The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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For the casual observer, taking a cursory look at our political leaders reveals that may we have some pretty old folks in positions of power. Our new President, Donald Trump, is not a spring chicken at 78. Our own Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is 80 and goes by the monicker “Mee Maw.” However, a new generation of Alabama leaders are taking center stage in our state. Most of these leaders are already making their mark. Allow me to share with you a host of Alabama’s most prominent leaders who are 4...
It was “Good Friday”, the day that Jesus the Christ was crucified just outside the city of Jerusalem on a hill called Golgotha, "The Place of the Skull". Jesus was nailed to one cross and two criminals were crucified on either side of him. This whole story is found in Luke 23:32-43. In Luke 23:39-43, we can read about and visualize the dramatic scene as it unfolds as the three of them are dying on their crosses next to each other: One of the criminals beside Jesus scoffed at him and said, "So...
March 19, 2025: - As the Legislative Session evolves, I find myself missing my ole friend Mac McArthur around the Statehouse. We would visit in the halls and sometimes sit together in the gallery. He would be busier than a one-armed paper hanger as he was always having to work on legislative matters for the state employees. We would reserve our long hours of talking politics for lengthy phone conversations in between legislative sessions. We both very much enjoy our political discussions. Mac...
This Sunday leaders from throughout Alabama and the entire country will commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March and the infamous Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It was a momentous occasion and needs memorializing. Make no mistake about it, this event led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which gave the vote to Black Americans throughout the country and primarily in the South. It is probably the most important event in the Civil Rights movement....
It Takes A Team To Reach Your Goals! At 29,035 feet, Mount Everest is one of the most inhospitable places on earth. Everest is very remote and the altitude incapacitates all but the hardiest and most experienced climbers. On top of that the weather is ruthlessly unforgiving and extreme. Because Everest is the highest mountain in the world many have tried to summit the great peak. Between 1920 and 1952, seven major expeditions tried to summit Mount Everest and all of them failed. In fact, the mou...
It is no secret that Alabama’s Correctional system is a nightmare, especially when it comes to our disregard for civil and human rights of the incarcerated felons in our state prisons. That is why we have been under the wrath of the federal court system. A new mega prison is being currently constructed, which will help to comply with the federal mandates. What many Alabamians do not realize is how successful our Alabama Community College System (ACCS) has become over the last decade under the g...
Let’s face it! After this election there is a lot of tension, division and mistrust in our culture, in our communities and in our country right now. On the political front, we are so divided! More divided than I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. We negatively label each other as Democrats, Republicans, Socialists or Libertarians. We are stereotyped as liberals or conservatives or moderates. It seems we have a hard time having civil conversations about things that matter deeply to us. This i...
Our legendary governor of the 1940’s and 1950’s was the giant, cartoonish, character James E. “Big Jim” Folsom. Ole Big Jim ran against the big businesses of Birmingham – big banks, utilities, and U.S. Steel – and labeled them the “Big Mules.” He campaigned on the back of a flatbed truck in every hamlet in the state. He would dance and sing with his band, the Strawberry Pickers, and rail against the Big Mules of Birmingham and the Big Planters of the Black Belt. George Wallace came onto the s...
During the last session of the legislature, Governor Kay Ivey, Speaker of the House, Nathaniel Ledbetter, State Senate President Pro Tem, Greg Reed, along with the business leaders of the state made the "Working for Alabama" program their priority. The Governor and legislature passed a sweeping package of bills that will streamline workforce development in our state and make us one of the most competitive states in America for attracting industry and creating jobs and careers for our young men a...
My tradition is to make my year end column a tribute to major political figures that passed away during the year. My column last week did that, however, there were an inordinately large number of political leaders who passed away in 2024. Therefore, this week, I have a second tribute to two of the giants in Alabama legislative history. I had the honor of serving in the House of Representatives with these two icons, and they were two of my favorite legislative friends. State Senator Jimmy Holley...
Let's face it! After this election there is a lot of tension, division and mistrust in our culture, in our communities and in our country right now. On the political front, we are so divided! More divided than I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. We negatively label each other as Democrats, Republicans, Socialists or Libertarians. We are stereotyped as liberals or conservatives or moderates. It seems we have a hard time having civil conversations about things that matter deeply to us. This...
Alabama is a one-party, ruby red Republican state. This is a given in both state and national political races – especially presidentially, as you saw earlier this week. The proof is in the pudding. With Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s triumphant conquest of our state on Tuesday, that makes 12 straight Presidential races in which the GOP candidate has carried our state. Trump has carried Alabama by more than 60% in the last three Presidential cycles – 2016, 2020, and now 2024....
