Alabama editorial roundup: Feb. 10, 2019 edition
Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers: ____ Feb. 9 The Dothan Eagle on the recent execution in Alabama: The State of Alabama put a man to death Thursday. He was the 217th person to die under the state’s death penalty – the 64th execution since a moratorium on executions in Alabama was lifted in 1983. Dominique Ray’s execution is troubling. Not because there was any question about his guilt. Debates about the moral failings of the death penalty aside, there was no reason why Ray should not see the sentence imposed on him for the murder of 15-year-old Tiffany Harville almost 25 years ago carried out at long last. What’s troubling about Ray’s execution is the constitutional question it raises. Ray, who embraced Islam while incarcerated, wanted an imam present with him in the death chamber. Prison officials refused, saying they could provide a Christian prison chaplain. Ray’s attorneys sued, and a stay of execution was issued to sort it all out. Prison officials argue that only corrections system employees are allowed in the execution chamber as a matter of security, which is reasonable. In an earlier editorial, we suggested the prison system work to create a pool of spiritual leaders from other faiths, and vet them accordingly. That seems reasonable as well. However, Ray’s position was that he was receiving unequal treatment because he, a Muslim, did not have the same opportunity in the execution chamber as a Christian prisoner would. And he’s right – the constitutional religious protections suggest that a condemned inmate of any stripe should have the same access to a representative of their chosen faith. Read the rest online: dothaneagle.com ______ Feb. 10 The Gadsden Times on the U.S. cancelling nuclear weapons treaty with Russia: Tangible is defined by “Webster’s New World Dictionary” as 1. corporeal and able to be appraised for value; 2. can be understood; definite; objective. Those are simple definitions for a wonderful word, which is just the opposite of innuendo and gossip. I prefer to deal in tangibles, but sometimes let tradition and “it has always been that way” overcome my thought process. A good example is the Russian/United States Strategic Arms Limitation Talks signed in 1972. The agreement was intended to restrain the arms race in strategic ballistic missiles armed with nuclear weapons. SALT I was followed by SALT II, which basically never took effect. Both sides have indicated nullification of the first accord. At first blush, I thought the consequences of calling a halt to the treaty could be disastrous for the populations of the U.S. and Russia. However, I came to the conclusion that the U.S. cancelling the treaty is essential to maintaining substantial military superiority over not only Russia, but our No. 1 adversary, China. While we have been limited in developing and modernizing the U.S. military by the SALT agreement with Russia, the Chinese government has been modernizing and expanding its military exponentially. The SALT agreement was an excellent deterrent to nuclear war between the then-Soviets and the U.S., but the agreement allowed China to develop a formidable nuclear military, one that has become a threat to U.S. global dominance. Read the rest online: Gadsdentimes.com _____ Feb. 9 Anniston Star on the relationship between journalists and law enforcement: An article in Friday’s Anniston Star drew the ire of the Anniston Police Department and its supporters on social media. The article reported on statistics provided by city officials detailing the frequency of police stops and arrests, breaking those numbers down according to race — black, white and other. Facebook commenters describe the article as a hit piece, fake news and an obvious attempt to attack police and sell newspapers. To the contrary, The Anniston Star works closely with Anniston PD and applauds its efforts to address crime through community policing, including the creation of a community-based committee tasked with following up on complaints from residents. No, we’re not out to get the police. Here’s what actually happened. A week ago, the NAACP held a meeting at the Anniston City Meeting Center where residents accused APD of disproportionately making traffic stops on African-Americans. Their evidence, however, was all anecdotal. Coverage of that story also provided the response from city officials and police denying any notion of racial profiling. As journalists, our aim is always to pursue truth, and collecting and reporting actual numbers is a non biased way to do that. It’s what we did when Councilman Ben Little claimed that his district’s requests for work orders consistently failed to get response from the city. An examination of the work orders, however, showed that Ward 3 actually had almost twice as many completed work orders as any of the other wards. Read the rest online: annistonstar.com ____ Feb. 8 Montgomery Advertiser on poverty It was cruel to force unemployment upon millions of Americans over a political dispute borne of a foolish promise that has nothing to do with them. It is shameful that the president showed little if any empathy for these citizens — many of whom supported him — and acquiesced via his silence to assessments made by his economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, and billionaire Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Hassett said that furloughed federal workers are “better off” because “they have the vacation but they don’t have to use their vacation days.” Ross said there is no “good excuse why there … should be a liquidity crisis” and that he didn’t “understand why” federal employees with no income were going to food banks and homeless shelters. Ross incredibly advised those employees — already indebted beyond their ability to pay — to get a bank loan to cover expenses. Notwithstanding these contemporary echoes of “let them eat cake,” the previous, (un)presidential shutdown of the federal government — and the one that may reoccur next week — may force us to rethink some common misunderstandings. This third and final edition of my “start-at-the-beginning series” focuses on poverty. Next to race relations, poverty is the longest rhetorical highway along which people begin their expository
Bradley Byrne: Freedom isn’t free
“Here we mark the price of freedom.” Those are the words engraved on the Freedom Wall at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Freedom Wall includes 4,048 gold stars, and each star represents 100 American military deaths during the Second World War. I recently took time to visit the memorial and pay my respects to those who served our country and the ones who ultimately lost their lives in defense of the freedoms we all hold dear. The monument is especially powerful for me because many members of my family played a role in the war. My dad served in the Army as U.S. forces island-hopped throughout the Pacific. My uncle, Pat Byrne, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he sustained serious injuries. He went on to earn the Purple Heart for his service. Another uncle, Jack Langsdale, actually lost his life while serving in the Merchant Marines after his ship was sunk by a German U-boat. These are just the stories from my family. I know every family has their own stories of service and sacrifice from the Greatest Generation and other conflicts, including the ongoing War on Terror. In Washington, I fight every day to ensure we are giving our current service members the tools they need to defend our country. The military has seen cuts in recent years that have taken a real toll on our military