The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Happy Spring! Time to open up the house and let the sunshine in. Perhaps, grab a few dozen trash bags, go through all the closets and the attic, and throw away everything that has cluttered up the house. I decided this spring I needed to clear the junk out of my head first. Only a few months into the New Year, and I already had too much on my mind. I still had a lot of questions built up from the past few year. God, why did this happen? Why did I pray for this, and it still fell apart? Why,...
Article III of the United States Constitution establishes a supreme court. The text of Section One and the first paragraph of Section Two of Article Three reads as follows: Article III. Section. 1. The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times,...
Many of my conservative friends, mostly those in my generation or older, continue to be amazed that an avowed socialist – disguised as “democratic socialist” – can be so popular with the youth of our nation. Like so many of my friends, I’ve attributed the appeal to the liberal bent of our public education system. While that absolutely has an enormous impact, I think there are other elements that those of us who call ourselves conservatives have been missing. But one factor has been apparent...
The current epicenter of Alabama corruption was quaking from recent affidavits submitted to Judge Walker’s Circuit Court on Speaker Hubbard’s [R - Auburn] criminal indictment. These rumblings prompted inquiries for my thoughts as an active participant in the District 79 campaign to elect Sandy Toomer. Some seem to think I may’ve been one of the architects of the ‘whisper campaign’ alleged in court documents surrounding Barron Coleman’s affidavit. I was aware of no whisper campaign. In a small...
You know the outcome of our presidential preference primary yesterday. I do too, today; however, this column had to go to press a few days prior to the primary. Therefore, I will have to report and analyze your voting in a later column. One thing I do know is that we had a lot more attention paid to us in the Heart of Dixie because we had an early primary. The legislature is to be applauded for moving us up to participate in the March 1st SEC primary. It was fun while it lasted but we can say...
Last month I described how the Finnline and adequate yellow time can put an end to dangerous panic stops at signaled intersections. Here are some additional remedies to improve the traffic flow. The legitimacy of installing a signal for a private property is dubious at best. And because of the way many are timed, they are particularly obnoxious. A few weeks ago, Walmart opened a new store on highway 231 across from the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery. Like at every other I had seen, it had a...
Some people are born with a more positive disposition while others are born with more of a negative disposition case in point my two little boys. One is often always positive and the other is often thinking negatively, but there is hope. The latest research in neuroscience and positive psychology demonstrates that we can mold our brains and ourselves to be more positive, which is great news for all our children. I believe that positive kids become positive adults and as parents we can play a sig...
Lawyer advertising turns most people off. That includes many members of the legal profession itself. Ads that include boxing gloves, horses, tigers and big trucks may be mildly amusing the first time you see them, but add little to the image of the legal profession and nothing to the dignity of law. Those of us who still regard law as a gift of God that allows humans to live peaceably together have difficulty seeing how the commercial advertising of legal services as a commodity can be...
First of all, I have to apologize for this column. I first wrote this way back in early 2011 but as I read over it, I felt it remained current in its scope and thought. The reason I am not adding a new column is that I am currently recovering from surgery I recently had and to be honest, at the moment writing is among the last things on my mind to do. I do think, however, for my next Robservation I will discuss my surgery. But here is my column with a few editorial additions and I am looking...
Easter is upon us. This is the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave. This is the event that conquered sin… it conquered death… and it made it possible for you and for me to have a personal relationship with God! Perhaps, today, this is the first time you've ever heard or understood this Good News. If so, I want to tell you something: Jesus died on the cross for you. He wore a crown of thorns and was nailed to a tree because He loves you… and He wants to ha...
Hey, folks. Happy New Year to all. I hope everybody had a great Christmas season. But a lot has happened already this year so let’s get started. Let’s talk about. . . 1. Sexual Assaults in Germany: Okay, I admit. This one really angers me. Since this news broke, I have asked a couple of dozen people about this story and almost none of them had heard about it. Apparently, on New Year’s Eve, in six German cities, groups of “refugees” and “asylum seekers” thought it would be nice to pester, annoy...
An article appeared on al.com prior to the College Football Championship game that spoke to me on a level beyond football and rivalries, as a political analogy came wrapped up in a piece regarding the football team of my beloved alma mater’s fight for a national championship title. The article was written prior to the championship game and outlined the mission of this year’s team while giving some insight as to how they overcame an early season loss to battle back for a shot at the title. One...
WACV Talk Radio, I asked Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange what he was going to do about removing the obnoxious red light cameras from the city. His answer was very blunt, “Nothing.” In fact, he even announced that he had plans to install some more. Why? Does Mayor Strange understand that they do essentially nothing to improve safety? Apparently not. But he obviously knows that they generate a great deal of revenue by legalized piracy. This is especially true when yellow lights are timed so sho...
