Attention all water customers: To be compliant with new laws concerning immigration you must have an Alabama Driver's License or an Alabama picture ID card on file at this office before September 29, 2011 or you may lose water service. Thank you.

In other words, prove you belong here or get the hell out, because even if you pay your bill in U.S. dollars every month in person it won't matter. If you're not here legally, you don't deserve even the most basic necessities, like running water.

The reason this utility has posted their sign is because of this provision, which was upheld by the court (from nilc.org brochure):

A part that requires people to prove their immigration status when they enter into a “business transaction” with the state of Alabama and makes it a felony for an unauthorized immigrant to enter into a “business transaction” with the state of Alabama. Business transactions include applying for a license plate, applying for or renewing a driver’s license, and applying for a business license.

A part that invalidates all contracts between an unauthorized immigrant and another person, except for one night’s lodging, food purchases, and medical services. Contracts could include child support, rental, loan, and other agreements

Yes. Other agreements like electricity, gas and water. A roof over one's head. Those kinds of agreements.

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I know putting together a convention of this magnitude is no small task.

There have been many glitches and complaints, which is par for the course and I know the DNC have tried to do the best they could with parking and credentials and whatnot. But I have asked the DNC for weeks and weeks how they could help me get around during the convention because I have a handicap placard in California due to a real problem walking distances from my nerve damage. I got no response.

I didn't see this link on their website. I wish it was more prominently placed. Obviously, there is a tremendous amount of security and many checkpoints, but there is no assistance available for those that are elderly or not in the best of health, who would not be able to walk miles and stand in the blistering heat waiting to proceed to the Pepsi Center. It's hot and the high altitudes have many people flustered. How many of them knew that Denver would be so hard to maneuver in? I certainly didn't.

When I finally got to the first check point, I asked if there were any carts to take the elderly and handicapped to the next stop. I was told that they were only there to get water for the Secret Service. Hey, they did an amazing job and needed the help too, but what about all the elderly people that came here, dressed to the nines and high heels, because this is an important event to them and they had to travel miles and stand for hour long check points to even see the Pepsi Center? I saw some almost passing out.

I made many calls, not asking for special treatment, but for decent treatment of a handicapped person. When I called ten times on Tuesday, I got voice mails and then was told I would be called back. Nothing happened. I left an angry message yesterday telling them I'd write about it and now suddenly I find out that there is help available. Really? Well, it's too late now. I'm already devastated. I'm pretty good at putting on a happy face when I'm being interviewed and never want to make it much of an issue to my readers, but I just couldn't handle the pain of trying to go out any more.

I have to take some of the blame too. I had people helping me and they came up short too in finding out all that could have been done. I'm writing this to voice a complaint so that the next time an organization puts on a huge event, they seriously take into consideration what all handicapped and elderly folks have to go through to even show up to support or cover that event. I promise to do a better job in finding out how to help those in need of assistance for future events. And I don't think this is only a DNC problem. They are being very kind now and said they misunderstood my situation. I believe them, but I think it's a systemic problem that needs more attention. Telling someone that you are handicapped is not always understood and I get that that's why my calls were misinterpreted. I hope to help those in need in the future because this is a serious issue for many people.

The Convention still has been a blast and I think it's been a valuable experience.

CNN:

Water with trace amounts of radioactivity may have been leaking for months from a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine as it traveled around the Pacific to ports in Guam, Japan and Hawaii, Navy officials told CNN Friday.

The leak was found on the USS Houston, a Los Angeles class fast attack submarine, after it came to Hawaii for routine maintenance last month, Navy officials said.

Navy officials believe the amount of radiation leaked was virtually undetectable. But the Navy alerted the Japanese government because the submarine had been docked in Japan.

I'm sure it's no big deal. Pay no attention to that three-eyed fish, that's what they're supposed to look like.

Reuters:

Overflowing rivers in Iowa and other Midwest states forced evacuations and disrupted the region's economy on Friday with fears of worse to come from fragile levees and more rain.

A Cedar Rapids hospital was flooded and evacuated its patients after a levee break on the Cedar River turned the downtown area into a shallow lake. Thousands were forced to leave their homes in the worst Midwest flooding in 15 years. [..]

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said the damage to his state could cost billions of dollars. Scores of bridges spanning nine overflowing rivers have been swept away or weakened.

Clean, safe drinking water is a major concern right now. If there are local rescue agencies that can help in all the affected areas, please leave their names in the comments for other C&Lers.

Senator David Vitter fell victim to a humiliating incident today. No, it wasn't the town hall meeting he held with LA residents discussing his hypocritical involvement in the "DC Madam" prostitution scandal. It was after the meeting when his driver backed into a parking sign while quickly fleeing the press.

