The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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"I am writing about a lady, one of God's angles. She is a very caring person. Nineteen years ago my grandson was born. His mother went to prison and his father died. Mrs. ___ took him in as her own and raised him and he graduated. God was always there. He was in an accident, she continues to care for him. She really is a mother by God's blessing and my grandson is so lucky. Thank God for Mrs. ____." Ft. Deposit, AL. "I think ______should be one of the $100 winners because he is handicapped and...
This week marked a significant turning point in Congress as Paul Ryan was elected to be the new Speaker of the House. Of course, outside of his service in Congress, Paul Ryan is best known as Mitt Romney’s running mate in the 2012 presidential election. He has spent this year as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and was previously Chairman of the Budget Committee, both important positions with considerable influence on fiscal policy. He has been a leading voice for supply-side, c...
I can still hear my father’s wise words from my youth, typically shared because of some school-related disappointment that I’m not sure I now even remember. Perhaps it was the failure to make the tennis team, cheerleader selection or any number of rejections that many children encounter daily because someone is either more talented or better qualified to receive the accolades. Compassion was expressed as well as encouragement to either work harder and smarter to attain that particular goal or...
The tragic lessons of History will be repeated if History is removed from a nation's memory, as it has been for several generations. America's Christian History was replaced by Social Studies in public schools nearly a century ago. How many adults know what sacrifice and triumph brought about our uniquely American Holiday tradition of Thanksgiving? Through brief bits of the story here, let's look at this American legacy, our own American heritage, and embrace it for a true Thanksgiving...
Over two years ago I first penned this column and not surprisingly since then there have been an increasingly number of senseless gun attacks reported. Just this year we had the South Carolina church shooting, the television reporter and cameraman in Roanoke, Virginia and just the other day a shooting at the Fort Meyers, Florida Zombie convention. And as usual, out come the knuckleheads insisting on complete gun control and the dismantling of the Second Amendment. I figured now might be a good...
For those not in total denial, it is difficult to avoid burning eyes from the proverbial smoke surrounding Auburn. Two revealing articles [11/11/14 and 8/27/15] in the Wall Street Journal, considered the most prestigious national newspaper in the world by some, reported a local contractor with connections to Auburn's athletics director Jay Jacobs was somehow able to buy large quantities of football tickets to high demand games - including the 2013 Iron Bowl. Many see this exacerbating the...
November 4, 2015: The 2016 Presidential election has not only begun, it is well under way. It is now a lengthy process that spans the entire four-year presidential term. The race essentially begins the day a president is sworn into office. Aspirants begin jockeying for the brass ring of American politics the next day and the marathon begins. It becomes exponentially more intriguing when there is no incumbent in the fray as will be the case in 2016. We have an Electoral College system that makes...
This series of articles has been reviewing important United States Supreme Court issues since the Alabama Gazette began publication in 2000. My how the times have changed. The, Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council , 555 U.S. 7 (2008) case seemed to be more about common sense than anything. Knowing that the Navy had scheduled training missions off the coast of California for 2009, the environmentalists sought to stop their use of sonar. The environmentalists claimed that the use of sonar...
I am currently teaching a course about faith in my church. I make the rather obvious point that faith is what we really believe. I’m afraid that sometimes we don’t really believe what we say we believe. We always act consistently with our faith. Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruit.” But if our actions always reflect what we believe, then why don’t we always do what we know is the right thing to do? Plato thought if a person knows what is right, he or she will act consisten...
When a politician keeps a campaign promise, it is generally regarded as a pleasant surprise. But, when that promise is to dramatically increase electricity bills, breaking that promise will not disappoint many people. When he first campaigned for president, Barack Obama said that due to his energy policies, electricity bills would “necessarily skyrocket.” In August of this year, Obama made good on his promise as his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its latest overreaching reg...
Every person with even a whit of common sense knows that bribery is illegal and fundamentally wrong. But people still do it all the time. Some are rather petty. I know a fellow, whose name I will not mention, who has used bribery as a means of getting out of traffic tickets. Back in the days when he was a practicing doctor, he faced many situations where getting to patients and appointments promptly was crucial in administering aid to save people’s lives. As a result, he was often caught e...
You know, it's getting later and later in the year, but that doesn't mean the fishing has let up any. In fact, right now is the perfect time to get out there and do some in-shore fishing for Speckle Trout, White Trout, and the big old Bull Reds! Just this last Thursday, myself, along with Bruce Lieberman and AB Smith, loaded up and made the 3 hour drive down to the Fowl River Bridge for a full day of fishing with Captain Chad Palmer. The Captain is a former blimp pilot who decided that life on...
In the State of Alabama, football is the most dominant sport. Most male high school athletes go to play collegiate football. Once in a while, a player will come from no where and achieve a high level of success where he will play for a top basketball collegiate program. Then he will proceed to the NBA where he will considered one of the best in the world. There are three players from of Alabama that have done so and are hoping to make a name for themselves for the upcoming 2015-2016 NBA season. Those players are starting Sacramento Kings Center...
