Martha Roby: Defending the sanctity of life
Abortion is a topic many people really don’t want to think about or talk about. Rarely are Americans confronted with the gruesome realities of the abortion industry, and I think many are fine being none the wiser. But, shocking videos recently surfaced showing top Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting and sale of lungs, hearts and livers from aborted babies. If you haven’t seen them, I encourage you to watch, though be forewarned that they are pretty sickening. The callous and casual way that these officials talk about performing abortions to preserve specific organs for distribution is deeply disturbing. One official even goes so far as to say they need a “less crunchy” method to obtain intact organs, and continues by joking about needing to price the tissues high enough because she “wants a Lamborghini.” You don’t have to be staunchly pro-life like me to be unnerved by these shocking revelations. As disturbing as this rhetoric is in and of itself, think about what these words imply. These senior officials are openly admitting to deliberately altering the way in which abortions are performed so that they achieve the outcome they want: unborn baby organs to put on the market. For organization that claims these unborn babies don’t constitute life, its providers sure seem to place a premium on their tiny hearts, lungs and livers. These doctors are completely breaking with protocol and legal requirements, which is something even those who aren’t pro-life cannot and should not ignore. I have been very outspoken on this issue, calling for serious investigations to take place. Committees of jurisdiction in Congress have already laid the ground work for an inquiry, and Attorney General Lorretta Lynch said the Department of Justice would “review” the information. Legislatively, I am highlighting the need to further protect the unborn under the law and to stop taxpayer dollars from flowing to Planned Parenthood. I’ve joined my friend, Representative Diane Black (R-TN), on a bill to immediately prohibit taxpayer funds from going to this organization. No American should be forced to have their tax dollars support such an organization, so we are working hard to make that so. We also will be highlighting the need to enact a restriction on late-term abortions after 5 months, or 20 weeks, of pregnancy. The House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in May, and we are urging our Senate counterparts to take it up and send it to President Obama. I believe I have the responsibility to fight to protect those who cannot defend themselves. We’re not done talking about this issue. Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She is currently serving her third term.
Personnel Update: Mike Rogers promotes Christopher R. Brinson to chief of staff
Earlier this week Alabama Today reported Congressman Mike Rogers current chief of staff Marshall Macomber announced he leaving the office. Today, Rogers announced his new chief of staff will be Christopher R. Brinson, his long time deputy chief of staff. Prior to joining Rogers office Brinson served in the U.S. Army Reserve Captain. A Salon.com article detailed a Brinson’s fight over a reprimand he received in the investigation of the Abu Ghraib scandal. U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Christopher R. Brinson, who in civilian life works as the deputy chief of staff for Alabama Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, was directly in charge of some of the military police later prosecuted for abuse at Abu Ghraib during the notorious autumn of 2003. Brinson received the reprimand in January 2006, but it had not been revealed publicly until his attorney, David P. Sheldon, confirmed it to Salon Thursday, noting that Brinson has since submitted a rebuttal to the Army. The attorney would not reveal the exact reason for Brinson’s punishment. Through Sheldon, Brinson told Salon that he was unaware of his soldiers’ actions, and blamed superior officers for what happened at the prison. “The responsibility for the command and control of the facility, and for the treatment of detainees, rests entirely with individuals well above him in the command structure,” Sheldon said in a statement to Salon. “The command structure that Captain Brinson inherited at Abu Ghraib was not of his making. Nor was the treatment of detainees something that members of his unit initiated. Captain Brinson had no knowledge while he was at Abu Ghraib of conduct by certain soldiers that subsequently led to criminal prosecutions of those soldiers,” Sheldon’s statement says. “At all times, Captain Brinson’s service to the United States Army has been and will remain honorable.” In a statement released by his office Rogers said: “First, I would like to thank Marshall for all his hard work and dedication. I know he will bring that same determination and skill to his new career. I wish him all the best. Chris has been on the Hill for over 17 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and managerial skills to the position. He is very familiar with East Alabama and I know he will be a great asset to me and my staff in this new role.”
