The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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May 3, 2017 Well, folks, let’s put the final coup de grace to the Robert Bentley six year Governor’s reign and move on. Ole Bentley was quite a story his last two years. He had become the ringleader of a circus and an infamous national cartoon character. The salacious and lurid details of his affair with Mrs. Rebekah Mason were a never ending, titillating saga. The story, along with his picture, could aptly be a plot for a tabloid or a Soap Opera. I will actually be surprised if it does not mak...
Way back in 2010, there was a huge debate in the Montgomery Advertiser over whether the God of our Bible and the Koran’s Allah are the same deity. I bring this up now because recently I have heard the same argument raise its ugly head yet again. I knew I had written something about it then so I dug it out and have wiped away some dust from it. One thing I have never intended is for my "Robservations" column to become a Christian mouthpiece. Those of you who read my column probably know this t...
There are so many things that have affected medical treatment in the last thirty years or more. Technology has come so far and because of it we are living longer and we are paying much more for health care. Living longer means less populous generations than the Baby Boomer generation will have to pay Social Security for that group and Medicare will have to pay longer per person than they did for our grandparents or maybe great grandparents. When my grandfather had a heart attack in the 60’s a...
The title of a recent Christian podcast that I follow intrigued me with the title “Pedestal People,” and while neither participant in the discussion lives anywhere close to our beautiful state, I had to wonder if perhaps they had been peeking into the political intrigue of the last few years. I imagine that the overwhelming majority of Alabamians join me in being vastly disappointed or even disgusted by the current politics of our state. Granted, there are always those who will delight in the...
Putting ‘Dr. Gov. StrangeLuv’ embarrassment in our rear view mirror, WSFA (4/12/17) reported replacement Gov. Kay Ivey’s second day in office jettisoned more of the former corrupt governor's ‘work.’ Ivey abolished Bentley’s Office of Rural Development created in 2011 under the umbrella of ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs) ostensibly to improve and advance education, healthcare, and economic development in rural parts of the State. "Rural Alabama is near and dear to...
Capital punishment is a topic that many people want to avoid discussing. Opinions about it are all over the map—from people who are totally opposed to the ones who would like to round up huge numbers of criminals and “fry ‘em till their eyeballs pop out.” Arguments about the right thing to do for various crimes have persisted for many decades and will likely continue through the foreseeable future. The death penalty dates far back before the dawn of written history, and multitudes of differe...
From April 19, 1943, to May 16, 1943, an event known as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was fought. In November 1940, when the invading German forces built a wall around a Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland, 400,000 Jews were trapped inside. Because the Germans cruelly limited the amount of food that was allowed into the ghetto, starvation and illness claimed the lives of thousands each month. But the Jews weren’t dying fast enough to satisfy Adolph Hitler, who ordered the Nazis to deport roughly 2...
This month my husband, Brian, and I will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. We have been through countless testings, trials, joys, and valleys together. And even though we are long past that exciting “newly budding romance” stage in our relationship where we are winning each other’s hearts, we are arriving at the “deep love and appreciation” stage where we are truly able to cherish each other’s hearts. So, how do we continually cherish each other even after so many years together? F...
We have all seen those genetic testing commercials on television. Ancestry DNA, 23andMe to name just two. I have several friends who are way, way, way into genealogy and tracing their family roots back to caveman days but as for me, I never had the desire or energy to find all of my family tree. But something strange happened back in January 2002. That is when my mother died. After her death, my family all converged up in the East Tennessee town of Morristown where she lived. My wife, my...
While states are able to receive Federal funds under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, the State(s) must provide each eligible child with a free appropriate public education and each child under that program must have an individualized education program (IEP). Based on prior case law the education plan for the child must enable the child to make passing marks with appropriate progress and advance from grade to grade. The language was not confined to a single test. Endrew F. is a...
Beyond my belief that our Constitution as our nation’s founding document limits by design the power and scope of the federal government for the protection of its citizens from tyrannical administrations, I also believe that it protects us from a dangerous mindset. Dependency. As a parent, one of my goals was to ensure that my son grew up with whatever opportunity I could afford him in order for him to have the skills set and ability to care for himself and his future family, completely i...
I recently witnessed the installation ceremony of Steven ‘Crash’ Leath as AU’s 19th President at the University Ballroom March 20th; with considerably less ‘pomp & circumstance’ and significantly more transparency I participated in the election of Josh Tuttle as Chair of Alabama’s LP February 25th. AU’s BoT unanimously selected Leath after a six-month national ‘search’ which provided little on how it was conducted. Last year our Lee County Commission Chair correctly misspoke affirming somethi...
