The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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By Beth Thomas In these uncertain times, we all need something or someone to believe in. One church in South Montgomery County has begun a campaign, which is gaining unexpected momentum with a simple, yet moving message of hope. If you’ve been able to get out and about these last few weeks, you might have noticed all of the campaigning signs and posters that have been popping up all over the place. Billboards, ads on the radio, and signs placed in yards or at stop signs are all encouraging p...
Subscriptions can now be paid online for The Alabama Farmers & Consumers’ Bulletin via PayPal or a credit/debit card. Learn more about this publication produced by Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries for more than 120 years ... www.ALFarmBulletin.com [actual story] Introducing www.ALFarmBulletin.com! Online Payments for Subscriptions to The Alabama Farmers and Consumers’ Bulletin via PayPal or a credit/debit card now available on the NEW Website! The Alabama Department of Agric...
U.S. Representative John Lewis U.S. Representative John Lewis, originally from Troy, Ala., passed away on July 17, 2020, at 80 years of age. Representative Lewis was the last of the ”Big Six” that led the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and beyond. Reverend Martin Luther King affectionately called him the “boy from Troy.” A weeklong memorial culminated in an Atlanta service on Thursday, July 30, where he had represented the 5th Congressional District of Atlanta for more than 30 years. However...
How Has Coronavirus Affected Alabama Politics? As we end the first half of 2020, there is no doubt that the Coronavirus is the story of the year. The Coronavirus saga of 2020 and its devastation of the nation’s and state’s economic well-being may be the story of the decade. How has the Coronavirus affected Alabama politics? The answer is negligibly, if at all. The Republican Primary runoff to hold the Junior U.S. Senate seat was postponed by the virus epidemic. It is set for July 14, which is ri...
A couple of Robservations ago, I wrote how aggressive I have noticed drivers becoming in Montgomery. Nothing has changed since then. Every single day, I see idiot drivers on the road doing the most idiotic things. The other day, I was talking to my sister up in New Jersey and made the comment that within Montgomery, about 75% of the time, someone is going to run the red light. I picked this number out of thin air, but it’s based on what I believed I have witnessed. So that day as I drove a...
There are and one that I am reviewing almost parallels the other regarding the facts of the case. The case that I am writing about is Hernandez, et al. v Mesa, No. 17-1678 decided on 25 February 2020 in the United States Supreme Court. In 2010, Sergio Adrián Hernández Güereca, a 15-year-old Mexican national, was said to be playing with other friends running up and down a mostly-dry culvert that extends between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The culvert center is the border between Me...
The American stage is now set and ripe for a new leader to emerge in the black community, but it will not be the likes of Al, Jessie, Elijah or Maxine. Their tactics flamed out decades ago, but there is fertile soil now for a MLK 2.0 to lead the black community into the Promise Land, ascribed by the late Martin Luther King (MLK). King emphasized the importance for whites in the 60’s to look at the content of character of the black man, not the color of his skin. Right here my friends, is the e...
Term Limits One of the most popular ideas is term limits. I have heard quite a few people propose a limit of twelve years for anybody in our congress—two terms for senators and six terms for representatives. In many respects, it sounds like a good idea when we see examples of career politicians like Ted Kennedy (even with Chappaquiddick), Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, and many others who don’t seem to ever go away. The problem with term limits is they also weed out the good pe...
Author John Taylor [fellow Alabama Gazette columnist introduced last edition] provided some quotes from his Union at All Costs book to help illustrate ‘Judas rhetoric’ to cloak avarice for revenue: Lincoln delivered his First Inaugural Address on March 4, 1861. He made several interesting comments regarding slavery: “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no in...
Besides appreciating where I came from, my love for the South and its traditions originated with my late mother, Mary Alford Taylor. She was very easy going; however, if anybody talked badly about the South, she would become instantly defiant. It was ingrained in me from day one that Southern people are special and have been wrongly ridiculed by outsiders. As a youth in the 1960s, I remember listening to WBAM (The Big Bam 740 in Montgomery) and WVOK (The Mighty 690 in Birmingham). Living in Alexander City, I could pick up both stations...
Experts in public health and epidemiology have driven policy making during the COVID-19 pandemic. How much should we trust experts? Critics dismiss Republicans who voice distrust of experts as anti-science. Yet even experts know very little about complex economies and societies. Frustration with experts does cross party lines. New York’s Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo recently remarked of experts’ forecasts of hospital usage, “They were all wrong.” The “Wisdom of Crowds” argument, wonderfully...