Presidential TV ad roundup: July 24 edition
Here’s a roundup of all the Presidential TV ads from this past week. Jeb Bush: Title: Come Join Us Published: June 18, 2015 Tone: Playful and welcoming Title: The Journey So Far Published: July 21, 2015 Tone: Exciting Title: Defending Life Published: July 22, 2015 Tone: Honest and humble Title: Empowering Individuals with Disabilities Published: July 25, 2015 Tone: Heartbreaking and inspiring Title: Mr. Washington Week Published: July 25, 2015 Tone: Anti-establishment Chris Christie: Title: Every Day America Gives You a Chance to be Great Published: July 20, 2015 Tone: Inspiring and honest Title: Protect America Published: July 24, 2015 Tone: Tough and protective Ted Cruz: Title: Defend Life: #DefundPlannedParenthood Published: July 22, 2015 Tone: Passionate and agressive Rick Perry: Title: Speech of the Campaign Published: July 17, 2015 Tone: Inspiring and sincere Mike Huckabee: Title: Sin, Not Skin Published:July 20, 2015 Tone: Sincere Title: Lived to tell about it Published: July 23, 2015 Tone: Humorous Rand Paul: Title: How Would You Kill the Tax Code? Published: July 21, 2015 Tone: Playful Hillary Clinton: Title: Stand for Reality Published: July 26, 2015 Tone: Serious
Alabama business roundup: Headlines from across the state
Here’s a roundup of some of the top business headlines from across the state this week: AL.com: Japanese auto investment climbs in the U.S., including Alabama Total investments by Japanese automakers in their U.S. operations reached nearly $43 billion last year, according to new data from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. That’s up from $40.6 billion in 2013. Direct employment at the automakers also grew to 91,122, up from 82,816 the previous year. “These figures demonstrate the ongoing commitment of Japanese automakers to the U.S. auto market and they signal a new day in Japanese brand auto manufacturing in America,” Ron Bookbinder, General Director of JAMA USA, said in a prepared statement. In Alabama, Japan’s Honda and Toyota each have a major manufacturing presence, and they have been part of the growth. Honda’s $2 billion, 4,000-worker auto assembly plant in Talladega County recentlykicked off production of the redesigned 2016 Pilot SUV and officially opened a $71 million, highly-automated engine assembly line. During the past three years, the plant has announced new investments of more than $508 million for projects to improve flexibility, enhance quality and increase production. It also has added more than 450 jobs. As for Toyota, the automaker’s Huntsville engine plant last year marked an $80 million expansion project and the production of its 3 millionth engine. It is the only Toyota plant worldwide to produce four-cylinder, V-6 and V-8 engines under one roof. Alabama Newscenter: Alabama Commerce Department adding new division, revising state economic development plan Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield told economic developers in the state today the Alabama Department of Commerce will add a new workforce division and is preparing to present the revised state economic development plan to Gov. Robert Bentley. Speaking to members of the Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA), Canfield said the most recent legislative session not only armed economic developers with better incentives to help recruit and expand industry and be more competitive with other states, but it also revamped the organization of the Department of Commerce. The new Workforce Development Division of the commerce department will be led by Ed Castille, the longtime leader of the state’s AIDT worker training initiative. Castille will become a deputy secretary of commerce and will retain his job as the head of AIDT. “This is not about meeting institutional needs. This is about meeting the needs of business and industry,” Canfield said. In addition to AIDT, the Workforce Investment Division and the Workforce Development Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs will move from ADECA to the new Department of Commerce division. The state’s 10 workforce development councils will realign from the Alabama Community College System to the new division. “Workforce readiness is a key issue facing every advanced manufacturer in the U.S.,” Canfield told EDAA members. “We want to make sure the state is properly aligned to address this need.” More change ahead The realignment is one of many proposals the state is adopting from the governor-initiated Alabama Workforce Council, which is made up of leaders from the private sector and chaired by Zeke Smith of Alabama Power. The Alabama Department of Commerce’s Business Development Division will continue to focus on recruitment and retention of industry, international trade, the state’s film office and other traditional functions of the department. In addition to the new organization, Canfield said the Department of Commerce is in the process of updating Accelerate Alabama, an economic development plan adopted three years ago. The plan identified the key industries the state is targeting in its recruitment initiatives, recognized areas for helping retain industry in the state and added a new focus on growing innovative companies from within while attracting research and development jobs to the state. Forecast for economic growth Since Accelerate Alabama was adopted, Canfield said the state has announced 55,736 new or future jobs and $13.2 billion in capital investment. Canfield said Accelerate Alabama 2.0 will build on that by better aligning the state’s workforce training initiatives with those targeted industries. It will also seek to improve on AdvantageSite, the state’s site certification program led by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, by certifying those sites for specific industries. Canfield said the plan will include ways for the state to work more closely with local communities to work with existing industry and will include ways to expand biomedical and life science industries in the state. “We’re going to make our commitment to that field a little more robust going forward,” Canfield said. In an interview after his remarks, Canfield echoed Gov. Bentley’s claim earlier this week that the new incentives are spurring increased interest in the state from prospective companies. “The response from the private sector and from site consultants indicate to us we’re in the