The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Rotary International is a century old service organization located in 220 countries around the world. With over 35,000 clubs and 1.2 million members, Rotary's reach is far and deep. Rotary is dedicated to six areas of focus in order to build local and international relationships, improve lives and create a world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever. These impactful areas include promoting peace, providing clean water, fighting disease, aiding mothers and children, growing local...
Beginning on a sad note, I wanted to pay tribute to my wife's mother, Maria Guadeloupe (Lupe) Paredes, who died on 7 July of an aortic dissection. I could not have asked for a better mother-in-law. In 33 years of marriage, we never once had a crossed word or disagreement. I loved her greatly. Now to it. There seems to be a never-ending cacophony insanity that emanates from the left. When I say never ending, I truly mean never-ending. Everyday there seems to be another story that makes my head...
More Analysis of GOP Runoff Currently, congressmen/women win reelection at a 98 percent rate. The communist politburo does not have that high of a reelection percentage. Maybe we have more in common with the Russians than Washington CNN reporters think. It is hard to get beat as an incumbent congressman. Martha Roby tried but even though she was the most vulnerable Republican incumbent congressperson in the country, she shellacked a former Montgomery mayor, one term congressman, and doggone...
Since President Trump’s selection of Judge Brett Kavanaugh currently of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court there has been a lot of discussion. Judge Kavanaugh is a relatively young man when compared to some current and prior Supreme Court justices and was a high school classmate of current Justice Neil Gorsuch. Judge Kavanaugh can make a significant impact on cases for many y...
Friends of the Gazette, It is with great passion and concern that I approach this subject of our historical monuments, knowing the current attempt to destroy them and our History. The sons of Phyllis Schlafly, John and Andy Schlafly, wrote about this organized attempt across the nation to destroy our monuments and the stories that they have carried to generation after generation of American students. There is grave concern over these orchestrated attempts to obliterate our History. With their...
The primary runoff is in the record books with over 87% percent of registered voters not participating in party elections they funded, some saying in fear of making an error for actual or accused ‘crossover voting.’ This may be the duopoly’s desired result fueling the irony of claiming to want increased voter participation at the same enacting more impediments toward this end. The obvious answer is to prohibit taxpayers from paying for these party politics. If a party wants to use our publi...
As the 2018 primary season thankfully ends, King Solomon’s lament in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “So there is nothing new under the sun,” might well be applied to Alabama politics, with the “nothing new” being the absolute viciousness of campaign politics. I think after each election that it can’t possibly get any worse, yet I’m proven wrong each cycle. Worse is the fact that this latest nasty war of words was waged amongst those who ran under the same political banner. The next time you question why...
Recently I was asked to address a classroom of young students on what makes a good student a responsible citizen. As I sat down to write some notes, I was inspired and felt led to share this with others as well. Even though the intended audience was 15-16 year old’s, I feel that no matter the age, we can all take away something from this. The process from “good student” to “responsible citizen” all starts within the classroom setting in my opinion. From the very first years of school, you are l...
We are now well into the 2018 hurricane season, and a major storm may or may not hit us this year. But when one does, the news media will always mention a little consequence called “price gouging.” Reporters usually hype it up as something terrible, selfish, and even criminal. But when disasters strike, entrepreneurs are quick to respond by trucking in critical supplies and selling them for prices far above the norm. And people in need will be willing to pay for them. Are these suppliers rip...
For the last seventy years, my attention has been on the game of football, especially college football. To my knowledge, during this time, never has there been such an obsession with who the quarterback will be at Alabama for the 2018 football season. Alabama fans are apoplectic. Some are actually being counseled for this unusual disorder. A number of sports writers in the state are providing fodder for this addictive behavior. What makes the quarterback situation at Alabama so puzzling is that...
I hope all of you fine folks had a wonderful 4th of July! The heat's been cooking us all this month, but it's still only the start of Summer. Make sure all of you stay hydrated, stay in the shade, and stay cool! Over the last year or two, I've gone out of my way to mention all the nasty sort of things deer and other critters have to deal with in order to survive. Between the obvious stuff like habitat loss, disease, predators, and the lovely Alabama weather we get from time to time, there's also...
We have just bought a new place in the country so we can expand our small educational zoo and take in more disabled, special needs, abused and unwanted wildlife and exotics. We have been asking for donations and help. We need new enclosures, toys , play skool houses, dog igloos, blankets and dog food. Anything we could use. Its not the moving for us that is hard, it's relocating all of our animals and setting up with new accommodations for them. There is a lot of work that goes into owning a...
