By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 27, 2019 I have been an independent voter since 2001. I support political candidates based upon their stand on issues of importance to me, and not on the basis of personality or party loyalty. I am a fiscal conservative and social moderate. I am also a student of world history and American political science. On June 8, 2019, I published an article in which I predicted that President Donald Trump will win re-election in 2020. All of the objective evidence regarding the American political scene supports this prediction. On Thursday, liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore warned Democrats that picking a “professional politician” as their nominee will guarantee four more years of Donald Trump. I agree. “We have to have a beloved American running, not a professional politician, “ said Moore. “You’ve got to have somebody who inspires the base. The base, here, of the Democratic Party, are women, people of color, and young adults between 18-35. That’s 70 percent of who’s going to vote next year.” I agree. Moore, who won an Oscar for his 2002 documentary “Bowling for Columbine,” explained that Democrats need a candidate that voters will be "excited" about, and who invokes “that feeling” people had for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. I agree. Moore said, “I love Joe Biden…, but we gotta win.” He called picking the “safest candidate” a “huge mistake.” Instead, the Democrats need their "version" of Donald Trump. Again, I agree. Donald Trump a “street fighter,” said Moore. “We need a street fighter. That’s the only way you’re going to defeat him, “ Moore declared. “You’re going up against a bully.” Again, Moore is right. None of the 23 Democrats who are running for President is a “street fighter.” None of them gives voters the “excited” feeling that would cause them to stand in long lines to cast their votes for the Democratic nominee. The top four candidates in the crowded field of 23 Democratic candidates are “professional politicians.” I gave up on all of the Democratic candidates earlier this month after President Trump attacked the “Squad,” who are four female members of the United States Congress. They are also women of color. Referring to these Congresswomen, Trump tweeted: “So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came? Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!” This tweet was plainly racist and derogatory. It inspired chants of “send them back” at Trump campaign rallies. It also signaled a fundamental change in the immigration debate from a theme of “we just want them to enter legally” to “send [American citizens of color] back" where they came from. Regardless of any political views expressed by the “Squad,” they are Americans. Three of these Congresswomen were born in America. As a circumstance of their birth, America is the "corrupt and inept" and "totally broken and crime infested place" Trump references in his tweet. The fourth Congresswoman referenced in Trump's tweet is a naturalized American who fulfilled the citizenship requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act. She enjoys the same citizenship status as Donald Trump's grandparents (Frederick and Elizabeth Trump from Bavaria), his mother (Mary Anne MacCloud Trump from Scotland), his first wife (Ivanka Trump from Czechoslovakia), and his third and current wife, First Lady Melania Trump. Some would argue that the First Lady, who was a nude model from Yugoslavia before she met and married President Trump, is an immigrant from a poor, war-torn, “shithole” country (by Trump's definition) in Eastern Europe. The same is true for Melania Trump's parents, who gained American citizenship through the very “chain migration” Donald Trump condemned as a presidential candidate. Yet, no one is chanting that we should “send them back” to Yugoslavia (now known as Slovenia). No Democrat candidate running for president had the courage to stand up to Donald Trump and "kick his ass" for bullying these four American Congresswomen, who fearlessly fought back themselves. Trump, who will not fight real thugs like Russian President Vladimir Putin or North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, has relished in his nasty, un-American “street fight” with these Congresswomen of color during the past two weeks. The four Congresswomen of color committed the “crime,” of "loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States .... how our government is to be run." Of course, they were representing the view of their political constituents and simply exercising their First Amendment right to criticize American policy on the detention of undocumented migrants at the Southern border. In Trump's eyes and words, women are only objects for sexual gratification, or they are service workers. He has no respect for women, regardless of their color or political party affiliation. Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, who once boasted that he would "beat the hell out of" President Donald Trump over his crude comments about women if they were in high school, never opened his mouth in defense of the “Squad’s” right to freedom of speech. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris were missing in action, as well. Senator Bernie Sanders was off on some esoteric socialist rant. My 2015 Prediction of a Trump Victory Was Right Six weeks after Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States on June 16, 2015, I published an article predicting that he would defeat his 15 Republican Primary rivals and win the Presidency in November 2016. In the article, I made the following observations that hold true today: "The Republican billionaire crowd has decided that starting with the 2016 election cycle, political surrogates are “out”; rich principals are “in” for the national political offices that matter the most. Trump made a direct and strong appeal to what really scares white America – the browning of America. Trump regularly uses campaign rhetoric about illegal immigration of Mexicans, the need to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, and the unwillingness of young black males to work as a way of signaling his willingness to stem the tide on these issues. Trump has shown white Americans that he is their candidate of choice with the backbone to “make America great again… Unlike the other candidates, Trump does not have to pretend that he believes in “family values.” Trump does not have to kiss babies or act like he loves his cheering crowd of supporters. He just has to be the Donald Trump that America already knows. The Trump campaign is a reality show in real time on the art of the deal – winning the American presidency. It is being masterfully produced by Trump himself. This show is a hit with Republican voters…. In fact, Trump is already running against Hillary Clinton, a highly intelligent woman with a distinguished track record of public service to America and the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for president….Trump will likely defeat her too. The Trump campaign is a perfect blend of entertainment prowess mixed with passion, intellect and a big dose of business acumen, from a man who has played hardball all of his adult life. Trump knows the art of the deal and his ultimate prize – the American presidency – is within his reach.” Donald Trump’s Republican base loves him. Many independent voters love him, as well. These voters do not care about Trump’s multitude of personality flaws and demonstrated lack of character because he faithfully advances their political interests and aggressively protects their core values, without flinching or apologizing. In their view, Trump delivered on his promised tax cuts; he has cracked down on illegal immigration; he has stacked the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts with right-wing conservative judges; unemployment is at an all-time low on Trump’s watch; the stock market is at an all-time high during Trump’s presidency; he broke Mexico’s political will on the immigration issue with his threat of tariffs; he is building “The Wall”; he has cleared the way for big American businesses and Wall Street to do pretty much whatever they want to do; he has taken America’s trade imbalance with the Chinese by imposing new tariffs on Chinese imports; he withdrew from the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change; he withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal; he withdrew from the UN Arms Trade Treaty; he has protected the NRA from tougher gun control regulations in the face of mass murders in American schools, churches, synagogues, and workplaces; he has deregulated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air, ground, and water regulations; he has cracked down on the governments of Cuba and Venezuela; he has proven that CNN and MSNBC cannot “make” or “break” a “strong” conservative president; and he survived Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s attempted coup d'état of his 2-year-old presidency. The 23 Democratic presidential candidates left in the race are mostly talking to themselves and their narrow band of supporters. They are talking about everything except what really matters to the new “mainstream” voters. The National Democratic Party, itself, is still a prisoner of the Barack Obama-Joe Biden and Hillary-Bill Clinton factions of the Party. New voices within the Party have been stifled by its old and tired national leadership. What is worse, the Democratic Party takes its most loyal political groups for granted. None of the Democratic candidates in the race has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump. None of them is a "street fighter." What is more, none of them is listening to the new “mainstream” voters who have been won over by Trump. In time, Donald Trump will defeat his Republican Primary challenger, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld. Barring divine intervention from God, Trump will go on to defeat the eventual Democratic nominee in the November 2020 presidential election. PHOTO: Oscar-winning documentary maker Michael Moore predicts that Donald Trump will be re-elected as President of the United States.