This column should be praising the resurgence of Alabama. However, I don't consider them ever being down. This Alabama team is the most physical in years. It is no surprise to me that they are headed toward the Final Four. On the other hand, the demise of Auburn is a national Shakespearian Tragedy! Every pre-season poll had the Tigers ranked in the top ten and some in the top four including your's truly. And, why not? After all Coach Gus Malzahn had hired the "best defensive mind in college...
Our country is facing a myriad of crises both at home and abroad. These include but not limited to an effective foreign policy in which President Obama has diminished over a century of the U.S. role as a major force in maintain some semblance of order among rogue nations in the Mideast, Russia and China. As a result, the America we once knew is no longer considered the number one world power and, consequently, has lost its influence world-wide. The chaos which has been allowed and to some...
Boundaries are essential to healthy relationships and, really, a healthy life. Setting and sustaining boundaries is a skill that takes practice. Having healthy boundaries means “knowing and understanding what your limits are. I. Give yourself permission. Fear, guilt, negative life experience, and doubt are possible barriers to preventing one from creating healthy boundaries. If one sets and enforces boundaries, you might feel guilty by speaking up or saying “No” to a family member. One might fea...
MCSO Mobile App The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has launched an app called “MCSO Mobile”. You can install the app on your phone directly from your app store. It is compatible with apple or android phones. This new innovation will give you “breaking news” as news happens in and around the community. You can also check to see if someone is in the County Jail, has an active warrant or if someone is a registered sex offender. You get all the latest and greatest news from the Sheriff’s...
The Autauga County Sheriff's Office participated in the Autauga County Fair held October 13-17, 2015 at Mac Gray Park in Prattville, AL. Each night employees of the Sheriff's Office, including Sheriff Joe Sedinger, maned our booth to speak with the public on any issues they might have and to pass out literature for all ages. The crowd enjoyed the times when McGruff the Crime Dog would make his appearance each evening of the fair. The Autauga County Sheriff's Office was presented with the first...
November in the South can be summed up as "a good weather" month. The weather is good for going to ball games, hiking, traveling to places far and near and best of all, for gardening. Anything I have ever planted in this month, whether annuals or perennials, have thrived. Not too hot and not too cold, and in the words of the Three Little Bears, "just right". I have searched through the gardening centers and have noticed the Johnny Jump Ups (violas), pansies, and different varieties of dianthus...
Fishers, found only in North America, occur in the northern coniferous and the mixed forests of Canada and the northern United States. Their range extends from the mountainous areas in the southern Yukon and Labrador Provinces southward to central California and Wyoming, the Great Lakes and Appalachian regions, and New England. The fisher lives in thick coniferous or mixed coniferous and hardwood forests. It prefers habitats with lots of tree cover and lots of hollow trees for dens. The fisher...
October and Halloween are over and everyone has had their fill of Candy Corn, Jell-O Shooters, Mummy Hot Dogs, Skull Cheese Balls, "Boo"nana Pops, and Green Slimed Popcorn. Now is the time for some serious eating and more importantly, some serious cooking. And I do mean some serious cooking. This Thanksgiving you will be focused, organized and have pride in what you prepare for your family and friends. No more burning down the garage trying to deep fry a frozen turkey. No more opening a can of s...
While most of the months of the year derive their names from some sort of significant or romantic root, three months of the year have no special meaning other than numerical. September gets its name from the Latin word septem, seven, October for the Latin octo, eight, and novem in Latin means nine. That's how the months of the year lined up numerically in times gone by. Unlike July, which was named for Julius Caesar, or August, which got its name from Augustus, the word November just means that...
As if the holidays weren’t exciting enough, it’s November and that means election month. Current and future election hopefuls are prepping speeches and rallying every resource available for the big win. Even if you aren’t running for office, you can win big, too, by planning for retirement. When you decide to retire, the easiest and most convenient way to do it is right from the comfort of your home. Go to www.socialsecurity.gov where you can apply for retirement benefits in as little as 15 mi...
It is a pretty simple conclusion to make. Good habits bless us and bad habits hurt us. For example, brushing your teeth, regular exercise, wearing your seat belt and watching your spending will help you immensely in the long run. Likewise, the opposite is likely to bring heartache and suffering. This month we are thinking of one of the most important habits you can ever develop. It will always bless you and others at the same time. It is the habit of thanksgiving. One writer described it as the...
Teachers take care to include every conceivable guideline in the class syllabus. I suppose years ago syllabuses used to cover pulling a girl's pigtails and chewing gum, but these days other issues are addressed. At one school we carried on a running dialogue about cell phones. Some teachers thought they should be banned outright from the classroom and others thought this was a losing battle, especially when students could quickly look up a fact or a date if the teacher needed help. And it's impo...
