The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart...” Jeremiah 1:5 “And they are beginning to realize that the world they live in is a place where the right thing is often hard, sometimes dangerous, and frequently unpopular.” Lois Lowry, Number The Stars. I was scrolling through social media the day the law was passed in New York. My heart broke as I read posts declaring our country has taken another bold step in the direction of complacency. A step taken so that...
Having come to Alabama as a bride at age 20, I was elated to find welcome in the Alabama Blackbelt of Dallas, Perry, and all surrounding counties. Loving history, I became absorbed in the State and her History. Little did I know that I would teach her History for many decades and never tire of it. Mrs. Bobbie Ames Let's look at the emblems that reflect her history and share them with young people who have lost the study of true Alabama History in the new era in which we live. Thanks to the...
Infrastructure Program Should Be Priority 1 As the new quadrennium crests in Alabama government, everybody looks toward a new beginning. There is a new fresh four years ahead for the newly elected leaders. They are overwhelmingly Republican. The Governor is Republican and all of the accompanying constitutional officeholders are members of the GOP. More importantly, the State Legislature, both the House and the Senate are Republicans. In fact, over two-thirds of each chamber are Republican. It...
President Donald J. Trump approached 2018 just as he did 2017--fulfilling campaign promises and meeting new challenges head on. Here are some of his major accomplishments for the year: • Confronting China - Much of the heartland anxiety that vaulted Trump into the Oval Office can be directly attributed to the abusive economic warfare waged for decades against the United States by China. No president, since the Chinese were allowed to join the World Trade Organization, has had the intestinal f...
Without specifics about yourself I’ll make this answer generic in a personal and in a business sense. I presume you looked at your financial estate planning (401k, mutual funds, stocks and bonds, life insurance, etc) and as you do you also think about your legal estate planning. After all you are a year older; you may have gotten married, had a new child, had a child reach the age of majority (19 years), gotten divorced or suffered the death of a spouse or even a child. You may have a child g...
As I sat in my interview some 21 years ago, I watched as two senior Delta Airline Captains leafed through my logbook. Luckily for me, it was something that I had kept up with since my first day in pilot training. At the time as part of the interview process, in addition to a physical, psych-eval and lots of testing, there was a sit-down interview one v. three with an HR rep and in my case two Captains. They wanted to see your logbook to help verify hours flown. I sat quietly watching my logbook...
“I don't like the looks of it,' said the King: 'however, it may kiss my hand, if it likes.' 'I'd rather not,' the Cat remarked.” The King and the Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Forgive the length of my last column, much to write about in retrospect and on the continuing malice ‘public servant’ Hubbard put in place and orchestrates in our State. First, many thanks for all the comments - as usual ‘nastygrams’ tend to be more entertaining than the kudos. Second, I had absolutel...
District 6880, A Banner Conference! Some were hanging and some were handed out. Mayor Strange even coined DG Sam Adams with the City's Challenge Coin. Rotary District 6880 recently celebrated its Midyear Conference in Montgomery with over 100 top Rotarians from 30 different cities in central and south Alabama. DGN Jerry Blacklaw, Fairhope RC, emceed the Awards night. Some people think RI stands for Rotary International. Friday evening in Montgomery it stood for Recognition for Individuals (and...
Winfred Lowe Winfred Lowe served in WWII in the Infantry Branch of the U. S. Army at Europe for 22 months where he was on the front line carrying an M1 rifle starting out in France and then to Germany and to Salzburg, Austria. Winfred completed high school after WWII, and he worked at a retail tractor dealer, Cotton Ford Tractor Company at Andalusia for 36 years. His wife, Mary Hudson, and he had three daughters. Winfred’s patriotism is still strong as evidenced by his words, “I was proud to...
Well, we finally made it to the month of February and we only have 6 days left in deer Season. But in February in Alabama another subject comes to my mind and that is the subject of Prescribe Burning. The following article is from one of the premier land managers in our state, Mr. Ted DeVos Of Bach and DeVos Forestry and Wildlife Services. Images and thoughts of woodland fire are typically that it is bad! However, this is probably because most people are not familiar with the benefits of...
One of the biggest boondoggles ever imposed by our government has been the mandated addition of ethanol to gasoline. It has been done for over a decade, and we are still stuck with it today. Of course, ethanol can be used to run an engine. Henry Ford used it in his Model T in 1908. During World War II, it substituted for scarce gasoline. Since then, gasoline and diesel have been the widely used fuels of choice. In 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Renewable Fuels Standard, and then The...
While the national championship in college football is still on our minds, it seemed to be a good time to discuss the pros and cons of our current playoff system, and the possibility of an eight team playoff system. First off, the four team playoff has been highly successful pitting the four best teams against each other to determine the national championship on the field rather than subjectively voting on a champion. In each of the six playoffs, the number one team and the number two team has...