A police officer has the often-thankless job of seeing to it that we all abide by the law. From armed robbery to running a stop sign, it’s all against the law. This job is not high paying, requires long hours, is personally challenging, and very frustrating. However, unlike must jobs, it is a calling. Most police officers love their job and bend over backwards to do it right, even under the worst circumstances. Chief Finley and Sheriff Cunningham and their officers do an outstanding job here i...
We are excited to tell you about our redesigned retirement benefits portal at www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement. Keeping you informed about our products and services, and helping you prepare for making decisions that will affect your benefits is very important to us. Preparing for retirement is one of the most important decisions you can make. Our website has helped millions of people get ready for and apply for retirement. But we heard your feedback that you also want to: * Find the information...
Remembering Olivia de Havilland Melanie Hamilton Wilkes of “Gone with the Wind.” A grand star for over 50 years, with more than 50 feature movies to her credit, she was the last surviving member of the cast of “Gone with the Wind.” She lived in Paris for the last 60 years and was instrumental in taking down the Hollywood studio establishment resulting in better contracts for actors. At the time of her death at age 104, she was the oldest living actor to have won an Academy Award. Ralph and Dor...
Mastering our mouths, taming our tongues, watching our words is one of the toughest things to do! We use words all the time, not only in our conversations but also in our emails, texts, social media, blogs, posts and tweets. We are a nation of talkers! “Self-control means controlling the tongue!” – Proverbs 13:3 Another way to put it: He who guards his mouth controls himself. The Book of James has this to say about the tongue: “...but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, f...
Major LeonArd Norman: Age 71 Major LeonArd Norman not only valiantly served for four years in the U. S. Army, he also served 25.5 years as a policeman in Montgomery, AL, where he earned the rank of Major. His military medals and awards include two Purple Hearts, the Army Commendation Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with “V” Device and Oak Leaf Clusters, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Bronze Star with “V” Device, the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the...
In 1970, they couldn’t imagine their lives in 50 years. Now in 2020, those 50 years have come and gone! Oh, the adventures those 2 young people have experienced! Still ‘young at heart’ their adventures continue! On July 3, 2020, Everett and Alice Law Cole celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with around 100 friends and family at their home. Precautions were observed and, as far as they know, no one became sick with COVID-19 because of the gathering of folks to celebrate their Golden Anniver...
Our economy depends on cash flow. Our farmers, ranchers and other small businesses need as much help as we can afford. Buy local and help your fellow Alabamians. Also, don’t forget to donate to your local food bank whenever possible! It was 95 degrees with the heat index of 106. If the virus doesn’t get you, the heat will. I finished my outdoor chores before 11:00, and I started on my indoor chores. Those chores could be anything: fixing a leak in the bathroom and/or kitchen, fixing the doo...
Opening day for the 2020 MLB Season is just a few days away. Albeit, it’s just 60 games, but at least we have baseball. On July 23rd, the Yankees open at the Nationals, and the Giants open at the Dodgers. It’s new territory for all of us. There will be no fans in the stadiums for this third of a regular baseball season. At least one team is offering the fans a way to participate. Dodgers fans can purchase a placard of themselves to have placed in the stadium for all home games. While I don...
Ahhh, August, at times referred to as the “dog days” of summer due to the heat and humidity, which probably contributes to lethargy and just plain no energy. Add to this, the forced confinement of stay-at-home orders during the pandemic making us feel out of sorts. This summer has been most unusual due to the virus having restricted our social and community activities. However, gardening has saved the day for me since I can be out of doors, planting, pruning and fertilizing without the use of...
Carol Ann Hicks Woodall passed away peacefully on July 14, 2020, with her family at her side. She fought a courageous battle against cancer for four years. Her battle was made easier by an entire community who joined together and made Carol Ann's last years both a blessing to her and those around her. Born Dec. 7, 1958, Carol Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Floyd Glenn Hicks and Mary Glenn Mills Hicks. She is survived by her loving husband and high school sweetheart Dennis Woodall and...
There are two types of writers in the world: those who can write…and those who want to be able to write. Proofreading is just part of the process. If the deadline allows, it is best to have a little space between finishing writing and proofing, but I don’t do that so much anymore…even as Southern as I am. That is no longer the point of proofing. People who can’t write seem to find great joy in pointing out simple sins in the words of those who can. But it is easy to use the wrong form of a wo...
Uncertainty. Just that word can make our stomachs churn, our hearts pound faster, and our minds race. Everyone is dealing with uncertainty right now due to the upheaval of the Coronavirus … your travel, work, schedule, group meetings, church, school, childcare, etc. It all boils down to our plan becoming uncertain. We are used to booking our schedules weeks or months in advance, always having what we need (or want) in the stores, and rarely inconvenienced in a way that technology or a little w...