(Pam, I’m posting this for you and Kate to see.  Nice to know it’s business as usual in the Bible Belt. — Kathy)

Yes, the Eagle Forum is going to host a, well, a forum next month on “global warming, immigration, education policy and other politically charged topics”.  National president Phyllis Schlafly plans to take time away from her busy career of telling women that they belong at home so she can enlighten the attendees on “What America Needs from the Next President”.  I’m sure there will be no lobbying for any particular candidate, or any bias toward Republicans, because

The Eagle Forum of Alabama’s mission is “to equip citizens with timely, reliable information from a conservative, constitutional point of view on public policy issues,” according to its Web site.

“They are a nonprofit, and it’s for the education part where they work with the state school board and work with the local school system,” [Commission president Bettye Fine] Collins said.

[Commissioner Jim] Carns said the organization does “training and various and sundry things.”

It is, of course, totally coincidental that every politiican scheduled to participate on the legislative panel has an R after his (white, male, presumably straight) name.

I was shocked, shocked to discover that $10,000 will come out of Carns’ (R-Briarwood) discretionary funds, while the other $5,000 will come from Republican National Committeewoman Collins’.  Carns, Collins, Bobby Humphryes (R-of course), and George Bowman (Riley’s questionable appointment to replace Larry Langford) all voted for the proposal.  Bowman said he didn’t know anything about the Eagle Forum — way to cast an informed vote there, dude.  Humphryes, who has at least heard of the Eagle Forum, said he voted yes as a courtesy, although he had no idea how the money would be used.

A quick perusal of the Eagle Forum site (no, I’m not going to link; google if you must) could have given Bowman and Humphryes a clue of the content of next month’s meeting.  Let’s see:

• Immigration?  Where the hell is that fence?  Although I guess the Eagle Forum ladies wouldn’t actually say “hell” unless they were talking about where the homos and feminists go when they die.
• Global warming?  It’s a lie-beral myth.
• Education?  The first item listed under that link is “Bad Books”, which tells you all you need to know.  (To be fair, the list is in alphabetical order.)  The article also mentions that the conference will address “the work done through the Alabama Reading Initiative”.  Please tell me the Eagle Forum isn’t going to be permitted to mess with the Reading Initiative, which has been incredibly successful.  I don’t want Phyllis Schlafly deciding what my children can read at school (see Bad Books above).

By the way, if you’re a member of a group that strives “to equip citizens with timely, reliable information from a progressive, constitutional point of view on public policy issues”, don’t hold your breath waiting for Carns and Collins to help you out.

Both said the money was left unspent in their district discretionary funds last year and that no money is available in this year’s budget for nonprofits.

You know, Equality Alabama could use some funds for its educational programs.  Maybe one of the other commissioners has some extra discretionary dollars lying around that they’d like to donate.  But something tells me that Bobby Humphryes’ “courtesy” would fail him if that ever came to a vote, and I doubt Carns and Collins would even bother to be polite when they said no.