The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) hosted the Chairwoman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in Montgomery on Sunday, July 23, 2017 for visits to the area's military installations. Representative Kay Granger (R-Texas), who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, will tour the 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. Roby serves on the Subcommittee, which is responsible for crafting legislation to fund the military. "I frequently brag...
"The trio of timelines can be jarring as you figure out how they all fit, and the fact that there are only a couple of women and no lead actors of color may rub some the wrong way." USA Today Brian Truitt Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of the movie, Dunkirk. In all the years I have been writing for the Gazette, I believe this is my first review. Once this is complete many of you will probably say you know exactly why I don't write movie reviews but here goes...
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...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) today, Friday, July 28th, expressed her strong disappointment with the Senate's failure to pass an Obamacare repeal bill, saying Senate Republicans should keep working to reach an agreement. Earlier this year, House Republicans overcame legislative obstacles to pass a bill repealing and replacing Obamacare. Appearing on local Alabama morning shows Friday, Roby said Senate Republicans should not allow initial setbacks to cause them to a...
There is a proven theory espoused by political scholars that has prevailed in southern political history for decades. The premier political scholar, Dr. V. O. Key, first illustrated this repetitious theme that has weaved its way through the southern electorate. He called it “Friends and Neighbors” politics. It is not a complicated hypothesis. It simply means that southerners tend to vote for someone from their neck of the woods. It is a truism in all southern states. However, it is most pronounc...
Aside from the lawyer jokes, being an attorney is a noble profession. In all professions you have the occasional bad seed even though law schools and Bar associations attempt to weed them out. And many lawyer jokes focus not on the misdeeds of the few but on one of the rules of ethics. The Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.3, Comment in part says, “A lawyer should act with commitment and dedication to the interests of the client and with zeal in advocacy upon the client's behalf. “ I...
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...
I find that the most interesting things in the outdoors are the unexpected surprises. Those bits of knowledge you come across that you just plain weren't expecting. Ever since I started working with QDMA (Quality Deer Management Association), I've confirmed a lot of the things I already knew, but I've discovered a heap more of things I didn't! Today, I want to talk about trees. Pine trees, to be exact. I recently came across an article put out by Stephanie Mallory of Great Days Outdoors...
Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth and are also known to be extremely intelligent. They have characteristic long noses, or trunks; large, floppy ears; and wide, thick legs. A group of elephants is called a herd. The herd is led by a matriarch, which is the oldest female. Females, as well as young and old elephants, stick together in a herd. Adult males tend to wander. Elephants also have certain rules. For example, when they are meeting each other, they expect the other elephant to...
In the era of “million dollar coaches”, a lot is given and a lot is expected. In the SEC the average salaries, benefits and bonuses of coaches is around $5,000,000.00 PER YEAR. With a maximum of the 15 games it takes to play for the national championship, this works out to an approximate $420,000.00 PER MONTH. Most of us looking at this page have never been fortunate, or good enough to be worth that much to our employer. I know a few bankers that have earned that much, maybe a few lawyers, may...
The American History Quiz below is a sampling of questions used for citizenship in early America. When my father's ancestors fled France due to the persecution of the French Huguenots, they were searching for religious liberty and knew enough about America to know that this was the place to find it. They understood that in coming here, there were privileges, but also duties and obligations in becoming Americans. The Department of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services helped...
In our fallen world, there is certainly no shortage of heartbreaking stories, yet the one that will not leave my mind right now is one from the United Kingdom pertaining to the medical and legal issues facing the 11-month old infant Charlie Gard and his parents. As a parent and a grandparent, I grieve with these parents for the shattered dreams for their child due to the diagnosis of his very rare genetic condition and apparent terminal prognosis for his life. Based on all I have read,...
Corporal Kofee Anderson National DARE Officer of the Year Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office would like to congratulate Corporal Kofee Anderson on receiving National Dare Officer of the Year. Sheriff Cunningham was quoted as saying, “with all the negative going on in our city and county as it relates to our youth, whether it be bad decisions or choices; it is great to see national recognition for one of our finest. Dare America just recognized Corporal Kof...
