The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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The end of summer is approaching and we are nearing my favorite time of the year – fall. Fall in the south brings with it nights around a campfire, football games, more time spent in the great outdoors, and, thankfully, some cooler weather. 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 sta...
How to live in a county that is dying Prior to reading the interview with respected historian Wayne Flynt on Al.com, I knew that the Black Belt has its challenges. I knew, because I started writing about them when it became clear years ago that many of the most challenging issues were never making it across the Wilcox County line. The poverty level and unemployment rate are well-reported, but political corruption, poor leadership, and candidates winning elections through illegal absentee voting...
Did you know that the Labor Day holiday originally started in the late 1800's? Can you imagine how excited the people were to take a day off from working. Some may have thought, "What a wonderful and new idea!" Created and implemented as a day of rest by those hard-working blue- collar laborers in New York City. This day continues to be one that we as a nation look forward to every September. In many ways, Labor Day has become a man-made American Sabbath day. A yearly day of rest from our labor...
Tallassee Armory Guards (SCV Camp 1921) 20th remembrance of the "Battles for the Armory" War Between the States reenactment is appropriately set for Veteran's day weekend November 10 and 11 this year. The 2017 event has added an Arts & Crafts fair adjacent to the battlefield on Gibson's View Plantation in Tallassee. The event offers an opportunity to view and buy artistic works of local craftsmen on the same ticket issued to observe the reenactment, and to shop War Between the States era Sutlers...
"The trio of timelines can be jarring as you figure out how they all fit, and the fact that there are only a couple of women and no lead actors of color may rub some the wrong way." USA Today Brian Truitt Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of the movie, Dunkirk. In all the years I have been writing for the Gazette, I believe this is my first review. Once this is complete many of you will probably say you know exactly why I don't write movie reviews but here goes...
Empty screen before me now, heavy hands upon the keyboard, I struggle to type this month’s column… informed hours ago of the death of my father-in-law, Dale Miller, via phone from my bride. She immediately flew to Indiana a week ago to be there for his final days of a life well lived after her younger sister completed the onerous task of telling her older sister their father received Last Rites. Since joining the esteemed group of Alabama Gazette writers in 2009, I’ve never missed a deadl...
There is a proven theory espoused by political scholars that has prevailed in southern political history for decades. The premier political scholar, Dr. V. O. Key, first illustrated this repetitious theme that has weaved its way through the southern electorate. He called it “Friends and Neighbors” politics. It is not a complicated hypothesis. It simply means that southerners tend to vote for someone from their neck of the woods. It is a truism in all southern states. However, it is most pronounc...
Aside from the lawyer jokes, being an attorney is a noble profession. In all professions you have the occasional bad seed even though law schools and Bar associations attempt to weed them out. And many lawyer jokes focus not on the misdeeds of the few but on one of the rules of ethics. The Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.3, Comment in part says, “A lawyer should act with commitment and dedication to the interests of the client and with zeal in advocacy upon the client's behalf. “ I...
While campaigning for office, Donald Trump, like any respectable candidate, promised to defend the people’s right to keep and bear arms along with the remainder of the United States Constitution. And, during his inauguration this past January 20, he formally swore to uphold that same Constitution. But then, early this past month (July), Trump made a dirty deal with the Chicago Police Department to continue an oppressive drive begun by Barack Obama to confiscate “illegal” guns and ammun...
In our fallen world, there is certainly no shortage of heartbreaking stories, yet the one that will not leave my mind right now is one from the United Kingdom pertaining to the medical and legal issues facing the 11-month old infant Charlie Gard and his parents. As a parent and a grandparent, I grieve with these parents for the shattered dreams for their child due to the diagnosis of his very rare genetic condition and apparent terminal prognosis for his life. Based on all I have read,...
God told Joshua to cross over the Jordan River and to go possess the land. The word “possess” means “to drive out the previous tenants”. This implies action. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:12, “The kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, but the violent take it by force.” Indeed, it is time to be aggressive and energetic when it comes to letting go of the past and pressing forward to the abundant life God has in store for you. It’s time to rise up and boldly go after your victory! It’s time to...
A lot of songs, movies, and television shows have been about the trucking industry. That is because, as Merle Haggard sang in his hit song “Movin’ On,” “the white line is the lifeline to the nation.” Our economy would crumble if truck and taxi companies were not moving goods and people over our roads. A lot of people may not know that the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) helps those companies that help Alabama’s economy and people. One way the PSC supports the safety of those travelling...
