Wade on June 2006
By Wade KwonA last look at the ’06 …
Then and now
Guilty and guiltier: One served as a health care company CEO, the other as governor. Now they share a jail cell — but can these best buds make it in minimum security? The laughs ensue on “The Dick and the Don.”
Richard Scrushy, so confident he’d wriggle out of yet another conviction, bribed preachers and columnists, continued a television ministry and founded another one to feed African children. Don Siegelman, so confident of his campaigning skills with voters and/or jurors, actually ran for the Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination while on trial, losing badly in both races.
For the record, Dick gave $500,000 to Don’s failed lottery campaign to nab a seat on a state health care regulatory board. The two were found guilty of bribery, mail fraud and obstruction of justice.
The pair still face sentencing in 2007, anything from probation to 20 years in prison. Meanwhile, HealthSouth, the company that Scrushy built, continues its path to recovery with a reverse stock split and being relisted on the New York Stock Exchange.
Sour notes: City Stages concluded its ___ year but still $___ in debt. Organizers sold ___ tickets, but had counted on selling ___ tickets during the three-day downtown music festival. Despite appearances by country star ___, indie band ___ and a surprise appearance by “American Idol” singer ___, audience levels were below expectations.
(Just making it easier for future iterations of this tired old story.)
Judge, not: The state primaries proved to be far more interesting than November’s Election Day vote-tacular. Maybe the 6/6/(0)6 date proved to be devilishly different.
Ten Commandments savior Roy Moore was crushed by incumbent Bob Riley in the Republican gubernatorial race, 35 percent to 65 percent. Where is your messiah now, Roy?
Moore, a columnist for conservative site WorldNetDaily, wrote earlier this month that newly elected Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota shouldn’t be allowed to take office because, as a Muslim, he wants to take his oath on the Koran instead of the Bible. (Muslim equals terrorist, by the way.)
Ah, Roy, what a colorful governor you would’ve made …
Voters also amended the state constitution for the 744th time to ban same-sex marriage, already prohibited by state law. Methinks someone’s overcompensating in their gay bashing …
Haiku flashback
bee keeper (June 3)
Spelling champ pauses
to C if she can beat U.
Yes, letter perfect.
• • •
Archives: June
Special report: The ’06 … a last look