There was a Town Hall Meeting held at the Jones Community Center on July 17, 2017. About 35 residents from the area were in attendance. There were hot dogs, chips and drinks served to all that attended. We would like to thank the ladies of the Jones Community who provided desserts and tea for everyone. We would like to thank all the speakers who came out and spoke with the residents: Secretary of State John Merrill, Circuit Court Judge Bill Lewis, District Court Judge Joy Booth, District 88...
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...
Right now is the perfect time to start planning for a secure, comfortable retirement. And you can count on Social Security to help you begin the process. First, we encourage you to set up an online my Social Security account so you can verify your lifetime earnings record and make sure you get credit for all of your contributions to the Social Security system through the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) payroll taxes. If you haven’t set up your personal my Social Security account y...
The windows are rattling, the thunder is booming in the background, and the rain is as thick as fog right across the street. Any minute now and it will cross the street. It just did and I wish it had not. The wind is coming from a different direction than from the usual west. When the rain comes from the south, as it is now, the sunroom ceiling leaks. I have to move my chair and then lay towels on the floor to soak up the drips. I live in a home that is 187 years old, and I expect it to leak...
Answers to the American History Quiz 1. The Mayflower 2. For religious freedom 3. The American Indians, especially Samoset and Squanto 4. Thanksgiving 5. Independence Day 6. July 4th, 1776 7. Thomas Jefferson 8. That all men are created equal 9. Great Britain 10. Patrick Henry 11. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia 12. Colonies 13. Red, white, and blue 14. The...
I heard some neighborhood children talking about school books and school uniforms and thought, "where has the summer gone"? Really. When the school bells ring, the summer is technically over and so early. And what do our flower beds tell us about their state of affairs? Most are mature with tall zinnias, cleome, phlox, cosmos and salvias in large drifts, just begging to be cut for flower arrangements. If there have been any deaths, all we need to do is re-sow the zinnia, cosmos and cleome; fill...
The subject of this article reminds me of that night in the summer of 1969 I sat with awe watching that grainy picture on a small television screen of Buzz Aldrin and Neal Armstrong landing on the moon. I am sure you remember with me those famous words, “That’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.” We tend to revere special people for their accomplishments, especially heroes like Armstrong and Aldrin. However, they would never have made it to the moon by independence. Neith...
Where has the summer gone? Area schools open their doors again soon, to the chagrin of many students and to the delight of many parents. It was always a depressing time for me as a child when the more relaxed summer schedule was done! Christians go to school, too, for the New Testament calls us “disciples.” This word has two meanings: to follow and to learn. As someone noted, the followers of Christ are branded on their ears and feet, for we hear his voice and we follow him. Jesus, the master te...
God told Joshua to cross over the Jordan River and to go possess the land. The word “possess” means “to drive out the previous tenants”. This implies action. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:12, “The kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, but the violent take it by force.” Indeed, it is time to be aggressive and energetic when it comes to letting go of the past and pressing forward to the abundant life God has in store for you. It’s time to rise up and boldly go after your victory! It’s time to...
Often times in downtown Camden, there is no one out. The sidewalks are empty and so are the streets, except for the occasional car passing through. Of course there are other times when it is busy. Early in the day when people are out running errands and working, and especially at the first of the month. On parade days the sidewalks will be crowded, and again when Santa rolls in on a firetruck during the annual Christmas in Camden festival. And sometimes the courthouse square looks like a...
Do you have anyone in your family who has been affected by Alzheimer’s, Dementia, a stroke or who has suffered an accident that has left them in a position to have to receive 24 hour care? If so, do you know how they paid for it? In a lot of cases, these individuals or their family members had to pay for that care out of pocket. And because those resources are often very limited, they end up having to move in with other family members like their children or siblings and those family members b...
A lot of songs, movies, and television shows have been about the trucking industry. That is because, as Merle Haggard sang in his hit song “Movin’ On,” “the white line is the lifeline to the nation.” Our economy would crumble if truck and taxi companies were not moving goods and people over our roads. A lot of people may not know that the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) helps those companies that help Alabama’s economy and people. One way the PSC supports the safety of those travelling...