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 25, 2019 Last week, Alabama Media Group reporter/columnist Kyle Whitmire published an article that said I should have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in my case in order to save my son, Donald, Jr., from prosecution. Here is Whitmire’s exact quote: “This is the thing you won’t find in any court record, in any grand jury testimony or any deposition, but rest assured it’s true: Watkins Sr. could have made a deal. He could have gone to the U.S. Attorney’s office and made a plea for less time, and he could have negotiated an important condition — you don’t touch my son.” In making his declaration about what "you won't find in any court record," Whitmire never explained how he got access to secret "grand jury testimony" in order to support this bold pronouncement. Because grand jury testimony is secret and sealed, only prosecutors and federal law enforcement agents could have provided the contents of grand jury testimony to Whitmire. Remember, Whitmire also knew about my sealed indictment before I did. Setting aside Whitmire’s COINTELPRO status as a "friendly" news media source for state and federal law enforcement agencies who seek to demonize the "targets" of their investigations, one of my strongest supporters asked me to address the topic of an African-American father’s love for his children. I agreed to do so in this article. We Love and Parent Our Children From the day Olivia Williamson and William Carmichael (my maternal great-grand parents) married in Crawford Station, Mississippi on March 25, 1865 and subsequently parented their nine children, every generation of Carmichael/Watkins family members has raised their children in two-parent households. For five generations, every child in this family has been protected from physical and psychological harm and has been inspired to achieve educational excellence. As a result of this hands-on parenting model, Olivia and William Carmichael's core values of respect for humanity, self-reliance, educational excellence, equal opportunity for all, and unselfish community service have been passed down to every new generation within the family. This is why there have been teachers and principals, college professors and presidents, doctors and nurses, lawyers and judges, biomedical innovators and surgeons, mathematicians and inventors, concert pianists, bankers, entrepreneurs, engineers, authors, government officials, and a host of other professions represented in our family for over one hundred and fifty-four years. One of these descendants, Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., became a world-famous heart surgeon and associate dean at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Today, more than three million people worldwide are walking around with implantable defibrillators that were developed by the pioneering medical research of Drs. Michel Mirowski, Morton Mower, William Staewen, and Levi Watkins, Jr. This device prevents sudden death from an irregular heartbeat. Levi, Jr. implanted the first defibrillator in 1980 at a time when many white Johns Hopkins University Hospital cardiac patients did not want a black heart surgeon, who had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine, to perform life-saving surgery on them. Levi overlooked their bigotry, loved them as human beings, and saved their lives anyway. Watkins family members have overcome incredible odds and navigated a vast sea of racial bigotry since slavery in America ended in 1865. We have had to protect our children from unimaginable threats of bodily harm flowing from their courageous action in integrating schools, libraries, public parks, swimming pools, colleges, graduate schools, medical schools, law schools, and places of work. In the early 1930s, some of our family members in Mississippi had to physically protect a young male family member from a small posse of angry white men who wanted to snatch this boy from his home, lynch him, castrate him, and burn his body. These family members had to quickly abandon all of their belongings and hastily flee the state in the aftermath of this nightmarish incident. In my own childhood, I have been spat on by strangers, cursed by segregationists, verbally abused and demeaned by white police officers and judges, pelted with rocks by white teenagers, harassed by white college students, unfairly penalized by law school classmates and professors, and threatened with death on countless occasions solely because I strove to break down color barriers during the course of my life. After I became a successful and prolific civil rights attorney in Alabama, my children became the targets of threats of bodily harm and death. Every time I won a landmark case, the death threats ratcheted up to seemingly unbearable levels. In the midst of it all, my family always found a way to protect my children. Our Children Are Our Assets This brings me back to Kyle Whitmire and his suggestion that I should have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in my case in order to save my son, Donald, Jr., from prosecution. This “brain fart” was obviously the product of Whitmire’s collaboration with the Government and his stereotypical view of African-American families. In Whitmire’s mind, 35% of African-American children are raised in a two-parent home, as compared to 76% of white children. The other 65% of black children are raised in a single-parent household headed by their mother or another female relative. More often than not, the children in single-parent households, whether white or black, have limited interaction with their biological fathers. Research studies have shown that children raised in “father-absent” single-parent households tend to experience more physical and psychological problems when compared to those raised in two-parent households. The absence of a father in a child’s life contributes to psychosocial problems in the following areas: (a) perceived abandonment, (b) attachment issues, (c) child abuse, (d) childhood obesity, (e) criminal justice involvement, (f) gang involvement, (g) mental health issues, (h) poor school performance, (i) poverty and homelessness; and (j) substance use. Prior to Donald, Jr.’s indictment last November, none of my children had any issue in these psychosocial areas. In the Watkins family, our children are our assets. Based upon our family background and history in America, we do not fit Whitmire's stereotypical view of an African-American family. Those who have followed my collective body of work in the civil rights arena in Alabama and my investigative journalism on controversial topics that mainstream reporters like Kyle Whitmire will not touch (until it is safe to do so) know exactly why I was indicted. To them, a highly politicized Department of Justice has no "presumed" credibility. They also know the tactical reason why Donald, Jr. was dragged into the criminal case when he was never a defendant in the companion civil case filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission three years ago. They know Donald, Jr. and I are innocent of the charges against us. Finally, they know what coded message is being sent to the larger community by our persecution. For the record, Donald, Jr. wasted no time in smacking down Kyle Whitmire, who knows absolutely nothing about the Watkins family and its five-generation legacy in America. Donald, Jr., posted his response to Whitmire on his Facebook page. Now, Kyle Whitmire and his COINTELPRO allies in Alabama know the following things about the Watkins family and the love we have for our children: (a) we take care of our own, (b) Watkins men never surrender their manhood to anybody, (c) we would rather die on our feet than live on our knees, (d) “a man can’t ride your back unless it is bent,” (e) we “don’t take criticism from people we would never go to for advice,” and (f) we have always conquered seemingly insurmountable odds in life. This is who we are and what we do in the Watkins family. There is nothing Kyle Whitmire or the U.S. Government can do to erase this legacy. PHOTO: My five children: From left to right, Donald, Jr., Claudia, Light, Donald, Sr., Drew, and Dustin.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 16, 2019 This afternoon, we finished the sentencing phase of my criminal trial. The prosecution requested a sentence of 210 months, or 17.5 years in prison. The trial judge sentenced me to 60 months. My son received a sentence of 27 months. My case presents several threshold questions of law that are ripe for an appeal. These are questions of first impression in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit: 1. Whether an executed purchase contract that was negotiated at arms-length between sophisticated business parties who were represented by financial and legal professionals is subject to a prosecutorial override 10 to 12 years later solely because the purchasers’ refreshed recollection of the nature and scope of the commercial transaction differs from the written purchase agreement they signed? 2. Whether introductory emails between Charles Barkley and me regarding three loan transactions trump (a) the plain language of the promissory notes that were specifically approved by the lender’s financial advisor and (b) the authorized uses of proceeds that are specified in the applicable corporate operating agreements that govern the business relationship? 