The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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My first Gazette Christmas column contemplated how many were 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 remaining memories of my youth from Christmases long past. 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...
In November we celebrate two holidays that cause us to reflect on our history and the need to remember the sacrifice of so many. Those holidays are Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. The month of November also reflects fall in its full array of colors, which serves to remind us of the need to be thankful for things we mostly take for granted every day. I hope that you paused on Veterans Day to give thanks for those men and women who were brave and selfless enough to fight for our freedom. My...
The Bible does not tell us the date of Jesus's birth nor does it tell us to celebrate His birth. A celebration of Jesus's resurrection following His death on the cross is a more appropriate celebration for Christians than His birth. That is because Jesus' resurrection from the dead is the proof of the deity of the Son and the real hope for those that believe on Him that their soul will reside with God forever. Society however would much rather celebrate a birth rather than a death. I remember...
By now, all of us have heard about the three UCLA freshmen basketball players who were caught shoplifting in China a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, that is a pretty bad thing. Stealing is bad enough but to do it on foreign soil is taking theft to a new level. Haven’t these guys seen the 1978 movie, “Midnight Express” where the guy was trying to sneak heroin out of Turkey but got caught at the airport? Or maybe they have seen a couple of episodes of the series titled, “Locked Up Abroad?” Or maybe...
With all the changes and uncertainty surrounding Alabama government in recent months, including political appointments, high level resignations, special elections, runoff elections and a host of new candidates tossing their names into the 2018 election circus, Alabamians might be relieved to know one thing remains steady and solid and many may never have heard of it – Alabama’s Silver Haired Legislature is one of Alabama’s crown jewels. This illustrious and distinguished array of Alaba...
The biggest issues that I see unfortunately occur after someone is dead when a new Will is now an impossibility. Some people will do a Will with a lawyer at some point in their life . . . . . forty years ago and never update it. An old Will that is defective in language or the kids in the Will are now grown with their own families can make the probate process considerably more difficult than it should be. The person who sees me for other estate planning that does not include a Will, I have come...
On October 1, 2017 over 500 people were injured and 58 people lost their lives when Stephen Paddock opened fire on concert goers at a country music festival in Las Vegas from his hotel room. This catastrophic event is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. As usual, when the responses came out following the shooting, the nation was shown honesty and compassion from the right and lunacy from the left. The debate over gun control and the second amendment have long been a point of...
For months now, we’ve heard the term “fake news” batted around and attached to news organizations across the political spectrum. The term has been increasingly applied by President Trump as it relates to the coverage of his administration by liberal news outlets, and while conservatives have long known that the dominant mainstream media outlets were skewed to the left, are they truly culpable in an agenda of pushing propaganda under the guise of news? James O’Keefe, conservative activis...
There's a different scent in the wind on Goat Hill with Felon Hubbard in the rear view mirror. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon has shown himself a different Spirit than his predecessor he once shilled for, recently highlighted by efforts focused on reducing waste and revising our State budgeting process. More hidden from public view, some political junkies were pleased how quickly McCutcheon rebuked shady, vulgar 'political business as usual' Riley, Inc. type fundraising tactics to further signal...
Once again, so many stories, so little room to write. Sort of like a Lays potato chip, I cannot have just one. So here goes. 1. DOUG JONES FOR SENATE. In my column, I do try to remain "politics neutral" without necessarily coming out with an endorsement of any candidate. But by now, I am sure most of you know where I am coming from politically. Have any of you noticed that in Doug Jones' commercials, (two that I have seen thus far), he doesn't mention he is a Democrat? No, really, he doesn't. My...
Just to be clear, I am writing about the banana spiders found in the southeastern region of the United States. They live as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Texas. I am not referring to the banana spider of Central and South America that is venomous and will chase people. There are those who believe the banana spider arrived to our area aboard banana boats as they docked at the port of Mobile years ago. But experts claim Mobile had banana spiders long before the banana boats...
Often in the bad times our eyesight gets foggy and we fail to recognize God’s hand of blessing. We focus on the negatives and let them pull us down. At times, we may not even see any positives in our situation. But God. Yes! But God always gives blessings even though they may not be readily seen. “Praise be to the LORD, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” Psalm 68:19 Psalm 68 is an interesting passage. It was intended to be used in worship by Israel as a song of victory and deliv...
October 4, 2017 Judge Roy Moore and his wife, Kayla, made their traditional horseback ride to their voting place in Gallant in Etowah County, last Tuesday and when all the votes were counted that night, they won a resounding victory. Moore’s capture of the GOP Senate nomination was impressive. A 55-45 margin is not a total trouncing, but is considered a landslide. Despite being outspent by the Washington establishment 15-to- 1, Moore prevailed. His solid bloc of conservative evangelical v...
