional clincher, star pitcher Montana Fouts, who has been out with a hyperextended leg, entered and picked up the win in relief. It was her 100th career pitching victory in what will be her last game at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Switching over to Major League Baseball, Huntsville native Craig Kimbrel became the eighth player in major-league history to reach 400 career saves.
No. 400 came against his former team, the Alabama Braves, on Friday night.
The podcast
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