The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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December 7, 2016 It is Christmas time, and since Alabama is one of the most charitable states in the nation, I would expect that many of us are in the giving mood and plan to help many worthy causes across our great state. Unfortunately, it appears that some recent rulings by the Alabama Ethics Commission are going to make it more difficult for charities across the state to raise the funds that they need to serve our communities. Many charities in Alabama are concerned that an unintended...
In September I had began to feel pretty rough, so bad that I actually went to the doctor. It was determined that I had a gallstone pancreatitis caused by a gallbladder with stones (of course) and my gallbladder needed to come out. Having had no prior abdominal surgery my surgeon was happy that I had a “virgin belly”, a pretty funny term. I know that my health insurance went up significantly last year and significantly again this year. Thank you President Obama for a real piece of work. Insurance...
No doubt my most read text from years of writing for the Alabama Gazette is “Ten Years After” (Jan. 2011 column) explaining how Texas Gov. George W. Bush became the 43rd US president although VP Al Gore received more votes in the general election. Some readers have asked for similar analysis on the recent result where Mr. Trump won the Electoral College with a much greater electoral vote margin yet STILL lost the popular vote by 668,483 (according to AP reports) or even more according to oth...
Election night 2016 was a beautiful thing to watch. Tears flowing, heads exploding, pundits demonstrating that they know absolutely nothing about anything, you name it. Obviously, I am happy that “she” did not win, but watching all of the crazed people crying and being on the verge of suicide was a thing to behold. Reports that Hillary had a profanity laden meltdown while overturning tables and launching objects around the room easily explains exactly why she did not come out to greet her sup...
On a recent October evening, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at The Heritage Foundation’s Joseph Story Distinguished Lecture, just three days after the 25th anniversary of his swearing-in as an associate justice on the Court. Described as a “fearless originalist” regarding his defense of the Constitution, conservatives anxiously wait to see if the new Trump administration fulfills its campaign promise of appointing justices who will join Justice Thomas in upholding the princ...
The term “good old days” has been around for many years. Older people have and still do like to sometimes reflect on how much better their lives were at various times in the past than they are now. The subjects are varied. They range from how much less things cost back then to how much less crime we had. For the most part, these things are true, but most of these people have not been able to comprehend the fundamental reason why few things have turned to the better and most have gone the oth...
Well folks…Christmas is upon us. Can you believe it? Is it just me or does it feel like each passing year goes by more quickly!? Stores line their aisles with Christmas goodies and décor right after Labor Day! Now that we are getting closer to Christmas, TV shows have switched to the theme of giving and love, and Santas are starting to float about. Yet, the very first Christmas seemed to do without any of these things. The very first Christmas somehow started a frenzy without the power of TV...
We will vote to select the 44th President Tuesday. The next President will be a New Yorker. Whomever is selected will enter the Oval office with the most unfavorable poll ratings of any President in recent memory. This election will epitomize the old adage that George Wallace once told and that is, “more folks vote against someone than for someone.” There is no question that our country is drifting to the left in ideology. We in Alabama are conservative, pro-life, pro-gun, Christians with a des...
All I can say is that by the time this Robservation hits the streets, the election, for better or worse, will be over and done with. It has been a long, drawn out embarrassment for the entire United States. Whether the winner is a clear political outsider who has said some questionable things in the past and had an up and down business career or whether the winner is a pathological liar who hates the Constitution, who will do and say anything for political gain, has broken the law, violated...
Though I’m reminded daily of my many blessings, November is the month specifically set aside for giving thanks, and I highly doubt I’m alone in being thankful that the bitter and divisive 2016 presidential campaign will finally end. While political pundits will analyze the results ad nauseam, conservative activists will continue working diligently during the lame duck session of Congress to minimize detrimental legislation and spending decisions which typically occur during such sessions. Unfort...
Special election Candidate “Fireman Joe” Lovvorn was installed into our Alabama House of Representatives without an election via Secretary of State John Merrill’s discretion last month. After hearing the news we (me and my eldest Godson Peter) went to the good Secretary’s office who kindly met without an appointment. Lovvorn avoided a Party primary runoff, exceeding the 50% threshold by 13 votes via another low turnout House District 79 poll result. A dismal 12% of voters participated in this...
In the 2008 Presidential election, the people of America granted immense power to one of the most dangerous men in the world. In 2012, they re-elected him. Now after almost eight years of treasonous treachery, the Great Traitor and his minions have saddled us with a catastrophic, outrageously expensive, unsustainable health care burden, needless war-mongering and meddling in the Middle East killing thousands of people and making new enemies, releasing dangerous terrorists from GITMO while...
