The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Of course I had to. I had absolutely no choice in the matter. After the killings in Orlando, my government went out of its way once again to show that they are in fact the real JV team on the field of play right now. Literally, and you cannot make this crap up. The 49 bodies of those slain in the nightclub were still on the floor, their cell phones ringing from the calls of loved ones that would never get an answer, and our President was on national television blaming guns and calling for more...
Romans 2:5-9 [KJV] "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that...
This will be my final article for the Alabama Gazette. As I compose it, my mind goes back to the hot August day 3 years ago when I first visited with Loretta Grant to propose this series of articles. I had grown up in Macon County, chosen law as a profession and watched tumultuous changes that had been wrought by law. I had deliberately chosen to stay close to a primary site of those changes. I had served as a circuit judge for 18 years. It had been a great learning experience. I felt burdened...
It won’t be long before we get into football season, and “Roll Tide” and “War Eagle” will be screamed across Alabama and surrounding states to root for our teams. It is a tradition of tailgating, get-togethers, and… ticket “scalping.” It is a known fact that our universities make big bucks with their sports. If anyone wants proof, he should have a look at the Alabama and Auburn campuses and note the numerous fancy buildings and facilities that have mushroomed everywhere. Parts of the Tuscaloo...
I am as truly horrified as you over the senseless killing of others especially when it involves random attacks on multiple people. However, there are several arguments against tighter gun restrictions, plus being unconstitutional. First lets put it in perspective; murder by gun this year over 5,200. Yep, that’s a lot. This year for alcohol caused deaths it is over 45,000 and drunk driving over 15,500. Is it the alcohol that makes someone pick it up and drink it? There would be over 60,000 p...
Christian recording artist TobyMac released a song several years ago titled “Lose My Soul.”* As our state deals with yet another political corruption conviction, I can’t help but be of the opinion that some of our elected public servants would be wise to consider the words of the song and particularly the chorus. “I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul.” In these days and weeks following the conviction of former Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, I want to hope and believe...
Child Abuse- Child abuse can result from physical, emotional, or sexual harm; it can even result from neglect. There are multiple causes and connections which can contribute to child abuse such as alcoholism, substance abuse, anger issues, and poverty just to name a few. But child abuse has no limits--it affects all strata of life. It does not see or care about who you are, where you come from, or where you have been. Studies show that one in eight boys and one in four girls are sexually abused...
When I was in the third grade, I raised my hand one day and asked the teacher for permission to "go to the bathroom." She nodded, and I hurried down the hall to the door designated "Boys." When I had relieved myself, I headed back in the direction of my homeroom. As bad luck would have it, the doors in the hallway all looked alike, and I opened the wrong one. Two second-grade girls were standing there with their mouths open in disbelief. Then they both screamed and pointed at me. The loudest...
As the temperatures continue to rise, so does the excitement for all of the upcoming events and programs happening here in Wetumpka. We have just been selected as a designated Main Street Community which will work with all of our downtown businesses to enhance downtown and business growth. The positive comments on Main Street have been overwhelming. We appreciate the buy-in we have received from not only the downtown businesses but the entire community. Positive steps like Main Street and the...
Happy Birthday, America! The Fourth of July is the birthday of this great nation. Think about it! How beautiful is it to remember the price that was paid for our independence before we celebrate it. Just like our Lord was willingly laid down His life for our freedom. “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures . . .” I Cor...
There is an old adage that says, "The customer is always right." I will be one of the first ones to say that is total nonsense. On paper, that sounds like a socially righteous attitude to take, but reality tells me something totally different. When a passenger intentionally urinates on the floor of the airplane because he won't be served more alcohol, when a passenger drops the tray table while we are taxiing into our gate in Denver and he starts snorting cocaine, when a passenger fondles a...
While observing the legislature the other day, I fondly remembered a very eventful day as a youth. As a teenager, I grew up working at the Capitol as a Page in the House and Senate. Albert Brewer had been elected to the House from Morgan County in his late 20’s and became Speaker in only his second term. He would eventually let me sit beside him in the Speaker’s box and tell me why certain bills were assigned to the proper committee and the probable fate of the proposed legislation. Brewer ran...
Public education was and is the great American dream. Nevertheless, since the 1950s, we have seen a broad-based movement toward the privatization of education. It is against this background that I tell my story. Stephen Covey who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People suggested that one of those habits is “keeping the main thing the main thing.” For public education, excellent, effective education is the main thing. I was born in rural Macon County and attended Shorter High School, a pub...
