The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 754 - 778 of 1606
The Alabama Legislature has once again introduced a lottery proposal that would give voters the opportunity to choose whether or not Alabama can have a lottery. It is one of the only states in the union not to have a lottery. They do this every year. I write about it every year. They meet, and talk, and wring their hands, and second-guess themselves. They open it up for public discussion. Then they get anxious and table whatever plan they were considering and agree to start over from scratch...
Before He was ever crucified, Jesus gave the perfect summary of the foundation of Christianity. I just saw this in His Word for the very first time. I was thinking about Easter and thinking about the cross, when I remembered something Jesus said in Matthew 22:34-40. The greatest commandment deals with our VERTICAL relationship with God. The first, and most important relationship issue that we must settle in our lives is our relationship with God. It was broken by sin, but the bridge upward to Go...
Allow me to deviate from politics to discuss an important event for our state. The World Games 2022 will place Birmingham and the entire state of Alabama squarely in the global spotlight. Believe it or not, this once-in-a-lifetime event is only a few months away with approximately 3,600 athletes from more than 100 countries and up to 500,000 visitors expected to flood Birmingham for one of the world’s largest athletic competitions. Folks, there are many questions about the World Games 2022. Is i...
Eighty years ago this month, with the stroke of a pen, President Franklin Roosevelt in Executive Order 9066 effectively relegated 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps. Many of these American citizens were afforded no rights to object to their removal, and there was no procedure to prove loyalty to the United States. These citizens were interned solely because of their ancestry, nothing else. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, there was widespread fear that the Empire of Japan might...
Here I go again with several interesting stories that have happened or are happening as I write this. Let’s face it. The world can be a disappointing place. I call this installment of Bits and Pieces, “Where in the Heck Is...?” 1. WHERE IN THE HECK IS THE U.N.? In my last Robservation, I asked a similar question. Regarding the likely Russian invasion of the Ukraine: Where is the U.N.? What are they doing? What have they said? What actions are they willing to take? As the last month has come...
Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic discipline, formulated in the 1990s, built on the intellectual framework of identity-based Marxism. Among its claims, it teaches that the color of a person’s skin is more important than as Martin Luther King exalted “the content of a person’s character.” It is antithetical to all we believe as Alabamians. In August, the Alabama State School Board passed a resolution that banned the teaching of certain concepts or tenets that promote Critical Race Th...
For many decades, our elected officials have relentlessly usurped our cherished constitution and fundamental civil rights more times than we could ever hope to count. Many of these violations are imposing severe restrictions on our right to travel and to buy, sell, own, and drive affordable vehicles to exercise that right. Beginning in the late 1960’s, “Uncle Sam” began to impose mandates on auto manufacturers to “reduce emissions” and impose more “safety.” Every year, these mandates beca...
Once upon a time, I’ve been told, students were taught ‘taxation without representation’ as a trigger in our first war for independence. Sadly, it wasn’t something stressed in my government school approved education. Thankfully enough true teachers remained to direct me toward some of the more important clauses of our Declaration and Constitution. Some classmates may also cite old textbooks stored in the back of a high-school classroom where I’d try to hide (bored in trig class, desperate...
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, Durable Power of Attorney (health a...
Advertisements for “Lincoln’s Dilemma” have been aggressively promoted. It is said to begin with the January 6, 2020, event that some call a riot and some call an “insurrection”—a so-called insurrection with no weapons, individuals walking around taking pictures and chatting with Capitol personnel, and a few mysterious instigators with seemingly nefarious intentions, e.g., Utah’s John Sullivan (connected to CNN) and Ray Epps. In similar fashion, competing views of the War Between the States ex...
The New York Times’ 1619 Project examines the impact of slavery on America. One essay contends that our economic system was built on slavery. Was America’s ascension as an economic powerhouse due to slavery? Slavery was a repugnant and evil institution. Its abolition is a sign of humanity’s moral progress. Slavery taints America’s founding and was incompatible with “all men are created equal.” Yet Emancipation took ninety years and a terrible civil war, plus another 100 years to extend the...
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” – Psalm 84:11 In 433 A.D., history tells us that St. Patrick was praying for God’s divine protection in his work and ministry in Ireland while facing powerful enemies. He wrote this prayer called St. Patrick’s Breastplate, which is still widely known and recited today. God soon opened the door for him to share Christ with the Irish King Laoghaire and his subje...
The United States surgeon general has issued a report stating the negative effects social media platforms are having on mental health, especially in teens and young adults. The platforms generate feelings of loneliness and erode self-esteem. Social media has proven to offer the opposite of what the name states, allowing users to isolate while constantly comparing themselves to others. This has been exacerbated further by the pandemic. There has been a rise in suicide attempts, depression,...
