The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Maybe, it's the increased humidity and hot temperatures that have made me a bit cranky of late. Maybe, I'm so weary of the recent news events and escalation of anger consuming our nation that more than ever I'm ready for college football and the diversion it brings. Or maybe, it's the special U.S. Senate election and my disgust with the nasty campaign ads generated from the power structure in DC wanting to select our next senator that has irritated me more than normal in the last few weeks. I...
The lazy, hazy days of summer are coming to a close, and fall is upon us. Where has this year gone? With much anticipation for football season, Labor Day, county fairs, Halloween, back to school, and cooler temperatures, we turn to the garden with our creative juices flowing. Some of us like to have perhaps a theme either in our choices of color, or in the plants we choose. For instance, red, white and blue for Labor Day, or deciding to redo a bed with nothing but herbs or perennials. One good...
Summer's put the heat on us pretty hard this year, and I'm itching for college football to kick back into gear. Aside from the usual, though, I'm also looking into something new called SOA's, or Special Opportunity Areas. It's a concept being established by Alabama DCNR's Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division and the Forever Wild Land Trust. The problem being addressed is that, with the vast majority of land in the state of Alabama being privately owned instead of publically available...
Most people would assume that as the race for the open U.S. Senate began that Luther Strange, the appointed incumbent, was the favorite. However, polling indicated that Roy Moore was the favorite and still is as we head towards the September 26 runoff. The initial polling showed that Moore had a hardcore 30 percent. It was and is as solid as a rock. He had 30 percent from the get-go. He had 30 percent midway in the race and he had 30 percent at the end. It was also a fact that with a low voter...
As I sit here writing this Robservation, another "car into the crowd" attack just happened in Barcelona, Spain; 14 dead and a hundred or so injured. CNN, not surprisingly, suggested that it was a "copycat" of the Charlottesville, VA attack from earlier in the week. Of course, it couldn't be a copycat of Niece, Antwerp, London or dozens of other similar attacks around the world. Right? But to fit their crazy narrative, the press had to claim it might be related to Charlottesville. I am here to...
I’m a big believer in helping our students prepare for the careers of tomorrow. I’ve had a lot to say about the great work our state is doing to promote career and technical education and how Congress is supporting those efforts through funding and policy improvements. Wherever there is an emerging industry with the opportunity for job growth, we need to be helping students develop the skills to compete for those jobs. With industries like auto manufacturing and aerospace, Alabama has pro...
Talking about monuments that you may not like or receiving a peaceful assembly approval by local law enforcement on public spaces to protest a monument that one may dislike is free speech, but the destruction of existing monuments are protected by law. The actual destruction of a monument is protected by the following: (1) Section 13A-7-21, Code of Alabama Criminal mischief in the first degree. (a) A person commits the crime of criminal mischief in the first degree if, with intent to damage...
August 2017 Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation Vol. LIX-No. 8 On August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These weapons were used to bring to a conclusion a global war that caused the deaths of approximately 50 million people. The two bombings killed 129,000 people. The destruction caused by these two nuclear bombs brought an immediate surrender by Japan. This was the last time nuclear weapons were used in war. The realizatio...
The end of summer is approaching and we are nearing my favorite time of the year – fall. Fall in the south brings with it nights around a campfire, football games, more time spent in the great outdoors, and, thankfully, some cooler weather. It is a great chance to get out and enjoy our wonderful state parks. I am certainly biased to Alabama but some of the world’s most beautiful natural sites can be found within our state and many of those are at Alabama state parks. Alabama is home to 22 sta...
You’ve been working the same job for years and dutifully contributing to your 401k and may be receiving matches. You’ve built up quite a nest egg. Then one day you leave for a new job with benefits that include a 401k. Now you are faced with a dilemma of what to do with your 401k assets at your old job. Before you make any hasty decisions, please sit down with an advisor and learn what your options are and how each could affect your retirement going forward. One option may be to leave your money...
Is Social Security a topic in your conversations these days? Are you familiar with the lingo used to describe Social Security benefits, or does it sound like a new vocabulary to you? Social Security employees strive to explain benefits using easy-to-understand, plain language. But if a technical term or acronym (an abbreviation of the first letters of words in a phrase) that you don't know slips into the conversation or appears in written material, you can easily find the meaning in our online...
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...
Oh, the month of September! This month always keeps you guessing about the weather. Is it going to cool off a bit or just be another extension of summer? Since this has been a Bi-Polar summer, your guess is as good as anyone else’s is. Just last month I had high hopes that I was going to put up jars of figs and peaches from my garden. The strange summer could be the cause for my gardens lack of produce. My fruit trees did not produce as hoped. No peaches, which I heard was because we did not h...
How to live in a county that is dying Prior to reading the interview with respected historian Wayne Flynt on Al.com, I knew that the Black Belt has its challenges. I knew, because I started writing about them when it became clear years ago that many of the most challenging issues were never making it across the Wilcox County line. The poverty level and unemployment rate are well-reported, but political corruption, poor leadership, and candidates winning elections through illegal absentee voting...
Did you know that the Labor Day holiday originally started in the late 1800's? Can you imagine how excited the people were to take a day off from working. Some may have thought, "What a wonderful and new idea!" Created and implemented as a day of rest by those hard-working blue- collar laborers in New York City. This day continues to be one that we as a nation look forward to every September. In many ways, Labor Day has become a man-made American Sabbath day. A yearly day of rest from our labor...
Someone said, “When those who have been around longest share their experiences in life’s journey, our future paths become more understandable.” There’s truth in those words which can apply to many areas of life, including our faith journey. As one who has worked at my own pilgrimage and given my life to help others do so for many years, I would like to offer some observations about the Christian journey. First, a journey of uncertainty requires direction. I am amazed that many people begin t...
A friend kept encouraging me to read “The Shack” so I could discuss it with her. I told her I don’t read much fiction and kept putting her off. But I found the DVD at the local library last week and watched this version of William P. Young’s 2007 book. I must say, though the viewing took two nights, it was hard to hit “pause” and go to bed! “The Shack” deals with tragedy when a little girl is kidnapped and murdered. In this regard, the book isn’t sugar-coated. Tragedy is part and parcel of life,...
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...
Picking the top football teams in the country for the 2017 season was very difficult. There are more good teams this year than in other years it seems. There will be more ten win seasons this year than ever as far as my calculations are concerned. It is my belief that there will also be no undefeated teams as we end the regular season. The Alabama - Florida State game on September 2nd in Atlanta will not determine who wins the national championship, but it will give the winner a little cushion...
