As a former high school educator my time in the classroom gave me many valuable life lessons. Not a single year passed where I did not see the effects that cuts had on our students, their achievements, and even their parents. While we are beginning to see an economic renaissance nationally, the figures from the […]

No need to mourn the Iran nuclear deal. When President Donald Trump pulled the plug on it, after months of warning that the flawed 2015 agreement needed to be ended or mended, he was just taking a defective agreement off life support. In his speech announcing the renewal of nuclear sanctions on Iran that had […]

If a white pastor would have put that racist garbage in front of his church, we would have been marching and running the pastor and his congregation out of Birmingham, Alabama, right now — rightfully so. But, someway, somehow, when this pastor puts this racist garbage on his church, I hear people saying there’s some […]

Folks, we are less than three weeks away from our June 5th primary. Besides the governor’s race, all of our secondary constitutional races are on the ballot. As we head into the home stretch, there appears to be very little interest in the primary elections. People seem disinterested and disillusioned. There have been a good many […]

Teachers hardly get the credit they deserve for the challenging jobs they do every day. Not only do they educate our children, but teachers also provide guidance, support, and serve as positive role models for the next generation. Their efforts and sacrifices should not go unnoticed. I have dedicated a good part of my life […]

President Trump recently announced he will withdraw the United States from the Iran Nuclear Agreement. From the very beginning, I said this was a flawed, weak deal that serves the interests of bad actors in Iran at the expense of our own. I support the Trump Administration’s efforts to ensure that we truly end Iran’s […]

Consider the fact that from the moment you open your eyes in the morning until you close them again at night, you are being taxed. The electricity that powers the light that you turn on as soon as you awaken and the water you use to shower and brush your teeth are taxed. The over-the-counter […]

Soon after recovering physically from my first miscarriage, my husband and I returned to church to worship alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. That Sunday was not easy. Returning to “normal life” after tragedy strikes never is. There is simply no escaping the feeling—whether justified or not—that those around you are oblivious to the […]

In politics, as in life, it’s crucial to always be honest with yourself and everyone else. That’s why I strive to never make promises I cannot keep, during my campaign to become Alabama’s next lieutenant governor, and in my life as a husband, father, new grandfather and life-long resident of this great state. I’m writing […]

This week the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) marked up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19). Although this bill focuses on our country’s Department of Defense, there are many pieces of the legislation that will have a huge impact back home in East Alabama. The NDAA starts by strengthening our […]

We are less than four weeks away from our June 5th primary. Those of us who follow Alabama politics have pointed to this year as being a very entertaining and interesting gubernatorial year. However, last year’s resignation by former Governor, Robert Bentley and the ascension of Kay Ivey from Lt. Governor to the Governor’s office has put […]

The entire country was thrown into a firestorm last week when hip-hop artist Kanye West came out on Twitter in support of Candace Owens, a popular YouTuber under the moniker Red Pill Black and current communications director for Turning Point USA. Kanye followed up those tweets by tweeting out his affections for our current President Donald […]

As a father of four, it is difficult to even contemplate a child’s life being cut short due to cancer or another terminal illness. As Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, once stated, “no child should die in the dawn of life.” This powerful statement rang true recently when I met […]

Congressman Henry J. Hyde from Illinois served in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007. During his expansive career in Congress, Hyde was a strong voice for the conservative agenda. If his name sounds familiar, you may remember him for being the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment of President Bill […]

The Alabama Public Service Commission’s decision last week to allow Alabama Power to modify its rate system and to reduce rates for consumers a total of $337 million over the next two years is a triumph for ratepayers. Rate stability is something that Alabama Power customers have not always enjoyed. In the past four decades, […]

In regards to the disturbance caused by Kanye West’s comments on slavery, West provided clarification that I believe is much less inflammatory than the original statement. That statement seemed to mean that he believes slavery was voluntary—an ignorant, insulting comment without the clarification that followed. I found that the media at times did not include […]

War continues to ravage eastern Ukraine, where conflict erupted in April 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the violent actions of pro-Russian separatists. Along with forcing millions of people from their homes, the ongoing conflict has also resulted in the harsh persecution of Protestant pastors and churches throughout the territories that are occupied by […]

A major evangelical website recently reviewed a new book on the rise of technology in which the review lamented the challenges Christians face when navigating the digital world led by Google, Amazon, and Facebook. It was a helpful review of what seems to be a valuable book. But there was plenty of cyberspace irony. The […]

The case of Alfie Evans, a terminally ill British infant who died several days after being taken off ventilation, has raised troubling concerns about the state’s authority to intervene in parental rights. But it also has caused some to wonder what they would have done if they were Alfie’s parents. We often aren’t prepared for […]

With elections upon us, we are being inundated with messages from politicians seeking validation from voters at the ballot box. Election season always reminds me of the discussion among the disciples at the last supper as they jockeyed among themselves to determine who was the greatest among them. Jesus saw this discussion as an opportunity […]

Tuesday, May 8, will be the 50th anniversary of the death in office of Lurleen Wallace, Alabama’s first female governor. The official portrait of Gov. Lurleen Wallace remains out of the capitol rotunda where it historically and legally was until January 2015. The mistreatment of the Lurleen Wallace portrait by the Bentley administration was a shameful example of historical […]

No one makes it through life without regrets. The split-second decision we wish we could take back, the risk we never should have taken, the people we failed to prioritize—these are the moments that open our eyes to our need for a fresh start. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a second chance. Right now, there are 22,401 adults in […]

Last week we made you aware that five of the nine seats on our State Supreme Court are up for election this year. In addition, our Court of Civil Appeals and Criminal Appeals have several members up for election. The folks who sit on these courts essentially have zero name identification. Even when polling is done soon after […]

These are positive times for many Alabamians. Our unemployment rate is at an all-time low, major manufacturers continue to locate in our state, and the national championship trophy is back in the state where it belongs. Despite the momentum, our state is certainly not free from challenges. One of the most serious issues facing Alabama […]