The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Law Enforcement now generally needs a warrant to search an arrestee’s cell phone according to a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Over the years the Supreme Court has had a difficult time trying to fashion concrete rules on searches and seizures that law enforcement officers can clearly understand when it comes to what they can do and cannot do. This problem goes back about 100 years when the Court ruled in Weeks v. U.S. that the Fourth Amendment permits officers “to search the person of the acc...
I have been watching the crises in Iraq with some saturnine curiosity. I am not even sure where to begin with this Robservation. But I guess the best thing to do is to “cut to the chase” so to speak. These ISIS criminals are dangerous; not only to Iraqis who think differently than they do but to the world as a whole. They hate everything and everybody who does not conform to their way of thinking. I have always had this morbid curiosity in seeing, let’s say, gross stuff. Weird? Yeah, I know...
“I hate politics”. I often hear that comment, especially in today’s divisive political environment and after yet another ugly primary season. And it is apparent from the disparity in the number of “likes” I receive on my political Facebook posts as compared to my “happy” personal posts, most people would be content to never see anything pertaining to the world of political issues. Perhaps you also think that “social” media isn’t the place for political posts. That’s fine, but please remember t...
In the last several articles I have dealt with issues of law and race from a different and unique view point. In the background of all of the articles is consideration of cultural systems. I have noted that the 400 years of slavery and segregation that existed in the United States produced a unique black culture. One aspect of that culture has been the strained relationship between the black culture and the legal system. The legal system obviously originated in Europe-not Africa....
The battle for number one begins August 28 with the SEC contest between Texas A&M at South Carolina. South Carolina could be a contender but Coach Steve Spurrier can not afford to lose to Coach Kevin Sumlin’s Aggies in the opener. Auburn and Alabama kick off the season on the following Saturday. They both will be in the mix to go to the “final four”. However, Auburn plays at least eight teams that could beat the Tigers. Alabama only plays two teams with a legitimate chance to beat the Tide,...
Hunters statewide can celebrate the beginning of dove season at noon Saturday, September 8th. The long-awaited opening day is traditionally considered the beginning of the fall hunting season. Hunting the opening day of dove season is an absolute tradition in Alabama and many other southern states. For most hunters, pitting their shotgunning skills against these speedsters is the ultimate challenge. Mourning doves are not only fast, they can display aerial acrobatics under fire that make them...
The fox is said to be one of the most intelligent animals in the world. While you may know the basics about them, you are about to find out lots of fascinating facts about them. Then you will be able to expand your knowledge and to share them with other people. The scientific name for this animal is Vulpes Vulpes. There are 37 species of foxes, but only 12 belong to the genus "vulpes" or "true foxes". The best known of them are: Red Fox, Arctic Fox, Kit Fox, Fennec Fox, and the Gray Fox. Foxes...
The 1978 Governor’s race between the three heavyweights, former Governor Albert Brewer, Attorney General Bill Baxley, and Lt. Governor Jere Beasley, was expected to be titanic. All three men had last names beginning with the letter “B.” The press coined the phrase “the three B’s.” The Republicans were relegated to insignificance on the gubernatorial stage. The winner of the Democratic Primary would be governor. Meanwhile, over in east Alabama, a little known former Auburn halfback named Fob Jame...
I recently read an article in the American Bar Association Journal online concerning a speech that United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts gave recently about the significance of the Magna Carta. As you may recall, many of the Barons in England were disgruntled with the King John I. What they really wanted to do was to replace King John but they didn’t have a favorable replacement. As an alternative, King John met them at Runnymede on the bank of the River Thames, which is not far...
Perhaps some might wonder where I could have found a more confounding title? Would anyone wish to associate the word “good” with “grief?” Actually it came from the title to a little book I was introduced to many years ago. It has gone through numerous printings and still remains a definitive work on understanding grief. The book is titled, Good Grief, written by Granger Westburg. I have also gained insight from an article by Joey Faucette, Jr. The truth is most of us don’t like to think abo...
Our Forefathers not only crossed the Atlantic Ocean to found America, but they overcame the ecclesiastical, political and social ideas of the past. They had come against the ideas of the infallibility of the church and its hierarchy in the great Puritan movement. They had rejected the Sovereignty of both pope and king. They rejected tyranny whether in church or state, and they accepted the infallibility of the Scriptures. II Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is...
Fifty years prior to the War of 1812, our so-called “French & Indian War” settled the trade dispute between New France and New England in North America where the European ebb and flow of empire simply had more territory in the mix. Following their newly established trade dominance in the region, England slowly increased mercantilist policies to favour specific business interests over promoting competition and the general welfare of her subjects. The stage for our First War for Independence was...
Speaking of the U.S. as being a “Nation of Laws,” is good, so long as these laws are designed for our benefit, and we know them and that we fully understand them; such is the case with the fledgling Elder Abuse Law. Barely two years old, the new piece of legislation concerns itself with the fact that there are in the neighborhood of 700,000 Alabamians age 65 and older, whose wellbeing is a major concern of the Alabama Department of Senior Services. Also, many of those covered exist on a lim...
Good coaching and a great playbook can make all the difference in the world for a winning football team. Fail to create a sound game plan, and you’re likely to miss opportunities and fall behind. The same is true for retirement—except you call the plays, including when to retire and how much to save. If you walk onto the retirement field without a game plan, you may have to work longer than you had hoped. You certainly don’t want to find yourself unable to have the comfortable retirement you e...
The month of September begins the season of county fairs, local festivals, football games and rodeos, where people are no longer at the lake or at the beach for long swathes of time. I have friends with homes in Highlands who have been gone since May and will be returning in September. Normal routines and schedules return for us all, and that should include the care and maintenance of the garden. Fall also means lots of leaves drifting to the ground and extra work raking, blowing, mulching or...
There is a growing outcry from parents across Alabama regarding the federally created k – 12 curricula standards, "Common Core State Standards" (CCSS) recently adopted by an Alabama's State Board of Education in a split vote. This "reform" covertly transfers control of education explicitly given to states by the U.S. Constitution to federal bureaucracy. Led by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) it is endorsed by entities as The National Governors Association (80% of operating funds from f...
Labor Day…The last 3-day weekend of the summer. It’s usually filled with people camping, biking, picnics, barbeques, or just hanging out. It’s the last official holiday of the summer. It usually is the beginning of college football (My hubby, Brian, says Roll Tide and I say War Eagle). So, what is labor day? It was first celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City and became a federal holiday in 1894. It all started because a number of workers were killed at the hands of U.S. Military and U...
