Alabama

[Leeshouldveflanked]

My company let me get back to traveling this week, so I went on calls in Alabama....Holy cow, they don’t appear to be worried about Covid....Neither hotel I have stayed in has hand sanitizer at check in or at coffee/breakfast bar. hardly anyone is wearing mask...and Rebel flags are abundant.... you can see more Rebel Flags in a couple of days of traveling in Alabama than you ever do in Mississippi.

 

[RocketDawg]

What part of Alabama did you go to?

 

[Dawg1979]

i've heard from several people that Alabama is the worst place they've been with regards to Covid. no masks, no gloves, nothing. so far, almost everywhere i've been in Louisiana has had the plexiglass in front of the register. my mother lives in AL and said that nowhere has it. crazy

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

So Alabama is still full of rednecks and idiots. Check.

Any chance you can head down to the panhandle of Florida and make sure they are still swimming in jorts? There's comfort in knowing 2020 hasn't changed everything we know....

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

What part of Alabama did you go to?

I stayed in Fultondale and Guntersville....but basically North Central BAMA

 

[msudawg12]

i've heard from several people that Alabama is the worst place they've been with regards to Covid. no masks, no gloves, nothing. so far, almost everywhere i've been in Louisiana has had the plexiglass in front of the register. my mother lives in AL and said that nowhere has it. crazy

I had a meeting with a couple of people in Birmingham at a hotel conference center and the hotel seemed to be VERY controlled.

I spent some time at a lake in TN over memorial day and I didnt the first precaution. Stores were open with no restrictions. Restaurants didnt seem to care. 20-30 boats tied up everywhere. The bar at the marina had live music and 200+ people PACKED.
My in-laws say it has been that way throughout.
We will be back there for the fourth and I expect the same.
We will be the go to the store, go on the boat and stay away from people group, but still.

 

[thatsbaseball]

We went to Smith Lake last year and it was absolutely beautiful BUT when we went for a ride to see some of the country side around there...wow. I've honestly never seen so many rebel flags displayed on "residences" in my life. It seemed like most them had three things: an Alabama/Roll Tide whatever flag, a rebel flag and a pile of trash. If you don't believe me go look for yourselves...unreal.

 

[Dawg1976]

I'm in Orange Beach and its business as usual here. Very few masks. Most employees wear them tho.

 

[dawgdr]

Funny thing about rebel flag. One of biggest ones have ever seen is on 278 west of Double Springs. But in that area you see Free State this and that. Same area tried to secede from Confederacy! SMH every time I see it.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Winston County, Alabama (where Double Springs is) was known as the Free State of Winston during the Civil War-- very similar to Jones County in that regard.

And largely because that antipathy toward the Confederacy during the war at both Jones County & Winston County, Alabama, you've got very strong Pro-Confederate Heritage sentiments at both places.

 

[Misfit]

Don't mean to hijack, but the place I was stunned to see so many Confederate flags was Southwestern Pennsylvania. Driving south through Somerset County, the closer I got to the Mason-Dixon line, the more there were. Then when I crossed the line, didn't see any. (Of course Maryland wasn't part of the CSA, either).

 

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

I travel the entire state with work and a large % of businesses that I've been in have plexiglass up. All the Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn have plexiglass up and none are doing breakfast, only to-go bags. Restaurant wise, employees are wearing mask and I'd say 20% of those coming in to pickup to-go orders are wearing mask. Was at the Casual Pint in Huntsville last Thursday (first bar I've been to since March) and as far as social distancing goes most were trying to keep theirs. I imagine being on vacation at OB, most people are lax because it's vacation and distancing is tougher with so many people in one area. Also, if people are on vacation then they aren't too worried about contracting Covid so they're not going to be wearing mask or worry about distancing. As for rednecks and the rebel flag, we drover over to the CMP at Talladega Sunday and had no idea it was race day. The range sits a few miles south of the track so we had to drive past it. There were 3 trucks and 2 cars driving around with large rebel flags as well as a plane pulling a large one over the track before the race started. I probably see a little more of the flag over here than back in MS but I believe it's due to the larger population.

There used to be a LARGE battle flag displayed on the west side of I-65, between Clanton and Prattville, marking a DOC site but not sure if it's still flying. Haven't paid attention lately when I've been down that way.

ETA: Forgot to mention, we did see one redneck truck driving around the track and town of Lincoln Sunday with a large American flag. Was nice to see a counter to the others....

 

[dorndawg]

Serious question, why do you think that antipathy led to strong(er?) Pro-Confederate Heritage sentiments today?

 

[dorndawg]

"Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh at one end, Philadelphia at the other, and Alabama in between" - not sure who said it first

 

[Maroon Eagle]

That's Pennsyltucky Country. Apropos of this thread, Pennsylvania has been described as "Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle."

 

[dorndawg]

That's Pennsyltucky Country. Apropos of this thread, Pennsylvania has been described as "Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle."

Owe me a Coke

 

[Maroon Eagle]

I do. Well done.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

That question deserves a long response and I don't have the time to give you one...

The shortest, simplest answer is that it's an overly strong response to what happened in Winston & Jones counties to ensure that Unionist sentiments are seen as repellent.

For example, Jones County & Ellisville had their names changed immediately after the Civil War to Davis County & Leesburg (they were changed back to Jones & Ellisville during Reconstruction).

I suggest reading:

Victoria Bynum. The Free State of Jones.
Richard Grant. "The True Story of the Free State of Jones." Smithsonian Magazine. Link. Note: I know a few of the people mentioned in this article but not the famous ones.

 

[Misfit]

Pennsylvanians describe the Commonwealth exactly that way, but they say "Pennsyltucky in the middle."

 

[dorndawg]

Appreciate it. I know about the Free State, was more interested in why they and as you suggest Winston County AL grew to embrace confederacy after the fact. And thanks for the suggestions.

 

[57stratdawg]

Alabama getaway
Alabama getaway
Only way to please me
Turn around and leave
And walk away

 

[o_Native Son]

My company let me get back to traveling this week, so I went on calls in Alabama....Holy cow, they don’t appear to be worried about Covid....Neither hotel I have stayed in has hand sanitizer at check in or at coffee/breakfast bar. hardly anyone is wearing mask...and Rebel flags are abundant.... you can see more Rebel Flags in a couple of days of traveling in Alabama than you ever do in Mississippi.

Went to a baseball game last weekend in Southhaven. Maybe 500 people there. Besides the concessions staff (which were all wearing masks) and the lady at the gate/admissions, there were maybe two or three people *total* that I saw wearing masks. And I'm not talking about folks sitting out with their small group by themselves - there was no observable distancing going on that I could perceive. All day. I'd say less than 1% had masks on. Maybe 5-10% had them on at the gas stations I stopped at going there and back. I mean, there has to be zero surprise at the current numbers for anyone paying attention.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

The Big Rebel Flag at Double Springs was flying with all of its glory this morning....

 

[Nunya.sixpack]

Went to a baseball game last weekend in Southhaven. Maybe 500 people there. Besides the concessions staff (which were all wearing masks) and the lady at the gate/admissions, there were maybe two or three people *total* that I saw wearing masks. And I'm not talking about folks sitting out with their small group by themselves - there was no observable distancing going on that I could perceive. All day. I'd say less than 1% had masks on. Maybe 5-10% had them on at the gas stations I stopped at going there and back. I mean, there has to be zero surprise at the current numbers for anyone paying attention.

did you take their picture and post it to facebook with a long shaming rant?

 

[Maroon Eagle]

You’re welcome!