3. Whether a bank fraud conviction can be sustained in a case where I, as a bank “insider,” complied with the plain language of a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regulatory provision that expressly permitted a loan transaction by a business partner (Dr. Richard Arrington, Jr.) in a "bona fide transaction" where the loan proceeds were used to acquire “goods”, “services,” and “property” from the insider? The background facts for these questions are set for the in “Why I Must Fight,” which was published on March 15, 2019. I am reporting on the sentencing phase of my case because The Birmingham News’ coverage historically portrays civil rights activists like me in the most negative light possible. This is a time-honored tradition at the News that started with its willing participation in J. Edgar Hoover’s infamous COINTELPRO program in the 1950s. I want to especially thank Olayinka O. Arowolo and Jessica A. Findley for volunteering to tell the truth about the status of my international businesses in their sworn Declarations, which were exhibits to my Sentencing Memorandum. Both of these entrepreneurs are pioneers in their areas of operation and highly respected within the energy services industry. Olayinka’s Declaration is Exhibit A to my Sentencing Memorandum. Jessica’s is Exhibit E to my Memorandum. To this day, the Government has never questioned the legitimacy of Nabirm Energy Services (Pty) Ltd., an oil and gas energy services company based in Windhoek, Namibia, or Masada Resource Group, LLC, a waste-to-energy technology company. Each company works every day to successfully implement its business plan. This case is a long way from being over. We will now turn our attention to prosecuting our appeals from the guilty verdicts. As an experienced litigator, I feel very good about our chances on appeal. In the end, justice is not a sprint; it is a marathon. I sincerely thank my readers for understanding the larger issues in my case and for supporting me throughout this ordeal. PHOTO: Donald V. Watkins is ready to appeal his case.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 15, 2019 The Birmingham News’ job in Birmingham, Alabama is to portray civil rights activists like me in the most negative light possible. This is a time-honored tradition at the News that started with its willing participation in J. Edgar Hoover’s infamous COINTELPRO program in the 1950s. It continues today. I want to thank Olayinka O. Arowolo and Jessica A. Findley for presenting the truth about the status of my international businesses in their sworn Declarations to my Sentencing Memorandum. Both of these entrepreneurs are pioneers in their respective fields and are highly regarded within the energy services industry. Olayinka’s Declaration is Exhibit A to my Sentencing Memorandum. Jessica’s is Exhibit E to my Memorandum. Both of them volunteered to tell the truth under penalty of perjury. Regardless of what happens at my sentencing hearing tomorrow, I am very proud of what our leadership teams at Masada Resource Group, LLC, and Nabirm Global, LLC, have been able to accomplish on the international stage. Each of these businesses continues to work every day to successfully implement its business plan. Thanks to online journalism, my readers can review Olayinka’s and Jessica’s sworn testimony on an unfiltered basis. PHOTO: Founding President of the Republic of Namibia, Dr. Sam Nujoma (right), accepts a donation of thousands of public school textbooks from Nabirm's CEO, Olayinka Arowolo (left).

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 14, 2019 My sentencing hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. CST in Birmingham, Alabama. This day has been set aside for the trial judge in my criminal case to impose her sentence after a federal court jury found me “guilty” of one count of conspiracy, seven counts of wire fraud, and two counts of bank fraud. I am innocent of those charges. I respect the jury system. Jurors try to do the right thing, more often than not. However, my 46-years of active participation in the American judicial system has shown me (and the world) that well-meaning jurors often convict innocent defendants. The most famous Alabama case that demonstrates this fact happened to be my first case out of law school – the pardon for Mr. Clarence Norris, the last known surviving Scottsboro Boy. In 1931, nine innocent black teenagers were arrested for raping two white women on a freight train passing through Paint Rock, Alabama. The rape charges were fabricated. The defendants were tried by a jury, convicted of rape, and sentenced to death – three times. The U.S. Supreme Court saved the Scottsboro Boys from the administration of Alabama’s death penalty each time. Forty-five years after their arrest, the Alabama Pardons and Parole Board conferred upon Mr. Norris the first and only pardon ever issued to a death row inmate on the basis of his proven “innocence” of the crime for which he was convicted. Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton experienced the same injustice in Alabama. Hinton was charged with the murder of two Birmingham area restaurant managers in 1985. He was convicted by a jury and sentenced to death. Hinton spent nearly 30 years on death row before the State of Alabama dropped the criminal charges against him in 2015 -- several years after prosecutors knew he was innocent of the charges. The Central Park Five case in New York represents a present-day example of innocent defendants who were falsely accused, criminally charged, tried, and convicted of assault, rape, robbery, and other charges. They were subjected to a horrific experience inside the criminal justice system. It took the Central Park Five years to correct this injustice, which finally occurred when the State of New York dismissed the charges against these innocent teenagers, vacated the convictions, and paid them $41 million for their wrongful incarceration. Their case is dramatized in the miniseries, “When They See Us,” which is presently airing on Netflix. These cases also demonstrate why innocent defendants must wage an enduring fight for their freedom. The judicial system rarely corrects injustices on its own; the innocent defendant must become the drum-major for justice in his/her case. The Support in My Case Has Been Overwhelming The support I have received from those who studied the objective evidence in my case has been overwhelming. These supporters know my true character, and they know it is good. Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Robert Wooden said this about character: “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Coach Wooden’s statement on character has been my mantra in life. My good character is the glue that holds my family together and secures my rightful place in the world of law and business. The test of character is adversity. It does not build character; it reveals character. One's strength of character is measured by the devotion of those who stand by his/her side in times like these. I have been very blessed in this regard. Freedom is a State of Mind Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught me as a child that freedom is a state of mind. He was jailed repeatedly for refusing to surrender his manhood to those who did not see him as a human being. Yet, he was a free man in his mind throughout his entire life. Nelson Mandela suffered a similar fate for the right to be respected as a human being. He was charged with crimes against the Republic of South Africa, tried in court, convicted, and sentenced to a term of 27 years in prison. Mandela served his time in isolation at the infamous Robbins Island prison. Yet, he was a free man in his mind throughout this entire ordeal. Both men were labeled as “criminals” and “con artists" by those who imprisoned them. Both of them sacrificed their physical freedom so that tens of millions of people around the world would be respected as human beings. Both of them are national heroes today. Many people are physically free to move around in the world, but a lot of them are serving lifetime sentences in the prison of psychological inferiority. They have willingly subordinated themselves to a life of subservience. They will never be free. Will Justice Be Served on Tuesday? Our judicial system provides the tools to achieve justice in every case. This is particularly true within the federal system where judges hold lifetime appointments. A sentencing judge has broad discretion to craft a fair and reasonable sentence. Each side has filed a sentencing memorandum with the court on a recommended sentence in my case. This matter is now in the hands of the trial judge. The law allows me to appeal the jury verdicts in my case after the judge sentences me on Tuesday, and I fully intend to do so. My Work is Far From Done The sun always rises each day, and so do I. I enjoy my advocacy work for those who have no effective voice in society. I will continue to be that voice. I love my brand of independent journalism, which presents the cold, hard truth without fear or favor. It will continue, no matter what happens. And, I still have challenging business goals I am striving to achieve. I love attaining goals that people say are impossible to reach, especially for an African-American. Wherever I go and whatever I do, I will always follow John Wooden’s words of wisdom: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” “Make each day your masterpiece.” Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. “It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.” “It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” “Never mistake activity for achievement.” “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” “You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” PHOTO: Donald V. Watkins, Jr. (Left) and Donald V. Watkins, Sr. (right) standing tall in the sunshine of life.