Once again, there is a lot of noise being made across the country to raise the minimum wage in a make-believe effort to help the poor workers at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. And once again, if any of this crap should ever become law, it will have the exact, opposite effect its promoters are touting. What are our so-called “leaders” thinking? What is going through the minds of these people? Do they honestly believe they are helping anybody? Is it going to help workers pull the...
There are various issues relative to estate planning and divorce. There are instances where an ex- spouse may continue to be entitled to your assets, times when they are automatically disqualified from assets and/ or disqualified from acting as a fiduciary and then there are changes in the law. Finally, there may be times that you may wish for your ex spouse to inherit from you even though by law that might be successfully challenged. With your Last Will and Testament, upon divorce your former...
If there’s a possibility of a bright spot in the current presidential election campaign as well as the ongoing circus known as Alabama politics, it’s learning that it has been far easier to wean myself from the 24/7 news cycle and political commentary than I thought possible. By no means have I shut down access to all news sources or turned a blind eye to the current issues that tremendously impact our communities, state, and nation, but I am attempting moderation to maintain a degree of san...
What makes us motivated to make changes in our lives? Alfred Adler, the father of the Individual Psychology Model, believed that people make choices which bring about pleasure. In other words, find meaning in life. Do you ever feel like you’re stuck and things will never change? That’s true if you never take any action or are too scared to change. We often complain about our circumstance but do nothing to make it better. There are those who believe whatever we speak we will receive. I, too, bel...
By the time this article is published we hope Wetumpka will be selected as the newest designated Main Street Alabama City. This program is designed to bring jobs, dollars and people back to historic communities. The focus to bring vitality and boost economic development in our downtown district will benefit our local businesses, continue to enhance the quality of life and increase the tax base which increases the services provided by the City. This will not be a City run program but a program...
Do you believe that certain days throughout your life are anointed? That God has an unexpected blessing meant just for you that day?? Boy, I sure do! And one of those blessed days occurred ten years ago this month. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6 Although I had completed my reign as Ms. Wheelchair America/Alabama 2005, the next year I was still receiving req...
At this time of year Washington, D.C. is a beautiful place to visit. The city is aglow with the blooming of the cherry blossom trees. The cherry blossoms offer a glorious scene as you stroll down the mall and look toward our nation’s capital. This scene has been glimpsed by tourists and visitors for over a century. Each year the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates a 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan to the United States. The current Cherry Blossom Festival has grown t...
As I think about the increasingly vicious political climate we’re now experiencing, I reflect more often on just how we’ve reached a point in our nation’s history where more factions are fighting each other than ever before. No doubt there are reasons far more complicated than what I can comprehend or even begin to outline, but I can’t help but believe that so much of the animosity towards each other is a direct result of our escalating dependence on government to “do something” to correct an...
First, let’s focus on ignorance; then we can develop its relationship to evil. Ignorance certainly includes lack of knowledge, but ignorance is not merely absence of knowledge. Ignorance has a positive existence in human consciousness. It is incorrect beliefs more often than the mere absence of correct beliefs. The incorrect beliefs are strongly and passionately held and adamantly defended. Ignorance doesn’t just stand on a street corner and rant and rave; it talks on I-Phones, and moves in ema...
When and where is it all going to end? Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved Germany and the German people. When I was five years old, my father took my brother and me to see the movie, The Blue Max, starring George Peppard and Ursula Andress. It is the story of a brutal, callous, cold blooded killer named Bruno Stachel who flew for the Germans in World War One. I still watch this movie at least once or twice every year. But as a little kid, the aviation scenes and the cool German...
I first met attorney Donald V. Watkins in 2002 when he was interviewing candidates to support. He found my stance on limiting government to address very few things in our economy unworthy of his support. His appreciation of my championing our 5th Amendment civil right to property for ALL was nonetheless reassuring. One of the first black students to attend UA School of Law, his training is sound and accomplishment in practice profound over the years. At age 68, Watkins is well known for success...
On the subject of gambling, many people and politicians in Alabama are all over the spectrum on how much we should allow in this state. On one side are the ones who believe that it should be completely legalized with a free market. On the opposite, we have the extremists who want to abolish every last bit of it, lest the people overindulge in it and plummet into Hell. Do we have a practical solution to this argument? For starters, there is no way we can abolish it. The federal government has gra...
