The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, and it was not a time when self-esteem was widely recognized as being terribly important. We did not all get trophies. We were not all winners. I don’t remember any standout losers either. Some of us tried harder and some of us were more talented or had more ability, some of us practiced more and improved out skills, some people could have cared less. We had one ole boy in high school that could sing pretty good, and we had another that went on to play s...
Merry Christmas, Everyone! Remember the song “O Holy Night” – A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Does Christmas thrill you? Children get excited at the coming of the season and often we might feel a bit of a charge through experiencing their amazement. However, planning the party, trimming the tree, maxing out the credit card, wrapping, shipping, traveling can often rob us from knowing the wonder for ourselves. And that's assuming we aren'...
Editor’s Note: Steve Flowers wrote this anticipating the 2020 election results. How did he do? Is Alabama still showing red? Our 2020 Election was November 3rd. The Presidential race was the center of all interest. You know the results, unfortunately, my column for today had to go to press before voting began. As you are absorbing the results, allow me to remind you that we do not elect our president by popular vote but by an Electoral College system whereby the electoral winner of each state ev...
You will recall a prior Supreme Court challenge where the individual mandate was held to be a tax and as such a Constitutional law. Surprisingly, Chief Justice Roberts who was considered a more conservative thinker sided with the more liberal justices in the assessment as a tax. With the death of Justice Ginsburg, the 5-4 generally more conservative leaning becomes 5-3 and if Judge Barrett is added, presumably will be more of a 6-3 conservative leaning. A case before the United States Supreme...
In December 2014, I wrote the Robservation below. [Keep in mind who was President at the time] That’s six years ago. It is amazing that in the span of six years, things in this country have actually gotten worse regarding attitudes of race and adult responsibility. Rioting in the streets has become more prevalent, the pace of killing police officers has increased seemingly exponentially and organizations like BLM and ANTIFA make the Occupy Wallstreet gang look like a kindergarten class taking t...
After Alabama became a State on December 14, 1819, plans were initiated to establish a State University. Tuscaloosa, the State Capitol (1826-1846), was chosen. Architect William Nichols patterned the layout of the University of Alabama (UA) after the University of Virginia, designed by Thomas Jefferson. On April 18, 1831, UA opened its doors, with Reverend Alva Woods serving as President. UA was initially a civilian institution with many students coming from well-to-do families. These sometimes pampered and undisciplined teenaged students,...
After eight months of abusive, criminal, and unconstitutional Coronavirus-related lockdowns, curfews, shutdowns, travel restrictions, social distancing, and mask mandates, the United States is showing very little progress in returning the people back to normal lifestyles. Our governor, Kay Ivey, continues to extend her oppressions, time after time after time on the eves of their expirations. Governors in other states have done even worse, especially Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who...
Revealing how many found my last column (and FB post) too harsh on an impenitent Michael Gregory Hubbard serving his “indeed justly” earned prison sentence. One journalist stipulated Felon Hubbard’s wrongdoing but asserted himself as more sage than a Lee County jury along with the accomplished, well recognized Jurist, Jacob Walker. Last month’s Alabama Gazette included discussion on how well incumbent Mayors fared across the State being reelected. One of the most revealing observations was fro...
As we turn 3rd base, heading for home during this 2020 election cycle, I am grappling about what to discuss in this article, because there is a trojan horse, multi-layered choreographed theatre unleashed on America. It is like lighting the fuse on a pack of firecrackers and all at once there are these uncontrollable, loud, disruptive, unsettling and untraceable mental gymnastics dizzily swirling. All of this is sourced back to the Democrats. I have entitled this article, The Robe and Short...
COVID-19 has killed over 200,000 Americans while policies to stem the virus’ spread have caused enormous economic and societal harm. Any comparison must use a common metric, and economics uses dollars, even for human lives. No one can avoid placing a dollar value on saving lives; always choosing safety just places an infinite dollar value on life. Our only option is whether to evaluate tradeoffs. Economists use the value of a statistical life (VSL) for policies regulating risk. The method u...
Eighty years ago this week, hurricane season ended when the Royal Air Force won the Battle of Britain by stopping the Nazi war machine at the edge of the English Channel. Before the summer of 1940, Hitler had derided Great Britain as a nation of shopkeepers. Göring’s seemingly superior Luftwaffe pilots were outdone by the young British RAF, aided by friendly forces—not the least of which was a squadron of Polish pilots. They had shown the world that the Nazi juggernaut could be countered through...
I’m not saying we should go all the way back to Luckenbach, Texas…but honky-tonks may need to make a quick comeback because cow hugging has become one of the latest wellness trends. I don’t think that there is anything CBD Oil can do for you if you cuddle the wrong cow. The trend started in the Netherlands years ago after a Dutch farmer claimed cows to be very relaxed animals that do not fight or get into trouble. They are described as being patient and sweet. So naturally, it gravitated to th...
