Perhaps you've seen an old television show on TV Land called Car 54, Where Are You? One episode starred Charles Nelson Reilly and the noted Yiddish comedienne Molly Picon. Reilly's character was an architect charged with building a new apartment complex to replace a tenement house, while Picon's character didn't want to leave her old apartment--she'd become accustomed to its brownstone face.
Reilly agreed to make some changes Picon wanted in order to get her to move into the new building. When unveiled, the replacement apartment complex looked exactly like the one just torn down. In other words, just like the Colbert County Courthouse's new security system.
For those who came in late, the new security system is part of a multi-million dollar energy upgrade. Included are a new metal detector (cost unknown to us) and an X-Ray machine, cost 14.9K. These two machines have been placed at the courthouse's rear entrance, but lines have been long.
Some attorneys have requested badges to expedite their entry, but at least two county commissioners, David Black and Darol Bendall, haven't been trusting of them. Do they know something we don't? So now the commission, in its finite wisdom, has come up with a new plan.
Attorneys will enter via the eastern entrance (we infer it still may be a choice), but so will the public. The old metal detector from upstairs will be taken out of mothballs and placed there. But, wait. What about the X-Ray machine for handbags, attache' cases, etc.? Unless another X-Ray unit is purchased, the eastern door will always be less secure and used by any would-be terrorists.
Or is the commission going to cough up another 15K for a second X-Ray machine? After all, it's only taxpayers' money. And all because two county commissioners don't like local attorneys...
