The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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As we approach the summer of 2015 it is significant to know, as research studies show, that violent crimes occur at a higher rate in the summer season than any other season. There is a current heightened dissatisfaction and anger among some individuals, groups and communities across America toward law enforcement officers. Distain, threats and acts of violence against police have existed for decades whether it is state, county, district, municipality, university or other special police jurisdict...
Alabama Foundation for Limited Government (AFLG) President John Rice launched another campaign last month in opposition of Speaker Mike Hubbard’s (facing 23 felony indictments) plans to raise taxes on Alabamians and further promote Poarch Creek Indians’ gambling monopoly power. For those who may not know, Mr. Rice is a former State Representative and Senator with a long established record of opposing unnecessary tax increases to support deleterious government expansion. Many consider Rice the...
This has been an eventful year. Thousands of tourists have flocked to Alabama to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March for Civil and Voting Rights. The events that happened in Alabama spurred the enactment of the landmark acts that broke down the legal barriers prohibiting African Americans from voting in the South. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it unlawful to discriminate based on race. It was followed up the next year with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that...
For several months this column has focused on various causes of ineffectiveness of the legal system. Most recently we dealt with the extreme ineffectiveness and waste of time that is involved with grand juries in the State of Alabama. Before that we had focused on ineffectiveness that results from the economics of law practice. This column will continue the focus on reasons for ineffectiveness in the legal system. The judicial system itself has certain built in problems. Trial court judges are...
Many Americans have serious concerns about the vulnerability of our unsecured southern border and the danger it presents in allowing easy access to those who are determined to bring destruction on our nation. But while our attention is focused primarily on that southern border, little notice is paid to a federal program that may well be allowing those with evil intent into our country via legal and taxpayer-funded means. The Refugee Resettlement/Asylum Program has existed with relatively little...
God is constantly trying to plant new seeds of victory in YOU…and your heart is the soil from which those seeds will grow. However, if you harbor bitterness, jealousy, or pride in your hart, those seeds will not be able to take root and develop in your life. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of life.” Jesus told the story of how the enemy comes to steal the seed of God’s word through temptat...
May 6, 2015: There is an ominous cloud hanging over this legislative session. Last year the U.S. Supreme Court surprisingly agreed to hear a Hail Mary complaint filed by the black legislative caucus over the 2014 redistricting plan. In an even more surprising opinion, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the complainants and remanded the case back to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals instructing the lower court to tell the legislature to try again. The super majority Republican legislature fully...
United States lawyers or attorneys practice in many areas such as insurance defense, consumer issues, elder law, social security, admiralty, estate planning, bankruptcy, tax, business entities, criminal, health law, military, divorce, adoption, probate, immigration, government related and many other areas. As a guess there are probably more than forty or so practice areas. Additionally, beyond the Juris Doctorate (JD) degree or older LL.B (Bachelor of Laws), attorneys may seek a Master of Laws...
A recent opinion piece from James Spann, Chief Meteorologist for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham regarding severe weather explored the various reasons that Alabamians fail to heed the warnings of approaching dangerous storms. Based on meteorologists’ collaboration with social scientists studying why there was such a tremendous loss of life from the April 27, 2011 tornadoes despite the timely warnings of that day, Spann relates that he learned many things. Given that my interest leans towards all t...
In our current episode 'as the corruption churns' in the Heart of Dixie, Big Daddy Bob and step-child Mike Boulevard are having a spat over inability to pay future legal bills without Daddy's help. Seems as serial felony indictments proceed through the process, Mr. Boulevard is having trouble acquiring more unsecured loans and contributions as more political hacks discount the probability he can retain his ‘Spender of the House’ position as auctioneer of future theft from taxpayers. Sad to wit...
On 24 March 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525, an Airbus A320-200 crashed into the French Alps killing all 150 people onboard. Things instantly didn't seem right and almost immediately authorities knew for sure that the 27 year-old German copilot, Andreas Lubitz, intentionally flew the airplane into the mountains. Having flown for Delta for 18 years and 12 years before that in the Air Force, I know a little about the subject of flight safety. I know many of you have questions because I am...
Sometime after William the Conqueror successfully invaded England in 1066, the new line of kings decided they needed help rounding up local criminals to prosecute. Accordingly, they organized groups of local citizens who could keep up with what was going on in the local area to report crimes to the king and his court whenever they visited town. The result was the origin of grand juries. The process evolved so that prosecutors began to utilize the grand jury to bring about indictments....
For months now, my hubby, Brian & I have talked about purchasing a selfie stick. After all, we mainly take photos with our cell phones these days. So, how nice it would be to be able to take photos together ourselves. Recently, I was running errands and went by a popular box store. I saw they had selfie sticks. So I bought one for us. When I got home, I decided to go ahead, open the box & get our new toy working to surprise Brian. Simple right? WRONG! I worked a good 45 minutes...even reading...