Lots of folks are still mad about our lame duck governor Robert Bentley naming Attorney General Luther Strange to Jeff Sessions Senate seat. If the sitting attorney general of a state openly states that he is investigating the governor for misfeasance and then that governor appoints that attorney general to the senate seat it looks funny. It gives new meaning to the word collusion. This brazen move has incensed legislators who have heard from their constituents back home. It has especially...
In 1966, Ray McKinley Dunwoody Jr. was a USAF chief master sergeant stationed in Roswell, New Mexico. During this time a friend of his, a retiring master sergeant, held a small party with a number of his friends and associates, including Ray. During a casual conversation, Ray mentioned chess. His friend eagerly announced that he was a member of the local chess club and held a high ranking. He then asked Ray about his chess experience. Ray told him that he only played once in a while, was just...
“Male and female he created them ….” (Genesis 5:2) With those six simple words the Bible gives us all the information we need regarding the genders God created. People are born either male or female; there are no other options. But liberals disagree. According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of the word lunacy is “wild foolishness” or “extravagant folly.” In an incredible demonstration of liberal lunacy, the politically correct secularists among us have decided that there are now four gend...
What a thrill to KNOW that my Redeemer lives! Jesus Christ is just as alive today as He was right after the resurrection. In fact, He is just as much alive today as He was before the crucifixion…and even before He came to earth and was laid in the manger. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” Job 19:25 What difference does it make whether we serve a living God? Isn’t it just a practice we believe in? Absolutely not! A living God knows right where you...
I am not sure what they are teaching in college these days but I am sure in many cases it is not honor, integrity, critical thinking, wisdom and common sense. I came across this article the other day titled, “The Writing Center at the University of Washington is telling students that expecting Americans to use proper grammar perpetuates racism.” Wha-what??!! I am not even sure where to go with this. But here goes. The writing center is willing to argue that “there is no inherent ‘stan...
Not to be confused with the South Korean movie “Two Weddings and a Funeral” or the British movie, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, my real life January events had nothing to do with “hooking up” and instead I endured the most grievous and oft dreaded death of a parent, my Mom and only two days after her funeral my oldest son, Matt (not his actual name) returned to Montgomery and married his most precious and beautiful fiancé, Lisa (not her actual name). How often does one experience an emotional...
Sometimes, a Facebook meme sums up current events quite well and one citing a William F. Buckley, Jr. quote recently appeared in my news feed. While I’m fully aware that there are exceptions to everything and I try to be cautious in making generalizations about any identity group, far too many on the left are currently validating Mr. Buckley’s reflection. “Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.” From th...
Some readers may recall past columns covering John Rice's efforts to weaken the grip 'double-dark money' has on our State. Sad so few understood what this former State legislator (a rare champion of liberty and unflappable small government conservative) was trying to accomplish on OUR behalf - i.e., those interested in promoting the general welfare for ourselves and our posterity over special interests. After calling them out into the light and connecting the dots to expose what these...
We have unbelievable natural resources in Alabama starting with the Tennessee Valley and transcending to the beautiful white sands at Gulf Shores. Many of our natural resources have been exploited over the years. The prime example would be the exploitation of our rich vaults of iron ore discovered in Jefferson County in the early 20th Century. It created the city of Birmingham, the Steel City of the south. U.S. Steel swept in and bought the entire region and used cheap labor in the mines and...
April 3, 1974. April 27, 2011. Those are two dates that many of us in Alabama will never forget. On each of those days portions of Alabama were devastated by tornadoes. Lives were lost, people were seriously injured, and homes and businesses were destroyed. Compounding those tragedies was the fact that some communities lacked electrical service for several days. Even those who were not directly impacted by those storms must have felt great relief when their electricity was restored. Severe...
Did you know that unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment block the flow of God’s blessings in your life? Holding on to the hurts of your past can poison your present and limit your future. However, when you let go of these emotional wounds, you open the door to the life of victory that God has planned. “Let all bitterness, indignation, wrath, resentment, quarreling, and slander be banished from you…” Ephesians 4:31 The enemy will try to use your past to influence your actions and respons...
Article 2, Section 2 of the Unites States Constitution says, “... and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” This has been in the news just prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump as President and it has become common for the outgoing President to issue pardons or commutation of sentences. With the exceptions of Presidents Harrison and Garfield all Presidents have issued pardons and/ or commutations. Har...
Americans now have a new administration, battle lines have been drawn between the left and the right, and it would appear there is little hope that our fiercely divided nation can agree about anything. Politics naturally divides as it is only in the civil debate of opposing ideas are we able to create solutions to problems. Unfortunately, the continual stream of media commentary encouraging rancor in addition to an escalation of protests from the left designed to further divide makes the prospec...
