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Articles written by Robert Tate


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  • Common Sense Ain't So Common

    Robert Tate|Mar 1, 2024

    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...

  • Bits and Pieces #18

    Robert Tate|Feb 1, 2024

    As usual, there always seems to be a lot going on in the world. So this week I bring to you my not-so-world-famous “Bits and Pieces; version 18.” 1. The Border (Again): Several columns back, I wrote about our southern border. And in that time, it has not gotten any better; only worse. It is sickening to watch and from my perspective, the true human tragedy is not necessarily the plight of the illegal immigrants, sad as it is on a personal level, but rather what is becoming of this country....

  • Gut Check Time

    Robert Tate|Jan 1, 2024

    In the thirteen years that I have been writing these Robservations for the Gazette, this is the first time that I am writing an “in your face” religious column, if you will. Although I am sure my leanings come out many times in my writings, this was never intended to be the purpose of my Robservations column. I must admit that this Christmas Season has been a little challenging for me. Not so much with issues in my own home but I see many things that given the opportunity and if allowed,...

  • ANTI-DWI DEVICES: BOTH GOOD AND BAD

    Robert Tate|Dec 1, 2023

    Several years ago, I read with interest an article about Anti-DWI devices in several states being installed on vehicles of convicted drunk drivers. On the surface it sounds like a great idea and I must admit that at least some politicians are trying to keep word on being tougher regarding their state laws. At one level, it seems like many new politicians want to do the right thing in many instances. But the anti-DWI device can be both a good and a bad thing. First the good. America seems to be...

  • WHO WANTS IT MORE?

    Robert Tate|Nov 1, 2023

    By now, everybody reading this Robservation is aware of the war that is raging in Israel. The Hamas attacks have been ruthless and bloody. Israel has responded and will continue to respond as necessary. Just to set the record straight, I believe Israel has EVERY right to defend itself. Period. I was reading my Bible the other day and came across Proverbs 12:24. It says, “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack will be put to forced labor.” It is interesting that it doesn’t say...

  • ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

    Robert Tate|Oct 1, 2023

    As I write this Robservation, I must admit that I am angry. I once got some words of wisdom from a writing mentor and he told me that you should never write when you are angry. Once your words have been set loose, they can never be recalled. It is much like the spoken word. That is exactly the reason I refuse to argue with my wife. We have been married for 38 years now and I cannot tell you the last time we had an argument about anything. 30 years? Probably. When I was young and dumb no doubt....

  • Letters From Afar

    Robert Tate|Sep 1, 2023

    As a regular Alabama Gazette columnist, it always does my heart good to hear of letters sent to the paper. Good or bad, without feedback, you rarely get a full appreciation of how readers are responding to your work. As someone who has written a couple of books, several screenplays, over four dozen book reviews, close to 200 columns for the Gazette and other papers and professional journals, I have opened myself up to a lot of positive and negative feedback. I welcome that. But to be a writer,...

  • Bits and Pieces #17

    Robert Tate|Aug 1, 2023

    1. I will be the first to admit that I got it wrong. Big time. When President Biden first got into office, I said that he would not make it through his first two years. I thought there was no way in "H-E double hockey sticks" he was going to. But in my defense, nobody in our entire galaxy foresaw how incredibly bad Kamala was going to be. One look at her and you want to breathe a sigh of relief that she is not one step closer to the nuclear codes. But this is not about her. Everyone knows how...

  • WHAT'S IN A NAME?!

    Robert Tate|Jul 1, 2023

    Four years ago, I wrote the first part of this Robservation. It doesn’t seem that long ago but it was. Not surprisingly, things have not even come close to changing. You might even say that things under the new administration are far worse. Why? Because they are. But I felt compelled to reiterate the first part of this and to add a couple of more items. The lie is still in force and like the Wizard of Oz, the alphabet networks are hellbent on not letting us look at the man behind the curtain....