As the final regular legislative session of the quadrennium evolves, it is apparent that the legislature will not touch any substantive or controversial issues, but simply pass the budgets and go home to campaign. It is election year in the Heart of Dixie. If legislators are listening to their constituents, they are hearing one thing – Alabamians want their legislators to allow them the right to vote on receiving their fair share of the money from gambling in Alabama. They are simply sick and t...
One vision of utopia includes the conversion of weapons of war into farming implements. The Bible anticipates a time when swords will be beaten into plowshares, and spears will become pruning hooks. But sometimes in our modern world, it happens that bitter enemies with blood on their respective hands wake up and realize that compromise is better than conflict. Overcoming hate is less about love and more about recognizing the reality of the devastating consequences of protracted conflict. When...
Guess what folks, it is time for yet another Robservation edition of “Bits and Pieces.” Today, there is just so much going on that it is difficult to pin down just one story. This time, I don’t think any of them are too controversial but interesting nonetheless. As for the first story, let common sense rule. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but in this case, if you agree with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC), you are wrong. Sorry. Here goes! 1. Student Loan Forgiveness. I hav...
Biden made history in his first year in office for all the wrong reasons. He has the worst approval rating in the history of modern polling for a President’s first year. When he first took office, he had high approval ratings and the Congress was controlled by his own Democratic party. It has been all downhill since. His presidency and definitely the country would be better off if after his inauguration had he just gone back to Delaware and slept for a year in his basement bunker where he ran h...
For over 25 years, FreedomWorks has stood to support and protect limited government, minimal taxes, free markets, personal autonomy, and the rule of law. FreedomWorks supports a variety of political reforms that include... 1. TERM LIMITS-Sever incumbents' ties with special interests. 2. EDUCATION REFORM-Bring private competition to public education. Give kids and parents real choices and opportunities. 3. DIGITAL BILL OF RIGHTS-Ensure that the U.S. Constitution's protections are included in the...
There... I’ve finally typed it. Dr. Franklin didn’t answer, “You have a democracy - as long as you can keep it!” in Philadelphia after closing the Constitutional Convention. Framers and Delegates understood the ills and ends of all democracies, devoutly to be avoided. No matter how many times this poor nomenclature is bantered about by corrupt politburo members - from my county commission, to Goat Hill, all the way up to Moscow on the Potomac -- it doesn’t alter the design submitted and adopt...
Liberal leaning states take clues from successful legislation that benefits the goals of liberal thinkers and in the same way conservatives follow the successful legislative achievements of other conservative states. Alabama and much of Texas have many similar conservative values. The influx of Californians to the more friendly tax and economic state of Texas could chip away at its mostly conservative values. Texas Senate Bill 8 (Texas Heartbeat Act) was passed by the Texas legislature and signe...
Even before daybreak, you can hear them singing their happy sounding songs from inside their swinging gourds. The purple martin song. It will soon be their season. They return every year from their winter homes in South America to raise their young. They fly the same instinctual path across the Gulf of Mexico. The first scouts start arriving in south Alabama in late January and early February. Those who consider themselves landlord’s of the purple martin, are already watching the afternoon s...
Flowers, candy, pretty cards, gifts, love, and romance in the air…that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about…right? At least, that’s what the celebration has become in our modern-day society. What is the real story behind Valentine’s Day? Most sources believe that Saint Valentine’s Day began with a feast in honor of an early Christian martyr named Valentinus and is celebrated in mid-February to coincide with his burial. Some believe it may also be celebrated at this time in an effort to Chr...
[The year ] 2022 was anticipated to be an exciting competitive election year. However, it is going to be a yawn of a political year. If you thought there was no competition for the constitutional offices and the House of Representatives’ seats in next year’s elections, then you have not seen anything like the lack of turnover in the Alabama State Senate. Incumbency will prevail. In fact, the power of incumbency in the Alabama State Senate is on par with the incumbent return percentage for Con...
This article recalls the Philippines off-year election in 1951. It is a little known story about how the good guys avoided a communist take-over. Regrettably, these lesson were forgotten in Vietnam some 10 years later. I hope Alabama Gazette readers will find it of interest. Seventy years ago, the Philippines came within a whisper of being the pre-game for Vietnam. But much like the dog that didn’t bark or the accident that didn’t happen, few people appreciate how close the Philippines came to...
Do you guys remember the 1980s-ish, super-sexy Pantene shampoo commercials featuring actress Kelly LeBrock? She stared into the camera, fluffed up her hair and said, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” I’m sure 99% of all red-blooded American guys liked that commercial. But unfortunately, today, I am not writing about shampoo, nice hair, pretty women or anything of the sort. Today I am going to write about something concerning our military that I have written about in the past. The topic for...
