Tommy Tuberville: Doug Jones does disservice to Alabamians with his opposition to Judge Amy Coney Barrett
By Coach Tommy Tuberville My father, Charles, served in the U.S. Army, so I often heard the joke about the young recruit who was participating in his first military parade, looked around at his fellow soldiers, and smugly thought, “I’m the only one who’s marching in step.” That story sums up the way that Doug Jones has approached his job in Washington. Rather than representing the conservative beliefs and values of the millions of Alabamians he swore an oath to serve, Jones has, instead, voted the liberal, left-wing convictions that make up his core. As the hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court begin, Jones has once again turned his back on his constituents and pledged to vote against her confirmation. Jones would not even extend the traditional courtesy of meeting with Judge Barrett and letting her outline her judicial philosophy. When it comes to giving fair consideration to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Doug Jones is a lost ball in high cotton. But that comes as no surprise. Jones voted against the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and said he would have opposed Neil Gorsuch if he had been in the Senate at the time. Democrat Doug even voted twice to remove Donald J. Trump from office. Since becoming our placeholder senator, Doug Jones has opposed everything most Alabamians support and supported everything most Alabamians oppose. While liberal jurists manufacture law from the bench based upon the trending cultural touchstones of the day, Judge Barrett understands that her job is to interpret the Constitution as our founding father’s intended – a doctrine known as “Originalism” that she learned while clerking for Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative icon who passed away far too soon. Her confirmation to the court will open the door to overturning the abomination known as Roe v. Wade, a decision that has no foundation in constitutional principles and invented from thin air a right to abortion that appears nowhere in our nation’s governing document. Judge Barrett’s record also indicates that she stands ready to protect our Second Amendment gun rights, preserve religious freedoms, shield conservative speech from the liberals who wish to silence it, and defend the basic liberties that make our nation the envy of freedom-loving people across the globe. Several liberal legal scholars who know Judge Barrett, her abilities, and her temperament have publicly supported her confirmation to the court despite their opposition to her conservative views and philosophy. They stand willing to put the good of the court and the needs of their country ahead of their own political beliefs. Yet Doug Jones refuses to even consider Judge Barrett. Despite the fact that he was elected to represent the deepest red of the nation’s Republican states, Jones has allied himself with fringe liberals like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar. During President Trump’s last State of the Union Address, Jones joined the most liberal elements in Congress and sat on his hands throughout the speech, even when a Tuskegee Airman was promoted to Brigadier General and a veteran from Montgomery, Alabama was honored before the international audience. Unwilling to limit the false, negative attacks from his Senate campaign to my candidacy, Jones has spent thousands of dollars airing television ads that dishonestly accuse President Trump of disrespecting military veterans, a group that every Alabamian knows our commander-in-chief holds in the highest esteem. And despite the fact that Donald Trump carried Alabama with 62% of the vote in 2016, every action taken by Jones has indicated he believes that Hillary Clinton won the state. Perhaps it is the influence of the Hollywood and New York donors that funnel millions into his campaign war chest, or maybe it is his own deeply liberal philosophy that causes Doug Jones to demonstrate such disdain toward Alabama’s traditional values and tightly-woven moral fabric. Doug Jones’s refusal to represent their desires of Alabamians and support the confirmation of Judge Barrett to the high court tells you all you need to know about how he views us. Like the young recruit I mentioned at the beginning of this column, Jones thinks we are the ones who are out of step while he awkwardly marches forward to his own liberal cadence. On November 3, Alabamians have the opportunity to correct that mistake. Tommy Tuberville is a retired football coach. He lives in Auburn with his wife and is running against Democrat Doug Jones for U.S. Senate.