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought I’d share a real thanks-giving story that I recently heard with you… An old pastor and his wife invited a new young couple in the church over for Thanksgiving dinner. As the couple entered the home, they smelled the wonderful turkey and all the trimmings in the kitchen. As the four made their way to the dining room table, there was a great feast before them! But as the young wife scanned the table, she noticed something out of place. Amo...
Deplorable: Causing or being a subject for grief or regret; lamentable; causing or being a subject for censure, reproach, or disapproval; wretched; very bad. Irredeemable: Not able to be saved, improved, or corrected. “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic --you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them u...
Special election Candidate Lovvorn avoided a runoff, exceeding the 50% threshold by 13 votes via another low turnout poll result for House District 79. A dismal 12% of voters participated this time, only three quarters of the 16% participation when felon Hubbard was reinstalled last time. Little surprise the big money candidate anointed by Hubbard, et al wanting 'bidness as usual' [http://www.alabamagazette.com/.../bidness-as-usual-i.../855.html] to keep the graft churning in the former...
During this election year I have watched all the politics on television. In order to judge the coverage I have perused all the channels. Over the years political observers have bemoaned the fact that certain networks are biased. Folks, I am here to tell you they are. There is no doubt Fox is a Republican channel and MSNBC and CNN are Democratic networks. George Wallace used to strut around the country running for president as a third party candidate rhetorically saying there ain’t a dimes w...
I think that you are doing the hardest thing and the best thing for your husband and yourself by facing this right now. When our loved ones are faced with such devastating diseases it’s easier to not face it and believe they will improve. Being proactive will have you prepared. First I will advise that you visit an attorney that can assist you with estate planning. The three basic documents that your husband will need (and you) are a Last Will and Testament, Power of Attorney and an Advance D...
I recently had an extremely unwelcome evening encounter with danger at our home as living in a rural setting almost guarantees that one will at some point have an experience with some of God’s creations that are most unfriendly to humans. Our barn is typically where I am at highest alert and admit that I had become a bit too complacent regarding the possibility of poisonous snakes close to our front door. I had taken a bit of care a few months ago as we had killed a few baby rattlers last y...
As years go by, politicians never cease to stoop lower and lower to scheme up new ways to milk more money from the people and place numerous additional roadblocks into the American economy. One of the newest targets for government ripoffs, of course, is the internet. Up until now, it has been a bastion of free-market success, where people and corporations, both large and small, have equal opportunities to make the best of a world-wide market. Anyone who claims to know Constitutional law should...
Ahhhh....Fall! The Fall Season is upon us. I have always been a big fan of Spring and Summer, but not especially fond of Fall and Winter. However, lately I have changed. I think it is something about those leaves of red, orange, yellow, brown, and burgundy. And, the crispness in the air as temperatures begin to cool down. As I enjoy my morning cup of hot tea on my back porch and gaze upon the nature around me, I am reminded that God is the best artist in the world...for only He can create such...
Sitting here on vacation, there are so many things going on but today I only want to cover two items for now. There are sunny beaches to see so here goes. 1. The Olympics: First of all, after all the negative press about Rio before the games began, I did enjoy watching the Olympics on television for the past two weeks; for the most part. After all, during the games only one severed arm washed up in the Olympic bay, only one mugger was shot dead by a Russian diplomat and after only a week, the gr...
For many years, I have wondered about the procedures employers use to select applicants who apply for jobs. The first qualifications that come to mind are education and experience—presumably the more of each, the better. From my observations, employers like to see resumes that have a complete list of previous employment, with exact dates and other trivia, with no gaps, going all the way back to high school or earlier. Other qualifications, like talent, honesty, dependability, health, and o...
With Labor Day approaching it signifies that the long hot summer will soon be coming to an end. It seems that the summers are getting hotter and hotter. I was born and raised in south Alabama so I was accustomed to long hot summers. I remember when there was no air conditioning in houses or cars. It was hot, but seems hotter today. I think we have gotten softer. It also seems that we do not have the spring or fall seasons anymore. All of a sudden one day in mid May it is 86 degrees and it never...
That is a great question and to be honest I think you will receive various answers even among Constitutional attorneys. To begin to try to find that line, it must start with the plain language of the Constitution. While religion is not per se addressed within the body of the main Constitution, religion is addressed within the First Amendment. Many people think about the Constitution’s First Amendment only having to do with free speech but it also includes two sections about religion. The F...
Our nation is less than 90 days away from electing the next president of our United States of America, although “united” seems to be a misnomer with the divisive political and cultural elements at work in our nation. This certainly has not been the presidential cycle I anticipated nor is it one that persuades me to think that the result in November will heal our wounds and place our nation on a corrected path to fiscal solvency. Regardless of the outcome, limited constitutional government will t...