F-2 Tornado Path of destruction Saturday, January 19, 2019 The recovery process is moving forward. All departments are back up and in full operation in their temporary locations. The outpouring of support for our city has been fabulous with over 1,200 volunteers and equipment operators coming in to help with relief efforts. Surrounding cities have assisted us in every way possible as we continue our recovery process. We are very thankful to have such support from our neighboring cities. This...
On the afternoon of Saturday, January 19, a powerful tornado hit the City of Wetumpka in Elmore County, ripping through the beautiful downtown area and inflicting heartbreaking and significant damage. By the grace of God, no lives were lost, and only minor injuries have been reported. Still, the destruction is extreme, and the road to recovery is long. The Monday following the tornado, I joined Governor Kay Ivey and other local officials to spend time on the ground with those impacted. I had the...
Several years ago, I read John Ortberg’s book, Soul Keeping, which I highly recommend. It’s one of my top ten favorite books. John opens the book with a Prologue entitled: “The Keeper of the Stream”. I invite you to read it carefully and reflect on this powerful parable about your soul. The Keeper of the Stream "There once was a town high in the Alps that straddled the banks of a beautiful stream. The stream was fed by springs that were old as the earth and deep as the sea. The water was cle...
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has suggested charging Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) with murder in connection with last November’s Camp Fire. The deadliest wildfire in California history, Camp killed 86 people and destroyed the town of Paradise. A cause has not been officially determined, but evidence suggests that PG&E electric transmission wires may have started the blaze. The case illustrates a conundrum implied by the economics of accidents. I do not wish to accuse PG&E of s...
TROY –Troy University’s Sorrell College of Business now stands as just one of 189 colleges of business worldwide to hold dual accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The accreditation of the School of Accountancy was announced today by AACSB, founded in 1916 and the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools. It is the largest business education network connecting students, educators and businesses worldwide. The Sorrell College rec...
Sheriff’s Office Promotions Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and the Staff of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office hosted a promotional ceremony honoring the accomplishments of our men and women, who excel above and beyond the call of duty! Please see PDF for photos. Firearms Familiarization Course Register NOW for any of our 2019 Firearms Familiarization Courses! 2019 Course Dates: March 9 April 6 June 8 July 13 August 10 September 7 October 12 We know that learning how to protect yourself is ver...
Autauga County Sheriff's Office 162 West Fourth Street Prattville, AL 36067-3049 Phone: (334) 361-2500 Chief Deputy........................................... 334-361-2502 Metro Jail................................................ 334-361-2600 Drug Enforcement.................................... 334-361-2540 Secret Witness....................................... 334-361-3803 Investigation............................................ 334-361-2520 Dispatch...........................
There seems to be a recurring subject in the headlines from various news outlets over the last few weeks concerning the American dream. Evidently it is out of reach, not available to everyone, and otherwise unattainable. I had to look it up to see what is has even become. I feel like it keeps changing. Growing up I didn’t have a dream. Mine was more of a goal. I wanted out. I marked the last 5 months of my senior year of high school off the calendar like a prisoner. I walked on the stage and g...
Hi Friends! I hope this second month of the new year is finding you well. As a rule (my own rule), I tend to not share deeply personal stuff publicly. At the beginning of the year, God laid on my heart to share a post on social media about challenges that my husband, Brian, and I have been and are currently facing. I feel as if these words flowed straight through me. I just had to keep up with typing! Isn’t God awesome?!?! Although, no details are shared, I feel that many people can relate to t...
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” Proverbs 16:17 October 28, 2015 I heard Him speaking to me. In my time of prayer, just as He often times does, He was speaking over my words. Loudly, boldly as to get my attention. “Read it, write it, speak it.” These are the words He spoke to me. “Women’s ministry. Seminary.” This was the commandment He gave me. I silenced this ridiculous thought. How in the world could God possibly use me to further His kingdom? A sinner. Ju...
By the time February rolls around each year, there seems to be a reawakening. Bulbs shoot forth and flowering trees come out of what I term hibernation. Montgomery and the surrounding counties will soon have the appearance of a fairyland of flowers shrubs, trees and bulbs. Pansies planted last fall will perk up and bloom along with snap dragons, and dianthus. We should be seeing evidence of poppies forming tiny gray-green clusters close to the ground. Nurseries should be stocked soon with...
Tax season is approaching, and Social Security has made replacing your annual Benefit Statement even easier. The Benefit Statement is also known as the SSA-1099 or the SSA-1042S. Now you can get a copy of your 1099 anytime and anywhere you want using our online services. A Social Security 1099 is a tax form Social Security mails each year in January to people who receive Social Security benefits. It shows the total amount of benefits you received from Social Security in the previous year so you...
A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and senior citizens these days are taking the old saying to heart. With more and more seniors taking the leap and enrolling in what are affectionately known as “encore educations” it stands to wonder, could we take note and follow? There is a group of Americans that are furthering their education, some more than 50 years after they threw their caps in the air in celebratory fashion. There are a few things that factor into the choice to return to school. Fro...