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http://vestaviavoice.com/news/jack%20wil...all%20123/

I should preface what I'm about to say by saying I TRULY appreciate Jack Williams and all his efforts. I'm not sure if anyone is working harder to invoke change as he is. I do wonder if it's a bit too much all at one time, though. Seems like he might be favoring quantity over quality. I feel like he has a new proposal every week. If I was an outsider looking in, I might just dismiss him as an unreasonable fanatic. I feel we'd really benefit if the #freeuab movement had some direction and would focus on one issue at a time. He's probably a pretty good representation of the current fan-base: outraged, ready to fight, and directionless. I will probably be blasted for saying this, but I am wondering if anyone else feels the same?

Had we had more representation up until this point, then the resolutions probably would be spread out more & brought up by more people.

Since we don't, Jack has to bring most up.

(02-04-2015 06:06 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  I should preface what I'm about to say by saying I TRULY appreciate Jack Williams and all his efforts. I'm not sure if anyone is working harder to invoke change as he is. I do wonder if it's a bit too much all at one time, though. Seems like he might be favoring quantity over quality. I feel like he has a new proposal every week. If I was an outsider looking in, I might just dismiss him as an unreasonable fanatic. I feel we'd really benefit if the #freeuab movement had some direction and would focus on one issue at a time. He's probably a pretty good representation of the current fan-base: outraged, ready to fight, and directionless. I will probably be blasted for saying this, but I am wondering if anyone else feels the same?

I certainly do not feel the same. As one of a team of well over 100 UAB supporters who are working with Jack to lobby the legislature to move his bills through to successful conclusions, I can tell you that all of Jack's bills are carefully planned to provide the best chance that they will ultimately be successful. Jack firmly believes they have a good chance of passing in some form.

By the way, that very short article was incomplete - Jack is actually planning on introducing three bills - the third being a bill which would mandate that UAB bring back football immediately. That bill would not require a constitutional amendment because it will not require a change to BOT. It may even require only a vote of the Birmingham area legislators. The other two would require a successful legislative vote to put the propositions on the ballot for a state wide vote by the public during the next regular election.

Anyone who is paying close attention to the situation will tell you that with all of the negative attention which Watts has brought on himself and the UA BOT through out the state, and even nationally. as a result of bumbling handling of his "process", this is the best chance we will ever have of not only bringing back football, but also getting the BOT's hobnailed boot off of UAB's neck once and for all.

By Damn, we will get this done!

(02-04-2015 06:06 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  I should preface what I'm about to say by saying I TRULY appreciate Jack Williams and all his efforts. I'm not sure if anyone is working harder to invoke change as he is. I do wonder if it's a bit too much all at one time, though. Seems like he might be favoring quantity over quality. I feel like he has a new proposal every week. If I was an outsider looking in, I might just dismiss him as an unreasonable fanatic. I feel we'd really benefit if the #freeuab movement had some direction and would focus on one issue at a time. He's probably a pretty good representation of the current fan-base: outraged, ready to fight, and directionless. I will probably be blasted for saying this, but I am wondering if anyone else feels the same?

i do in depth work with a group that introduces and supports many bills of legislation. one of the key points is to realize that the large majority of bills are going to die...when trying to accomplish something very specific, we often introduce multiple bills to attack from several angles.
this approach if very common

(02-04-2015 06:32 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  

(02-04-2015 06:06 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  I should preface what I'm about to say by saying I TRULY appreciate Jack Williams and all his efforts. I'm not sure if anyone is working harder to invoke change as he is. I do wonder if it's a bit too much all at one time, though. Seems like he might be favoring quantity over quality. I feel like he has a new proposal every week. If I was an outsider looking in, I might just dismiss him as an unreasonable fanatic. I feel we'd really benefit if the #freeuab movement had some direction and would focus on one issue at a time. He's probably a pretty good representation of the current fan-base: outraged, ready to fight, and directionless. I will probably be blasted for saying this, but I am wondering if anyone else feels the same?

i do in depth work with a group that introduces and supports many bills of legislation. one of the key points is to realize that the large majority of bills are going to die...when trying to accomplish something very specific, we often introduce multiple bills to attack from several angles.
this approach if very common

Interesting to hear that. So, it's not uncommon for a single legislator to introduce a host of bills around a central issue? I don't know anything about how all of that works.

