The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 1255 - 1279 of 1293
Easter is not about brightly colored eggs, wearing pastels, or enjoying a big meal. Although, Easter festivities do include these. Easter is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For some, Easter will be a great day, spent surrounded by family and friends. But for others, it will be a sad day, because Easter is a reminder of a loved one who has died and is now desperately missed. Death seems so cruel, so harsh, and so final. That is what the disciples were feeling when they saw...
You know, I spend a lot of time on the highway driving back and forth between Montgomery and Atlanta - some 500+ trips already. And I’ll tell you what, although I can’t say I’ve seen it all, I have seen a lot. It never ceases to amaze me how people can do some pretty rude and stupid things when they get behind the wheel of a car. I’ve seen people reading books, texting, putting on makeup and one not-so-smart guy actually playing his guitar while driving. Yes, I’ve seen a lot. And although...
The NSA has unconstitutionally monitored the telephone and email logs of American citizens and breached the trust that we should have in our privacy. Have there been other times when the actions of our Government overstepped it’s bounds? The National Security Agency not only intercepted the telephone calls of suspected terrorists but also collected in bulk the logs of telephone calls and emails of ordinary citizens. Monitoring also included the personal cell phone of our ally, Chancellor A...
This article is the second in a series dealing with counterintuitive thoughts about how we deal with crime. I previously pointed out that the solution to the problem of crime will not result from stronger law enforcement, but from stronger moral formation. Correct moral formation occurs as a result of interaction with the family, the peer group, churches, schools and the entire community. Peer groups play a particularly important role. And now there is TV and social media. A comedian may have...
In an increasingly polarized America where little consensus is found, it is somewhat interesting to find that there are people on the right and the left who may be sharing a bit of mutual agreement on at least two hotbed issues. Contrary to most news coverage in Alabama on the issue of Common Core, a.k.a. Alabama College and Career Ready Standards, “right-wing extremist groups” are not the only ones opposed to the Common Core. A simple Internet search for Russell Winn from Huntsville, AL (ww...
A group of private citizens from all corners of our State who remain concerned and continue to fight attempts to rewrite the Alabama Constitution may have found an ‘Achilles Heel’ in the current Legislature's plan for piecemeal revision. The goal of the document (misused at times) as the foundation of our State laws is to safeguard liberties for all Alabamians; citizens empower the State as the sovereign geopolitical unit in the republican form of government guaranteed in our Constitutions. The...
Are there areas in your life that are not “kept” because you are taking care of everyone else? If you are always on the go, constantly working and never taking time for yourself, you will end up stressed out and overwhelmed. You won’t be able to enjoy life the way that God intended. Living a balanced life brings peace, joy, and health. “….they have made me a keeper of vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.” Song of Solomon 1:6 The person speaking in Song of Solomon was good at taking c...
“Popular support is the first element which is necessary for the creation of authority. But an authority resting on that foundation alone is still quite frail, uncertain and vacillating. Hence everyone who finds himself vested with an authority that is based only on popular support must take measures to improve and consolidate the foundations of that authority by the creation of force. Accordingly we must look upon power, that is to say, the capacity to use force, as the second foundation on w...
The National Security Agency not only intercepted the telephone calls of suspected terrorists but also collected in bulk the logs of telephone calls and emails of ordinary citizens. Monitoring also included the personal cell phone of our ally, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. Apparently the monitoring of Merkel has gone on for many years during her ascent to the Chancellorship. The earliest overreach that I am familiar with is by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the War...
The Ft. Worth Texas AP recently reported a teen from an affluent family was only sentenced to probation for killing four people after he lost control of his father's company F-350 truck while speeding and driving drunk. This absurd 'punishment' in relation to his crime outraged the victims' families and left prosecutors disappointed. The 16-year-old offender was sentenced in juvenile court (for this very adult crime) to only 10 years of probation; he confessed to intoxication manslaughter in...
The tremendous increase in the rate of incarceration that has occurred over the past forty years or so strongly indicates more crimes are happening. Our next few columns we will explore some of the implications. In an earlier column we pointed out that there is no “cause” for crime. There is a cause for proper behavior. The cause for proper behavior is adequate moral formation. We also pointed out that the traditional family was the beginning point of moral formation and that the breakdown of...
“I've got a pen, and I’ve got a phone. And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward." Do you fully understand what your president just told you? Regardless of your political ideology, these words uttered by any elected official, and especially by a president of these United States of America, should send a chill down your spine and sound danger sirens across this nation. For those not sharing my conservative phi...
