Michael McLendon Goes on Killing Spree, Taking Nine Lives and Injuring Others Before Taking His Life

The new year has started off very bad for many people. Once again a man goes on rampage killing nine people before turning the gun on himself, which he should have done first. Michael McLendon and an assault weapon proved to be a deadly combination yesterday evening. He burned down his mother’s house with her in it, shot his grandparents, aunt and uncle dead, then killed five other people Tuesday before turning the gun on himself. Of course, since the scumbag killed himself, it is unclear what the motive for this shooting spree was, if there could ever be one to justify such an atrocity.

The rampage claimed victims in several homes in the small Alabama towns of Kinston, Samson and Geneva and along the highway connecting them. Two of the dead were a sheriff deputy’s wife and 3-month-old child. Of course, the dead weren’t the only victims. Several other people were injured, including Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, who was saved by his bulletproof vest, and a state trooper wounded by flying glass when his car was hit with seven slugs.

Investigators Tuesday night were looking into possible shootings in other locations. “This is one of the most tragic events ever in Geneva County,” state Sen. Harri Smith said. The carnage began in the late afternoon in Kinston, where Michael McLendon burned down his mother’s home. Officials said McLendon then went to nearby Samson and shot his grandparents, aunt and uncle.

The sheriff deputy’s wife and child were slaughtered in their mobile home, officials said. McLendon also killed another person at a Samson supply store and a woman at a service station, they said. The location of the shooting of the 10th victim was unclear.

Cops said McLendon fired randomly at people as his maroon Mitsubishi Eclipse traveled along Highway 52 toward Geneva’s Reliable Metal Products, which makes grills and vents for heating and air conditioning systems, mainly for hotels. “He was just driving down the street shooting at people sitting on their porches,” Smith said. “A family was just sitting on the porch and they were shot.” Cops caught up with McLendon at Reliable, where he was said to be a past or present employee. After firing 30 rounds at the officers, he went inside and shot himself to death. Source: NY Daily News

There is no justification for what this man did and it would have been better if he had killed himself first, then an innocent baby would not have died, as well as the other innocent victims. Some may say we have never walked in the shoes of the gunman, but there are better ways of handling adversity, if it stemmed from that. The ends do not justify the means in this situation and it is a tragic of untold proportions. The year has started off on a bad note, with the continuing economic meltdown, rising unemployment, among other things.

Filed under: Alabama, Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, Kinston, Michael McLendon, Samson, Shooting Rampage, State Sen. Harri Anne Smith

Big Black River, Maine, Records the 50 Below Zero Temperatures as Arctic Blasts Covers Much of Eastern, Southern United States

When I moved to Atlanta from New York City nearly 10 years ago, I thought we wouldn’t have to contend with the cold weather anymore, but we were wrong. It does get cold here, down to the teens. One bright spot is that the cold weather is usually not continuous. It usually warms up after a few days. But this winter, the temperature has been breaking historic records. For example, bone-chilling cold bludgeoned the entire state of Maine. Unofficial temperatures dipped to minus 40s and even 50 below zero in Big Black River in the northwest corner of the state, and as low as 56 below in the St. John Valley.

Rich Norton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Caribou, said Friday afternoon that if certified, the unofficial temperature in Big Black River would be a new record low temperature for Maine. Wow, that’s COLD. Maine’s all-time record low was minus 48 in Van Buren on Jan. 19, 1925, according to Victor Nouhan of the NWS.

Gov. John Baldacci on Friday signed a state of emergency proclamation to facilitate heating fuel deliveries. The proclamation essentially allows the federal Transportation Department to waive rules so heating fuel delivery drivers can stay on the road longer to make sure homes and businesses stay warm.

Cold gripped much of the rest of the eastern U.S. as well, with temperatures of minus 10 in Cleveland, minus 6 in Detroit and minus 11 in Chicago on Friday morning. In upstate New York, areas near Lake Erie received up to 2 inches of snow per hour.

The cold weather has claimed at least six lives and contributed to dozens of traffic accidents. One death involved a man in a wheelchair who was found in subzero temperatures stuck in the snow, a shovel in his hand, outside his home in Des Moines, Iowa. He died at a hospital.

Here’s a twist: Alabama is colder than Alaska, right now.

Filed under: 50 Below Zero Temperature, Alabama, Alaska, Atlanta's Temperature, Big Black River, Maine, State of Emergency

Edward Vaughn, Head of Alabama NAACP, Wants Mobile’s Azalea Trail Maids Disinvited from Inauguration, Says they Remind him of Slavery

Here’s another group mad at Barack Obama and his upcoming inauguration. The head of the Alabama NAACP, Edward Vaughn, wants wants Mobile’s Azalea Trail Maids to stay home on Inauguration Day, claiming the group reminds him of slavery. One hitch. They have been part of a long standing tradition that will soon become a part of Presidential history. Geez, where has he been all these years?

