Kay Ivey calls for special legislative session to spend COVID relief funds
Governor Kay Ivey has signed a proclamation calling the Alabama Legislature into a special session to appropriate federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The Alabama Legislature will convene on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. “While states like Alabama are making record economic comebacks, Congress and the Biden White House are wanting our country to spend more and more federal dollars, and now we are tasked with allocating the American Rescue Plan Act funds. I have made clear, that unlike Washington, D.C., Alabama will be wise with these one-time, federal dollars,” Ivey stated. “I again urge the members of the Legislature to direct these funds to meet some of Alabama’s biggest challenges like statewide broadband connectivity, water, and sewer infrastructure, as well as investing funds in our hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers,” Ivey continued. “We must be smart with these one-time, federal dollars by wisely investing – not just casually spending them. This is not free money.”
Mo Brooks supports bipartisan bill aimed at providing flexibility on spending COVID funds
Congressman Mo Brooks announced that he has cosponsored H.R. 5735, a bipartisan bill that aims to make various infrastructure investments eligible for payment with unspent COVID-19 relief funds. The State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act, was sponsored by Reps. Dusty Johnson and Carolyn Bourdeaux. The U.S. Senate recently unanimously passed companion legislation. According to the press release, the bill will give state and local officials additional flexibility and time to responsibly spend the remaining Covid-19 money. The American Rescue Plan Act and the original CARES Act relief package, Congress provided some flexibility for how funds could be spent, but most funds were not able to be used for infrastructure projects. The bill also includes a separate program designed to support larger bridges through a competitive grant program. If enacted, this legislation would allow Alabama to use unspent coronavirus relief funds on much-needed infrastructure projects such as the I-10 Bridge. The bill has 144 House cosponsors. Brooks stated, “I support giving states the flexibility to spend coronavirus funds as they see fit. State and local elected officials, not federal government bureaucrats, know what their communities need most. Alabama has several desperately-needed infrastructure projects, such as the I-10 Bridge in the Mobile Bay area, that are stalled due to a lack of funding. This bill could free up funds that would jumpstart those important projects.” Rep. Bourdeaux commented that passing the bill will enhance economic growth for states. “Thanks to our bipartisan infrastructure law, Georgia’s bridges are getting a significant investment over the next five years. This funding will help connect our communities, boost the local economy, and improve safety across Georgia. For growing suburbs like mine, this funding will help us address congestion and improve people’s daily commutes and mobility,” Bourdeaux stated.
Alabama Sheriffs Association comes under fire for opposition of new gun legislation
Alabama Sheriffs Association (ASA) director Robert ‘Bobby’ Timmons is coming under fire for his recent commentary on the new constitutional carry bills that have been set for debate in the Alabama legislature this year. There are currently three bills that have been pre-filed in the Alabama House and Senate that would legalize permitless or “Constitutional Carry” in the state. This means citizens would be able to legally carry handguns without having to purchase a permit from their local Sheriff’s office. In a recent 1819 report, Timmons was asked about his views on the Second Amendment, and Timmons commented that he believes that the amendment wasn’t meant to allow citizens to carry a concealed weapon. He believes the Second Amendment was written to allow citizens to defend their homes. When asked if ASA would support amending the Constitution to limit the Second Amendment to only allowing firearms for the defense of a person’s home, Timmons told 1819, “Oh yeah. I’d be in favor of that. But, I mean, it would never get passed.” Timmons argued that gun permits are a matter of public safety. He commented, “Absolutely without question for public safety just like a driver’s license, you need a driver’s license. If you don’t have a license, you can’t drive. If you don’t have a permit, you can’t carry a concealed gun.” When asked if permits were a revenue stream for Alabama Sheriffs, Timmons agreed, stating, “It buys ammo, vehicles, and bulletproof vests. If you get rid of the permits, the taxpayers will have to pick up the bill.” The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) has criticized the ASA for its opposition to Constitutional carry. Shane Stringer introduced one of the bills currently being considered. Stringer argued that some sheriffs are trying to hold onto the fees, but said people shouldn’t have to pay to exercise a constitutional right. “I don’t think we should be taxing people for carrying a gun,” Stringer said. “I am a firm believer that law-abiding citizens should not be punished and forced to get a permit to carry a firearm when the criminal element is not.”