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 2, 2019 I cannot support Joe Biden’s candidacy for President of the United States. As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, Biden had the power to kill Clarence Thomas’ nomination to the Supreme Court, but he did not do so. As a result, Clarence Thomas became one of the five worst Supreme Court Justice in American history. Biden’s failure to kill Thomas’ nomination is a deal-breaker for me. “I do not share the certainty of some who are voting against Judge Thomas that he will be as extreme as some of his statements could lead one to believe he might be,” said Biden in 1991. Well, Joe Biden, you were wrong. Very Wrong! Because Clarence Thomas is so extreme in his disdain for African-Americans, women and gay Americans, the other conservatives on the Supreme Court often have to distance themselves from his hostility towards these Americans. For example, in May 2016, the Justices voted 7 to 1 to overturn the conviction of Timothy Tyrone Foster, a black death-row inmate who was convicted of murdering an elderly white woman. Foster’s conviction was reversed because the Georgia prosecutors in his case deliberately kicked African-Americans off the jury, in clear violation of prior Supreme Court decisions that potential jurors cannot be struck from jury service because of their race. On June 21, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that Curtis Flowers, a Mississippi prisoner who was tried six times for murder, deserved a seventh trial because of the prosecutor's well-documented discrimination against potential black jurors. District Attorney Doug Evans engaged in prohibited racial discrimination in each one of Flowers' six trials dating back two decades. Evans eliminated 41 of 42 potential black jurors for whom he used peremptory strikes that required no explanation when exercised. Clarence Thomas saw no problem with Evans’ flagrant discrimination against potential black jurors. In February 2015, Thomas blasted his fellow U.S. Supreme Court Justices for refusing, on a 7-2 vote, to block a ruling that struck down Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriages. Later that day, same-sex couples in the state were granted marriage licenses for the first time ever. In his concurring opinion in the 1995 case of United States v. Lopez, Clarence Thomas expressed his view that federal minimum wage laws, overtime rules, anti-discrimination protections for workers, and even the national ban on whites-only lunch counters are all unconstitutional. Thomas is the only current member of the Supreme Court who has explicitly and openly embraced the reasoning of Lochner Era decisions (from 1897 to 1937) that struck down nationwide child labor laws and made similar attacks on federal power. Clarence Thomas Hurts Millions of Innocent Americans Because Hates Himself During his nearly 28 years on the High Court, Clarence Thomas has vigorously and forcefully opposed equal rights for minorities, women, and gay Americans. Ironically, every break Thomas has received in life, including his post-secondary educational opportunities and his current job on the Supreme Court bench, has been the result of affirmative action based upon his race. Thomas has never distinguished himself in life based upon any intellectual acumen. What little praise he receives as a Supreme Court Justice usually comes from far right-wing conservatives, extremist groups, and corporate titans who admire his fierce loyalty to the preservation of their way of life. Over the decades, I have come to believe that Clarence Thomas hates the fact that he was born a black man. Thomas likely feels that he is a white man trapped in a black man’s body much like a transgender male or female feels trapped in their bodies. Fortunately for transgender males and females, they can free themselves from this bodily prison by having sex reassignment surgery (male-to-female and female-to-male). Unfortunately for Clarence Thomas, no race reassignment surgery is available to him. He is hopelessly trapped in a black man’s body, forever. Serving a life sentence as a black man must be agonizing for Thomas. This genetic condition, I believe, is why Thomas constantly finds new and creative ways to undermine the Constitutional rights of blacks, women, gays, and other minority groups. This is his way of cursing God for his genetic condition. Even though his skin color is black, Thomas has found that by casting votes against these minority groups in a highly visible way he can endear himself to other extremists who oppose equal rights under the law. Joe Biden Had the Power to Kill Thomas’ Nomination, but He Did Not Use It. Joe Biden knew in 1991 that Clarence Thomas was nothing more than a “pack mule” for far right-wing extremists. Biden had the power to kill Thomas’ nomination, but he did not use it. As a result, Thomas has used his position on the Supreme Court to inflict unimaginable pain and suffering on millions of innocent Americans. It is true that Biden voted against Clarence Thomas on the floor of the Senate. However, Biden’s “no” vote was cast only after he knew that Thomas had secured 52 “yes” votes for confirmation. In my view, Joe Biden committed a profound error in judgment in allowing Clarence Thomas’ nomination to survive certain political death in his Senate Judiciary Committee. Thomas’ embarrassing presence and record on the High Court are a constant reminders of how Joe Biden failed Americans who believe in equal protection under the U.S. Constitution for African-Americans, women, gays, and other minority groups. For these reasons, I cannot support Joe Biden for President of the United States. PHOTO: Joe Biden (left) confers with Clarence Thomas (right) during Thomas' Senate confirmation hearings in 1991. At the time, Biden chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and held the power to kill Thomas' nomination to the High Court.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on June 30, 2019 On June 28, 2019, I published an article about the Alabama Power Foundation, Inc. (APF). The article highlighted the “winners” and “losers” in APF’s award of grants to community service organizations, churches, and educational institutions in 2017. An analysis of APF’s IRS Form 990-PF for 2017 graphically illustrated the disparity in funding between recipients that serve mainstream Alabama communities and those that serve the needs of the state’s Black Belt counties, minority communities, and underserved rural areas. The disparity in grant awards was not a one-time glitch for 2017. It is a part of a trend that is reflected in APF’s IRS Form 990-PF for tax years 2016, 2015, and 2014. APF is funded by donations from Alabama Power Company shareholders. Because Alabama Power sets its own rates, the ratepayers in Alabama indirectly contribute their fair share of money to APF as well. Alabama Power enjoys a protected monopoly position within the state’s regulated utilities industry. Blacks in Alabama make up 26.2% of the state’s population and nearly 25% of Alabama Power Company’s retail customer base. Yet, APF awarded less than 5% of its direct grants to non-profit organizations that serve the needs of the black community. APF's Funding Disparity Results from a Failure of Black Political Leadership, Not White Racism Alabama Power Company is led by CEO Mark Crosswhite. He is a smart, ethical, fair-minded, and progressive corporate executive with proven skills in leading and growing a $6 billion a year publicly-owned, monopolistic utility giant. Crosswhite has also done a lot to advance equal employment opportunities for blacks and women within the upper ranks of Alabama Power Company’s senior management team. Additionally, APF funds hundreds of deserving community-based, service-oriented non-profit organizations around the state. Myla Calhoun, a Tuskegee native and highly accomplished attorney from a very distinguished family, is the overly qualified and very capable president of APF. Ms. Calhoun is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and The University of Alabama School of Law. She is the perfect person to head APF. The disparity in APF’s award of grants, when compared to the racial breakdown of Alabama Power’s “captive” retail customer base, is a direct result of the failure of Alabama’s black elected officials to perform their job in an effective manner. For decades, these officials have advanced and protected Alabama Power’s monopoly position in the state, while seeking virtually no community reinvestment from the company for their political constituents. Typically, these public officials DO NOT study Alabama Power’s 10-Q and 10-K regulatory filings with the U.S. Exchange and Securities Commission to track the company’s financial growth and net profits. Likewise, they DO NOT study APF’s annual IRS Form 990-PF to see how much money APF allocates to various categories of deserving recipients. These insightful documents are published online and can be easily accessed with the click of a button. Yet, these officials appear to be too lazy or disinterested to access them. So many deserving organizations in political districts represented by black elected officials missed out on equitable funding from APF over the past four years because too many of these public officials spent their time and energy pressuring APC for campaign cash and jobs for their friends, lovers, mistresses, and relatives, instead of APF grants for deserving service-oriented organizations that would lift the quality of life in the communities they represent. Black public officials are elected to serve the interests of their constituents within the halls of government and in the boardrooms of corporate America. However, most of these officials abandon the political interests of their constituents as soon as the swearing-in ceremony ends. Too many of today’s black public officials are preoccupied with traveling to conferences in America and abroad, begging for free tickets to concerts and sporting events, issuing feel-good proclamations on symbolic subjects, and posting photos on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram in an effort to project an image of perceived power. When they do fight for something, it is usually a battle for front-row seats at entertainment events, or skybox tickets at major sports events, or VIP treatment at commemorative events that celebrate the courage of civil rights icons from the 1950s and 1960s. As a result, black communities in Alabama and across the nation are suffering terribly from a lack of effective leadership, a lack of basic government services, and a lack of corporate reinvestment in the black community. In Alabama, this lack of leadership has resulted in APF funding animal welfare programs in an amount that is greater than its funding for social services in Alabama’s poorest Black Belt counties. For example, the Selma and Black Belt Region Abuse Sanctuary, which is a shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence, received only $300 in 2017. In contrast, funding for animal safety and welfare programs for dogs, cats, horses, fish, and wildlife in open habitats and in zoos totaled $222,775 in 2017. The disparity in APF’s funding for colleges and universities was even more glaring. Auburn University, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Samford University were awarded nearly all of the money allocated for institutions of higher education. Their collective grants represented more than 25% of the $9,679,493 APF awarded to all recipients in 2017, not just colleges and universities. In addition, APF has committed $2,500,000 in funding for Auburn University and UAB in future years. In contrast, the aggregate amount of money awarded to Alabama State University, Alabama A&M University, and Tuskegee University, which are Alabama’s flagship HBCUs, was only $100,000 in 2017. Spelman College, which is a flagship HBCU in Atlanta, received $5,000. The total funding for the Selma and Black Belt Region Abuse Sanctuary and the flagship HBCUs in Alabama and Georgia was a mere $105,300. In contrast, the animals at the Birmingham Zoo, alone, received $113,000 in 2017. Furthermore, the Birmingham Zoo animals are guaranteed another $300,000 in APF funding in future years, while the flagship HBCUs are not guaranteed any grant funding. My Message to Alabama's Black Public Officials My message to Alabama’s black elected and appointed officials is this: Please stop using “white racism” as an excuse for your dismal failure to adequately represent the political interests of your constituents, educational institutions, and communities. No white person is stopping you from preparing yourself for a productive, constituent-focused, mission-oriented meeting with Alabama Power Company CEO Mark Crosswhite or Alabama Power Foundation President Myla Calhoun. Stop complaining and start helping qualified and deserving non-profit organizations in your communities compete for APF grants. If you can find the time or interest to request a meeting with Mr. Crosswhite or Ms. Calhoun, please have something of substance to say to them that positions your constituent organizations as genuine “partners in progress” with Alabama Power Company. Otherwise, you are wasting their time and yours. Above all, please stop “hustling” Alabama Power Company for trinkets for yourself and tangible economic benefits for your relatives, lovers, and mistresses. When you engage in this type of irresponsible political behavior, your constituent organizations lose out every time. PHOTO: Alabama Power Foundation President Myla Calhoun (left) with Alabama Power Company CEO Mark Crosswhite (right).

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on June 28, 2019 In 2017, the Alabama Power Foundation, Inc. (APF), awarded $9,679,493 in grants to deserving entities. APF reported total net assets of $133,330,302 for 2017. APF offers grants to nonprofit organizations in Alabama and elsewhere that are working in the following areas: (a) educational advancement, (b) civic and community development, (c) arts and cultural enrichment, (d) health and human services, and (e) environmental stewardship. According to APF, “priority is given to projects that address underserved segments of the population, such as racial or ethnic minorities, people experiencing poverty, or underprivileged communities with fewer opportunities.” APF is funded by donations from Alabama Power Company shareholders. Because Alabama Power set its own rates, as discussed below, the ratepayers in Alabama indirectly contribute their fair share of money to APF, as well. I recently reviewed APF’s IRS Form 990-PF for 2017, dated November 9, 2018, to determine the winners and losers in APF’s funding sweepstakes. The results stunned me. Alabama Power Company is in a Class by Itself Alabama Power Company generated $6 billion in gross revenues in 2018. The company’s net income after payment of operating expenses and shareholder dividends was $930 million. This amount represents an increase in net income of $82 million, or 9.7%, over the previous year. According to Advanced Energy Economy’s Power Portal database, which tracks ROE for over 100 publicly-owned utilities across the country, the highest ROE allowed by a public utility commission belongs to  Alabama Power Co., at 13.75%.  This ROE places Alabama Power in a class by itself. Furthermore, Alabama taxpayers guarantee Alabama Power a five percent minimum annual return on the company’s equity. If there is a shortfall in this guaranteed minimum return on equity, taxpayers must make up the difference. Instead of making a case for rate increases, Alabama Power Company uses a formula-based ratemaking process (called the “Rate Equalization and Stabilization” formula) to effectively adjust its rates each year without any public evidentiary hearings and without any participation by ratepaying consumers. In 2015, Alabama Power overcharged its customers by $146 millionthrough a fee used to cover fuel costs. Instead of issuing refunds to customers, as required by law, Alabama Power simply reduced its energy cost recovery in 2016 by $120 million dollars. The company’s last rate decrease was in 2016. Its last rate increase was in 2017. APF Winners and Losers The first thing I noticed was the salary paid to Myla Calhoun, who works 24 hours per week as APF’s president and who made $164,078 in 2017. The average Foundation Director salary in Alabama is $132,592 as of May 31, 2019, but the range typically falls between $108,692 and $164,446. Myla Calhoun is definitely a WINNER. Second, since 1991, APF has operated a scholarship program for the children of employees of Alabama Power Company. Each recipient receives an award of $2,500. In 1995, APF expanded the program to include Presidential scholarships. These scholarships provide 4 years of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at one of Alabama’s colleges and universities. The employees/parents of APF’s scholarship recipients are big-time WINNERS. Third, the Auburn University Foundation received $2,475,324 from APF in 2017, which dwarfed the amounts received by Alabama State University ($50,000), Alabama A&M University ($25,000), Tuskegee University ($25,000), and Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia ($5,000). Historically black Oakwood College in Huntsville, Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Miles College in Birmingham, and Talladega College in Talladega were left out in the cold. The Auburn University Foundation received 25.5% of the total $9,679,493 in grants awarded in 2017, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Educational Foundation received $200,000, and Samford University in Birmingham received $60,605. APF has committed another $2,000,000 in future funding to Auburn University. UAB was assured of $200,000 for its capital campaign and $300,000 for its athletics program. Auburn University and UAB are clear WINNERS. Fourth, the Crimson Tide Foundation received $10,000, while the Miles College Booster Club received $2,500. The Crimson Tide Foundation is a WINNER. Fifth, the Eagles Landing Christian Academy, which was founded under the name of McDonough Christian Academy in 1970 as a private school for white students fleeing public school desegregation in McDonough, Georgia, received $1,172 in 2017. Given its troublesome history, this school is a WINNER. Sixth, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, which is headquartered in Birmingham, received $31,000, while the Mexican Orphans Missions in Birmingham received $45,000. These organizations are WINNERS. Seventh, mega-churches in the Birmingham area fared very well. For example, Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook received $10,000 in 2017. The Church of the Highlands in Birmingham received $5,000. Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham received $15,000. Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Birmingham received $10,000. The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, which was the site of the 1963 church bombing that killed four little girls during the Sunday School hour, received $10,000. These churches are WINNERS. Eight, the Alabama Special Olympics received $1,000. The Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind received $1,500. The Association for Retarded Citizens received $140. Arts ‘N Autism, Inc. received $1,000. Alabama Senior Olympics received $500. These organizations, which help physically and mentally impaired children/adults/seniors, are clear LOSERS in the funding sweepstakes. Ninth, the Congressional Black Caucus received $10,000. Dr. Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference received $50,000, while the Martin Luther King Center for Non-Violent Social Change received $10,000. The NAACP received $1,000, while the National Council of Negro Women received $100. The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Salma received $5,000. The United Negro College Fund received $10,000. Given the meager amounts APF awarded to these important social justice organizations, they must be viewed as LOSERS. The Sickle Cell Disease Association, which fights the Sickle Cell disease that primarily affects black people, received $500 in 2017. The Association is a LOSER in the APF funding sweepstakes. The National Society of Black Engineers in Alexandria, Virginia received $50,000. It is a WINNER. Tenth, the Selma and Black Belt Region Abuse Sanctuary is a shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence. It received $300 in 2017. The funding allocation for this critical sanctuary organization is shameful, especially when compared to the $1,172 APF awarded to a former segregationist academy in McDonough, Georgia. The Selma and Black Belt Abuse Sanctuary is a LOSER in the APF awards. In contrast, funding for animal safety and welfare programs (i.e., dogs, cats, horses, fish, and wildlife in open habitats and in zoos) totaled $222,775 in 2017. The animals in these programs are clear WINNERS, especially when compared to the anemic funding for organizations with missions dedicated to advancing and protecting the safety and welfare of African-Americans. This is especially true in light of the fact that APF has committed another $300,000 in future funding to the Birmingham Zoo. Are APF’s Awards Equitable? Alabama Power enjoys a protected monopoly status in the state’s utilities industry. Blacks in Alabama make up 26.2% of the state’s population and nearly 25% of Alabama Power Company’s retail customers. Yet, APF awarded less than 5% of its direct grants to non-profit organizations that serve the needs of the black community. This disparity is not a one-time glitch for 2017. It is a trend that is reflected in APF’s IRS Form 990-PF for tax years 2016, 2015, and 2014. This is not “Happy News.” This is the cold, hard truth. PHOTO: Alabama Power Foundation logo.