The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Christmas is spelled L-O-V-E. What is the Christmas message? John 3:16. God gave us the gift of love on Christmas Day. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16. As a popular song says, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” I need it. You need it. Your spouse needs it. Your child needs it. An elderly man or woman sitting alone in a nursing home today needs it. A child a...
There is a line from my favorite WWII movie, 12 O’clock High, where newly promoted LTC Harvey Stovall, played by Dean Jagger, is sitting in the office with Gregory Peck’s character, General Savage, and two other officers. The 918th Bomb Group had just completed their most challenging mission to date and was scheduled to fly a mission against the same target the following day. As the men are discussing the day’s events, Stovall, quite drunk, stands up and interrupts the conversation, “I am conf...
Fall is without a doubt my preferred season and November is definitely one of my favorite months, primarily because it seems that people exhibit far more of an attitude of thankfulness than during any other time of the year. Along with my absolute gratitude for all that God has provided, I venture to guess that some of us are more than a little thankful that another election season of road signs, phone polling, and negative advertising is ending. We’ll soon learn if those who are either r...
Everyone is probably aware of the strong ties that exist between law and economics. Both law and economics are social systems. Every member of society necessarily participates in both systems. It might be more accurate to say that both law and economics are sub-systems within the total framework of society. The two systems - law and economics – are supported by differing motivational forces, and to some extent, exist independently of each other as systems. Human motivation is always complex. A...
The 17th Annual "Battles for the Armory" War Between the States Reenactment will be held November 7th, 8th and 9th at Gibson's View Plantation in Tallassee. The event commemorates the 1864 Battles of Chehaw Station and Franklin which saved Tallassee's Confederate Armory from destruction by Union Army raiders. Heralding this year's event as the 150th anniversary of the battles, the Alabama Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans wisely selected this reenactment as the State Division's...
Last month, the Alabama State Bar celebrated Pro Bono Month. Pro Bono in this context is the offering of free legal services to low income individuals. October was filled with events on almost every day, which included workshops for the elderly, homeless, clinics for legal issues sometimes encountered by low-income individuals such as eviction and domestic issues and even guidance for individuals that might represent themselves in District Court. These events were available all over the State....
Sometimes it’s hard to believe in the goodness of God. For many, holidays like Thanksgiving are not a time of truly giving thanks, but a painful reminder of what is not. Families aren’t always the safe place they were created to be. Maybe someone is sick or maybe someone is missing. Maybe the economic crisis has hit close to home. The chaos of the holiday season officially kicks off, adding even more stress. There are countless reasons why this “bountiful feast” can feel more like an “unbear...
The month of October brings cooler temperatures and a multitude of activities to our already busy personal lives: football games, fall festivals, upcoming holiday plans, and the flurry of related shopping and spending. It also heralds the beginning of new fiscal budget spending at the federal, state, and local levels. Last month, I shared that policy will impact your life whether you love or hate politics, Fiscal policy at all levels of government plays the largest role in determining your own...
There is no reason for any foreign law to contradict, circumvent or supersede the laws of the United States or the laws of the independent states. However, there are times when international laws should be considered. Within the United States, Article IV, Section 1 is often referred to as the "Full Faith and Credit Clause" of the United States Constitution. This essentially means that acts that fall legally within the laws of one state are recognized in any other state. If a marriage takes place...
Several of my recent columns have been devoted to concerns about the impact of cultural differences on law. Those columns have recognized that the legal system, as it existed, particularly in the South, was a factor in our creating different cultural systems based on race. Unfortunately, the legal system itself discouraged black participation. The exclusion of blacks from the system and mistreatment of blacks by the system resulted in lack of support for the legal system in the black culture....
Over the past month or so, I have become acutely aware of two things. First, time is a relentless, non-caring force that will stop for nothing. Second, I realize that there are still some very small thinking people out there. TIME: THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING My wife and I just came back from visiting her family in Texas. While there, I really noticed how much older her family has gotten. It is not like I have never noticed age, but there was something different this time. Her mom seemed to...
Just as the Republicans $1.2 billion Amendment One (2003) proposal of significant increases for individual income tax payers, the sales tax, property tax, cigarette tax, corporate income tax, etc. FAILED 2 to 1 (defeating ‘Spender of House’ Mike Hubbard’s full court press) on a GENERAL election ballot... the FIRST time this recently passed Lee County sales tax increase was voted upon it also met sound defeat of over 2 to 1. The O/A News reported 68.5% against with 13,000 votes cast on the Novemb...