right place to be in terms of how we’re going to be able to incentivize projects going forward,” he said. Alabama Newscenter: Alabama poised to grow in the distribution center industry A leading site consultant said Alabama is well-positioned to add a number of new distribution centers. Andy Mace, consulting managing director with Cushman & Wakefield, said all of the key variables needed for distribution exist in Alabama and cities like Birmingham compare favorably to Atlanta and other distribution hubs. Mace is familiar with Alabama, having worked with Thyssenkrupp’s location to Mobile County and other projects in the state. But he said even he was surprised to learn how well the state stacks up to competitors for distribution center projects. “The rest of the country doesn’t see Alabama as a distribution center state,” Mace told members of the Economic Development Association of Alabama at its conference this week. But maybe they should, Mace said, when you consider: A trucker can reach 33 percent of the U.S. population within a one-day truck drive from Alabama. Within a two-day truck drive, a truck from Alabama can reach 78 percent of the U.S. population. Alabama ranks 11th lowest in the nation in total cost to reach the entire U.S. population (based on costs for one truckload). In
In new White House bid, Hillary Clinton embraces race as a top issue
In her second bid for the presidency, Hillary Rodham Clinton is discussing “systemic racism” and making the issue a hallmark of her campaign as she looks to connect with the black voters who supported rival Barack Obama in 2008. At multiple stops in South Carolina, Clinton on Thursday bemoaned “mass incarceration,” an uneven economy, increasingly segregated public schools and poisoned relations between law enforcement and the black community. She praised South Carolina leaders, including Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, for removing the Confederate battle flag from statehouse grounds after a white gunman’s massacre of nine people at a historic black church in Charleston, but she warned that the act is only symbolic. “America’s long struggle with racism is far from finished,” the former secretary of state said before a mostly white audience at a Greenville technical college. Hours earlier, with a majority black audience at a West Columbia church, she declared, “Anybody who says we don’t have more progress to make is blind.” At both stops, she added some symbolism of her own, trumpeting the mantra “Black Lives Matter,” which has become a rallying cry of and name for the activists who have organized protests in several cities amid several high-profile cases of black citizens being killed during encounters with police. “This is not just a slogan,” Clinton said. “This should be a guiding principle.” The bold approach is a contrast to her 2008 campaign. That year, she didn’t talk so directly about race as she faced off against Obama, who would go on to become the nation’s first black president. Instead, she ran as the battle-tested, experienced counter to the first-term U.S. senator from Illinois. Clinton doesn’t frame her unabashed commentary on race in a political context; aides repeatedly explain her strategy as “working to win every vote” and nothing more. Yet it’s clear that Clinton feels no constraints going into 2016, as perhaps she did eight years ago. It’s also no surprise that her new-found freedom is on display in South Carolina. African-Americans make up about 28 percent of the population and a majority of the Democratic primary electorate, the first of the early-voting states to feature a significant bloc of black voters. Obama trounced Clinton here in 2008, 56 percent to 27 percent, as many black voters flocked to his candidacy once he demonstrated white support in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. That leaves Clinton both to reverse a bitter primary defeat, while using South Carolina as a test run for a potential general election in which she would need strong black support to reassemble Obama’s winning coalition in swing states like Virginia, Florida and Ohio. If Clinton’s approach is born of necessity, it also comes with potential pitfalls. Last month, she angered some activists by using the phrase “all lives matter” during a speech a few miles from Ferguson, Mo., where Michael Brown died at the hands of a white police officer. Clinton used those words as part of an anecdote about her mother, whom she said taught her that “all lives matter,” but some activists thought it demeaned the significance of the “Black Lives Matter” effort. Her Democratic rivals Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders drew similar outrage last week at the liberal Netroots Nation convention. O’Malley, the former Maryland governor, ended up apologizing after snapping at hecklers: “Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter.” Clinton said Thursday that she won’t “comment on what anybody else said.” She also faces questions about her advocacy for tougher sentencing laws that her husband signed as president. Bill Clinton recently expressed regret over the laws, but his wife stopped short of calling the laws a mistake. “We were facing different problems in the `80s and `90s,” she told reporters, saying crime in cities “was causing an outcry across the nation,” including in poor and minority neighborhoods. “I think now, 20 years on, we can say some things worked and some things didn’t work,” she continued. “One of the big problems that didn’t work is that we had too many people, particularly African-American men, who were being incarcerated for minor offenses.” Clinton also must avoid any residue from Bill Clinton’s remarks during and after the South Carolina primary in 2008. Clinton, who was extremely popular among black voters when he was president, expressed open frustration at Obama’s rise. After Obama won South Carolina, the former president dismissed the victory as akin to the Rev. Jesse Jackson‘s victory in 1988. A black South Carolina native, Jackson won the state’s caucus that year, but he was never a serious contender for the nomination. Meanwhile, Clinton says she will continue declaring that “black lives matter.” “I think this has become an important statement of a movement,” she said, “to try to raise difficult issues about race and justice that the country needs to address.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