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on June 27, 2016, Updated on June 27, 2019 Three years ago today, I drove to Montgomery, Alabama to attend the funeral of Brenda Lee Thompson Carter. God’s angels came to Montgomery on June 16, 2016 to escort Brenda to her Heavenly home. She was 69-years old and died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. I first met Brenda in 1974, and said my final goodbye to her three years ago this month. Brenda’s home-going celebration was one of the most difficult moments of my life. This remarkable woman was my former law partner Billy Carter’s loving wife of 42 years. She was also the mother of two wonderful, highly intelligent and well-mannered children, Bryan and Brooke Carter. Brenda was my former wife DeAndra’s best friend. She was also the unsung hero who quietly lifted up countless individuals and institutions in America during their most challenging times. In short, Brenda was one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. She was the epitome of class, character, love and strength. Every family member and friend who gathered in the packed Montgomery church to say goodbye to Brenda had been impacted in a favorable way by his/her interaction with Brenda. Her departure to Heaven has left a huge void in our lives and the world as a whole. Brenda and DeAndra were the solid rocks that formed the foundation for the small law practice Billy and I started in 1979. Both of us had previously worked with legendary civil rights attorney Fred Gray from 1974 to 1978. With little money and only the support of our spouses and families, Billy and I ventured out on our own on January 1, 1979. Brenda and DeAndra banked every penny they had saved on their collective belief that Billy and I could develop and run a successful law practice. DeAndra and I had four small kids – Donald, Jr., Light, Drew, and Dustin -- when we started our law practice in Montgomery. Brenda and Billy would not have Bryan and Brooke until several years later. As such, they always had more money than DeAndra and me and shared what they had with us. Brenda regularly cooked French fries and breaded fried shrimp for the four of us at their home on Friday nights where we gathered to watch TV and reminisce about the week. Billy and Brenda were always trying to ease the financial crunch on DeAndra, my four sons, and me. Brenda was born to the late John Halsey Thompson and Eugene Walden Thompson on June 27, 1947 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her parents were truly great people. They were working-class Americans who loved and supported their children. Brenda was raised with her younger brother, John Wendell Thompson, in West Palm Beach where she attended John F. Kennedy High School and graduated as valedictorian of her class in 1965. After graduating from high school, Brenda relocated to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology in 1969. While studying at Howard, Brenda met Billy Carter and married him on June 15, 1974, following a six-year courtship. Brenda and Billy moved to Montgomery in November of 1974 and Brenda began her professional career as a clinical technician with two public health agencies. In 1978, Brenda earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Auburn University at Montgomery and began a long and distinguished career at the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (“ACHE”) where she served as ACHE’s Director of Academic Programs until her retirement in 2006. Brenda’s work at ACHE directly contributed to the meteoric rise of academic programs at historically black Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University (among other colleges and universities in Alabama). Her courageous and pioneering work at ACHE paved the way for Alabama State University to break the last color barrier in higher education by attaining the Level-Six accreditation status that had been held exclusively in the state by the University of Alabama and Auburn University. Billy, Brenda, John and their parents were cornerstones in the life of our family. They were good and decent people. Their integrity was beyond reproach. If there are finer people in the world, I have not met them. I salute Billy, Bryan, Brooke and John for personally taking care of Brenda during her long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Brenda’s journey along the road to Heaven was filled with the unconditional love that only Billy, Bryan, Brooke and John could have given her. The outpouring of love she received from them during this difficult period in her life was as great as the geyser of love Brenda showered on them and all of us. One measure of the magnitude of Brenda’s impact on society is embodied in the incredible story of John’s historic rise in corporate America. Brenda was John’s big sister, best friend, mentor, childhood protector, life coach and biggest cheerleader during his ascent to the top of the corporate world. In 2014, John, a graduate of Florida A&M University with a Master’s Degree from MIT in Management Science, succeeded Bill Gates as the chairman of Microsoft. John is a former vice-president at IBM and the former CEO of cyber security giant Symantec. John led the search for Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella. Today, John, who is 70-years-old, is one of the most powerful corporate executives in the world and he reached the top without denying his heritage or cultural upbringing. Throughout the reign of her greatness, Brenda never sought recognition for her daily good works. Humility was her calling card. Making a positive difference for humanity was her legacy. The world was Brenda’s family and she loved it with all of her heart. Three years after her death, I still miss Brenda dearly and I thank God for allowing my life to be touched by her greatness. I will never forget Brenda and her positive impact upon the world. In the end, she lifted us all. PHOTO: Brenda Lee Thompson Carter (1947-2016).

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on June 26, 2019 Yesterday, Perry County, Alabama Commissioner Albert Turner, Jr., announced the successful outcome of his meeting with Alabama Power Company. The meeting was requested by Turner to address his concerns about Alabama Power’s plan to close 40 of its 86 local offices around the state by August 16, 2019. The closures targeted offices in Black Belt counties and rural communities, and reduced customer services in these areas. Turner is a longtime human rights activist and one of the few elected officials in Alabama who is “unbossed” and “unbought.” Like his mother and father, who were nationally-recognized human rights icons in West Alabama, Commissioner Turner stands up for poor people, middle-class Alabamians, senior citizens on a fixed income, and small business owners whenever he sees an injustice inflicted upon them. Turner saw such an injustice when Alabama Power Company announced the office closures earlier this month. The office in Marion, which is the county seat for Perry County, is on the list of closures. Turner understands the articulated business case for closing these offices, but he denounced Alabama Power’s practice of allowing its authorized privately owned and operated payment centers to charge customers a processing fee of $1 to $3 for each bill payment made in person at these locations. In Turner's view, these transactional fees gouge Alabama Power's "pay in person" customers and effectively constitutes an unauthorized rate increase that is borne solely by the affected customers. Commissioner Turner believed the transactional fees should be borne exclusively by Alabama Power Company. This was Alabama Power's custom and practice in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the company began the gradual shift to privately operated payment centers. During his meeting Tuesday with Alabama Power Company executives and local public officials, poor people, rural customers, senior citizens on a fixed income, and small business owners won major concessions from the utility giant. Below is a list of Commissioner Turner’s concerns and the concessions won during the meeting: 1. Alabama Power customers are being charged transaction fees for bill payments by its authorized third-party payment center operators: Alabama Power Company agreed that all authorized payment centers will cease collecting these service fees by August 16, 2019. However, non-authorized payment centers will continue to charge customers for their transactions. 2. Authorized payment centers are not allowing same-day credits (shadow payments) on the day the payments are made: Alabama Power Company agreed that all authorized payment centers will provide same-day credit immediately upon payment. In fact, Alabama Power officials noted that an aggressive education of its authorized payment centers began after Commissioner Turner voiced his concerns publicly on June 11, 2019. Company officials noted that several authorized payment centers were not well versed in the payment process, but that situation is changing. 3. Social service agencies did not have access to privately operated payment centers for the purpose of making payment arrangements on behalf of their clients: Alabama Power Company officials promised that a dedicated phone number will be provided in order for social services agencies to call area managers to make payment pledges and arrangements. This number will be available prior to the August 16 closing date. 4. The fate of local Alabama Power Company office buildings: This issue is being discussed in-depth to get values on each property, according to Alabama Power Company Vice President Leslie Sanders. The company’s desire is to transfer ownership of these properties via a sale to local governments at a market or below market price. 