I started writing this article on Friday the 13th. I got stung by a red wasp reaching to shut the dining room door. I reached to grab the door so I could then grab the door knob. I grabbed a red wasp between my index finger and middle finger. It felt like someone was poking a pin in the side of my finger. It looked like it got my three times. My hand swelled up and looked like I was wearing a catcher’s mitt. Today is Saturday the 14th, which to some people is worse than Friday the 13th. So f...
On July 6, 1776, General George Washington called for America’s independence from Great Britain, and declared the “The United colonies of North America” were to now be a free and independent nation, no longer under the iron rule of Great Britain. His words were followed by Thomas Jefferson’s declaration that “all men were created equal and endowed by their creator with the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Then in 1892, Francis Bellamy put forth his “Pledge of...
Social Security is here for young people when a parent passes away. We know that the loss of a parent isn’t just emotionally painful; it can be devastating to a family’s finances. In the same way that Social Security helps to lift up the disabled and elderly when they need it, we support families when an income-earning parent dies. In 2017, we distributed an average of $2.6 billion each month to benefit about 4.2 million children because one or both of their parents are disabled, retired, or...
Citizens Academy Registration is underway for our Citizens Academy which begins on September 10, 2018! The Citizens Academy's sole purpose is to inform the citizens of Montgomery about the day-to-day operations of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Classes are held every Monday evening for one (1) hour for six (6) consecutive Monday evenings. The academy meets for one hour, one night a week, for six (6) consecutive weeks. Our goal is to make you aware of what's going on in your community,...
The Autauga County Sheriff's Office graduated 20 students from all areas of Autauga County in their inaugural Autauga County Sheriff's Citizens Academy on July 24, 2018. The 8 week class, held June 4, 2018 – July 24, 2018, was filled with information on all the aspects of the Sheriff's Office, to include: History of the Sheriff's Office, Patrol Division, Metro Jail Tour, Dispatch, Administration, Narcotics, Crime Prevention, Investigations, Digital Forensics and a Ride-A-Long with a Deputy. T...
Travis came into my life in 1990, when he was two and I was 18. His mother was not involved at that stage in his life and my life had not prepared me for being a stepmother. But I changed my schedule at AUM, and switched from working nights at Country’s Barbecue to working days at Colonial Bank. I would drop Travis off at daycare before 8:00 and pick him up just after 5:00. Up until now, I don’t think I have ever written a word about those years of my life. It is not as if 18 to 23 didn’t exist...
Are you praying and seeking God for change in your life? Perhaps there seems to be invisible roadblocks preventing you from truly experiencing God’s blessings. James 3:16 tells us, “For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is strife and every evil work…” The Bible tells us that when we hold on to strife, it brings about confusion and hurt. Strife can creep in much like a disease to steal your peace and joy…destroying relationships and taking away your hope. You must stay on guard con...
The dog days are upon us which usually conjures up hot, sultry days and nights. The term is of ancient origins. The Romans called these humid days "dies caniculares" which they associated with the Dog star, Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Major (large dog). This constellation is prominent in the skies this time of year. And speaking of stars, let's look to the garden to see what star is sparkling during these "dog days". Most summers the beds sparkle with masses of...
A "JOIN THE ROTARY REVOLUTION with SAMUEL ADAMS" banner greeted family, friends and distinguished guests to celebrate the investiture of Rotary District Governor Samuel Adams at the Capital City Club in downtown Montgomery on June 29. Sam leads District 6880 into a new Rotary year commencing July 1, 2018-19. District 6880 encompasses all of central and south Alabama form Clanton to Mobile. As guests arrived, they were treated to some lovely classical music from the Rosewood Quartet led by...
The Montgomery Capital Rotary Club meets at noon at the Wynlakes Country Club every Thursday. The Club just celebrated its 40th anniversary. It is comprised of approximately 45 business professionals, educators, and community leaders from the greater Montgomery area. A typical meeting begins with a prayer, the pledge and a recitation of the FOUR WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do. The 4WT is a hallmark of all Rotary Clubs professing the highest ethical standards in the workplace. The...
The Montgomery Sunset Club meets atop the tallest building in Montgomery every Thursday night around 5:30 at the local watering hole. After a flowing period of fellowship the club adjourns to a beautiful sunset overlooking the winding Alabama River. The Sunset club recently celebrated its fourth anniversary by having a backyard cookout with all the trimmings. This group made up primarily of millineals has a great time in part because of the new relaxed rules regarding attendance and a much...
Do you have someone you need to forgive? We all do! Perhaps, someone has wronged you recently or in the past. Maybe you have experienced being lied about, betrayed, sabotaged, undermined, misquoted, left out, used, exploited, intentionally hurt, physically harmed, sexually abused, emotionally damaged or sinned against in some way. Maybe you can think of someone right now that you really don’t think you can ever forgive. In fact, you really don’t want to forgive them. Deep down (maybe no one even...