The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Right now, a sizable portion of America’s elected officials and military leaders is running around like chickens with their heads cut off in response to Kim Jong Un’s belligerent displays of military aggression in North Korea. Most of them are screaming about what they can do to restrain him and are probably planning reckless actions that could very well start World War III. Let’s set the record straight. North Korea is a sovereign nation just like any other. Yes, it is currently under the r...
The more commonly remembered (88th Anniversary) stock market crash of 1929 resulted from “an overbought, overvalued, and excessively bullish market, rising even as economic conditions were not supporting the advance,” according to pop press accounts and economists who like to describe instead of explain results. What proffered the overbought, overvalued unsupported exuberance is noticeably absent in the discourse of Keynesian economists and other lotharios of leviathan. The crash began on Thu...
Some seventy six years ago your writer was earning his Merit Badges as a new Boy Scout, and was reminiscing over his first year in the “World of Work.” He was thinking over his bi-weekly salary that put a handsome $20. in his pocket twice a month—before taxes. Yet to come that year was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the realization that our country was now engaged in World War II. Now, nearly nine decades later, ushered into his life is a war-time era, replete with reali...
As of a year ago, the U.S. population was 322,762,018, a rise of more than 2.4 million than was counted a year ago. Unfortunately, an estimated 11.4 million of this number are illegal entrants into the United States, a good many of whom have their lives subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer; and more than 11 million of them are here illegally—many of whom are on the U.S. dole. Which is costing the American taxpayer better than $54.5 billion a year in dollars that could have been spent of making l...
Tallassee Armory Guards (SCV Camp 1921) 20th remembrance of the "Battles for the Armory" War Between the States reenactment is appropriately set for Veteran's day weekend November 10 and 11 this year. The 2017 event has added an Arts & Crafts fair adjacent to the battlefield on Gibson's View Plantation in Tallassee. The event offers an opportunity to view and buy artistic works of local craftsmen on the same ticket issued to observe the reenactment, and to shop War Between the States era Sutlers...
Empty screen before me now, heavy hands upon the keyboard, I struggle to type this month’s column… informed hours ago of the death of my father-in-law, Dale Miller, via phone from my bride. She immediately flew to Indiana a week ago to be there for his final days of a life well lived after her younger sister completed the onerous task of telling her older sister their father received Last Rites. Since joining the esteemed group of Alabama Gazette writers in 2009, I’ve never missed a deadl...
While campaigning for office, Donald Trump, like any respectable candidate, promised to defend the people’s right to keep and bear arms along with the remainder of the United States Constitution. And, during his inauguration this past January 20, he formally swore to uphold that same Constitution. But then, early this past month (July), Trump made a dirty deal with the Chicago Police Department to continue an oppressive drive begun by Barack Obama to confiscate “illegal” guns and ammun...
For those of us who number our life spans in a multiple of decades we've witnessed an interesting range of adjectives used to describe our Congress, from irascibility to serene. For the current Congress, albeit in its infancy, the appropriate adjective seems to be irascible: “easily provoked to anger,” and “very irritable.” These fit quite well. In fact, this may be the worst Congress in our history as it relates to trampling our nation's raison d'etre into dust. At the other end of the spectru...
Congressional shooter James T. Hodgkinson most reproduced quote (linked to a Change.org petition) asserted, “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co.” Fascinating how many this past decade sincerely asserted Obama and now Trump have somehow single-handedly accomplished such great damage. Extremists of this sort refuse to understand we were not designed to be a democracy; those who’ve shilled loudest for democracy have ‘progressed’ us into oligarchy...
What has happened to journalism over the past half century? When your humble scribe first chose to be a news person there were iron clad rules to which persons practicing this craft had to abide. Today, as one partakes of journalistic outpourings there seems to be virtually no rules scribes must follow; which is sad. Virtually every standard a news writer had to follow has, by now, been scrapped. Who is to blame? It's hard to point an accurate finger, unless one points an accusing finger at a...
Right now, in the United States Senate, the Sword of Damocles is hanging right over our heads. Keep an eye on it. Don’t let it drop and chop our heads off. It is Senate Bill 1134, labeled as the “Back the Blue Act of 2017.” It was introduced by Texas Senator John Cornyn and co-sponsored by our newly appointed Senator Luther Strange. This is a frightening piece of legislation that gives police and all other “first responders” near absolute immunity against legal action for almost any wrongdoin...
“Brother against brother” oft conjures remembrance of how a voluntary coalition of States morphed onto the forced coalition of states result observed these past several score. Mr. Trump swore his oath of office hand on the Lincoln bible to then speak of another FDR (increasing debt per capital twelve fold) type federal spending model in his inaugural address. President Trump recently asserted war between the States could’ve been avoided. Accomplished with compromise [lowering] tariffs to atten...
If we were looking for a definition of the adjective indivisible we would learn that it means “unable to be divided or separated.” Now that's relatively straightforward and simple. It means that something that is indivisible is something that is a tight, complete entity that can't be chopped up into bits and pieces, into smaller portions that can be dealt with and employed according to one's individual wishes. Such as “One nation indivisible,” as the U.S.A. is supposed to be. Unfortu...
