The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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As the 2018 primary season thankfully ends, King Solomon’s lament in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “So there is nothing new under the sun,” might well be applied to Alabama politics, with the “nothing new” being the absolute viciousness of campaign politics. I think after each election that it can’t possibly get any worse, yet I’m proven wrong each cycle. Worse is the fact that this latest nasty war of words was waged amongst those who ran under the same political banner. The next time you question why...
We are now well into the 2018 hurricane season, and a major storm may or may not hit us this year. But when one does, the news media will always mention a little consequence called “price gouging.” Reporters usually hype it up as something terrible, selfish, and even criminal. But when disasters strike, entrepreneurs are quick to respond by trucking in critical supplies and selling them for prices far above the norm. And people in need will be willing to pay for them. Are these suppliers rip...
Travis came into my life in 1990, when he was two and I was 18. His mother was not involved at that stage in his life and my life had not prepared me for being a stepmother. But I changed my schedule at AUM, and switched from working nights at Country’s Barbecue to working days at Colonial Bank. I would drop Travis off at daycare before 8:00 and pick him up just after 5:00. Up until now, I don’t think I have ever written a word about those years of my life. It is not as if 18 to 23 didn’t exist...
Are you praying and seeking God for change in your life? Perhaps there seems to be invisible roadblocks preventing you from truly experiencing God’s blessings. James 3:16 tells us, “For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is strife and every evil work…” The Bible tells us that when we hold on to strife, it brings about confusion and hurt. Strife can creep in much like a disease to steal your peace and joy…destroying relationships and taking away your hope. You must stay on guard con...
I had a professor while I was working on my Masters who once told me to never write when I was angry. Through the years, I have generally heeded this advice. Once in print, those words are never going to disappear. This week has been one of those angry political weeks and I have intentionally stayed away from my computer wanting to calm down before putting thoughts on paper. But a deadline is a deadline. I wanted to write but my anger was at such a fever pitch that I had to put this...
Best races of the year have been for Attorney General and Lt. Governor June 27, 2018 The best races of the year have been for Attorney General and Lt. Governor, as well as Agriculture Commissioner and for the 2nd Congressional district. The Attorney General post is considered the best stepping stone to Governor and U.S. Senator. It is very high profile and prosecutes bad guys who go to jail and cannot vote against you, and you look like a good guy to the rest of the law abiding voters in the sta...
The state of California has a larger economy than many countries and is the most populous state within the United States. Many in California think differently from those of us in Alabama with resultant taxes and the cost of living being significantly higher, in case of taxes by design of it's legislators. Even so, within California there are different schools of thought and that is somewhat evident by the current number of Californians leaving to settle in other states which has California losin...
Bill Britt (4/18/18 Alabama Political Reporter) stated current and former BCA members thought the board’s vote to demand Canary’s resignation was good news for the State’s future and those close to the process were angry Chairman Hand wanted to keep Canary until the fall. APR’s sources said this was an attempt for the BCA to further influence election outcomes. The plan was to control campaign donations and win enough races to stage a comeback. Hand seemed willing to risk everything protect...
Because of my Biblical worldview, for which I do not apologize, my view of current culture and events is filtered through that belief, and I can’t help but reflect on the similarities of the mindset of many in our nation with that of the Israelites many centuries ago. After generations of captivity in Egypt, the Israelites were finally free of the tyranny of their harsh taskmasters and were being led by Moses into their Promised Land. But as with anything worthwhile, the journey wasn’t eas...
The purpose of a law, any law, is a singular objective—protecting people from the wrongdoings of other people. To be moral, just, legitimate, and Constitutional, it must meet that criterion. Otherwise, it is usurpation and oppression. Laws that are obviously just are those against murder, bodily harm, theft, destruction, and any other actions that hurt or violate other people and/or their property. These can be readily understood by any civilized person. Common sense dictates that only a few l...
The beginning of summer is approaching and we are nearing my favorite time of the year. Summer in the south brings with it vacations, weekends spent outside, outdoor activities, and a multitude of other opportunities. 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 state parks, each having a...
One reason Wilcox County stays broke is because people steal. That is not in any way meant to take away from the gross mismanagement we’ve come to call normal, but theft happens too often and audits are too few. The latest sin to slither out of the courthouse emerged when the bank called retiring Probate Judge Jerry Boggan and informed him that funds were not sufficient for the checks that were being presented. Now I don’t know, but I would think that in that very moment, the Honorable and kin...
The Fourth of July and fireworks go hand in hand in the USA. We impatiently wait for darkness to settle in, as we join the crowds at the city park or the riverfront. Soon, our waiting pays off as a small streak of light hisses upwards, and the sky is filled with an explosive ka-boom, colorful sparkles and lovely designs. Fireworks are for celebrations…our country’s birthday, for example, or a homerun at the ballpark. Wouldn’t it be fun to celebrate Jesus with fireworks? After all, He was born...
