From a country song for every so-called scandal to what would you do if a 32-year-old man wanted to date your teenage daughter, and so much more — here’s your roundup of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers:
Anniston Star – What’s a war medal mean?
In theory, there’s nothing objectionable to permitting the Alabama National Guard to award the state’s Cold War veterans with a service medal. Home and abroad, they performed vital military roles during one of our nation’s longest and most worrisome periods.
That’s what State Sen. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, wants rectified. His bill in the Alabama Legislature would create a “Cold War Victory Medal” for Guard or active-duty Alabamians who served between September 1945 and December 1991, as long as they were state residents when they joined. The idea is simple enough.
Still, there is no national Cold War Victory Medal. Only three states — Texas, Alaska and Louisiana — issue such a medal, though lawmakers in other states, like Alabama, either have or are considering it. And that hints at the underbelly of this debate, which isn’t really a debate about the worthiness of a medal. Instead, it’s about the definition of war.
Decatur Daily – City makes paving a priority
The Issue: The Decatur City Council seems prepared to prioritize street paving. While not the sexiest kind of government spending, making sure the city’s existing streets are in good condition is one way to ensure Decatur doesn’t make a bad first impression on prospective residents.
So, President Donald Trump has landed in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
A city can make a first impression in many ways. Sometimes, it’s not what a person sees or hears, or even smells, that leaves the most lasting mark. Sometimes it comes down to how a city feels.
For example, if a city feels like the thud, thud, thud of potholes, chip seal and cracked pavement, that says something about it.
To newcomers who may come to Decatur looking for a place to live, work and raise a family, it says this is a city that isn’t taking care of the bare basics. So, as Decatur prepares to attract new residents who will be moving to north Alabama to work at the new Toyota-Mazda automotive plant in Limestone County, it’s vital the city provide a smoother ride for anyone driving through town to look at prospective neighborhoods and schools.
Dothan Eagle – There’s a country song for every so-called scandal
Driving along recently, I had a heretical thought: A person could get more sensible advice about men and women from the country oldies station than The New York Times. Or from The Washington Post, The New Republic, National Review or any publication devoted to nonstop analysis of metropolitan sexual angst written by 20-something Women’s Studies majors from expensive liberal arts colleges.
See, I’d been thinking about ‘’Grace,’’ the anonymous protagonist of a kiss-and-tell narrative in something called Babe. Of course there was a lot more than kissing in Grace’s graphic account of a one-night-stand gone wrong with a public figure, comedian Aziz Ansari.
So anyway, on the car radio came Travis Tritt’s classic country hit ‘’Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares).’’
Enterprise Ledger – Mayo on fries? That’s as wacky as anything Pelosi
Informed of protesters wishing to have mayonnaise pacts included with orders of French fries, I thought, now that’s something for which I’d sit down.
Lower unemployment figures, higher wages, the military, and the mentioning of God are reasons we should stand up and cheer. By refusing to stand and sitting on their keisters, Democrats at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address may have actually displayed their collective derrieres like never before. Shameful? No, I thought it was sad had it not been so funny watching Nancy Pelosi chew her cud while the last ounce of respect anyone with American pride could have possibly had in her and others left the room and slammed the door on its way out.
TimesDaily – Church daycare inspection bill is needed
The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill that would place a few paltry regulations on child daycare centers operated by churches.
Under current state law, churches are exempt from inspections and from meeting minimum regulations, such as criminal background checks for employees, as required of commercial daycare centers.
Gadsden Times – Joining selfie crowd will speed up tax refund
Some people look down on folks who take selfies, whether it’s a simple mug shot for social media purposes or proof that someone actually was somewhere. (We’ve “nay-sayed” a few times when that somewhere was inappropriate for levity, like the Alabama teenager who four years ago took a selfie at the Auschwitz concentration camp.)
Will they change their minds and start snapping away now that a selfie could (a.) ensure their Alabama income tax return will be more secure; and (b.) speed up any refund they’re due?
AL.com – Undefeated UCF declares itself Super Bowl champions
After finishing the season with a perfect 13-0 record and no losses to the New England Patriots or the Philadelphia Eagles, The University of Central Florida’s football team has declared itself champions of the National Football League.
Blaming a flawed playoff system that excludes undefeated college football teams from inferior conferences, a spokesperson for UCF announced earlier today that the results of tonight’s Super Bowl would be meaningless, as an exact replica of the Lombardi Trophy would soon be sitting in their trophy case.
“We’ve already cleared off space next to the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl trophy we earned after a flawless victory against the mighty Cardinals of Ball State,” announced Andrew Stamp, a spokesperson for the Knights. “If this keeps up, we’ll need to upgrade to IKEA’s medium-sized trophy case.”
Montgomery Advertiser – What would you do if a 32-year-old man wanted to date your teenage daughter?
Please forget political differences for a moment. What we are facing as an American society with how women too often are treated goes beyond which aisle in which you position yourself.
We all can agree what Roy Moore is accused of doing with teenage girls and his alleged sexual advances are horrifying. More than a half dozen women have made allegations this month against Moore, some accusing him of inappropriate contact with teenagers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A woman told the The Washington Post she was 14 years old when Moore, then 32, took her to his home, undressed her and initiated sexual contact.
Opelika-Auburn News — Mayor Fuller, city of Opelika are justified with having optimism
The national economy is on an upswing, and the city of Opelika is taking part in the ride.
Things are looking up, and the best is still ahead, said Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller in his annual “State of the City” address Friday.
Fuller and others in the Opelika business community have every reason to be optimistic.
Tuscaloosa News — Culture of transparency would prevent scandals
We’ve seen it happen at day care centers, churches of all denominations, public schools, private schools and large state universities. Allegations that one twisted individual has sexually abused a child surface and rock the institutions.
Everyone else wonders how this could have happened.
Many people loyal to the institution will try to minimize the culpability of others and begin lamenting that we can’t blame everyone for the actions of a single warped person. On the other side of the spectrum, there will be calls to lock everyone up and burn the place to the ground.