Sen. Ted Cruz announcement of his bid for President of the United States wasn’t surprising news, nor were the long knives from critics on the left and the establishment right that were immediately drawn for him. Because I assumed that a Cruz presidential campaign was simply a matter of time, I didn’t watch his speech at Liberty University until later that day, and frankly, it was the social media furor on Twitter that prompted me to take the time to watch it without interruption. I have no int...
April 1, 2015: In recent years, the Republican Party has taken control of the legislatures in all of the southern states. Alabama’s legislature is overwhelmingly Republican. The GOP holds a 25 to 9 majority in the State Senate and an equally dominating 72 to 33 majority in the House of Representatives. Our supermajority GOP legislative body appeared to take on every conceivable ultraconservative reactionary issue during their first four year reign from 2011 to 2014. However, they forgot one. C...
Real estate practice among lawyers can be difficult when determining who has rightful ownership of real property. It’s just about as difficult to begin a generic discussion. The best form of ownership is, fee simple absolute. It is absolute in ownership and allows the owner to sell to whomever and to bequeath to whomever. An earlier form called fee tail, was many years ago abolished in Alabama and called for land inheritance of certain heirs. If those heirs ran out, then the land went back to t...
On July 16, 2014 under the leadership of the US Department of Treasury Secretary, Jacob J. Lew, in an apparent response to Russia's attempts to destabilize the eastern Ukraine as well as its advances in and occupation of the Crimea, broad-based sanctions were levied against Vladmir Putin's government. These sanctions targeted financial services, the energy sector, select areas of the Russian arms industry and identified institutions directly related to the undermining of the Ukrainian...
In recent columns I have concentrated on the economics of law practice. We have discussed the economic motives of plaintiff lawyers, the economic motives of defense lawyers, and the fact that the combination may impact adversely on the ability of the legal system to efficiently resolve disputes. This column will focus on liability insurance and will complete the current discussion of the economics of law practice. Liability insurance companies exist because of litigation, and have a major...
Happy Easter! To many this time of year means the Easter bunny, a day of food, and celebration. For some it is an obligatory church-attending holiday, after which life goes on as usual. How sad that we have so quickly forgotten the true meaning of Easter. Our God reigns! Jesus Christ died, yes. But even more importantly, He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, as we say in the Lord's Prayer. Jesus Christ literally defied death. But He did more than just a Houdini...
As I have increased my participation in the political process over the last six years, the realization of just how little our citizenry knows or even cares about our system of government is probably the most frustrating, and at times, the most discouraging aspect of politics. My discouragement has little to do with the lack of involvement in party politics but rather in the basic knowledge and understanding of the system of checks and balances at the federal level envisioned by our Founders...
March 18, 2015: Alabama may be in the lower tier of the country in some categories but not when it comes to providing health insurance for children. In that one category we excel. Brian Lyman with the Montgomery Advertiser provided an excellent study revealing that Alabama leads the south in taking care of its young people when it comes to giving them health coverage. A recent Georgetown University study showed that Alabama leads the south when it comes to healthcare for children. Remarkably we...
The Constitutional law in Alabama bans marriage between two people of the same sex. It is law. The Amendment was overwhelmingly approved by Alabama’s voters. As a law, there was no decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that the law was unConstitutional. Now a Federal District Court Judge has made a ruling based on a case in Mobile County. Judge Callie Granade’s ruling was based on the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which states, “Section 1. All persons born or natural...
Over the past several months, I have become increasingly embarrassed, and to be quite honest, ashamed of the majority of people running this great country of ours, Democrat and Republican. With every passing day, another item makes its way to the forefront of the news to further anger and disillusion most of us who pay attention to what is going on in the world around us. With that in mind, here is a not-so-complete list of some items that bug me right now. – I am ashamed that we have an ad...
I applaud our Alabama counties refusing to issue govt. licenses to marry. I implore other counties to follow this course to get out of the marriage license business. True Christians do NOT look to government for definition, permission and validity to affirm and proclaim God’s blessings. Sad so many seem compelled to side with one of two flawed arguments as the next round of Roy Moore v. Myron Thompson, et al "Duel of Wits Between Two Unarmed Opponents" unfolds... just as BOTH sides were wrong a...
Last month we explored the economic motives of defense attorneys. This month we will discuss the economic motives of plaintiffs’ attorneys. Both defense attorneys and plaintiffs’ attorneys must operate their offices as a business, if they are to be successful. They are both motivated to earn a living practicing law. There the similarity ends. Defense lawyers serve corporate America and liability insurance companies, in large measure. They must practice law in a way that is pleasing to corporate...
