Last week Alabama made it official. It would not become the 49th state to do something for once. Gay marriage became legal. While some probate judges in the Shoals area seemed to be a little confused about how the law works, all that matters is they figured it out, right?

I guess I really cannot blame them for thinking an order from Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore trumped a federal judge’s ruling that the states gay marriage ban was unconstitutional. After all, the “well I went to high school in Alabama excuse” applies to not knowing the definition of federalism.

“I understand it had been shown that the Supreme Court of the U.S. denied the stay; however, there’s still conflict of law at this point in time between the federal district judge and chief justice of Alabama Supreme Court,” said Lauderdale County Probate Judge James Hall Feb. 9. “Today we don’t have that clarification. I’m still working on the research.”

I am glad to see he completed his “research” and got that “clarification.”

I’m betting Hall was reluctant to begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples Feb. 13, only four days late. But, I’m also betting he was not alone.

While conservatism reigns as king of the South, other parts of the country are run amok with evil, wicked social demons.

And, those liberal assholes from Washington D.C. don’t know how things work ‘round here.’ Down in the “Heart of Dixie,” a person is measured by standing for what he or she thinks is right — not for what the majority thinks is right. It is not about standing for equality or fairness — even for people in elected positions. It’s all about clinging to guns, Bibles and the way things were “way back when” (which, in this case, was around 1900).

I commend the decision made by federal officials to bring Alabama out of its “thank God for Mississippi” state of affairs for once.

But, even more I thank probate judges of Lauderdale, Colbert and Franklin counties for making Northwest Alabama the butt of an already behind state.