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Fender-benders aside, Vitter finds himself in some hot water now that Deborah Palfrey is going to trial and he's been named as a potential witness. As News 9 reports, Vitter may even invoke his 5th amendment rights. We'll be sure to follow this one.

at-Largely: Zounds! Are we really gonna see some good reporting?

The Orstrahyun: Coming soon to the US? A new wave of "restrictions" on mobile phone content, websites, chatrooms and message boards will be introduced in Australia by late January, 2008.

Vagabond Scholar: The 27th edition of Batocchio's "Right Wing Cartoon Watch." And the Comics Curmudgeon keeps an eye on all da comix all da time.

The Newshoggers: An invitation to fraud

The Pump Handle: The water cooler for the public health crowd has it's own roundup. Go look...

HOLY CRAP: Put On Your Jesus Glasses...Breasts have no place in art...God likes Republicans and animal killing...We could fill several entire editions of Holy Crap with this guy's religious insanity...even former enablers are spooked...Christian Embassy Jr...The real "War On Christmas" and Christians is in Iraq...When to stone your children...Is I-35 a a holy road?...Oppressing The Stranger...The Immanent Frame is a blog discussing secularism, religion and the public sphere... Mitt ‘Double-Crosses' Huck

...Take a minute and sign the statement of conscience at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture

(h/t Scarce)

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Senator Kit Bond appeared on PBS's The NewsHour and further muddied the water with all the lies and rationalizations one must use to abet war crimes, bless his heart (I'm learning from Blue Gal), including the laughable-on-its-face claim that discussing waterboarding enables "the enemy" to adapt to it. This is an assertion that I feel strongly should be tested out on anyone amoral enough to suggest it. But it was this claim that earns him the Wanker title for today (and from such an embarrassment of riches of other awardees too!):

IFILL: I just would like to -- but do you think that waterboarding, as I described it, constitutes torture?

SEN. KIT BOND: There are different ways of doing it. It's like swimming: freestyle, backstroke. The waterboarding could be used almost to define some of the techniques that our trainees are put through, but that's beside the point. It's not being used.

I don't know if you're a religious man, Sen. Bond, but I surely do hope that if you are, this fine bit of wankery is used against you at the Pearly Gates. One word for you to hold in your heart: Nuremberg.

This is Bob Morris of Politics in the Zeros on my last day guest blogging. Big thanks to Nicole and bluegal for their help. I've known John and Mike since way before blogging and it's been great watching C&L turn into the influential powerhouse that it is.

Florida schools parked their money in a state-run fund that "invested" in risky SIVs. Now the fund is near-bankrupt , the state has halted withdrawals, and schools can't make their payrolls. The blameless are getting maimed by the credit crisis.

In the end, will it be She Who Is Inevitable? Should we practice saying "Madame President"?

With a Cola-Cola plant in Atlanta sucking up huge amounts of water and a nuclear reactor and coal power plant down the river doing the same, the southeast faces major problems because of the drought. How do you cut back? And is the world ready to do so?

What the U.S. can learn from Uganda.

Finally (tooting own horn), here's my review of John Robb's groundbreaking book, "Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization." Welcome to open source decentralized swarming warfare or, as he puts it "what if warfare was reinvented and nobody bothered to tell the Pentagon?" It might change the way you look at the world. It did for me.

Bob Morris of the leftie tree-hugging Politics in the Zeros here with more links for you.

Coffee, tea or torture? U.S. Company Jeppersen Dataplan is being sued for arranging logistical support for CIA torture flights but our freedom-loving government of course wants the suit dismissed because the documents are "classified."

Media conglomeration often creates unmanageable companies says Oligopoly Watch. Thus big media companies often end up fracturing into smaller pieces whether they want to or not. Works for me.

A solar power tower is a wondrous thing indeed. Acres of photovoltaics and mirrors reflect sunlight to a solar reflector at the the top of a giant obelisk, creating steam from piped-in water thus powering the turbines.

The V.A. is overwhelmed. Claims can take months, sometimes years, to process. During that time, the veteran gets no medical help. Since 90% of claims are accepted, let's provisionally accept claims and get vets the help they need fast.

HeadZup has the inside scoop on why Trent Lott is resigning. (And don't let the door hit you on the way out, Trent.)

Send tips to bob (at) polizeros (dot) com

On Tuesday's "Washington Journal" a caller from Florida asks former Reagan Justice Dept. official and current torture-apologist David Rivkin to volunteer to be water boarded so he can decide whether or not it should considered torture.

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Let's hear what a different former Reagan Justice Dept. official has to say.