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May 29, 2007

An Amusing Little Mess Down in Alabama

A very interesting situation is developing in Alabama, where the state chapter of the Christian Coalition has split into two groups and is now engaged in a messy lawsuit with plenty of finger-pointing and questionable activity to go around.

The former leader of the Alabama Christian Coalition, John Giles, is being accused by the new leader, Randy Brinson, of stealing the organization's assets when he left to start a competing organization, Christian Action Alabama (Giles did, in fact, take all the organization's assets). Brinson says Giles is setting a bad example for Christians. Giles says Brinson's lawsuit is "frivolous and baseless" and says the real bad example is being set by Brinson, who, by supporting electronic bingo at the dog tracks in Birmingham and Mobile, has placed himself in the "palm of gamblers." Brinson counters that allowing the expanded gambling at the tracks was part of a deal that also limited expansion of gambling to new locations. Giles says of course expansion is limited because the bill is really all about making the owner of the race track more wealthy. Brinson is being represented in the lawsuit against Giles by the track owner's attorney, so Giles may well have a point. But at the same time, Giles's group had ties to the Choctaw Indians, who operate two casinos, stemming back to that Grover Norquist/Americans for Tax Reform/Ralph Reed/Christian Coalition money-laundering-to-screw-the-tribes scheme, so Giles isn't lily white, either.

I don't know whether to pity the judge who gets this case or envy him or her for getting to sit in on what is sure to be a very entertaining little slug-fest.

Posted by Becky at May 29, 2007 03:28 PM