  • Hold onto Your Hats vs Hold in Your Puke

    Robert Tate|Jun 1, 2023

    As I write this, today is the 8th anniversary of my father’s passing. Sad day for my super small family. My feeling matches the overcast skies here in Montgomery. Miss you, dad. What I wanted to write about today was the Durham Report. There is so much there and I cannot believe our prisons are not filled up with lawless politicians and alleged protectors of our democratic republic. What I have seen thus far is frightening. But before I write about the report, I want to read the whole 300+ pag...

  • BITS AND PIECES #16: DERELICTION OF DUTY AND OTHER NONSENSE

    Robert Tate|May 1, 2023

    Hello my fellow Robservationites! Today I am bringing you the 16th Edition of my “Bits and Pieces.” For all of you who are familiar with this column, you know there comes a time when there is so much going on that I just want to touch base with several stories instead of focusing on just one topic. So, here we go. But first, this is my 158th Robservation. Anyone who knows me realizes that I write a lot about German ace Hans-Joachim Marseille. He shot down 158 airplanes. What does that mean?...

  • Don't Hate Me Because I'm Right

    Robert Tate|Apr 1, 2023

    I just finished watching Top Gun Maverick for the one billionth time. No, it never gets old. The wife and I really love that movie. When watched sequentially with the first movie, the changes are really eye opening. Among the most noticeable is “Phoenix” played by Monica Barbaro. Good luck finding a female combat pilot in the first movie. They did not exist at the time. To me, this is the most noticeable change. Women have fought hard to earn the right to fly these advanced aircraft and it...

  • IT IS BALLOON!!

    Robert Tate|Mar 1, 2023

    Okay, I am going to show my age. There was an episode in the 1966-67 season of the comedy F-Troop when Hekawi Chief Wild Eagle is sitting with his sidekick Crazy Cat when Crazy Cat looks up into the sky and says, "Chief, I have a riddle for you. What has big round shape, carries man and dog and flies?" The chief answers he doesn't know but when he looks up into the sky, he exclaims, "IT IS BALLOOOOOON!" For more than fifty years, I have remembered that stupid episode and have often looked up in...

  • classified? what classified?

    Robert Tate|Feb 1, 2023

    Before I get into my Robservation, I just wanted to say that I just celebrated the 42nd Anniversary of my 20th birthday!! Yay, for me. But what I wanted to say was that my wife asked me what I wanted and I told her about this jewelry I saw on the internet. It is made by Tanaor in Israel and what makes this jewelry so unique is that contained within a tiny box on the piece, in my case a leather bracelet, there is a disk that has the entire KJV Bible engraved on it. I am not talking about a digita...

  • DEAL OF THE CENTURY

    Robert Tate|Jan 1, 2023

    When the Brittney Griner trade with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was announced, there was a legitimate flurry of conversations both positive and negative. Like most, I have my opinion about the deal. If someone asks me, I have no problem saying that I disagree with the deal, as it played out, for several reasons. A basketball player for an arms dealer, I do not think so. And although both people arguably hate America equally, the decision to go ahead with the trade, while leaving former...

  • MAXWELL, OH MAXWELL!!

    Robert Tate|Dec 1, 2022

    After the most recent election, Mrs. Grant gave me a call and told me she was pretty much sick of politics and asked if I would like to write something about Maxwell AFB. Definitely nothing about Gislene Maxwell. That is for another day. Since Maxwell AFB is, and has been such an integral part of the city of Montgomery, I said I would love to. Personally, I would love to see even more interactions between the city, definitely this newspaper and the Maxwell/Gunter AFB family. My first exposure...

  • THE FECKLESS U.N.

    Robert Tate|Nov 1, 2022

    FECKLESS: lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible, useless, worthless, incompetent, inefficient, inept, good-for-nothing, idle, slothful, indolent, shiftless, spiritless, apathetic, aimless, unambitious. At 2128 local time, on the night of 16/17 May 1943, the first of 19 British Royal Air Force (RAF) Lancaster bombers took off on OPERATION CHASTISE: The raid to attack German dams in the Ruhr. In arguably the most perfect example of a center of gravity analysis turned...