Donald Trump claims he’s free of virus, ready for campaign trail
President Donald Trump on Sunday declared he was ready to return to the campaign trail despite unanswered questions about his health on the eve of a Florida rally meant to kick off the stretch run before Election Day. His impending return comes after the White House doctor said he was no longer at risk of transmitting the coronavirus but did not say explicitly whether Trump had tested negative for it. The president insisted he was now “immune” from the virus, a claim that was impossible to prove and added to the unknowns about the president’s health. “I’m immune,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “The president is in very good shape to fight the battles.” In a memo released Saturday night by the White House, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley said Trump met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for safely discontinuing isolation and that by “currently recognized standards” he was no longer considered a transmission risk. The memo did not declare Trump had tested negative for the virus. But sensitive lab tests — like the PCR test cited in the doctor’s statements — detect virus in swab samples taken from the nose and throat. Some medical experts had been skeptical that Trump could be declared free of the risk of transmitting the virus so early in the course of his illness. Just 10 days since an initial diagnosis of infection, there was no way to know for certain that someone was no longer contagious, they said. His return to full-fledged rallies will be in Florida on Monday, a comeback that comes with the president facing stubborn deficits in the polls. The Trump campaign and White House has not indicated that any additional safety measures will be taken to prevent the transmission of the virus among those traveling on Air Force One, at the event site, or at rallies scheduled for Pennsylvania and Iowa later in the week. Campaign officials have signaled that Trump will be traveling nearly every day the rest of the campaign, and sometimes making more than one stop, an aggressive schedule for a 74-year-old who was hospitalized just days ago. And with the virus again dominating the national discourse, the Trump campaign has released an ad featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci praising the president’s leadership — but the nation’s leading infectious disease expert on Sunday objected to being included. “The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context,” Fauci said in a statement, adding that he was talking broadly about public health officials’ response to the pandemic. “In my five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed political candidates.” Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director, responded by saying that “these are Dr. Fauci’s own words” and said they were praising the administration’s response. On Sunday, Trump asserted in a tweet that he had “total and complete sign off from White House Doctors” to fully return to the campaign trail, insisting he can no longer spread the disease to others and was impervious to getting sick again. That’s far from certain, and Twitter later flagged his tweet with a fact-check warning. While there’s evidence that reinfection is unlikely for at least three months even for those with a mild case of COVID-19, very few diseases leave people completely immune for life. Antibodies are only one piece of the body’s defenses, and they naturally wane over time. “Certainly it’s presumptuous to say it’s a lifetime,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist and department chairman at the Yale School of Public Health. As to whether Trump could still be contagious, Ko said the White House appeared to be following CDC guidelines for when it is appropriate to end isolation after mild to moderate cases of COVID-19. But Ko cautioned that those who have had severe cases of the diseases should isolate for 20 days. He noted that Trump was treated with the steroid dexamethasone, which is normally reserved for patients with severe COVID. Dr. Marc Lipsitch, an infectious disease expert at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the doctor’s letter does not provide enough information to be assured that Trump is no longer infectious to others. He noted that Trump’s use of steroids could prolong viral shedding so the CDC’s 10-day standard may or may not apply. “It is a judgment call,” he said. The White House memo followed Trump’s first public appearance since returning to the White House after being treated for the coronavirus at a military hospital. Hundreds of people gathered Saturday afternoon on the South Lawn for a Trump address on his support for law enforcement from a White House balcony. Trump took off a mask moments after he emerged on the balcony to address the crowd on the lawn below, his first step back onto the public stage with just more than three weeks to go until Election Day. He flouted, once more, the safety recommendations of his own government days after acknowledging that he was on the brink of “bad things” from the virus and claiming that his bout with the illness brought him a better understanding of it. His return was a brief one. With bandages visible on his hands, likely from an intravenous injection, Trump spoke for 18 minutes, far less than his normal hour-plus rallies. He appeared healthy, if perhaps a little hoarse, as he delivered what was, for all intents and purposes, a short version of his campaign speech despite the executive mansion setting. “I’m feeling great,” Trump told the crowd, before declaring that the pandemic, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans, was “disappearing” despite signs of surging cases in several states. In either an act of defiance or simply tempting fate, officials organized the event just steps from the Rose Garden, where exactly two weeks ago the president held another large gathering to formally announce his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. That gathering is now being eyed
