Lagniappe Mobile Blog

The city and county of Mobile are going through contortional flocculations in the form of apocalyptic battles of annexation, resignation of a major politician and a drive to bring Prohibition back to the Port City. Meanwhile the county did give three million to an ad firm to talk us up, to advertise the town that has grabbed the attention of the nation if not indeed the world as the next great little mid-sized city. Nestled between New Orleans and Atlanta, Mobile sits pretty and patiently waits her turn in the spotlight. The juxtaposition today is not the spotlight per se but rather upon which the glaring light shines, and it shines not so quaint and coquettish , but rather boisterous if not monstrous at a time when so many plan carefully for the possible eventual tanker contract, larger cruise ships and a newly designed downtown that will rival some of the best. This is what causes consternation and dizzyment. Just when it seems no wrinkles should appear in the antebellum dress, when gentlemen’s pant creases should be perfectly in the right place, squawking suddenly flies out of the belfry and Mobile County has a multitude of disarray in her pretty hair. Petty attacks such as throwing a beer fest on Dauphin Street but telling people they can’t walk from bar A to bar B with a plastic mug of beer. Or, a major crackdown not on drunk drivers themselves or the courts who slap their hands but rather little old convenience stores who with a few minor infractions suddenly must appear before the city council and beg for their lives. I witnessed such at one meeting and it reminded me of the snake slithering past a giant frog on it’s way to snag a little ant. Priorities, folks - things in the order of real importance, not your personal feelings on the subject at the expense of city and county taxpayers - thank you! I’ve writ a piece about the annexation issue, which has since transformed into something more ugly going uglier. Cookie cutter politics, snatch and grab amendments and resolutions and of course all seven of city council are behind this good-hearted campaign to help the poor souls who beg to become part of the city. Some of them aren’t really sure why they want to but in a group mentality their little individual opinion adds up to zero. It’s all the stuff of which good novels are made, and hopefully those outside our periphery expect these shenanigans .