5. Community support from Alabama Power Company has been anemic in Black Belt counties and rural communities: Alabama Power officials acknowledged that the Alabama Power Foundation, Inc. has not made its presence felt in rural communities, particularly in Black Belt counties. However, that will change immediately. Area managers will aggressively begin educating communities on the Foundation's mission and encouraging deserving entities to seek funding from the Foundation. Company officials made a firm commitment to show more corporate reinvestment and social responsibility in the Black Belt communities, via the Foundation. After the meeting, Commissioner Turner said, "this meeting was needed, and the results were all on point. This is what happens when you sit down with corporate officials and discuss issues of importance that affect the citizens. We get positive results." Alabama Power VP Leslie Sanders applauded Commissioner Turner for bringing his concerns to the table in a frank and honest fashion. She also thanked all of the local officials who were concerned enough about their communities to join in and work as partners-in-progress with Alabama Power Company on these concerns. Among those who were present and who participated in Commissioner Turner’s meeting were: Aubrey Carter, Area Manager at Alabama Power, Mike Jordan, Manager of Southern Division, Leslie Sanders, Vice President Southern Division, Latonia Tisdale, Office Supervisor for Marion and Selma, Hale County Commission Chairman Arthur Crawford, Hale County Commissioner Donald Anderson, City of Greensboro Clerk Gay Nell Singleton, State Representative Prince Chestnut, Melissa Williams from the Office of Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Margret Hardy from State Senator Malika Sander's office, Perry County DHR Director Ms. Dorothy Carson, Frances Ford of Perry County Sowing Seeds of Hope, and Colonel David J. Mollahan of Marion Military Institute. PHOTO: Perry County, Alabama Commissioner Albert Turner, Jr. (center) is surrounded by local officials who attended his meeting on Tuesday with Alabama Power Company executives. PHOTO: Alabama Power Company Vice President Leslie Sanders.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on June 20, 2019 Deposition testimony from former Gov. Robert Bentley and former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Chief Spencer Collier in a recently settled lawsuit between the two men confirmed that Bentley viewed me as a “political enemy" and asked Collier to investigate me for criminal wrongdoing as a means of discrediting me. The other online journalist who was targeted for destruction is Roger Shuler. Schuler and I published a series of articles in 2015 that exposed Gov. Bentley’s secret love affair with his mistress and lover, Rebekah Caldwell Mason. The publication of my “Forbidden Love” and “Executive Betrayal” series of investigative articles in September/October 2015 infuriated Bentley. Once First Lady Dianne Jones Bentley confirmed that Rebekah Mason was her husband’s paramour, she sued Gov. Bentley for a divorce and exited their marriage. Gov. Bentley had already exited the marriage, emotionally and otherwise. He was hopelessly in love with Rebekah Mason, a married mother of three children who served as his senior political advisor. Mason's sexual seduction of Bentley gave her complete control of the governor’s office. Roger Shuler’s Recent Articles Expose Bentley’s Violations of Law Roger Shuler published two recent articles that exposed Bentley’s sinister and unlawful plan to use federal and state resources to launch criminal investigations against Shuler and me in retaliation for our news reporting on the Bentley-Mason love affair and sex scandal. Bentley was not worried about the state’s mainstream news media organizations because he regarded them as too weak, too compromised, and too afraid to report on his “sex-for-power” scandal. He was right. These media outlets did not join the fray until seven months later when audiotapes surfaced of phone sex between Bentley and Mason. Shuler’s July 17, 2018 article reported the deposition testimony of Bentley. According to his testimony, Gov. Bentley felt threatened by my articles. Here is what he had to say on this point: “Spencer and I talked two or three times about all these things that had transpired, you know, the things that were on blogs and things like this. The thing about Donald Watkins, so much of that had been fed to him by, obviously, somebody, and so he was one of the ones that was putting out some of this material that I felt was somewhat threatening. So Spencer told me -- I remember on three occasions, Spencer said, "Now, Governor, you're not telling me to investigate this, because I don't know how they investigate things," but he said, "I am going to investigate this." He investigated -- I don't know how much they did on Donald Watkins, I don't know what they looked into on it, I don't know what they used, but he was one of the ones that we talked about. The guy at Legal Schnauzer, whatever his name is, he was one of the others. I also gave Spencer some e-mails from my former accountant that Spencer felt like were extortion. So Spencer investigated some things. I don't know exactly how much was investigated, though.” Bentley lied in his deposition when he claimed that he did not know what became of the investigations. They, in fact, continued. Roger Shuler’s July 17th article links to the entire Bentley deposition for the convenience of his readers. In his June 19, 2019 article, Shuler presents Spencer Collier’s version of the same events. According to Collier’s sworn deposition testimony: “Bentley had, and continues to have, a pattern and practice of using ALEA equipment, facilities, and labor for his own personal reasons, including using and attempting to use ALEA law enforcement officers to try to dig up dirt on people that Bentley disliked or became upset with.” When asked to elaborate, Collier stated: “Governor Bentley on several occasions requested either myself or special agents -- other special agents either in executive or protective services, dignitary protection, to access law enforcement-sensitive databases to obtain information on individuals that he viewed were political enemies of his…. Governor Bentley requested myself and another special agent to try and gather information on Donald Watkins. He also requested it on a blogger out of Shelby County. I don't know the gentleman -- recall the gentleman's name, he ran a blog. On another occasion, the governor asked us to use law enforcement sensitive information to discredit Donald Watkins. I don't know Donald Watkins, I didn't know him. I don't necessarily know what it was about, but obviously Mr. Watkins had said some negative things about the governor, and the governor wanted us to discredit him in general. I again explained to the governor that NCIC, ACJIS, all of that was law enforcement sensitive, and we had to have criminal justice purpose to utilize it.” Spencer Collier was right about the use of the federal NCIC criminal database and state ACJIS information system for political and personal reasons. It is a crime to use these databases for political and personal reasons . In 2000, former Jefferson County Sheriff Jimmy Woodard and Birmingham Attorney Albert Jordan were charged, tried, and convicted in federal court for using the NCIC and ACJIS databases for political and personal reasons. Their convictions were upheld on appeal. As evidenced by his deposition testimony, Gov. Bentley engaged in the same politically motivated and retaliatory conduct in 2015. Yet, Bentley was not prosecuted by federal or state law enforcement authorities for these criminal acts. Spencer Collier Refused to Investigate Watkins, but Others Did Spencer Collier refused to use federal and state resources to launch politically motivated criminal investigations against Roger Shuler and me. Because of this refusal, Collier was fired. Undeterred, Gov. Bentley’s efforts to use federal and state resources to harass me continued under the leadership of David Byrne, the governor’s legal adviser/consigliere, and Stan Stabler, Bentley’s replacement for Collier. Byrne also worked closely with John D. Harrison, the former Superintendent of the Alabama Banking Department, to run me out of the banking business. To date, these efforts have not been successful. Harrison allowed Bentley to hijack his office and use the state Banking Department to administer retribution against the governor’s targeted political enemies. The number one target on the governor’s list of enemies was me. Prior to this targeting, I had been successfully operating Alamerica Bank on Birmingham’s Southside since its founding in January 2000. The bank is one of only 19 African-American banks in America and holds the only bank charter ever issued by the state of Alabama to an African-American. The bank has always been well capitalized and did not require taxpayer bailout money during the Great Recession of 2008. Prior to Bentley’s retaliation, the bank had never experienced problems with its regulators. The Banking Department’s abusive regulatory oversight of Alamerica Bank was so severe and harsh that it was an open secret within the industry that the Department was trying to administer the “death penalty” to the bank. The disparate and unfavorable regulatory treatment of Alamerica Bank, when compared to the treatment of other state chartered banks in Alabama, was shocking to our peers in the industry. Everyone knew that I had been singled out for destruction. What is more, the Banking Department cajoled the FDIC’s Atlanta region office to go along with its regulatory retaliation program. Collier’s Ordeal is Ending Spencer Collier sued Bentley for his wrongful termination. The case was settled last week with Collier receiving a reported $700,000 under the settlement agreement. Thereafter, the case will be dismissed. Collier’s ordeal is ending, but mine continues. Gov. Bentley resigned his office in disgrace in April 2017. Today, Bentley and Rebekah Mason are still lovers and they work together in Bentley's private medical practice. The mainstream reporters who were afraid to publish articles on the Bentley-Mason secret love affair during the first seven months of the scandal in 2015-16 eventually won praise for their work from pundits on national TV. One of them won a Pulitzer Prize for regurgitating and repackaging the journalistic work performed by Roger Shuler and me under the most threatening, harmful, and retaliatory conditions. The rest of the story is history. PHOTO: Former Gov. Robert Bentley (left) and former ALEA Chief Spencer Collier (right) settled Collier’s wrongful termination lawsuit last week.