Senators weigh COVID risk for Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court hearing
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett vows to be a justice “fearless of criticism” as the split Senate charges ahead with confirmation hearings on President Donald Trump’s pick to cement a conservative court majority before Election Day. Barrett, a federal appeals court judge, draws on faith and family in her prepared opening remarks for the hearings, which begin Monday as the country is in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic. She says courts “should not try” to make policy, and believes she would bring “a few new perspectives” as the first mother of school-age children on the nine-member court. Trump chose the 48-year-old judge after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon. “I have been nominated to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat, but no one will ever take her place,” Barrett says in her remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Associated Press obtained a copy of her statement on Sunday. Barrett says she has resolved to maintain the same perspective as her mentor, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who was “devoted to his family, resolute in his beliefs, and fearless of criticism.” Republicans who control the Senate are moving at a breakneck pace to seat Barrett before the Nov. 3 election, in time to hear a high-profile challenge to the Affordable Care Act and any election-related challenges that may follow voting. Democrats are trying in vain to delay the fast-track confirmation, raising fresh concerns about the safety of meeting as two GOP senators on the panel tested positive for COVID-19. The committee released a letter from the Architect of the Capitol on Sunday that says the hearing room has been set up in consultation with the Office of Attending Physician with appropriate distance between seats and air ventilation systems that meet or exceed industry standards. Still, California Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee who is also a committee member, plans to participate remotely from her Senate office due to coronavirus concerns, her spokesman said Sunday. Two members who have tested positive for the virus, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have not said if they will attend in person. Lee’s spokesman said the senator is symptom-free but would be making a decision on whether to attend Monday morning, per his doctor’s orders. A spokesman for Tillis did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Harris and others said the hearings should not move forward without plans to test those attending for COVID. One Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, said “it would be smart to do that,” according to the Des Moines Register. Aside from media, few, if any, members of the public will be allowed to attend. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York told the AP that the committee’s chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has “an obligation to be tested” for COVID-19 beforehand because he has been exposed to those with the disease. Graham told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that he took a test last week and is “negative.” He said, “We’re going to work safely.” The hearings are taking place less than a month after the death of Ginsburg gave Trump the chance to entrench a conservative majority on the court with his third justice. Another reason for moving quickly: It may be harder to confirm Trump’s pick before the end of the congressional session if Democrat Joe Biden were to win the White House and Democrats gain seats in the Senate. No Supreme Court has ever been confirmed so close to a presidential election. The country will get an extended look at Barrett over three days, beginning with her opening statement late Monday and hours of questioning Tuesday and Wednesday. “She’s going to wow them,” said Carrie Severino, president of Judicial Crisis Network, which backs conservative nominees. Barrett is telling senators that “courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life.” “Policy decisions and value judgments of government must be made by the political branches,” she said in the prepared remarks. “The public should not expect courts to do so, and courts should not try.” A mother of seven, she also says she uses her children as a test when deciding cases, asking herself how she would view the decision if one of her children were the party she was ruling against. “Even though I would not like the result, would I understand that the decision was fairly reasoned and grounded in the law?” she says. A Catholic, she says she believes in the “power of prayer.” Her religious views and past leadership role in a faith community pose a challenge for Democrats as they try to probe her judicial approach to abortion, gay marriage and other social issues without veering into inappropriate questions of her faith. Ordinarily, Barrett would get to show off her family. But the White House event announcing her nomination, in which most of the audience did not wear masks, has been labeled a “superspreader” for the coronavirus. More than two dozen people linked to the Sept. 26 Rose Garden event, including the two GOP senators, have contracted COVID-19 since then. Barrett and her family went maskless at the event. Barrett and her husband, Jesse, tested positive for the virus earlier this year and recovered, two administration officials have said. Democrats already were enraged that Republicans are moving so quickly having refused to consider President Barack Obama nominee in February 2016, before that year’s election. The Senate did not grant Judge Merrick Garland even a hearing, much less a vote. Outside groups are pushing Democrats to make a strong case against what they call an illegitimate confirmation so close to the election, when people are already voting in some states. “The public is with them that this shouldn’t happen before the election,” said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, which advocates against right-leaning nominees. Democrats have made clear that they will press Barrett on health care, especially with the imminent Supreme Court arguments, and abortion, among other issues where her vote
