The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Unfortunately, a recent tragic murder in Chicago should raise red flags right here in Alabama. One day after being released on parole from an Illinois prison, a violent felon has been accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend and murdering her 11-year old son. Soon thereafter two members of the Illinois Parole Board, one of whom was the Chair, resigned after what the Illinois Governor described as a lack of careful consideration of the evidence related to the domestic violence threats of the felon....
More than 28 million adult Americans continue to be cigarette smokers, including more than 618,000 Alabamians. This habit not only hurts their personal health, but it also exposes others to toxic smoke and drives up health care costs. Fortunately, new legislation in the Alabama legislature could help put these smokers and the state on a better path. Throughout my professional and personal life, I have seen firsthand how cigarettes damage the body and shorten lives. I've treated patients as a...
When I became Commerce Secretary, Governor Kay Ivey gave me some marching orders - lead a team effort to create a new economic development strategic plan that will drive growth in Alabama well into the 2030s. I'm pleased to report that we're making progress. Days ago, Governor Ivey announced that global consulting firm McKinsey & Company has been selected to perform a key research role in the development of this plan. In addition, Troy University and Alabama A&M University will also be important...
In the heart of Alabama, a crisis looms—a silent predator stealing the promise and potential of our youth. Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, is wreaking havoc across the nation, and Alabama is no exception. The time to act is now, and the Alabama Senate and sponsor Jay Hovey (R) Auburn have the ball in their court. They must pass House Bill 280, also known as the Price Hornsby Act, to protect our children from the deadly grasp of this drug. Representative Joe Lovvorn, inspired by the s...
As hard as it is for me to admit, it is time we talk seriously about the limits of freedom of speech. As a staunch defender of our First Amendment rights, even I cannot ignore the chaos unfolding across America. From the streets of Dearborn, Michigan to the streets of New York city they are protests that border on outright riots that are raging unchecked. On campuses of so-called elite schools like Columbia and Yale University to state schools including the University of Texas and Ohio State...
In the heart of downtown Montgomery, where the pulse of our state's political life beats the strongest, Theo Katechis offered more than just hot dogs; he served generous helpings of community and compassion. His passing on Wednesday leaves a void not just on historic Dexter Avenue, but in the hearts of all who knew him. The first time I walked into Chris' Hot Dogs, I was ten with my father then the Probate Judge of Montgomery. It was more than a meal; it was a lesson in the fabric of our communi...
I've worked with Governor Kay Ivey for quite a while, and when she says she wants something done, she means it. When Governor Ivey asked me to serve as director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) back in 2017, she made one thing perfectly clear – expanding access to high-speed internet to all Alabamians was a top priority of her administration. It has been a true honor at ADECA, the state agency charged with coordinating and executing broadband expansion p...
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The preamble to the Constitution, something that I learned in the 5th grade, is the foundation of the Constitution. It focuses on creating a government that secures the...
In a triumphant victory for the health and future of Alabama’s youth, the Senate has passed the Price Hornsby Act with a resounding unanimous vote of 35-0. This critical piece of legislation, skillfully shepherded through the legislative process by Representative Joe Lovvorn and Senator Jay Hovey, now awaits the signature of Governor Kay Ivey. It is imperative that Governor Ivey sign this bill into law without delay and that State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey fast-track its i...
As the end of 2023 was approaching, the U.S. Senate had ignored the custom to adjourn around Thanksgiving for a month-long Christmas break. Instead, they were working right up to Christmas. Our Senior Senator Tommy Tuberville was quietly and effectively maneuvering to get things accomplished with an adroitness exhibited by U.S. Senate veterans. Alabama’s senior United States Senator has become an adept political operator during his three and a half years in the upper chamber of Congress. P...
One Hundred years ago, Congress passed, and President Calvin Coolidge signed a new immigration bill. While relatively uncontroversial in the United States - it had passed the Senate 69-9 and 308-62 in the House - the Act had a global impact. Its genesis was a study completed by the Dillingham Commission, which was formed by President Theodore Roosevelt and tasked with studying and identifying which immigrants would contribute most to the social fabric of America. The commission unfortunately...
Unfortunately, a recent tragic murder in Chicago should raise red flags right here in Alabama. One day after being released on parole from an Illinois prison, a violent felon has been accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend and murdering her 11-year old son. Soon thereafter two members of the Illinois Parole Board, one of whom was the Chair, resigned after what the Illinois Governor described as a lack of careful consideration of the evidence related to the domestic violence threats of the felon....
If you are a non-believer and need proof that the Biden administration is engaged in what can only be described as a blatant, orchestrated witch hunt against Donald Trump, look no further than the recent revelations about the FBI’s staging of photographs of classified documents. This is not just political theater; it is an absolute travesty of justice. The story, as reported by Julie Kelley and others, unfolds like a poorly scripted play. The FBI, directed by those in the highest levels of t...
