The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bill to finally replace the "No Child Left Behind" education law passed the House Wednesday putting Congress one step closer to ending burdensome federal education mandates and returning more authority to the state and local level. H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, was approved by a vote of 218-213. U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL), who strongly supports state and local control of education policy, praised the bill's passage. "This 'Washington knows best' approach to e...
As most of us are aware, the great recession wreaked havoc on the housing market all over the country. Even areas which had tended to be "recession proof" in the past suffered large losses in real estate values during the recession. In fact, according to CNNMoney.com, prices fell in the 20-city S&P Case-Shiller index for twenty-seven consecutive months. In October 2008 alone prices fell a staggering 18% across the index! But, today there is good news in the housing market in the River Region and...
Those who love Your law have great peace and nothing offends them. Psalm 119:165 Okay, this is not going to be a religious rant of any kind because I fully understand a large percentage of people out there reading this may not be believers. That is okay. It is what it is. At the same time, however, there comes a time when all people, regardless of their beliefs need to take a step back and get off of this ridiculous notion that everything "offends" them. In fact, most of the time we need to...
Are you Bipolar? Do you get “diagnosed” by family and friends who think you are Bipolar? Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal mood swings we all experience, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are destructive in nature. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. However, there is good news--Bipolar disorder is tr...
The concept of natural law was the prevailing philosophy of law throughout the formative period of modern nation states. The idea was that law occurs naturally. Nature, of course, includes human nature and the nature of human society. In general the created order of nature provides some solutions to problems that are better than others. Under natural law theory, the task of courts and legislative bodies is to find that law and declare it. At about the time the United States came into existence,...
Perhaps it was only my increasing feelings of unease concerning the direction of our nation and world that I chose to pack an old copy of Brave New World to re-read during a recent beach trip. More time than I care to admit has passed since the days of my high school required summer reading lists, and many of the details of this book had become a distant memory. Given some of the news headlines during the week of my trip, that book choice seemed eerily appropriate, and I have since been...
*Rites v. Rights... not surprisingly the Roberts Court once again gets it wrong in their crusade for bigger government. A friend called it DC still drunk on the 'Grapes of Wrath.' Marriage is a religious rite. There is no authority for the federal government to impede or subsidize this rite. It was a source of despair when I went to marry. The State of South Carolina would not allow me to pursue this solemn rite I hold dear without a State license, polluting this blessed event. I do not look to...
[Stations: Interview-style video of Rep. Roby’s comments is available in broadcast-quality MPEG4 format at https://www.dropbox.com/s/1epsmcqiwfets7y/Roby%20Update%20on%20Iran%20Deal.mp4?dl=0.] WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the White House aggressively lobbies Members of Congress to support its nuclear agreement with Iran, more cracks in their arguments are being exposed, U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) said Thursday. Obama Administration officials are attempting to explain recent revelations o...
It was cold. It was wet. It was miserable. It was November. It was 1967. It was Birmingham. It was Legion Field. It was the Iron Bowl. It was late in the second half. It was Auburn 3- Alabama- 0. I was huddled with my date under one of 40,000 umbrellas in the stadium. Ken Stabler takes the snap. He's running the option right. Alabama's right guard "tackles" Auburn's nose guard, Gusty Yearout. Stabler cuts inside, breaks right and sloshes through the Legion Field mud for fifty-seven yards. It...
Yes, it’s July, but that’s all the more reason to start getting ready for the hunt. And by getting ready, I’m talking about pre-season scouting, and I don’t mean just waiting till one week before the season gets started! Pre-season scouting, of course, is how you figure out where the best places to hunt ought to be. Remembering where signs were through-out the various hunts from last season, seeing different things while turkey hunting, or even just passing by and seeing the deer out feeding...
There are many things we think of when the word bat is spoken; such as Vampires, Dracula, rabies and diseases. Yes diseases are true but not as dramatic as is put out. All mammals can contract and carry rabies; however bats are not asymptomatic carriers of the disease. In reality, bats contract rabies far less than other animals. Less than 1/2 of 1% of all bats may contract the disease. A variety of wild animals (rabies vector species) can catch rabies, including foxes, skunks, raccoons,...
This week long camp will be held to promote positive interaction and life rewarding skills with our youth. This camp is not a disciplinary camp but a camp to reward those that strive to achieve their highest potentials during the school year. Those of you that have applied and been accepted to this year's camp....welcome aboard and to those that didn't apply, please apply next year! We accept 100 kids each year to attend camp. Activities include canoeing, archery, arts and crafts, swimming,...