Every year, thousands of heartfelt messages are inscribed upon the most beautifully decorated Valentine’s Day cards. At any drug store, you’ll find them neatly displayed on the greeting card isle in every conceivable category. They come in all shapes and sizes. Most contain flowery words and the romantic prose but, none of them can drive home the message more poignantly then the simple invitation to “Be Mine.” Now talk about NOT mincing your words! That rather bold command is undoubt...
You have not mentioned specifics about yourself so I’ll make this answer generic in a personal and in a business sense. I’m sure that you looked at your financial estate planning (401k), mutual funds, stocks and bonds, life insurance, etc) and as you do you also think about your legal estate planning. Your financial estate planning goes hand in hand with your legal estate planning and you should discuss that with your lawyer, not that he or she will try to advise you on whether your inv...
Family is the basic economic unit of our culture. Earlier columns have examined the breakdown of family and problems related to assignment of family disputes to an adversarial judicial system. Problems related to child and spousal support epitomize the unanticipated difficulties of the transition to no-fault divorce administered by an adversarial judicial system. The traditional family was the ultimate consumer. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, and all of the basic requirements for life...
While my son was a student at the University of Alabama, and a few years before I became politically aware and active, I met a man who mentored a group of young men at the University, including my son. This gentleman was a student of history, a UA graduate, and loved the University dearly. But he was increasingly critical of what he was watching unfold in Tuscaloosa as well as on other campuses across the country. He referred to the “Saturday circus” and the gathering of the masses to watch the...
This year I would like to encourage you to ask Jesus to show you how to share His love with others by giving of you time, your talents, and your resources. As Edward Everett Hale once said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do anything, but I can do something, And I will not let what I cannot do, interfere with what I can do.” Happy New Year & Many Blessings!...
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/197627.stm 2. http://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/a/christmastruce_2.htm December, 1914. For over four months, Europe has been embroiled in war. What was initially conceived to be a quick conflict has become a stalemate unlike anything the world has yet seen. With the advent of newer, deadlier weapons of war, the word slaughter has been redefined to accommodate the new world of mass killing. In the first Battle of Ypres,...
Twentieth century psychology correctly identified the sources of moral formation. Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg and others showed that moral formation occurs in stages of development. Internalization of the commands and images of the parents plays a strong and vital role in moral formation. Traditional family was the first template for moral formation. Earlier in history, “conscience” was believed to be an inherent part of human nature—something humans are born...
My first Gazette Christmas column contemplated how many are still haunted by Miss Greer Garson’s voice in the opening narration of the 1958 animated version of “The Little Drummer Boy,” one of the few indelible memories which remain from Christmases of my youth. The King James Version of Luke 2:1 reads: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” Her narration continued with, “To disobey the Roman Emperor mea...
I noticed as I drove east on Atlanta Highway that Frazer Methodist Church had something on their marquee about Operation Christmas Child; I know it is a common program at this time of year. Many Montgomerians have participated in Operation Christmas Child, generally through their churches. Children get a kick out of giving as they go to stores with their parent or parents to purchase small items that will go to unknown, less fortunate children in another country. I have done this before and you...
With the most popular holiday just around the corner, it seems like everyone is trying to get into the Christmas spirit. Stores line their aisles with Christmas goodies and decor, TV shows have switched to the theme of giving and love, and Santas are starting to pop up everywhere. And why shouldn't they? After all, it is that time of year. It’s the meaning of the season. Right? Yet, the very first Christmas seemed to do without all of these. The very first Christmas somehow started a frenzy w...
Several years ago, I was introduced to former Mobile Press Register reporter Eddie Curran, author of The Governor of Goat Hill, and after purchasing his book, I’ve been eagerly waiting for Curran to sink his teeth into another investigative journey regarding Alabama politics. For those unacquainted with Curran’s book, it’s the compilation of his years covering the corruption involving former Gov. Don Siegelman, but also a virtual encyclopedia of political players associated with state gover...
Last month, I described the meltdown of family that resulted from our nation’s movement from an agrarian, small town economy to a technological economy. Men and women have more contact with members of the opposite sex who are not their spouses than with their spouses. The Nineteen Sixties marked the pivotal change. The judicial system and the legal profession were not designed to solve the problems of the disintegration of marriage and family. Nursery Rhymes teach us a lot. Humpty Dumpty sat o...
I opened the Montgomery Advertiser this morning and I was overwhelmed with joy. Okay, not overwhelmed, but I was pretty happy to see the Collings Foundation is bringing their B-17, B-24 and P-51 to Montgomery on 27, 28 and 29 October. The last time they were here in town was close to three years ago when I was still pretty new as your Robservation writer. Because the Collings Foundation is back in town, I decided to reprint this, my eighth Robservation. Enjoy. BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE...