When I first walked through the "hanging garden" of six-foot steel tablets, I was taken aback at the sheer number of "in-your-face" structures there were. The Equal Justice Initiative's, EJI, National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery reflects the 4,400 documented lynchings of black Americans between 1877 and 1950. There are 800 of these hanging metal structures within the 6-acre site, one for each county identified as to where a lynching took place. As the EJI states on its website,...
Less than Two Weeks to Primary – Governor’s Race As we get down to the lick log in the 2018 June Primary, there are few if any surprises in any of the major state races. Polling indicates that all of the contests are about where they were three or four months ago when the races began. There is a tremendous amount of apathy and indifference as we head into the final days. This lack of enthusiasm has also affected fundraising. Most of the high-profile races have not attracted the amount of dol...
I get that question all too often. Even poor people have more than they probably think. Do you have a home (even a mobile home)? Do you have a car or truck? Do you have any money in a bank? While there are some ways around transferring a home, vehicle or bank account to a loved one or loved ones after death there are exceptions and even then it probably needed to be planned before your death and placed in the proper format. A proper Will takes care of those items in one document. It’s true t...
With each news cycle describing incidents reflecting the increasing political and cultural divide that exists in our nation, the more the following Scripture repeats in my mind. Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. - Matthew 12:25 The mainstream media is on a daily mission to exploit every possible area of division in an effort to ramp up envy and hostility between the races, genders, and economic groupings of Ame...
Don’t laugh. Little Zimbabwe could be a model for providing prosperity for the entire world. Most people remember this African nation for creating the most rampant hyperinflation in recorded history—a rate of 231 million percent annually. In the end, people were carrying boxes of $100 trillion dollar bills. Some also recall the ancient granite structures of Great Zimbabwe, from which the country derived its present name. Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) has some of the most fertile farm land in Afr...
Recent political Kabuki theatre has some contemplating Gov. Ivey’s dating preferences and Judge Sue Bell Cobb’s campaign hiring practices. How candidates deal with these may be revealing. I also wonder why Cobb did not quickly and simply apologize, then remove the convicted sex offender from her campaign team. I’m similarly at a loss on the dearth of political discussion on Ivey’s inaction w.r.t. the Alabama PACT program during our last economic meltdown and forecasts of her abilities to addr...
It has been almost 40 years since I spent my last summer with Fannie. She would not believe the lives we live now. Even in the 70’s she lived somewhere far back in time. It was partly, I suppose, because she was in rural Marengo County. We lived only minutes away from one another, but we were worlds apart…minus the weekdays we would spend together. I would often arrive at her house early enough the fog would still be rising over the farm fields. It would slowly lift, surrendering to the golden b...
After prayerful consideration, my husband, Brian, and I recently signed up to host a Summer Small Group through our church. For those of you in our generation and older, you may know this better as a Bible Study. However, no mater what you may call it, it’s a great time for folks to get together in a more intimate group setting, in this case our home, and learn more about Jesus and His plan for our lives. “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your...
People who know me, know that I consider myself a Luftwaffe WWII historian. I have studied the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) in WWII for almost my entire life and I cannot seem to get away from it. I may put it on the back burner in my life for a short season, but there it is again. Seemingly out of nowhere. But I have come to grips with that reality and it is certainly a part of who I am. If my spousal unit can deal with it, then I am okay. What many people do not realize, however, is that I...
To all the boys who don’t feel smart on paper. I call them the lost boys, these young people who seem in one way or another to be left behind or forgotten by what we tend to consider as traditional school standards. Of course this includes a certain number of girls too. I overheard one of my son’s friends talking last week. He was talking about his own self saying, “I am so dumb.” I couldn’t help but interrupt and tell him that he most certainly was not dumb, and to not say that. He told me t...
This month my husband, Brian, and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. WOW!!! Double digits!!!! It’s a little difficult for me to wrap my brain around this thought. We have been through countless testings, trials, joys, and valleys together. And even though we are long past that exciting “newly budding romance” stage in our relationship where we are winning each other’s hearts, we are arriving at the “deep love and appreciation” stage where we are truly able to cherish each other’s hea...
There are several laws, one of which is brand new and becomes effective in Alabama on 1 June 2018 and there is a Federal law in the works and a European Union law set to kickoff on May 25th. Some of the existing civil and criminal laws that protect us against bad actors that might steal our personal information include criminal theft (various degrees), civil conversion, and the tort of invasion of privacy. Some of the defenses include negligence on the part of the plaintiff, private information...