Recent reader comments suggest last year’s columns were more ‘watchdog-like’ than opinin’. After assuring commenters my goal remains to evoke thought as established by the assigned “THINK” moniker, I’m asked who I consider the most effective watchdogs in our State. My ‘big three from A to Z’ dogs include Bill Britt’s courageous reporting on ethics violations, John Rice’s anti-corruption efforts via the Alabama Foundation for Limited Government (AFLG) and ‘waste cutter’ Jim Ziegler’s accomplishm...
February 3, 2016: There are a good many stories about elections of the 1940’s and 50’s where vote were bought and elections stolen. The most brazen and blatant stealing of an election occurred in the 1948 race for the U.S. Senate in Texas. The players were Coke Stevenson versus Lyndon B. Johnson. Therefore, it can also be classified as one of the most relevant robberies in American history because if Johnson had lost, as he was supposed to, it would have dramatically impacted U.S. history. Coke...
What legal reason did the United States government give for taking Arlington, the home of Robert E. Lee during the War Between the States? This is an appropriate question considering the State of Alabama just celebrated General Lee’s birthday as a State holiday in January. Since the introduction of Martin Luther King’s birthday as a Federal holiday it has been conjoined with General Lee’s birthday holiday. The construction of Arlington House began in 1802, by George Washington Parke Custis. When...
It seems like every time I answer the phone these days it is a new opinion poll. The pollsters have even gotten into cell phones. I probably receive at least twelve or fifteen such calls each week. The calls are intrusive and excessive. The benefits arising from the overburden of surveys is highly questionable. The problems facing government these days are highly complex, to say the least. Most of us have our hands full simply dealing with the problems that confront us in daily life. So what is...
A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that more than four out of five parents are concerned that their children are exposed to too much televised drama, sex and violence -- yet millions of youngsters are still enthusiastically watching hours of TV daily, with little or no supervision. That's unsettling news for clinicians and medical professionals alike. American children spend an average of six hours each day watching TV or using other media devices . That's more time than they devote...
A friend recently shared this with me and it really blessed me. So, I thought I’d share it with you. Here is a NEW way to look at John 3:16 and remember that it was written as GOD’s Valentine to the world, and to you and me! Jesus said: "For God so loVed the world That He gAve His onLy BegottEn SoN That whosoever Believes In Him Shall Not perish, But have Everlasting life." Happy Valentine’s Day & Many Blessings!...
It's a New Year yet, once again, very little has changed in the world of politics. While most of the nation was celebrating the birth of our Savior and spending time with family and friends, our elected "public servants" ended the year with outrageous spending authorizations that will burden our children and grandchildren for decades to come, and further increase the debt that is in the process of destroying our nation. Keep in mind that this authorization also funds almost everything the Obama...
Here I sit, shaking my head. Next year cannot come too soon for me. That is, next year’s presidential election. It has hard for me to fathom the level of mediocrity that emanates from within this administration. It has become a continuous procession of buffoonery that is only topped by the sheer impossibility that such actions should ever occur. I am not even going to talk about Benghazi because there is still too much information that has been hidden, covered, expunged or whatever you want t...
Some have said my columns have become too angry, too much serious reporting, etc. instead of Sophocleus opinin' so I thought I'd lighten things up with a poem about the current holiday season: Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the House, All the liberals were stirring, while conservatives groused. The wish lists were hung on the approps bill with care, In hopes that Obama would bless it with flair. The Members were nestled all smug in their heads, While visions of donors danced...
January 13, 2016: Last week we discussed the presidential race. The GOP race for the nomination has been one of the most illuminating in history. Never before have political novices been the frontrunners. It is obvious that voters prefer an outsider with no governmental experience. Donald Trump and Ben Carson would both be considered outsiders, both lacking in political experience and skills and Trump lacking tact. No matter what they say or the amateurish blunders they make they doggedly cling...
I would like to discuss the current trend I am seeing as a clinician in regards to medication not being prescribed to children with mental health concerns. In these same cases, the primary care doctor and/or psychiatrist refused to medicate a child after therapeutic interventions have been tried for several months with little or no success, and have been short-lived due to the fact that the child had not stabilized from symptomatology of a classifiable DSM-5 diagnoses. As a result, the child...
In September and October, I wrote articles describing the dangers that are inherent in corporate America’s ability to impose arbitration on the consuming public. I pointed out that the power of dispute resolution is vested in the courts and that when dispute resolution is privatized, the public is deprived of its right to know. On December 14, 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of DIRECTV v. Imburgia, which deals with arbitration. DIRECTV had entered into a contract with all...