  • AND YET WE ARE THE NIHILISTS!

    Robert Tate|Oct 1, 2022

    NIHILISM: The rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless. A viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless. Extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has a real existence. A doctrine or belief that conditions in the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its own sake independent of any constructive program or possibility. It is also a political belief...

  • JUST ASKING

    Robert Tate|Sep 1, 2022

    In the news everyday now, we are hearing about the 87,000 new IRS agents being hired by the federal government. At base level, this seems to be a bit egregious and threatening. Let’s be honest, there has never been a human being in the history of this country who has received a letter from the IRS and looked at that envelope and smiled. Never. Although some good news may be hidden within, it always seems to portend the end of someone’s financial world. Time, money, audits, you name it. It...

  • BITS AND PIECES #15: WAKE UP AMERICA!

    Robert Tate|Aug 1, 2022

    As I sit here today, I have to continuously shake my head. I have to ask myself, “What in the heck is going through the minds of so many Americans?” As a society, it seems as though we have lost our collective minds. I hate to say this, really I don’t, but so many of our citizens are just plain stupid, ignorant, evil, complacent or a combination of all. So here we go. 1. Illegals in Alabama. yellowhammernews.com/late-night-southern-border-flights-make-landing-in-alabama-cities/ According...

  • School is in Session

    Robert Tate|Jul 1, 2022

    Several years ago, I first wrote this column. Since then, gun violence in this country has gotten worse – no doubt. At the same time, however, I am not about to sit here and blame an inanimate object for the dirty sins in a man’s heart. Not going to happen. Evil people will always do evil things. If all he has is a hammer, guess what? That is what he/she is going to use. But with all the recent shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde and just the other day in Vestavia Hills, the common and not...

  • The Truth and The Lie

    Robert Tate|Jun 1, 2022

    Four years ago, I wrote the first part of this Robservation. It doesn’t seem that long ago but it was. Not surprisingly, things have not even come close to changing. You might even say that things under the new administration are far worse. Why? Because they are. But I felt compelled to reiterate the first part of this and to add a couple of more items. The lie is still in force and like the Wizard of Oz, the alphabet networks are hellbent on not letting us look at the man behind the curtain....

  • When is Enough, Enough?

    Robert Tate|May 1, 2022

    Enough is enough. I cannot stress that “enough.” I know I am not supposed to speak ill of our leaders and I do pray for the President often. But at the same time, every single one of us in this country has got to come to the realization that this man is in no way “in the game.” He is absolutely horrible but I believe that can be attributed to his clearly decreasing cognitive abilities and shame on his wife and all other people who let this man go into the public eye and continually...

  • I Hate Being Right

    Robert Tate|Apr 1, 2022
    1

    Okay, the title is a lie. Nobody hates being right. Let’s talk Ukraine. Everybody reading this has been inundated with news from Eastern Europe for the past month and little of it is good. Except that the Ukrainians are taking it to the Russians, killing a lot of their soldiers and making Mr. Putin rethink his own calculus with this whole invasion thing. Like I wrote in one of my prior Robservations, when asked what the Ukrainians were thinking, one older gentleman answered, “We are...

  • Bits and Pieces: 14TH Edition: WHERE IN THE HECK IS. . . ?

    Robert Tate|Mar 1, 2022

    Here I go again with several interesting stories that have happened or are happening as I write this. Let’s face it. The world can be a disappointing place. I call this installment of Bits and Pieces, “Where in the Heck Is...?” 1. WHERE IN THE HECK IS THE U.N.? In my last Robservation, I asked a similar question. Regarding the likely Russian invasion of the Ukraine: Where is the U.N.? What are they doing? What have they said? What actions are they willing to take? As the last month has...

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