(02-04-2015 06:30 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  

(02-04-2015 06:06 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  I should preface what I'm about to say by saying I TRULY appreciate Jack Williams and all his efforts. I'm not sure if anyone is working harder to invoke change as he is. I do wonder if it's a bit too much all at one time, though. Seems like he might be favoring quantity over quality. I feel like he has a new proposal every week. If I was an outsider looking in, I might just dismiss him as an unreasonable fanatic. I feel we'd really benefit if the #freeuab movement had some direction and would focus on one issue at a time. He's probably a pretty good representation of the current fan-base: outraged, ready to fight, and directionless. I will probably be blasted for saying this, but I am wondering if anyone else feels the same?

I certainly do not feel the same. As one of a team of well over 100 UAB supporters who are working with Jack to lobby the legislature to move his bills through to successful conclusions, I can tell you that all of Jack's bills are carefully planned to provide the best chance that they will ultimately be successful. Jack firmly believes they have a good chance of passing in some form.

By the way, that very short article was incomplete - Jack is actually planning on introducing three bills - the third being a bill which would mandate that UAB bring back football immediately. That bill would not require a constitutional amendment because it will not require a change to BOT. It may even require only a vote of the Birmingham area legislators. The other two would require a successful legislative vote to put the propositions on the ballot for a state wide vote by the public during the next regular election.

Anyone who is paying close attention to the situation will tell you that with all of the negative attention which Watts has brought on himself and the UA BOT through out the state, and even nationally. as a result of bumbling handling of his "process", this is the best chance we will ever have of not only bringing back football, but also getting the BOT's hobnailed boot off of UAB's neck once and for all.

By Damn, we will get this done!

Totally agree on this being the right time and the best chance we have. Wish we could get more state reps on board. I have no clue how this stuff works, but it kind of seems like Jack alone in this (at least in the public eye).

(02-04-2015 07:01 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  

(02-04-2015 06:30 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  

(02-04-2015 06:06 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  I should preface what I'm about to say by saying I TRULY appreciate Jack Williams and all his efforts. I'm not sure if anyone is working harder to invoke change as he is. I do wonder if it's a bit too much all at one time, though. Seems like he might be favoring quantity over quality. I feel like he has a new proposal every week. If I was an outsider looking in, I might just dismiss him as an unreasonable fanatic. I feel we'd really benefit if the #freeuab movement had some direction and would focus on one issue at a time. He's probably a pretty good representation of the current fan-base: outraged, ready to fight, and directionless. I will probably be blasted for saying this, but I am wondering if anyone else feels the same?

I certainly do not feel the same. As one of a team of well over 100 UAB supporters who are working with Jack to lobby the legislature to move his bills through to successful conclusions, I can tell you that all of Jack's bills are carefully planned to provide the best chance that they will ultimately be successful. Jack firmly believes they have a good chance of passing in some form.

By the way, that very short article was incomplete - Jack is actually planning on introducing three bills - the third being a bill which would mandate that UAB bring back football immediately. That bill would not require a constitutional amendment because it will not require a change to BOT. It may even require only a vote of the Birmingham area legislators. The other two would require a successful legislative vote to put the propositions on the ballot for a state wide vote by the public during the next regular election.

Anyone who is paying close attention to the situation will tell you that with all of the negative attention which Watts has brought on himself and the UA BOT through out the state, and even nationally. as a result of bumbling handling of his "process", this is the best chance we will ever have of not only bringing back football, but also getting the BOT's hobnailed boot off of UAB's neck once and for all.

By Damn, we will get this done!

Totally agree on this being the right time and the best chance we have. Wish we could get more state reps on board. I have no clue how this stuff works, but it kind of seems like Jack alone in this (at least in the public eye).

Privately he's getting a lot of traction. We're at kickoff of a long game

(02-04-2015 06:52 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  Interesting to hear that. So, it's not uncommon for a single legislator to introduce a host of bills around a central issue? I don't know anything about how all of that works.

Yes. I covered this for a while in my newspaper days. You have to advertise a bill first, and so an experienced rep would place many versions, each somewhat different than the others, in the various legal papers no one reads that are used for the "public notice" requirement. Then these would all be ready in his/her back pocket so when one died, another was instantly ready. Or sometimes substantially different, so during negotiations it could be pulled out with a "well, how about this version ..."