“What General Weygand has called the Battle of France is over... the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire... But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of p...
Congressional shooter James T. Hodgkinson most reproduced quote (linked to a Change.org petition) asserted, “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co.” Fascinating how many this past decade sincerely asserted Obama and now Trump have somehow single-handedly accomplished such great damage. Extremists of this sort refuse to understand we were not designed to be a democracy; those who’ve shilled loudest for democracy have ‘progressed’ us into oligarchy...
In Alabama politics many times appointments to political offices filled by an acting governor have an adverse effect on that appointee if and when they seek election to that office for a full term. Every time George Wallace appointed someone to a political post, even in the prime of his popularity and power, they invariably lost in the next election. Well folks, ole Dr. Bentley ain’t George Wallace and his appointment of Luther Strange to the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions may come back t...
As you celebrate this Independence Day with family, friends, and all the commercialized activities that this day has come to represent in our culture, perhaps you’ll reflect a few minutes on this question: How much independence do we really have from our government? Since our government controls our education system, our health care system, and numerous other industries owing their profits or even existence to government bailouts and subsidies, it appears that the American government of today i...
This is certainly not my area of expertise but I will take a stab at it. First let’s take a look at a couple of historical concepts. In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in Congress, which forbade the immigration of Chinese workers for ten years. Section Six of the Geary Act of 1892 required that Chinese obtain a certificate or face arrest or deportation even if there had been no other crimes committed. In the United States Supreme Court case of Fong Yue Ting v. United States it was m...
It is supposed to be easy and serve as a transition into writing about others in second person, but there are always those who seem to draw a blank. They stare into space like they have been asked to describe a stranger. This is sad to me. One of the many responsibilities we are charged with as parents – and teachers too to some extent – is to help our children to know who they are as individuals. This is not the same as teaching them. You can’t teach them who they are the same way you can t...
Right now, in the United States Senate, the Sword of Damocles is hanging right over our heads. Keep an eye on it. Don’t let it drop and chop our heads off. It is Senate Bill 1134, labeled as the “Back the Blue Act of 2017.” It was introduced by Texas Senator John Cornyn and co-sponsored by our newly appointed Senator Luther Strange. This is a frightening piece of legislation that gives police and all other “first responders” near absolute immunity against legal action for almost any wrongdoin...
Happy 4th of July! Also known as Independence Day or July 4th, it has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941. However, the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has...
It's easy to put things off. There are so many things that we have to deal with on a daily basis that when it comes to some things that we know we need to do, we just put it off until tomorrow. The next day rolls around and we either forget that we were going to do it or we find yet another reason to put it off. That is not always a bad thing, but when it comes to important matters in our lives and the lives of our family members, then it could be devastating. One of those important matters is...
Anytime an individual or a group of people set out to accomplish an agreement that is meant to have a favorable outcome for all participants, you better be good at negotiating or you just might come out with a raw deal or even a bad deal. This is what happened to our Nation in the Paris Climate Accord. Fortunately, we now have leadership in place that has seen just what kind of deal the former administration made on our behalf which would be described by all standards, a very bad deal. In fact,...
I just returned from a 3-day trip, turned on the news and saw where 19 people have been killed at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. Again, the sorrowful, cowardly words, “New Normal” raises its ugly head. No, I will not accept that. I won’t. I can’t. I refuse to. Anytime I go to the movies, a concert, the mall or out to dinner, I am supposed to have a reasonable expectation that I will get killed by some cretin with a grudge against the whole world? I DO NOT THINK SO!! Let me see,...
“Brother against brother” oft conjures remembrance of how a voluntary coalition of States morphed onto the forced coalition of states result observed these past several score. Mr. Trump swore his oath of office hand on the Lincoln bible to then speak of another FDR (increasing debt per capital twelve fold) type federal spending model in his inaugural address. President Trump recently asserted war between the States could’ve been avoided. Accomplished with compromise [lowering] tariffs to atten...
Patriotically and emotionally if the destruction of an American flag is done in a manner of disrespect, I would think that it should be criminal and I would say give that individual a chance to live in another country! I guess this country is so big on tolerance that about the only thing that I see as intolerant by this country is being disrespectful of minority groups (racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, religious, etc.). For me to be a southern Christian white male, proud of my heritage I...