July 29, 2015: During the press conference three weeks ago announcing the historic BP settlement and windfall for the state, Gov. Bentley repeatedly said, “The $55 million a year to the General Fund is fantastic but it will not solve the state’s long term financial woes. It only accomplishes about 12 percent of what we need. We’re still going to have a Special Session to address the need for new revenue and we will call it for late summer.” Bentley and the Legislature were unable to agree o...
In this year of 2015, it would be very interesting to know if any reader of the Gazette ever heard the name of David Josiah Brewer, an Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court, 1889-1910. Or has any modern law student studied Brewer's decisions on the Court? The most important case is The Church of The Holy Spirit v. United States, decided February 29, 1892. This was on the Eve of the 20th Century. If the case has been so buried in the past century, why is it important for us to study this...
Some recent reactive changes in perception of heritage and rulings by the Supremes have recently left me quite dismayed. Not the legendary singing group but the men and women that don the black robes as Justices of the United State Supreme Court. Five of the nine are Baby Boomers and Republican presidents nominated five of the now sitting Justices. Some of the truths in my life were no longer deemed truths and for the past several weeks I have tried to make sense of them and wondered what would...
Question: Can I refuse to give my Social Security number to a private business? Answer: Yes, you can refuse to disclose your Social Security number, and you should be careful about giving out your number. But, be aware, the person requesting your number can refuse services if you don’t give it. Businesses, banks, schools, private agencies, etc., are free to request someone's number and use it for any purpose that doesn’t violate a federal or state law. To learn more about your Social Security nu...
The Alabama State Board of Education must be in awe of Tommy Bice, Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education. It appears they believe he is the great one who will lead us to the promise land of achieving academic excellence for Alabama’s school children. They have gone along with most every recommendation he has presented to them apparently because they think he knows what’s best for Alabama’s schools and will do whatever it takes to garner federal dollars. As I recently sat in a meeting...
Most “senior citizens” who populate various types of government-supported living facilities are beginning to spend a major part of their time contemplating on their future—however long that may be. Eighty five years ago most of them were toddlers; Mahatma Gandhi was making his Salt March, and the Planet Pluto had just been discovered. Most of them, your writer included, weren't aware that we were entering into what became known as “The Great Depression,” because the news focused more on Gangst...
One of the great challenges as a Pastor is to help people walk through the unexpected difficulties of life, particularly with reference to their faith. It is often in those times we discover the real meaning of our faith. Whether it is the illness of children, the accidents of life, the unexpected deaths, the reversals of health, the challenges of a changing economy or the potential of losing a job because of Christian convictions, trusting Jesus is not as easy as it might seem. In fact, if...
Abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher brought an arm-load of chains and manacles to the pulpit one Sunday. He threw them to the floor and the sound reverberated throughout the auditorium. "God have mercy on a nation that puts men and women in the chains of slavery," he thundered. Another memorable visual occurred in the Old Testament. The prophet Jeremiah stood before the leaders of Judah and smashed a clay vessel into hundreds of pieces. "Thus says the Lord," he thundered. "Judgment is coming and the...
I have to get started early in the morning if I am going to work outside. I can build up a tolerance to the heat as it rises throughout the morning but around 2 o’clock in the afternoon I am toast. There are always chores to do when you own a 185 year old house. And since it is August, I have to be out checking my vegetable garden and my fruit trees. My vegetable crop is just tomatoes and peppers of some sort. I do have cucumbers this year but they will be gone next year. My fruit trees are p...
For all the words I have uttered about what a cool spring we had, these words have morphed into, what a hot humid summer we are living through. The Montgomery Water Works is pleased to send enormous bills to further support my declaration of this long hot summer. I had to replant vinca which usually do not thrive in the shade, but there they thrive, getting only about 3-4 hours of direct sunlight. Vinca can be planted now and through mid August, but start to flagged in September when the nights...
This month I will be hitting one of the many milestones that we celebrate during our life time. Some people dread it, while others could care less. I guess you could say that I am somewhere in the middle. What is it? You ask. Well…I will be joining my hubby along with many of our dear friends in what we affectionately refer to as the “fabulous decade”. That’s right! Yours truly will be turning the big 4-0 this month. I know! It’s hard to believe, right?! I barely look a day over 20. Ha-Ha!! W...
GO SET A WATCHMAN By Harper Lee PAGE 103 CHANGED EVERYTHING. Or did it? In the end the self righteous Jean Louise proclaims to Atticus, " I think I love you very much". But wait a minute. Everyone has said Atticus is a racist. How can Jean Louise love this turncoat? The much anticipated sequel of Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird flew off the shelves around America. Sadly, it landed with an enigmatic thud in most readers' concept of how things are supposed to be in the small rural...
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