The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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The mid-term elections are finally over and the holiday season is in retail overdrive wherever we turn. We’ve already felt the cold of the approaching winter, bringing delight to hunters across the state. While our sportsmen (and women) take to the woods of Alabama to fill their freezers with venison, there are far more dangerous animals for which we have little to no control – lame duck members of Congress and a lame duck president. Lame duck sessions occur after each November mid-term ele...
First, let me start off my very first article in the Gazette by thanking the voters in Montgomery County for their overwhelming support and encouragement. I feel that I have been very fortunate in having the best trainer, mentor, and most of all, friend, for the past 16 years in preparation for the position of Sheriff of Montgomery County. I would like to thank Sheriff D. T. Marshall for this opportunity to learn the responsibilities of this job from a dedicated law enforcement officer. I...
Mary had just had a bad night; a really, really bad night. The man her “friend” set her up with and had assured her was the “catch of the century,” had predictably turned out to be anything but. He was grossly immature and socially awkward with a strange and unsettling twitching left eye that never quite seemed to look directly at her. As she brooded over her mug of hot coffee, she thought to herself that it could have been much worse. He could have been an Oakland Raiders fan. She wiped a...
Mike Hubbard is the political story of the year because our 2014 state elections were so mundane. The October indictment of the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives overshadows all other political events in the state, even the reelection of Gov. Robert Bentley, which was a foregone conclusion. In fact, if Hubbard had not been indicted, it would have been the political story of the year. Speculation had been rampant for well over a year that the very powerful leader of the House would...
As I type up this article, we're counting down the days, hours, and minutes till the start of gun season! With bow and muzzleloader seasons underway, there's already been plenty of action for the avid outdoorsman, and the best part is still yet to come! I've had a few folks hunting with me during muzzleloader season, and they're seeing deer everywhere! Average field count is almost 40 deer a hunt! Between the cold weather, the lack of pressure, and a great crop of acorns this year, we should hav...
Legalism is in the broadest sense a strict and maybe even overbearing adherence to laws. In Chinese philosophy, legalism attained prominence in about 500 to 200 B.C. Legalism in Chinese philosophy is a belief that government should be modeled reactively to a belief that the human condition is one of selfishness and short sidedness. Therefore for a ruler to be effective, they believed that the people must be absolutely loyal based on a set of laws with strong governmental control and a set of...
The Bobcats are a very adaptable animal that appears to be living in the urban environment due to human expansion; they are very reclusive and hardly ever seen. The adult male bobcats weigh 20 to 30 pounds and average 3 feet in length. The females are considerably smaller and may weigh less than a large house cat. Bobcats can be various shades of buff and brown, with dark brown or black stripes and spots on some parts of the body. The tip of the tail and the backs of the ears are black. They...
It has been heartbreaking to me as a football fan to watch some of the teams in the south who have moved up to Division I-A football over the last decade. Teams like Troy, UAB, South Alabama and Georgia State were probably correct in the assessment of moving into the top class of college football with the plethora of bowl games available, the promise of more money in the coffers due to expanded crowds and fan bases. Also the alumni of colleges who were stuck in what they considered the oblivion...
As children Christmas specials became less mesmerizing and parental expectations pressed to show awareness and understanding of maturing into an adult orthodox Christian, this phrase shepherded my attention toward thinking; what really was the reason? Clearly it was not Charlie Brown, a drummer boy, Frosty, Rudolph, et al anymore than "Santa" or Christmas trees, lights and presents. Given my namesake, Saint John the Theologian (orthodox Christians have trouble identifying with naming children af...
I recently saw a poster titled, "And He Shall Be Called." It had over 50 names for the persons of the Godhead, the Trinity. I bought the poster and have been thrilled at where the study leads.This column will share just a small bit of information about the names, as space permits. God revealed Himself as Father to the nation of Israel, (Deut. 32:6). He created Israel to be His special people in order to manifest His Providence. The Bible has many instances where God revealed Himself as Father,...
In our preceding article we introduced the current series dealing with law, economics and the economics of law practice. Several upcoming articles will deal with the economics of law practice. In order to understand some of the problems associated with the economics of law practice it will be necessary to explain and understand certain dynamics about the nature of law. In 1913, an East European legal philosopher named Eugen Ehrlich, in his book Fundamental Principles of the Sociology of Law,...
The private-federal partnership which created “Common Core State Standards” (CCSS) or Common Core is now beginning to unravel in many states across the U.S. In an opinion article published in the September 2014 edition of The Alabama Gazette I presented the origin, key players, ideology and nationally developed standards related to Common Core. As David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to President Obama, stated, “CCSS was initiative of the Obama Administration”. It includes fundamental changes and omi...
The story of Southern Cuisine makes for many cookbooks and even novels, but I am not here to write a literary masterpiece. I have stories to tell, but its practical information that will make your life in a kitchen easier and more enjoyable. Friends have asked for information on basic cooking techniques and simple recipes. They liked the hints I gave them about what to keep in a pantry, especially since we live twenty miles from a major grocery store. It is so easy these days to go to the store...
Christmas is just around the corner and it is a busy, busy time of the year. It is also good to remind ourselves that we should busy ourselves getting closer to family and friends. Plan activities and outings to include children such as viewing the lights at the zoo, or going to a Holiday Pops concert, or having a Christmas cookie bake-a-thon at home. Then make enough to share some of the cookies with residents at a local nursing home. So do not let the time slip away, just start planning the...
Can you believe Christmas is right around the corner? Next week many people will start putting up there Christmas trees. Here are some helpful tips and things to consider when purchasing a Christmas tree. You often hear "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" and that not only goes for fruits and vegetables, but also Christmas trees. There are many advantages to buying an Alabama-grown Christmas tree instead of an artificial tree or a live tree grown in another state. Alabama has between 50 and 60 Christmas...
Over the last nearly three and a half centuries, we learn from searching the Internet, that 10 significant events have taken place on Christmas day, beginning with the birth of Isaac Newton, the British scientist who first put his finger on just what gravity was. He was born on Christmas Day in 1642. The next significant Christmas Day event occurred 134 years later, when George Washington crossed the Delaware River in 1776. Nothing significant happened again on Christmas Day for another 142 year...
Someone said, "The most commonly misused and misapplied word in the language of man, is 'LOVE'. If that is so, then surely the second most misused and misapplied word is, 'PEACE'." Josh Liebman made a list as a young man of all the things he wanted in life. It was quite long and detailed including health, love, talent, usefulness and various accumulations of things. A wise old friend of the family looked at the list and said, "Joshua, this is an excellent list, set down in a reasonable order, bu...
December 21 is National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. Since 1990, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, the National Coalition for the Homeless brings attention to and seeks compassion for the homeless who have died because they didn’t have a warm, safe place to sleep. Even as the recovery works its way through the entire economy, no one is immune to potentially being homeless. People in our community—colleagues and family members, military veterans, and our f...
Christmas is spelled L-O-V-E. What is the Christmas message? John 3:16. God gave us the gift of love on Christmas Day. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16. As a popular song says, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” I need it. You need it. Your spouse needs it. Your child needs it. An elderly man or woman sitting alone in a nursing home today needs it. A child a...