Down in Alabama

Recently, the governor of Alabama made a speech in which he said that only Christians were his brothers and sisters. Right away he was assailed and had to have a meeting with Jewish and Moslem leaders and of course issued an apology for his statement reassuring everyone that he vowed to work with people of all faiths. No one, as far as I can tell, praised his honesty. In an age when politicians try to fit into the mold of what they think their potential voters will want to hear, I find the governor’s willingness to say what he thinks and what he believes refreshing. It’s difficult to believe that his Christian beliefs are a novelty, that this is the first time he alludes to them. I would suspect that they are known to his constituency and may lie behind their voting for him. If I’m somewhat correct, it could be that the problem is not in what he said but that what is said is widely believed by those who elected him.