Communities oppose new state mega-prisons near them
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s administration is negotiating with private companies to build three new mega-prisons as part of a solution to the state’s ongoing prison crisis, but some neighbors to the planned facilities aren’t happy about it. Residents in Elmore and Bibb counties are angered and frustrated by the decision to pick their communities. They expressed concern about possible escapes, traffic, and infrastructure and the fact there was no public input about building prisons for 3,000 inmates in their communities. Ivey announced last month that companies had been selected to build the proposed prisons in Elmore, Bibb, and Escambia counties that the state would then lease for the next 30 years. The administration said it would enter into negotiations with the companies for final details and construction would begin in 2021. One of the 3,000-inmate prisons will be located in Brierfield, a 1,600-person unincorporated community in Bibb County, where some residents say they moved for its tranquil, rural environment. The number of inmates housed in the facility will be about half the population of the nearest city, Montevallo, which has about 6,600 residents. Jackson McNeeley, one of the organizers of a group opposing the prison, said the isolated area, which has little law enforcement presence and no sewer system, does not have the infrastructure to support the large facility. “One of the concerns we have is that nobody was consulted,” McNeely told The Associated Press. “Bringing a prison is not going to help the citizens of Brierfield. It’s just not.” David Kline moved his family to Brierfield about 15 years ago, when he was a deputy for the Bibb County sheriff’s department. He told al.com he was looking for a quiet and a low-crime area when he was off-duty. He said no one in the community knew about the prison construction until it was reported in newspapers. “An article showed up and people started reading the article. There was no town hall. They never came to Brierfield and said, ‘Hey what do you think?’” Kline said he was concerned about corners being cut in the privately built construction as well as an increase in crime if people try to toss contraband over the fences. There are similar concerns in Elmore County. “The main entry road going into the prison you will be able to see from my backyard,” Leslie Ogburn, who lives near the site of a proposed Elmore County prison, told the Montgomery Advertiser. “We all loved it here, to be in the country, to be away from everything, (and) not to have a big prison light the country nights.” Samantha Rose, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, told the Advertiser that “historically — in Alabama and beyond — the development of a correctional facility within a community initially generates common concerns from residents.” “Looking only at our state, we have built strong relationships with our communities who value the presence of our facilities for the economic benefits they provide,” Rose wrote. Prison construction legislation failed when it came before the Alabama Legislature as lawmakers disagreed over the closures of existing prisons. Ivey is pursuing leases of privately built facilities that do not need legislative approval. Ivey has said the new prisons are needed to increase the safety of both officers and inmates. The plan has also run into criticism from advocacy groups and a mixed reception from state lawmakers, with some saying the leases will be costly without addressing systemic problems. Considered one of the most violent and understaffed systems in the country, the Alabama prison system has faced a litany of federal criticism. The U.S. Department of Justice said twice within 18 months that it believes Alabama houses male inmates in unconstitutional conditions for both a pattern of using excessive force by officers and excessive inmate-on-inmate violence. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson has also ruled the state’s treatment of mentally ill prisoners was “horrendously inadequate.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Inmate dies after contacting COVID-19
A 74-year-old inmate at an Alabama prison has died after contracting COVID-19, the 26th inmate to die after contracting the virus. The Alabama Department of Corrections said in a news release that Johnny Dwight Terry, a 74-year-old inmate at Limestone Correctional Facility, died Thursday. The prison system said Terry was transferred to a hospital on Tuesday after showing symptoms of the disease. He died two days later. Terry had multiple preexisting medical conditions, according to the prison system. Terry was serving a life sentence on a murder conviction from Lawrence County, the agency said. The state prison system has reported coronavirus cases in 21 out of 26 facilities. Alabama has documented 441 cases of coronavirus among the state prison population to date, according to the prison system. The Department of Corrections said 33 cases are currently active. There have been 415 cases among prison employees and 44 remain active. Two employees have died, according to the prison system. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