William Haupt III: Know your rights and how to protect them
“At one time, getting passing grades in civics and U.S. history were prerequisites for high school graduation. Our biggest mistake was to adopt common core and abandon this.” – Michael Polelle Over five decades ago, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It established standards to protect the voting rights of all qualified U.S. voters. Contrary to liberal psychosis, the Voting Rights Act applies to every voter equally. It set parameters for each state to engrain within its voting laws. To ensure equality, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to protect the rights of ethnic minorities. But its core provisions, like the Voting Rights Act, protects the civil rights of all Americans equally. Contrary to leftist logic, neither of these gave more rights to one group and less rights to another. Five decades later, many Americans don’t know the Civil Rights Act protects all citizens from age, gender, ethnic and religious discrimination, in addition to minority groups. Government cannot give any form of preference to one group without abridging the same rights that others are entitled to. As Boomers began to feel the pinch of age prejudice, many forgot that age discrimination is a key provision in the Civil Rights Act. And very few seniors ever filed complaints with the Department of Justice about this. “We are marching for the civil rights of the Negros and those of all Americans.” – Martin Luther King Jr Even fewer Americans know why our states were obliged to update their voting laws after the last election. All states laws must comply with provisions in the Voting Rights Act to protect “all voters.” In response to the mayhem during the 2020 election, when blue states made up new laws as they went along, 43 states updated voting laws to prevent a repeat of the insane bedlam that took place in 2020. Citizens asked state lawmakers to ensure that nobody could ever question how anybody who couldn’t get elected dogcatcher in his own state get the most votes in U.S. presidential history. Since the Constitution obligates states to enforce the Voting Rights Act, after the last election, they reviewed all mail-in voting, counting ballots received after Election Day and ballot drop-boxes. All these issues truncated the intent of the Constitution and Voting Rights Acts. Yet in the woke world, if you don’t win the brass ring or can’t hijack it, you bellyache that your voting rights were violated! By law, states are responsible for updating existing election laws when they do not comply with the Voting Rights Act that protects all individual voting rights. Yet progressives and identity groups are squealing like pigs in a bacon factory? Why are they upset with states trying to protect their rights? The woke society is built on double standards. It can’t exist any other way. Wokes make up laws to justify breaking laws they don’t like. Either play the game their way, or they will take their ball away. “I learned that being ‘woke’ is being brainwashed by extremist liberal propaganda.” – Lillian Fang Until the presidential election of 2000, the merits of the Voting Rights Act were seldom questioned. But the fiasco in Florida proved, if progressives want to win badly enough, no law will ever stand in their way. After five weeks of trying to turn Al Gore into a winner, the choice of our nation’s new leader came not from the citizens, but from a 5-4 majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices. Liberal contempt for our voting rights began long before the 2000 election when blue states started moving to all mail-in voting. They had the national media’s pump primed; there was no way Al Gore could possibly lose. When the media abruptly called the election for Gore, they ended up with egg on their faces, and progressives and their liberal attorneys around the U.S. cried out election fraud! “Hi. I’m Al Gore, and I used to be the next president of the United States of America.” – Al Gore Although liberal media pollsters and pundits had been predicting a landslide victory for Al Gore, in the real world Pew Research, Gallop, and other independent groups pictured a much tighter race. They forecasted that fallout from the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal would mobilize conservatives against the left’s loose morality. Al Gore lost the entire south and even his home state, Tennessee. In reaction to allegations about voter fraud, hanging chads, and especially mail-in ballots that were supposedly miscounted, Democrats petitioned Washington to review U.S. voting rights again. The 2005 Commission on Election Reform, chaired by liberals Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, concluded that the biggest threat to voting integrity was with mail-in ballots. “We conclude that mail-in voting remains the largest source of potential voter fraud.” – Jimmy Carter Concerns about vote tampering have a long history in the U.S. They helped drive the move to the secret ballot, which all U.S. states adopted between 1888 and 1950. Secret ballots made it harder to intimidate voters and to monitor which candidate a voter had voted for. One University of Florida study found complaints about fraud fell by an average of 14% after states adopted secret ballots. In woke America, facts are an “inconvenient truth.” There have never been more complaints about denial of individual rights, violations of voting rights, and claims of “systematic racism” coming from people who don’t know the rights “they have” and “do not have” than any time in American history. “I have faith in the United States and our ability to make good decisions based on facts.” – Al Gore In 1865, following the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and the 19th Amendment in 1920 guaranteed equal rights and universal suffrage for all Americans. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 protected those rights. That is why we must have voter ID laws. Every illegal vote cast nullifies the votes of the legitimate voters. Still,