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on June 19, 2019 Yesterday, Perry County, Alabama Commissioner Albert Turner, Jr., announced that he will meet with Alabama Power Company officials on June 25, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in the board room of Marion Military Institute. The meeting will address recent concerns voiced by Turner about a planned reduction in Alabama Power's customer service in Perry County. Turner is a longtime human rights activist and one of the few elected officials in Alabama who is “unbossed” and “unbought.” Like his parents, who were nationally-recognized civil rights icons in West Alabama, Commissioner Turner stands up for poor people, middle-class Alabamians, senior citizens on a fixed income, and small business owners when he sees a glaring injustice in the way these people are treated. Turner found such an injustice two weeks ago when Alabama Power announced that it was closing 40 of its 86 business offices across the state by August 2019. As expected, these offices are located in West Alabama’s Black Belt counties (including Alabama Power’s office in Marion, the county seat for Perry County) and other rural communities around the state. Turner understands the business case for closing these business offices, but he decries Alabama Power’s policy and practice of allowing its authorized, privately operated payment centers to charge customers a processing fee of $1 to $3 for each bill payment made at these locations. This fee gouges the customers who choose to pay their bills at the payment centers and it effectively constitutes a rate increase that is borne solely by these customers. Commissioner Turner points out that this transactional fee should be borne by Alabama Power Company, as was the case in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Alabama Power began the shift to privately operated payment centers. Turner’s announcement stated: “The Southern Company, which is the parent company of Alabama Power Company, will send Leslie Sanders, the Vice President of the Southern Division, to Marion, Alabama. Leslie is responsible for the company’s operations in parts of 19 counties in South Central Alabama, including Montgomery and Marion. The Southern Division’s 660 employees serve approximately 220,000 customers. She has been in her current role since August 2011. Commissioner Turner called for a meeting shortly after being informed that the company will close the Marion office, as of August 2019. The news was not received well by Commissioner Turner. In an effort to address several issues that were forwarded to [Alabama Power’s] Sr. Vice President Quentin Riggins, a meeting has been planned to solve those concerns. The Commissioner acknowledged that Alabama Power Company is working through two friends -- Leslie Sanders and Quentin Riggins. Turner said, ‘with those two individuals, the public can be assured that a People's plan will be presented. I have all the confidence in the world that the meeting will be about a solution to common sense problems.’” After we published an exclusive article on June 11, 2019 about Commissioner Turner’s concerns, Alabama Power promptly called for a meeting with him to address these concerns. Turner's has requested the elimination of the $1 to $3 service charge for bill payments at authorized third-party payment centers in each of the cities on the closure list. He has also requested that at least one payment center in each city have the ability to post same-day credits to customer accounts upon payment. Finally, he has requested that indigent clients who receive assistance from family services agencies have the ability to communicate directly with a manager to credit those accounts immediately upon approval by the agency that a payment will be made. Commissioner Turner is not demanding that Alabama Power’s local offices remain open. Instead, he simply wants the level of customer service provided at the company's local offices to remain the same at the privately operated payment centers. Turner said, “[Alabama Power] is a [publicly traded] company and if they want to close offices, that's their decision. However, they are assured a profit by the [State of Alabama’s] government of a minimum 5% annual return on equity, so I feel that their customer service should not be a cost to a customer unless the customer wants to pay for it. There should be an option available to customers to [avoid paying] a service fee [at the third-party payment centers] just as it is with their online payments. Rural customers should not be punished because they don't have internet and poor people shouldn't be punished because they can't purchase a computer. The elderly shouldn't be punished because they don't know how to use a computer.” Commissioner Turner expressed confidence that Leslie Sanders, Quinton Riggins and Alabama Power will resolve this matter to his satisfaction. A number of elected officials are expected to attend this meeting, including District 7 Congresswoman Terry Sewell (or her representative) to small town mayors from surrounding areas. The meeting is open to the public, but seating is limited to invited guests. The meeting is credited, in part, to a successful and engaging corporate roundtable Commissioner Turner formed in Perry County several years ago. Alabama Power’s area manager is a member of the roundtable. The meeting is also the result of Turner's willingness to stand up and speak out on behalf of poor people, middle-class customers, senior citizens on a fixed income, and small business owners. His advocacy in this regard is a Turner family legacy and core value. When asked what will happen if Alabama Power does not adequately address his concerns, Turner replied, “I don't meet just to meet, or for photo ops. I have assurances that the company is working sincerely to ease the inconveniences that I have mentioned to them. Think about it, Alabama Power doesn't want to make it harder for them to collect their money." Alabama Power Enjoys Booming Revenues Although Alabama Power has proposed to cut customer services in Black Belt counties and rural communities around the state, the company’s cost-cutting measures do not apply to Alabama Power’s high-flying corporate lifestyle and mind-blowing executive perks. Alabama Power continues to sponsor extravagant game-day events at college football games in Tuscaloosa and Auburn. Its corporate jets are still ferrying executives and dignitaries back and forth to exotic ports of call. Its presence is still felt at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, at Regions’ golf tournament in Birmingham, at national NCAA championship football games around the nation, at NLF Super Bowls, at “March Madness” games, and at ritzy air shows in Paris and London. Last year, Alabama Power agreed to pay $500,000 per year for a naming rights sponsorship package for the new UAB football stadium in downtown Birmingham and for the luxury skybox that goes with it. The list of over-the-top corporate perks paid for by ratepayers in Perry County and elsewhere in the state is endless. Alabama Power Company generated $6 billion in gross revenues in 2018. The company’s net income after payment of operating expenses and shareholder dividends was $930 million. This amount represents an increase in net income of $82 million, or 9.7%, over the previous year. According to Advanced Energy Economy’s Power Portal database, which tracks ROE for over 100 publicly-owned utilities across the country, the highest ROE allowed by a public utility commission belongs to  Alabama Power Co., at 13.75%.  This ROE places Alabama Power is in a class by itself. Furthermore, Alabama taxpayers guarantee Alabama Power a five percent minimum annual return on the company’s equity. If there is a shortfall in this guaranteed minimum return on equity, taxpayers must make up the difference. In 2015, Alabama Power overcharged its customers by $146 millionthrough a fee used to cover fuel costs. Instead of issuing refunds to customers, as required by law, Alabama Power simply reduced its energy cost recovery in 2016 by $120 million dollars. The Alabama Public Service Commission characterized this reduction as a “rate cut” in a press release issued by the agency. The Commission’s press release made it look as if Alabama Power was doing its customers a favor rather than giving them back their own money, as required by law. Locations of Alabama Power Business Office Closures Alabama Power’s business office closures will occur in Columbiana, Gardendale, Leeds, Aliceville, Carbon Hill, Dora, Greensboro, Hamilton, Linden, Livingston, Sulligent, West Blocton, York, Clayton, Daleville, Slocomb, Alexander City, Ashville, Attalla, Blountsville, Heflin, Jacksonville, Wedowee, Bayou La Batre, Brewton, Butler, Citronelle, Flomaton, Grove Hill, Jackson, Prichard, Theodore, Fort Deposit, Georgiana, Marion, Tallassee, Wetumpka, Ashford, Florala, and Geneva. Commissioner Turner is the only public official in Alabama who publicly complained about the adverse impact of the planned office closures on poor people, middle-class consumers, senior citizens on a fixed income, and small business owners in these locations. No other public "watchdog" barked. PHOTO: Perry County, Alabama Commissioner Albert Turner, Jr., pictured below, will meet with Alabama Power Company officials Leslie Sanders and Quinton Riggins on June 25, 2019 in Marion, Alabama to address recent customer service issues in his political district. PHOTO: Alabama Power Company Vice President Leslie Sanders is pictured below. PHOTO: Alabama Power Company Vice President Quinton Reggins is pictured below.