Opinion & Policy

    “Sean of the South” By Sean Dietrich   You’re going to be okay. That’s not an opinion. It’s not a guess. This isn’t some trite little catchphrase from some crappy motivational book that reads like it was written by a greasy televangelist. You’re going to be okay. It’s the plain truth. You really…

“The tail wagging the dog” is an idiom that usually refers to something important or powerful being controlled by something less so. Its earliest use is in the 1858 play “Our American Cousin,” (yes, the same play that Abraham Lincoln was watching in 1865.). The 1997 film “Wag the Dog” shortened the phrase and added…

  Can you believe it is DECEMBER, the last month of 2023? Have you finished your Christmas shopping – or even started it? Is your house decorated? If not, you better get going! Or, if you are like me and don’t decorate anymore, start driving around to see what others are doing. There are several…

  This week we have celebrated yet another Thanksgiving Day – something we should be very thankful for! Growing up we always spent Thanksgiving with my aunts, uncles and cousins in Jackson, Mississippi, with probably 25 plus or minus in attendance. Those are such great memories for me. All of my mother’s seven brothers are…

I presume that all y’all were taught the same as I was in elementary school about the Pilgrims and our first Thanksgiving celebration, held some 402 years ago now, at Plymouth Plantation, in what is now the state of Massachusetts. The Puritans were not the first colonists. The first English were not even the first…

  The American tradition of Thanksgiving is special for a lot of reasons. The opportunity to celebrate our blessings with our family and friends may come to mind first. Yet, it is also a day that we are thankful for our nation and the freedoms and liberties we enjoy as U.S. citizens. With all of…

  Last week I wrote about Veterans Day and why we should always remember, honor and thank the brave people who have signed on the dotted line to protect us and our country from harm. Not all served in times of war or conflict, but they had to be ready at all times to step…

Special to the News   This week Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sent a letter to local leaders statewide addressing the millions of dollars local jurisdictions will receive from opioid settlements for the specific purpose of abating the opioid crisis. The local cities and counties will receive approximately $300 million from the settlements that will be…

  The word “sovereignty” means “kingship.” Founding father Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816), a signer of the Constitution, said that the magistrate is not the king; the people are the king. Chief Justice John Jay (1745-1829) said that the people are the sovereign of this country. Signer of the Constitution James Wilson (1742-1798) said, “Sovereignty resides in…

  Tomorrow we will be celebrating Veterans Day and, in my humble opinion, it is one of the most important holidays we have. It is steeped in patriotism, honor and recognition based on what was originally called “Armistice Day” by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. It began as a way to remember the day fighting…