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God, it is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good; his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5 All across our nation, Thanksgiving is a day that we set asi...
With it being a presidential election year and an election for one of our United States Senate Seats and all of the interest that goes along with those high-profile contests, it has gone under the radar that most of our cities in the state had elections for mayor and city council last month. Mayors serve four-year terms and to most Alabamians they are the most important vote they will cast this year. The job of mayor of a city is a difficult and intricate fulltime, 24 hours a day dedication to...
What should have happened by the time you read this is that President Trump will have named a very capable, conservative female judge to replace Justice Ginsburg who died in September. The political wrangling will be on as the Republicans attempt to place another conservative leaning justice. I would have personally disagreed with Justice Ginsburg on several legal decisions, but the fact is she was one of the most incredible legal minds of the 20th and 21st centuries. During the pandemic the...
We are down to the wire here. The election of 2020; billed as a make or break for our republic. As if this year has not been enough of mental meltdown. Now on top of all this, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has passed on. Could things get any uglier? Uhhhh, yeah. They are going to. This is going to be a rather short Robservation since I am sitting here typing with a broken hand. I took the splint off and am typing for the first time in a while, and I feel like I have 400 uncontrollable fingers slapping awa...
Each September, National Suicide Prevention Month is recognized as we draw attention to the causes, warning signs, and treatment options for those affected by this tragedy. You may think to yourself that this annual campaign is certainly important, but how does it impact you? The truth is, we can all help to reduce and prevent suicide. As you know, the Second District is home to thousands of veterans. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an average of 20 veterans die by suicide...
By now, most of us have heard about Governor Kay Ivey’s September 3 proposal to build three new mega-prisons, ostensibly to solve Alabama’s long-standing prison overcrowding problem once and for all. The new prisons are planned for Bibb, Escambia, and Elmore Counties, with construction beginning in 2021. Their total capacity will be 10,000 male inmates. For a minimum of 30 years thereafter, the state will be obligated to shell out $88,000,000 of our tax revenue to lease them. Before we bui...
Two COVID-19 vaccines are in large-scale trials in the United States. Federal bureaucrats have thus far rejected human challenge trials (HCT), which would intentionally expose volunteers to the virus and speed testing. HCT should be part of our vaccine approval process. Vaccine testing employs randomized control trials with subjects assigned to either a trial group receiving the vaccine or a control group receiving a placebo. Neither subjects nor trial personnel should know who receives the...
“...one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.” Luke 23:39-41 KJV Many contacted me after receiving news convicted felon Michael Gregory Hubbard finally reported for the prison sentences he indeed justly earned. I ask for...
Individuals who have recently attended school or worked in the business world are aware of "diversity." During my Russell Corporation career, one company leader was nearly fanatical about it; it often seemed to be more important than making quality products and providing good customer service. Some claim the term itself is classic "Orwellian double-speak" – a word having two opposing meanings. Others reference Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" short story about a dystopian society that p...
The Historic “Abraham Accords” Peace Deal was signed at the White House on Tuesday September 15th, 2020 between Israel, The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Middle East will never be the same. President Trump signed the documents as the official witness. This is only the second such deal in the history of Israel in which Arab countries formally recognized Israel’s right to exist. The Deal would not have been possible without the intervention and negotiation skills of President Trump. The P...
The temperature in my quiet kitchen early in the morning has felt a few degrees cooler this week. I am still drinking coffee out of a cup with a pink flamingo on it, but summer is being ushered out by fall. Before long, a flurry of leaves will be followed by the first frost. I am from people who did not believe in eating certain foods until after the first frost – like cabbage and collards. Turnips, carrots…root vegetables. These were people who collected cookbooks but didn’t use recipes. I am...
Happy Fall Y’all! (as we say in the South) The leaves are beginning to turn, and there’s a crisp chill in the air. What is it about a simple change in weather that can bring out the best in people? It's almost like each new season is a new beginning of sorts. It's a very representation of newness that stirs up changes in our souls. Autumn visions of our favorite warm cozy sweater, rich hot cocoa, and steaming hot apple cider spring into action in our hearts. The Bible also references new changes...
Labor Day is upcoming on Monday. In bygone days it was the benchmark day for campaign season to start. Historically, Labor Day barbeques were events where political campaigns had their roots. Camp stew and barbequed pork were devoured while folks listened to politicians promise how they were going to bring home the pork. The most legendary political Labor Day Barbeques have been held in the Northwest corner of the state. There were two monumental, legendary, barbeque events in that neck of the w...
