Letters: Why charge for church service?

Fri, 18 May 2012 02:23:00 -0500

The splashy piece in one of the state's major newspapers May 12, 2012, on television preacher Joel Osteen, brings into focus a growing trend that surely means difficult times for traditional worship: Pay to Worship or as some would say, "Pay to Pray." Joe
Rants and Raves: Farm labor fears cut crops

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:01:00 -0500

RANT: For the reduced crop acreage in Alabama, where farmers across the state have planted less produce than usual because they fear the labor needed to harvest it may not be available. They don't want to see crops rotting in the field.
Third-party flop: System may be 'too broke' to fix

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:59:00 -0500

The nascent third-party movement called Americans Elect assembled a dream team of prospective presidential nominees: Mike Bloomberg! Colin Powell! Chris Christie! Mitch Daniels! Condi Rice! Rick Santorum! Hillary Clinton! There was only one problem: None
Support local shelters, not a 'front group'

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:57:00 -0500

The so-called "Humane Society for Shelter Pets" is the latest front group created by public relations operative Rick Berman to attack The Humane Society of the United States, which was named by peer organizations in 2011 as the most effective animal prote
Interfaith Voices: Good will is an asset

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:17:00 -0500

Some business leaders get it. Some church leaders do not. Some civic leaders get it. Some elected officials do not. Progress is hard, if not impossible, without good will.
Letters to the Editor: Obama's GOP critics show their true colors

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:40:00 -0500

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Republicans wasted no time using the event as a fundraiser and campaign poster. Remember the pictures of then President George W.
Alabama Voices, Brandt Ayers: On aggression or appeasement

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:40:00 -0500

A remark by former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum struck me not for being political, which it was, but because the viewpoint represented one of two broad streams of American foreign and security policy. Santorum accused President Obama of "appeasement" for not l
Crowd condemns 'austerity'

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:14:00 -0500

When the Left takes a strident position on any given issue, that's a clear signal that the policy they dislike is gaining momentum. Take the recent liberal apoplexy over reducing the size and scope of government is often summarized as "austerity." People
GOP on track to redraw lines

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:12:00 -0500

Republicans in 2010 took control of Alabama's Legislature, and since then have been asserting themselves at the State House and implementing their political agenda.
Pension system reform needed

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:34:00 -0500

The Alabama Legislature this week passed a package of pension reform bills we sponsored that will significantly improve the finances of the Retirement Systems of Alabama and also bring a measure of accountability to the benefits that state government pays
Teaching a person to fish

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:34:00 -0500

When I was about four, my grandfather took me fishing. He had a secret fishing hole that was a backwater off Murder Creek in East Brewton. Remind me to tell you the story sometime of how Murder Creek got its name. The pond was inaccessible by car.
New testing system needed

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:46:00 -0500

Alabama students are tested regularly, but there are serious questions about the value of the testing programs now in place, about the rigor of the exams, what they measure and when they measure it.