Defending ALABAMA's (and WalMart's) Honor

A couple of weeks ago, there were some bitter columns in the Mobile Press-Register, along with a cartoon by j.d. crowe, that kind of upset me. I sent an e-mail to the editor, and here is the e-mail in its entirety:

As a long-time subscriber to the Press-Register and a long-time supporter of The University of Alabama Crimson Tide, I feel the need to respond to both the article and the Crowe cartoon regarding Alabama and Wal-Mart.

Both Mr. Crowe and the obviously bitter and biased Kelso seem to take pleasure in belittling and ridiculing Bama fans who want to see (or be photographed with) the crystal championship trophy. First, let me say that many of these people are fans and supporters of The University, but probably will never be able to actually afford to attend a game due to the expense and logistical hurdles in doing so. Most folks can’t afford the price of a ticket, much less the cost of a day-long trip and the possible additional expense of food and/or lodging. They DO, however, support The University and the team by purchasing officially-licensed apparel, home decor and other items to show their loyalty. For many, this is the closest they will ever get to actually being a ‘part’ of history. With the unemployment, loss of industry and income, (plus the economy) pride in the accomplishments of the premier college in the state is one of the few things to make some folks feel good about themselves.

First, for mr. crowe: You really seem to delight in portraying ALL Alabamians as toothless, overweight hicks. While we do have our share, I must advise you that these people are EVERYWHERE. If one has ever travelled by ground to our nation’s capitol, you would see that ‘civilization’ up there also seemingly ends once you ‘turn off the paved road’. Trailer parks stuck on hillsides are prevalent throughout the entire Virginia landscape. As much as you seem to loathe your audience and the region in which you work, you should probably consider re-location. Your liberal, leftist views would be better suited to the Huffington Post or the fading New York Times.

For the ‘Austin American-Statesman’s john kelso, I can’t believe that ANYone from Texas would dare say ANYthing about ANYone ANYwhere driving a truck. Contrary to your uninformed and biased view, many in Alabama DO know what Waterford crystal is. Your obvious jealousy over your team’s defeat is displayed by your bilous vitriol.

While the First Amendment and your current employment give you the platform to spew your jealousy, nothing changes the fact that The Crimson Tide BEAT the Texas Longhorns 37-21 to win the BCS National Championship. Insulting the fans and supporters of Alabama only makes you look sad and petty.

Roll Tide!
Brent Amacker (Register Subscriber)

Here is her response, along with the edited version of the above message:
From: Coleman , Frances [mailto:FColeman@press-register.com] Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 9:57 AMTo: John B. Amacker - MobileSubject: RE: Negative Stereotypes

Hi, Mr. Amacker, and thank you very much for your letter. It was longer than we're able to accommodate, so I trimmed it some, and wanted you to look at the edited version and see if it suits you. I've pasted it on to this email. (And Mr. Kelso's columns DO make him look sad and petty!)

Frances

Frances Coleman
Editorial Page Editor
Mobile Press-Register
P.O. Box 2488
Mobile, AL 36652
251-219-5607

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Both cartoonist J.D. Crowe and the obviously bitter and biased syndicated columnist John Kelso seem to take pleasure in belittling and ridiculing Bama fans who want to see (or be photographed with) the crystal championship trophy. ¶
First, let me say that many of these people are fans and supporters of the University of Alabama , but probably will never be able to actually afford to attend a game due to the expense and logistical hurdles in doing so. ¶
They do, however, support the university and the team by purchasing officially-licensed apparel, home decor and other items to show their loyalty. For many, this is the closest they will ever get to being a part of history. ¶
Mr. Crowe seems to delight in portraying all Alabamians as toothless, overweight hicks. While we do have our share, I must advise him that these people are everywhere. ¶
His liberal, leftist views would be better suited to the Huffington Post or the fading New York Times. ¶
For the Austin American-Statesman’s Mr. Kelso, his obvious jealousy over his team’s defeat is displayed by his bilous vitriol. ¶
While the First Amendment and his current employment give Mr. Kelso the platform to spew his jealousy, nothing changes the fact that the Crimson Tide beat the Texas Longhorns 37-21 to win the BCS National Championship. Insulting the fans and supporters of Alabama only makes him look sad and petty. ¶
BRENT AMACKER ¶
Mobile 