Celebrated Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102
Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars and later helped to bring attention to the Black pilots who had battled racism at home to fight for freedom abroad, died Sunday. He was 102. McGee died in his sleep at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, said his son, Ron McGee. After the U.S. entry into World War II, McGee left the University of Illinois to join an experimental program for Black soldiers seeking to train as pilots after the Army Air Corps was forced to admit African Americans. In October 1942, he was sent to the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama for flight training, according to his biography on the website of the National Aviation Hall of Fame. “You could say that one of the things we were fighting for was equality,” he told The Associated Press in a 1995 interview. “Equality of opportunity. We knew we had the same skills, or better.” McGee graduated from flight school in June 1943 and, in early 1944, joined the all-Black 332nd Fighter Group, known as the “Red Tails.” He flew 136 missions as the group accompanied bombers over Europe. More than 900 men trained at Tuskegee from 1940 to 1946. About 450 deployed overseas, and 150 lost their lives in training or combat. In recent years the Tuskegee Airmen have been the subject of books, movies, and documentaries highlighting their courage in the air and the doubts they faced on the ground because of their race. In 2007 a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award from Congress, was issued to recognize their “unique military record that inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces.” McGee remained in the Army Air Corps, later the U.S. Air Force, and served for 30 years. He flew low-level bombing and strafing missions during the Korean War and returned to combat again during the Vietnam War. The National Aviation Hall of Fame says his 409 aerial fighter combat missions in three wars remains a record. He retired as a colonel in the Air Force in 1973, then earned a college degree in business administration and worked as a business executive. He was accorded an honorary commission promoting him to the one-star rank of brigadier general as he turned 100. Another event marked his centennial year: He flew a private jet between Frederick, Maryland, and Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. In 2020, McGee drew a standing ovation from members of Congress when introduced by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address. In addition to encouraging young men and women to pursue careers in aviation, McGee was a source of information about the Tuskegee Airmen and offered a unique perspective on race relations of the era through the airmen’s nonprofit educational organization. “At the time of the war, the idea of an all African American flight squadron was radical and offensive to many,” McGee wrote in an essay for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. “The prevailing opinion was that blacks did not possess the intelligence or courage to be military pilots. One general even wrote, ‘The Negro type has not the proper reflexes to make a first-rate fighter pilot.’ The Tuskegee Airmen certainly proved men like him wrong.” Charles Edward McGee was born Dec. 7, 1919, in Cleveland, the son of a minister who also worked as a teacher and social worker and was a military chaplain. He graduated from high school in Chicago in 1938. Survivors include daughters Charlene McGee Smith and Yvonne McGee, 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and a great-great-grandchild. His wife of more than 50 years, Frances, died in 1994. A family statement described McGee as “a living legend known for his kind-hearted and humble nature, who saw positivity at every turn.” In tweets Sunday honoring McGee, both Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III called him an American hero. “While I am saddened by his loss, I’m also incredibly grateful for his sacrifice, his legacy, and his character. Rest in peace, General,” Austin wrote. In his Smithsonian essay, McGee wrote that he was often asked why the Tuskegee Airmen were so successful in combat. “I would say it was because of our courage and perseverance,” he wrote. “We dreamed of being pilots as boys but were told it was not possible. Through faith and determination, we overcame enormous obstacles. This is a lesson that all young people need to hear.” He added: “I am most proud of my work as a Tuskegee Airman that helped bring down racial barriers and defeat the Nazis.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Joint Chiefs chairman and Marine Corps chief have COVID-19
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing very minor symptoms, a spokesperson said Monday. The Marine Corps said its commandant, Gen. David Berger, also has COVID-19. Milley, who has received the vaccine and a booster shot, tested positive on Sunday, Joint Chiefs spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement. Milley was isolating himself and working remotely from a location where he can perform all his duties, Butler said. The Marine Corps said in a statement that Berger also tested positive, giving no other details except to say his ability to work is unaffected. Other Joint Chiefs of Staff members tested negative, Butler said. Milley’s most recent contact with President Joe Biden was on Wednesday at the funeral of Gen. Raymond Odierno, who died of cancer in October. Milley, 63, tested negative several days before the contact with Biden and every day after until Sunday, the Joint Chiefs statement said. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home. Austin, who said he was fully vaccinated and received a booster in October, tested negative about a week later. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