Vaugh said, “these are not just regular costumes. These are the costumes that remind someone of the plantation in Gone with the Wind.” He went on to say the group would be the laughing stock of the Inauguration. County leaders say nothing could be further from the truth.

“We want everyone to know that these young ladies do not need to be identified with slavery,” said Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine. “I don’t see what the dresses have to do with racism. I don’t see it. It’s just a regular dress to me. Just a dress they wore back in the day,” said Carolyn Tius. Organizers stand behind the tradition, but opponents say tradition is the problem. “We needed something that could show Alabama’s great progress rather than something that shows a shameful past,” Vaughn said. Source: WFSA 12 News

Really, Mr. Vaughn? Where were you when Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were inaugurated? You didn’t have a problem then, but you do now? You are fanning the flames of racism. This has no traction, at this point.

Filed under: Alabama, Azalea Trail Maids, Edward Vaughn, Inauguration Day, NAACP, Plantation, President-elect Barack Obama, Racism

Town of Edwardsville, Ala., Wants a $375 Million Chunk of the Stimulus, Says Town Amazingly Progressive

The tiny town of Edwardsville, Ala., with a population of 194 people, want a chunk of the economic stimulus package. In fact, they want $375 million, about $2 million per resident. Hey, since porno kings Larry Flynt and Joe Francis are asking for their share, why not? The town bills itself as progressive, with 33 proposals and about two thirds of them related to “green” energy—to the list of “ready- to- go” projects assembled by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Total sum: $375,076,200.

According to Newsweek magazine, E. D. Phillips, the town’s representative to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said that the projects would affect a wider region that comprises about 80,000 people. That number includes residents of nearby rural areas that aren’t already incorporated into towns, along with the residents of Talladega Springs (population: 124), which partnered with Edwardsville and local municipal utilities on the projects. No one can fault this town for having lofty ambitions.

There’s certainly no denying that Edwardsville has big ambitions. Through the various proposals, which include a renewable energy museum, scenic railroad, and vineyards, these small Alabama communities envision themselves becoming a cutting-edge demonstration project for energy sustainability and a hub for tourism.

“I know we look like some little Podunk town, and by the census, we are,” Phillips says. “But we really think we’ve done some amazingly progressive things in the past two years.” The town’s proposals began to develop more than two years ago, when Phillips and another town official became intrigued by the argument that renewable energy could create a rural renaissance. If any community needed economic revival, it was Edwardsville—even before the recession. At 28.7 percent, the town’s poverty level was nearly equal to that of Nepal and more than twice the national average, according to the 2000 census.

Along with the more traditional proposals to replace streetlights with solar-powered lights (cost: $3,479,200), to install solar panels on the town hall (cost: $77,000), and to build solar-powered recharging stations for electric golf carts and vehicles (cost: $620,000), Edwardsville and Talladega Springs have assembled a set of even more far-reaching projects. An outlay of $50.4 million, for example, would go toward installing water pipelines beneath roads to soak up the sun’s rays, transferring heat. That technology is currently being used in the Netherlands, which found that while the cost of installation was double that of normal gas heating, the system halved the amount of energy required.

With big dreams, however, come big price tags. “Do you know how hard it is to fund some of these projects when your tax base is so low?” Phillips says. “So we just breathed this sigh of relief when we found out about the stimulus package… especially when it had a focus on renewable energy.” Source: Newsweek

The problem is that the role of government is not to babysit residents. Why should the government purchase light bulbs? What’s next? Food? Seriously folks, how many people would that renewable energy museum attract? I wouldn’t leave Atlanta to go to this town just for that attraction. Funds are too tight right now for the government to dole money out to the town of Edwardsville for its big ambitions. They need to find other avenues to raise the money for this museum. Here’s another gem. They want $9 million to go towards establishing an eventual 640 acres of vineyards, 160 acres of which would be launched first. Each of the four vineyards would be designed around the theme of a different European country and, in a bid for weddings, dotted with gazebos and chapels. This seems dubious, at best. According to Newsweek, the Southeast is subject to a disease that puts traditional European grape varieties out of reach, usually limiting vineyards to the muscadine grape. Therefore, vineyards haven’t exactly been vogue in the region. For example, Georgia has just 1,100 acres of vineyards, while Mississippi has 400. These people are watching way too much television.

The federal government should not give them a penny for this pork-barrel spending. This is a blatant waste of precious resources. So, if the government is doling out money to everyone, well, where’s my share? I would love them to pay off my mortgage and my car.

Filed under: Alabama, Edwardsville, Renewable Energy Museum, Stimulus Plan, Vineyards