In a triumphant victory for the health and future of Alabama’s youth, the Senate has passed the Price Hornsby Act with a resounding unanimous vote of 35-0. This critical piece of legislation, skillfully shepherded through the legislative process by Representative Joe Lovvorn and Senator Jay Hovey, now awaits the signature of Governor Kay Ivey. It is imperative that Governor Ivey sign this bill into law without delay and that State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey fast-track its i...
I hope you all voted in the primaries yesterday. You have an advantage on me in that I have to go to press with my column before Wednesday, my publication date. Therefore, you know the results. However, I doubt there are any surprises. We do not have any good state races this year. We have four open seats on our State Supreme Court. However, three of the four are held by popular incumbents, none of which received even token opposition from either Republicans or Democrats. Justices Will Sellers,...
Four hundred years ago, King James I of England convened his last parliament, the most significant and enduring legacy of which was the “Statute of Monopolies.” This act was both a restriction on royal prerogative and the beginning of legal protection for patents and intellectual property. Prior to this act, the crown arbitrarily granted monopolies to bestow royal favor and also to receive a fee for the privilege. The grant of monopolies had become an end-run around parliament to indirectly rai...
Our great republic is on track to be doomed. At a minimum, if we do not pull our collective heads out of the hole, we are doomed. There was a time when people prided themselves on common sense. Today, not so much. It seems the more stupid, ignorant and blind to reality people are, the happy the world seems to be to them. No matter what people want to think or believe, in this world there are still obvious rights and wrongs. Shades of gray exist for sure but I hate (not really) to burst some...
In Governor Kay Ivey’s State of the State Address, we witnessed a masterclass in leadership and vision, particularly in the domain of education. As a long-time observer and participant in the political arena, it's rare to encounter a moment where clarity of purpose and commitment to action align as perfectly as they did in Governor Ivey's address. Her words were not just rhetoric, they were a loud call for a brighter future for Alabama's children and a testament to her unwavering dedication t...
I have written several times after questions were posed regarding Advance Health Care Directives (Living Will plus Health Care Proxy appointment). An Advance Health Care Directive does not address a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) or a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) order. Other health care facilities that receive a patient from one facility to another, whether it is for a period of time or for appointments not offered as a service in their facility must decide whether they can or should honor a...
“They don’t have to gamble,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says of gambling opponents. Perhaps not. But we all have to live with the evils gambling produces. And Alabamians should remember the lessons of Phenix City. Life Magazine described Phenix City as the “wickedest city in the United States, …everything from gambling to murder to arson to fraud.” Known as “Little Las Vegas,” between 1945 and 1954 this little town of 23,000 featured casinos, lotteries, cockfighting, and other forms of gambling, and...
Reporting on Trump’s ballot access in States like Colorado and Maine prompted one loyal reader to recall a long past Gazette column about ineligible candidates on Alabama ballots; https://www.alabamagazette.com/story/2018/06/01/news/state-school-board-races-worthy-inquiry-to-secretary-merrill/1376.html. No shortage of disagreement on what constitutes ‘insurrection’ in these current State cases w.r.t. ballot access for Mr. Trump. Ineligible candidates Alabama’s Secretary of State (John Merrill in...
Right now, America is suffering from the greatest invasion of foreigners in its entire history. Our borders are now so porous, they are utterly ineffective in keeping out many of the world’s most dangerous people. Just this past year, some three million migrants—nearly all of them penniless, destitute peasants—have poured across our southern border, overwhelming our barricades and security forces. An estimated 30 million more are still waiting in Mexico for their turns to assault it and take...
The late Paul Harvey famously said: “Now, for the rest of the story.” “Jim Crow” is a classic example of an incomplete story. Establishment media incessantly blames the South for everything considered “historically bad.” Some modern TV shows and movies will make a sane person want to heave. In reality, when all racial and ethnic groups were in close proximity, segregation was essentially a non-issue in the Old South. Segregation was actually born in the North. Jack Trotter contends that everyo...
Granddaughter Lauren recently competed for the title of Future Miss Abbeville Christian at Abbeville Christian Academy where she is enrolled in the Pre-K program. Her mother is a teacher. She was wearing a lovely dress, sporting her pageant smile, and walking the walk she had practiced walking. Earlier in the afternoon she’d had her had done by a woman in town. Everybody told her she was pretty. She stood confident before an auditorium of parents and obligated grandparents and when asked what s...
A while back, I was listening to a Podcast and one of the speakers referred to the word “ego” as an anacronym. E-G-O….Edging God Out. For me, and maybe for some of you, this is idea or concept is thought provoking, to say the least. There’s a story in Greek mythology about a young man named Narcissus. He was a very handsome young man and he knew it. One day he saw his reflection in a stream and he became enamored with the image of himself. He couldn’t pull himself away; he stared into the strea...
