The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Here he goes again. Senator Scott Beason of Gardendale, is trying to pass legislation that would allow anybody to carry a handgun in a car without a permit. We went through this last year with the new gun bill that was a compromise by law enforcement, the Legislature, and the NRA. I don’t think that he knows the impact that this legislation will have on the safety of the public as well as law enforcement. I know that the members of the Legislature receive a copy of the “ Gazette” and I plead...
You know, I spend a lot of time on the highway driving back and forth between Montgomery and Atlanta - some 500+ trips already. And I’ll tell you what, although I can’t say I’ve seen it all, I have seen a lot. It never ceases to amaze me how people can do some pretty rude and stupid things when they get behind the wheel of a car. I’ve seen people reading books, texting, putting on makeup and one not-so-smart guy actually playing his guitar while driving. Yes, I’ve seen a lot. And although...
Even under "normal" circumstances, taking an Eastern wild turkey is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, hunting activities we engage in. However there are always some unique scenarios that require special tactics that make closing the deal an even greater challenge. With turkey season coming in on the 15th of this month, we'll look at some of these tactics and perhaps help you bag that gobbler this season. Most of the time, when hunters encounter difficult challenges while turkey...
It seems that the NFL Combine has been a part of football all my life. That really can not be true because it has only become an important event in professional football for a few decades now. And, it is important, for the players, the coaches, the general managers and the owners. It is not uncommon to see owners in the stands with note pads or stop watches. There are more stop watches at the NFL Combine than there will be at the Summer Olympics. What is "The Combine"? It is an enormous...
The NSA has unconstitutionally monitored the telephone and email logs of American citizens and breached the trust that we should have in our privacy. Have there been other times when the actions of our Government overstepped it’s bounds? The National Security Agency not only intercepted the telephone calls of suspected terrorists but also collected in bulk the logs of telephone calls and emails of ordinary citizens. Monitoring also included the personal cell phone of our ally, Chancellor A...
This article is the second in a series dealing with counterintuitive thoughts about how we deal with crime. I previously pointed out that the solution to the problem of crime will not result from stronger law enforcement, but from stronger moral formation. Correct moral formation occurs as a result of interaction with the family, the peer group, churches, schools and the entire community. Peer groups play a particularly important role. And now there is TV and social media. A comedian may have...
In an increasingly polarized America where little consensus is found, it is somewhat interesting to find that there are people on the right and the left who may be sharing a bit of mutual agreement on at least two hotbed issues. Contrary to most news coverage in Alabama on the issue of Common Core, a.k.a. Alabama College and Career Ready Standards, “right-wing extremist groups” are not the only ones opposed to the Common Core. A simple Internet search for Russell Winn from Huntsville, AL (ww...
It is a battlefield, not of guns and swords, but spiritual warfare, for the minds and hearts of children. It centers on the definition and purposes of Education in America today. Sincere people, passionate about their own views of Traditional Education and of life, are at war defining and empowering Education. Each group, and the several sub-groups, have a mission and are dedicated to fulfilling it. The Traditionalists, who embrace the Judeo- Christian worldview, inherited through Western...
A group of private citizens from all corners of our State who remain concerned and continue to fight attempts to rewrite the Alabama Constitution may have found an ‘Achilles Heel’ in the current Legislature's plan for piecemeal revision. The goal of the document (misused at times) as the foundation of our State laws is to safeguard liberties for all Alabamians; citizens empower the State as the sovereign geopolitical unit in the republican form of government guaranteed in our Constitutions. The...
March is the month I describe as the front door to spring.With the winter blues and the unusually cold season, I am definitely ready for the crisp, cool and clear days just ahead. Have you heard someone tell you, in a somewhat dismissive manner, to go fly a kite? Well, we should all heed the suggestion as I have read that this sport can relieve anxiety and stress. The art of flying kites harkens back to early civilizations, China being one. If we really think of the aerodynamics of thrust and li...
Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist anything, except temptation.” Beneath that little bit of humor is fact. We are all tempted and we all sin. Jesus was the only exception. He was tempted as we clearly learned in the Gospels. Therefore, temptation is not sin. Jesus resisted and He will help us if we really want to win over sin. However, too many of us find that we do wrong or fail at what we know we should have done. Instead of admitting it, we look for someone or something to blame. We evade our...
About forty years ago the Alabama Legislature passed an ethics reform act, established an Ethics Commission, and hired Prattville's Melvin Cooper as the State's first Ethics Commissioner. Over the years Mr. Cooper did a masterful job of infusing the ethics concept into State government, but politics, government service, and ethics don't always mix well. Fast forward to the present day, and we find Mr. Cooper, as a member of the Alabama Silver-Haired Legislature, writing a resolution for that...
“Beware the Ides of March,” said the soothsayer to Caesar in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. We at Social Security recommend you beware not only the Ides of March, but every day—and every time—you go on the Internet. Identity theft and cyber-crimes are among the fastest-growing crimes in America. Today’s savvy thieves have added identity to the list of things they can rob. Their targets are people who use the Internet, and by the time you realize you’ve been robbed, Brutus may already...
Are there areas in your life that are not “kept” because you are taking care of everyone else? If you are always on the go, constantly working and never taking time for yourself, you will end up stressed out and overwhelmed. You won’t be able to enjoy life the way that God intended. Living a balanced life brings peace, joy, and health. “….they have made me a keeper of vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.” Song of Solomon 1:6 The person speaking in Song of Solomon was good at taking c...
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