Our 45th President, Donald J. Trump, was elected as our 47th President on November 5. He not only won, he won overwhelmingly. Under the Electoral College system, our President is elected not by popular vote, but by a system where each state casts the same number of votes as they have Representatives and Senators in Congress. We, in Alabama, have seven Congressmen and two Senators. Therefore, we have nine electoral votes. National voters and the media knew in this 2024 Presidential election, ther...
The only sport that Alabamians enjoy more than Alabama politics is college football. We especially love the Alabama vs. Auburn football game – one of the fiercest of college football rivalries. It is the game of the year. It is a state civil war that divides friends and families. It is bragging rights for the entire year. The loser must live with his boasting next-door neighbor for 364 days. You must choose a side even if you despise college football and could not care less who wins. N...
“The wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Ecclesiastes 2:14 “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes to see but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear.” Jeremiah 5:21 “For the evil person has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” Proverbs 24:20 In his best selling book, Necessary Endings, Dr Henry Cloud explains to us that there are three kinds of people: the wise, the foolish and the evil. One of the most memorable t...
October 30, 2024: - America will elect its 47th President next week. At least 99% of the votes will be cast by American citizens. With millions of illegal immigrants having poured through our country’s southern border over the past four years, there will be some illegal ballots cast by non-citizens. The opening of the border by the Democratic administration was permitted to allow these illegal immigrants to vote Democratic. Fortunately, most of these illegal votes will be cast in California, b...
Over the years it has occurred to me that the real governing in our state, and more than likely in every state for that matter, is done by the mayors. We have a reservoir of the best people in our state who are mayors. The mayor of a city is the chief cook and bottle washer. Most Alabamians view their mayor as their best friend in the political world. They know their mayor. They have either watched him grow up or, if the mayor is older, the mayor has coached them in little league baseball or...
Would you take 3 simple steps to discover who God created you to be? Sounds too easy? Maybe. Maybe not. Try taking the steps and see for yourself! I learned these 3 steps and started trying to practice them years ago when I first read a little book by John Maxwell entitled, Think On These Things. I share them now with you. Step 1: Discover Your Potential I love the story of a young farm boy whose father raised chickens in the mountains of Colorado. One day the adventuresome boy climbed a high...
The decision by the Joe Biden inner circle to allow the poor fellow to get out of the Presidential race was a godsend for the Democratic Party. It gives new life to the Democrats’ chances to keep the White House. The ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket breathes new life into a dead campaign. Biden’s demise, mentally and physically, assured a Democratic presidential defeat on November 5, but also guaranteed the Democrats’ loss of the U.S. Senate, as well as their ho...
As former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Sam Rayburn once said, and I’ll paraphrase, “Any fool can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.” In our political landscape today, from Washington, D.C. down, we have plenty of folks kicking down barns, but not nearly enough carpenters building them. During the most recent legislative session, the legislature passed a package of bills called “Working for Alabama,” which is a prime example of building good, effective...
John Eldredge, in his book, Epic, tells us that life is a story. God is telling a story and you have a crucial role to play. Do you know what kind of tale you were born into? Do you know the story? Do you understand your role in the story? Life will never make sense until you do! In Epic, Eldredge writes: “ Notice that all great stories pretty much follow the same story line. Things were once good, then something awful happened, and now a great battle must be fought or a journey taken. At j...
Many of you took to the roads to travel over Memorial Day. I am sure this resulted in rumblings and discourses about the deplorable conditions of Alabama’s roads. Most of you, if you went anywhere, had to travel on I-65. Most Alabamians live along the I-65 corridor. I-65 is approximately 366 miles from the Tennessee-Alabama line to Mobile. It is a nightmare. I can attest to the frustration of being stuck on this highway. I travel on I-65 from Montgomery to Birmingham at least 100 times a y...
Most of us have heard or read many a message about the importance of having a positive attitude. However, if you are like me, I need to be reminded regularly in my life journey about the powerful impact my attitude has on myself and others around me! To a great degree, your attitude will determine your impact, your peace and your legacy. My absolute favorite quote about the importance of a positive attitude is from Chuck Swindoll: " The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude...
The Wynlakes Country Club Ballroom was "buzzing" this past May 9th, as the Montgomery Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) Chapter 102 hosted a most memorable luncheon that honored six notable aviation and space legends, the "Eagles". These Eagles were selected by the 2024 Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) students. ACSC is the lead organization for the Gathering of Eagles (GOE) the program that selects and hosts the Eagles. The GOE idea began in 1980, when retired Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets...
The regular Legislative Session ended on May 9, with final passage of both budgets, which is the only constitutionally mandated requirement of the legislature during its annual legislative session. However, there was another constitutional question that dominated the session – the perennial issue of whether Alabamians will ever be allowed to purchase lottery tickets in Alabama and keep Alabamians money within our state. This money could help educate Alabama children, pave Alabama roads, and r...