DID YOU KNOW that right here in America, “The Land of the Free,” we have FIVE TIMES the percentage of our population in prison than the rest of the world? Of every 100,000 of our people, we have 756 locked up behind bars. This is a sharp contrast to the world average, which is only 158. And of our 50 states, Alabama has the third highest incarceration rate [after Louisiana (1) and Mississippi (2)]. Yes, the Gulag Archipelago is right here in our own back yard. Since 1977, our prison pop...
Putting ‘Dr. Gov. StrangeLuv’ embarrassment in our rear view mirror, WSFA (4/12/17) reported replacement Gov. Kay Ivey’s second day in office jettisoned more of the former corrupt governor's ‘work.’ Ivey abolished Bentley’s Office of Rural Development created in 2011 under the umbrella of ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs) ostensibly to improve and advance education, healthcare, and economic development in rural parts of the State. "Rural Alabama is near and dear to...
Capital punishment is a topic that many people want to avoid discussing. Opinions about it are all over the map—from people who are totally opposed to the ones who would like to round up huge numbers of criminals and “fry ‘em till their eyeballs pop out.” Arguments about the right thing to do for various crimes have persisted for many decades and will likely continue through the foreseeable future. The death penalty dates far back before the dawn of written history, and multitudes of differe...
The antics of former National Security Adviser Susan Rice suggest that what a good many of those in our government employ have learned; especially as it relates to doing well in government employ. Today's post presidential election nonsense suggests that while most Americans don't feed at the public trough, some do it with a vengeance. It's difficult for the “old-timer” faction in America to come to grips with the absolute iodicy that has been taking place in the U.S., especially as it rel...
I recently witnessed the installation ceremony of Steven ‘Crash’ Leath as AU’s 19th President at the University Ballroom March 20th; with considerably less ‘pomp & circumstance’ and significantly more transparency I participated in the election of Josh Tuttle as Chair of Alabama’s LP February 25th. AU’s BoT unanimously selected Leath after a six-month national ‘search’ which provided little on how it was conducted. Last year our Lee County Commission Chair correctly misspoke affirming somethi...
In 1966, Ray McKinley Dunwoody Jr. was a USAF chief master sergeant stationed in Roswell, New Mexico. During this time a friend of his, a retiring master sergeant, held a small party with a number of his friends and associates, including Ray. During a casual conversation, Ray mentioned chess. His friend eagerly announced that he was a member of the local chess club and held a high ranking. He then asked Ray about his chess experience. Ray told him that he only played once in a while, was just...
By the time our readers peruse this item, downtown Montgomery's famous Chris' Hot Dogs will have celebrated its 100th year of serving its famous hot dogs. For many of us who earned our salaries working in the area, Chris' Hot Dogs was often a lunchtime destination. Last month, a group of seniors from Elmcroft of Halcyon assisted living facility focused their monthly dining out session on Montgomery's famous Chris', located on Montgomery's famous Dexter Avenue. On hand for the memorable visit...
Some readers may recall past columns covering John Rice's efforts to weaken the grip 'double-dark money' has on our State. Sad so few understood what this former State legislator (a rare champion of liberty and unflappable small government conservative) was trying to accomplish on OUR behalf - i.e., those interested in promoting the general welfare for ourselves and our posterity over special interests. After calling them out into the light and connecting the dots to expose what these...
One of your writer's most enjoyable and invigorating experiences happened during the years spent as a member of the Alabama Silver-Haired Legislature. We operated much the same as the Sate's House of Representatives, in that each of us prepared and submitted resolutions that urged legislation the regular legislature should enact. They addressed matters that were of particular concern to the State's senior citizens. Each representative researched and wrote legislative proposals that addressed...
Alabama native son John M. Taylor (Alexander City) has penned a ‘must read’ for all who want to advance their understanding of our morphing from a voluntary collation of sovereign States to the forced consolidation imposed via war 1861-5 and tyrannical years of ‘reconstruction’ to follow. A well seasoned backlog of Taylor’s short articles dating back to the early 1990’s, were the starting point of the project. I was delighted Johnny asked my input over the years and truly honored when asked...
In addition to repealing the catastrophic Obamacare health care plan, one of President Donald Trump’s absolute top priorities must be to resist the military industrial complex and put an immediate end to the carnage and destruction our nation has been spreading all over the Middle East under the guise of saving the local people from their leaders and civil unrest. For the past 50 years and more—from Vietnam to the Middle East—our involvement has produced no benefits whatsoever. The result has b...
“We just ain't got no couth no more.” Those of us who are stumbling into our Golden Years, and are watching national events on television are frequently reminded of two behaviors we learned in our youth; two behaviors that we seldom witness any more. These are manners and decorum. We grew up being constantly reminded of our manners, and frequently punished should we stray from either. We were constantly being reminded of our manners by our elders, and straying from the principle of manners wou...