With the Messerschmitt's left wingtip pointed vertically toward the bluish-green bay below, the hapless Hurricane fighter stands virtually motionless in front of the young Berliner's windscreen. Through the heavy metal framed canopy of the Messerschmitt Bf-109F-4, the brown and tan camouflaged British Hurricane with its yellow, blue, white, and red centered cockade remains clearly recognizable against the crystal blue, cloudless North African sky. Pulling back on the stick, the G-forces...
Actually there has. Many of the Court cases involving religion are establishment clause cases where there is an attempt to separate any activity that seems to tie a governmental entity to a religious group. Many such cases have involved the display of Christian or Jewish symbols on city owned property especially during the Christmas or Hanukkah seasons. What has been very rare have been cases involving the Free Exercise of Religion clause. Of interest is the Trinity Lutheran Church of Colombia,...
More often than not, I’m experiencing days in which I don’t want to hear a single news story or read yet another sensational headline. One would think with the abundance of news that it should be easy for me to find a topic each month on which to express my opinion, but it’s actually quite the opposite because of the information overload every way I turn. It’s enough to make me wonder if I’m only “beating a dead horse” with words and that it might be time to take a break from everything an...
A heartwarming story took place in Florida just before the arrival of Hurricane Irma. Pam Brekke was next in line at a Lowe’s when she burst into tears as the last generator was given to the person ahead of her in line. “My father is on oxygen and I’m worried about this storm,” she said. Ramon Santiago, who was that next person in line, saw Brekke’s tears and handed over the generator he was going to purchase. “He’s an angel from God is what he is,” Brekke said. “She needed the generator. It...
Right now, a sizable portion of America’s elected officials and military leaders is running around like chickens with their heads cut off in response to Kim Jong Un’s belligerent displays of military aggression in North Korea. Most of them are screaming about what they can do to restrain him and are probably planning reckless actions that could very well start World War III. Let’s set the record straight. North Korea is a sovereign nation just like any other. Yes, it is currently under the r...
The more commonly remembered (88th Anniversary) stock market crash of 1929 resulted from “an overbought, overvalued, and excessively bullish market, rising even as economic conditions were not supporting the advance,” according to pop press accounts and economists who like to describe instead of explain results. What proffered the overbought, overvalued unsupported exuberance is noticeably absent in the discourse of Keynesian economists and other lotharios of leviathan. The crash began on Thu...
The Fall season is here! After a long hot summer, the cool crisp air that comes in the Fall feels so good. Invigorating! From time to time, our spiritual life needs invigorating too. Don’t you want your life to be filled with the invigorating power of Christ? I sure do! “...that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Recently, I came across this acronym for the word Fall… F - Fellowship with Christ (and with other Christians) A - Abiding in Christ L - Leaning on Christ...
One of the most confusing days of the year in Wilcox County can be Father’s Day. Mother’s Day is not as complicated. This year the Mayor of Camden, Phil Creswell, is giving area residents another day to celebrate. In connection with the national movement intended to raise awareness about the importance of parental involvement, Mayor Creswell has proclaimed Monday, September 25, as Family Day. He is encouraging everyone to take time out to do something family oriented. Family Day in Alabama has...
Maybe, it's the increased humidity and hot temperatures that have made me a bit cranky of late. Maybe, I'm so weary of the recent news events and escalation of anger consuming our nation that more than ever I'm ready for college football and the diversion it brings. Or maybe, it's the special U.S. Senate election and my disgust with the nasty campaign ads generated from the power structure in DC wanting to select our next senator that has irritated me more than normal in the last few weeks. I...
Most people would assume that as the race for the open U.S. Senate began that Luther Strange, the appointed incumbent, was the favorite. However, polling indicated that Roy Moore was the favorite and still is as we head towards the September 26 runoff. The initial polling showed that Moore had a hardcore 30 percent. It was and is as solid as a rock. He had 30 percent from the get-go. He had 30 percent midway in the race and he had 30 percent at the end. It was also a fact that with a low voter...
As I sit here writing this Robservation, another "car into the crowd" attack just happened in Barcelona, Spain; 14 dead and a hundred or so injured. CNN, not surprisingly, suggested that it was a "copycat" of the Charlottesville, VA attack from earlier in the week. Of course, it couldn't be a copycat of Niece, Antwerp, London or dozens of other similar attacks around the world. Right? But to fit their crazy narrative, the press had to claim it might be related to Charlottesville. I am here to...
Talking about monuments that you may not like or receiving a peaceful assembly approval by local law enforcement on public spaces to protest a monument that one may dislike is free speech, but the destruction of existing monuments are protected by law. The actual destruction of a monument is protected by the following: (1) Section 13A-7-21, Code of Alabama Criminal mischief in the first degree. (a) A person commits the crime of criminal mischief in the first degree if, with intent to damage...