Did you know that a blessing is not a blessing until it is declared? That’s right! Numbers 6:23-26 tells us, “Say to them, may the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you His peace.” So declare blessings over yourself and your loved ones. Do so by speaking those blessings in the name of Jesus. Declare you are blessed with God’s wisdom and receive clear direction for your life. Declare that you are blessed...
I have been watching the crises in Iraq with some saturnine curiosity. I am not even sure where to begin with this Robservation. But I guess the best thing to do is to “cut to the chase” so to speak. These ISIS criminals are dangerous; not only to Iraqis who think differently than they do but to the world as a whole. They hate everything and everybody who does not conform to their way of thinking. I have always had this morbid curiosity in seeing, let’s say, gross stuff. Weird? Yeah, I know...
“I hate politics”. I often hear that comment, especially in today’s divisive political environment and after yet another ugly primary season. And it is apparent from the disparity in the number of “likes” I receive on my political Facebook posts as compared to my “happy” personal posts, most people would be content to never see anything pertaining to the world of political issues. Perhaps you also think that “social” media isn’t the place for political posts. That’s fine, but please remember t...
In the last several articles I have dealt with issues of law and race from a different and unique view point. In the background of all of the articles is consideration of cultural systems. I have noted that the 400 years of slavery and segregation that existed in the United States produced a unique black culture. One aspect of that culture has been the strained relationship between the black culture and the legal system. The legal system obviously originated in Europe-not Africa....
Fifty years prior to the War of 1812, our so-called “French & Indian War” settled the trade dispute between New France and New England in North America where the European ebb and flow of empire simply had more territory in the mix. Following their newly established trade dominance in the region, England slowly increased mercantilist policies to favour specific business interests over promoting competition and the general welfare of her subjects. The stage for our First War for Independence was...
Labor Day…The last 3-day weekend of the summer. It’s usually filled with people camping, biking, picnics, barbeques, or just hanging out. It’s the last official holiday of the summer. It usually is the beginning of college football (My hubby, Brian, says Roll Tide and I say War Eagle). So, what is labor day? It was first celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City and became a federal holiday in 1894. It all started because a number of workers were killed at the hands of U.S. Military and U...
In the past several columns we have discussed problems with the criminal justice system and incarceration. Our exploration of problems concerning the corrections system concluded with a discussion of the fact that 400 years of slavery and segregation created a cultural system that understandably put distance between itself and the legal system. We pointed out that a self-help system evolved and that street justice in a self-help cultural system may be one of the causes for disproportionate...
To her credit, First Lady Michelle Obama has raised awareness regarding our dietary habits and suggested that Americans should stop “super-sizing” their food portions to solve our nation’s obesity and health problems. Unfortunately, few in Washington D.C. have any similar determination to stop “super-sizing” our government to save our liberties. We understand the overreach of government threatens our individual liberties, but could it possibly be a reason for a diminished love for America?...
The other day, my wife and I were minding our own business taking down wallpaper in our kitchen when we heard on Fox News that a Malaysian Airlines 777 had just been shot down in the Ukraine. A couple of hours later we heard of the Israeli ground offensive into Gaza. What a day! Days like this are exactly why our pastor reminded us last week that if we dwell on the world news instead of looking to God as our source, one can go mad through depression, worry and anger. MALAYSIA FLIGHT 17 Didn't...
With another $3 million spent on our 2014 primary run-offs last month, I remain a steadfast advocate of abolishing further waste of our taxpayer dollars on all primary elections. Political parties can pay for their own primaries which have evolved into another money mill for the Republocrat duopoly as they continue to ‘progress’ into increasingly extremist results. Until poor jurists like Myron Thompson are finally out of the mix or we elect more legislators who support Sen. Cam Newton’s legisla...
Did you know that God wants to poor out His blessings on you? Psalms 84:11 tells us, “…the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” What an awesome promise! God wants to pour His abundant victory and favor in your life! Psalms 8:5 reminds us that God has crowned us with glory and honor. Another word for honor is favor. In other words, God has crowned us with His favor! He wants you to thrive and excel in life. You are a child of the Almig...
In last month’s column we discussed how cultural differences impact the criminal justice system. Four hundred years of slavery and segregation created a cultural system in our black communities. That system did not disappear just because the legal system was finally corrected to treat all persons equally. The cultural system that evolved appears to still have notable influence in many areas. As we pointed out, its “self-help” enforcement system is a factor in the higher rate of incar...
It is difficult at times to determine which crisis du jour warrants the bulk of our concern, and in our attention-deficit disorder world, Americans are increasingly challenged to focus on one problem before being distracted with yet another headline-grabbing issue or scandal. I have to wonder if this isn’t all by design. The Friday afternoon news dumps of late certainly appear to confirm my suspicions, and there are times I question just how many Americans even care. In the midst of new i...