John Rogers, for example, is way smarter than he acts (and it is an act, or at least it was back in the day). He was a master of this tactic.

Our friends in the legislature are playing their hand very smartly at this point in the game by letting a white suburban Republican take the point. He is not alone.

(02-04-2015 07:33 PM)58-56 Wrote:  

(02-04-2015 06:52 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  Interesting to hear that. So, it's not uncommon for a single legislator to introduce a host of bills around a central issue? I don't know anything about how all of that works.

Yes. I covered this for a while in my newspaper days. You have to advertise a bill first, and so an experienced rep would place many versions, each somewhat different than the others, in the various legal papers no one reads that are used for the "public notice" requirement. Then these would all be ready in his/her back pocket so when one died, another was instantly ready. Or sometimes substantially different, so during negotiations it could be pulled out with a "well, how about this version ..."

John Rogers, for example, is way smarter than he acts (and it is an act, or at least it was back in the day). He was a master of this tactic.

Our friends in the legislature are playing their hand very smartly at this point in the game by letting a white suburban Republican take the point. He is not alone.

+1 - coming from a political family, my father was lobbyist in AL serving his company in the SE region & grandfather was State Budget Director of AL until 70's when he retired (so in Watt's yrs that makes my UAB connection 200+yrs) . My father had many dealings w/ Rogers as well as others who've been around the Legislature for decades

(02-04-2015 07:33 PM)58-56 Wrote:  

(02-04-2015 06:52 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  Interesting to hear that. So, it's not uncommon for a single legislator to introduce a host of bills around a central issue? I don't know anything about how all of that works.

Yes. I covered this for a while in my newspaper days. You have to advertise a bill first, and so an experienced rep would place many versions, each somewhat different than the others, in the various legal papers no one reads that are used for the "public notice" requirement. Then these would all be ready in his/her back pocket so when one died, another was instantly ready. Or sometimes substantially different, so during negotiations it could be pulled out with a "well, how about this version ..."

John Rogers, for example, is way smarter than he acts (and it is an act, or at least it was back in the day). He was a master of this tactic.

Our friends in the legislature are playing their hand very smartly at this point in the game by letting a white suburban Republican take the point. He is not alone.

Brother 58-56 I agree completely

There something that we all need to recognize - Jack Williams is taking a very big political risk by going all in as he has for UAB. He is only doing it because he firmly believes that the cause is just, that an great injustice has been done, and because he feels that it is his duty to pick up the soiled UAB banner and carry it into battle.

Jack has been in the legislature for 10 years and he fully understands that his may be his last term. He told our UAB legislative team as much during our last group meeting. Jack has chosen to go face to face with some of the biggest political heavy hitters in the state and you know they don't appreciate it. He fully understands the possible consequences. Those people will probably be out for revenge regardless of what happens to Jack's legislation. However, he feels this is something he has to do even if it ultimately it costs him his seat in the legislature.

We owe Jack a tremendous debt of gratitude. It is not often that you find a politician who always does what is right regardless of the politics of the situation. I hope the the people of his district truly appreciate him. I wish he were my representative.

All of that said, if you care about justice, if you about UAB, if you care about UAB athletics, then get off your butt and help Jack William win this fight for us. This man is putting his job on the line for UAB - the least we can do is everything in our power to support him.

(02-04-2015 07:33 PM)58-56 Wrote:  

(02-04-2015 06:52 PM)uabfanman Wrote:  Interesting to hear that. So, it's not uncommon for a single legislator to introduce a host of bills around a central issue? I don't know anything about how all of that works.

Yes. I covered this for a while in my newspaper days. You have to advertise a bill first, and so an experienced rep would place many versions, each somewhat different than the others, in the various legal papers no one reads that are used for the "public notice" requirement. Then these would all be ready in his/her back pocket so when one died, another was instantly ready. Or sometimes substantially different, so during negotiations it could be pulled out with a "well, how about this version ..."

John Rogers, for example, is way smarter than he acts (and it is an act, or at least it was back in the day). He was a master of this tactic.

Our friends in the legislature are playing their hand very smartly at this point in the game by letting a white suburban Republican take the point. He is not alone.

Exactly. I've spoken to Jack about this very topic. He has a lot of support. They just can't be out front.