equipment and resources. This, in turn, has put many service members at greater risk. So, with Memorial Day approaching, the House recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation sets policy and authorizes spending for our military. The bill orders a pay raise for our troops while also providing proper oversight of the Pentagon. One of the best ways to avoid major conflict and prevent putting more Americans in harm’s way is to project American strength around the world. In order to do that, we need a strong and fully capable military. This year’s NDAA would get us headed in the right direction by making serious investments in our military readiness. I was proud to support the bill as we work to rebuild our military. I always hear a lot about the need to keep our military strong, and I recently heard the same plea from veterans at the Armed Forces Day event at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile. This event was especially powerful because the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was on display, and many of our local Vietnam veterans were seeing the wall for the first time. One veteran broke down in tears upon seeing the name of one of his former comrades. His tears spoke to the pain of war, but also to the camaraderie that is shared amongst our service members. It was an incredibly powerful moment, and only reaffirmed my commitment to standing up for our veterans and active-duty service members. This Memorial Day, I hope you took time to reflect on the stories of service and sacrifice that helped make our country great. Hopefully you were able to pay special respects to the men and women who ultimately lost their life in defense of freedom. Freedom is not, and has never been, free. That is the message in each of those stars on the World War II Memorial, in each of those names on the Vietnam Wall, and on each tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery. May we never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and may we each work every day to uphold the freedoms they fought so hard to protect. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Bradley Byrne: New rule could reduce access to retirement advice
The last decade has been particularly difficult for our nation’s workforce and retirees. The economic downturn really did significant damage to the stock market and many people’s retirement plans took a hit. This situation put an even greater emphasis on the importance of having sound financial advice. Saving for retirement should be easy. There is bipartisan agreement in Congress that every American should have access to high quality, affordable retirement advice. This advice should always be in the best interest of the consumer. Unfortunately, a newly finalized rule by the Department of Labor threatens to make saving for retirement harder. In fact, the rule could upend some families’ access to retirement advice and would likely put some small financial firms out of business. The official mission statement for the Department of Labor’s is to “foster, promote, and develop the welfare of wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States.” Sadly, the newly announced “fiduciary” rule seems to stand in direct contrast to this goal. Let me explain. Generally speaking, a “fiduciary” is someone who is responsible for managing the assets of another person, or group of people. People who work in these roles are already subjected to numerous government regulations and requirements. This rule will impose new standards and regulations while also expanding the definition of who is required to comply. In other words, it adds more red tape while also subjecting even more people to regulation. Studies have found the increased compliance costs could be over $2 billion. As I have mentioned before, the costs of compliance are almost always passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices and fees. The people who are going to be hit the hardest by these changes will be low- and middle-income families who arguably need sound financial advice the most. Due to the highest costs, they may no longer be able to afford the services. Just as bad as increasing costs, the rule may also limit choices for those who are trying to save for retirement. Small businesses, who often have a smaller portfolio, will be the ones who likely suffer the most under a decrease in options. Don’t get me wrong: companies and organizations that give bad financial advice or don’t act in the best interest of the consumer deserve to be punished. But there is a way to ensure the bad actors are punished without hurting everyone else in the process. We shouldn’t just accept these “unintended consequences.” Prior to the release of this rule, numerous Members of Congress, including Republicans and Democrats, contacted the Department of Labor to express our concerns. Sadly, many of our concerns were simply ignored. As a member of the House Education & Workforce Committee, I’m committed to finding solutions to this overreach. I was proud to vote in favor of the Retail Investor Protection Act, which passed the House in October. This bill would have required the that stakeholder input be gathered before any rule could go into effect. Unfortunately the Senate didn’t take up this legislation before the rule came out. I’ve also co-sponsored the Affordable Retirement Advice Protection Act and the SAVERS Act. These bills ensure retirement advisors act in their clients’ best interest while preserving low- and medium-asset savers and small businesses have access to affordable retirement advice. I’m pleased to see these bills have bipartisan support, and I hope the House acts on them soon. At a time when studies show that nearly half of America is not saving adequately for retirement, it’s important the federal government be increasing – not decreasing – access to responsible retirement advice. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Steven Kurlander: False sacrifices: Debating the wrong question on Iraq
Recently on Memorial Day, Americans honored the sacrifices of those American soldiers who fought and died in the various wars and “conflicts” of our nation. This year, like last year, and the year before, we also honored the many soldiers who made sacrifices in Iraq and Afghanistan. America has been at undeclared war since the Sept. 11 attacks, and as we continue to fight on, openly or surreptitiously, against Islamic “terrorism” around the globe. And this year, after learning about Iraqi troops losing the Anbar province to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), many Americans asked once again why we got involved in a war in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place. Or whether the blood of our soldiers spilled in those theaters of war have been callously expended and in vain. As ISIS marched into Mosul, where many Americans sacrificed their lives to liberate and safeguard the city, undeclared presidential candidate Jeb Bush was asked whether he would have committed troops like his brother did. While Jeb was perceived as not answering the question as well as he should have, and spent a week correcting himself, he properly framed what the Iraq talking point should be in 2015: “The focus should be ‘Knowing what we know now, Mr. President, should you have kept 10,000 troops in Iraq?’” Bush said. “ISIS didn’t exist when my brother was president. Al Qaeda in Iraq was wiped out when my brother was president. There were mistakes made in Iraq for sure, but the surge created a fragile but stable Iraq that the president could have built on and it would have not allowed ISIS [to grow].” Here’s the bottom line: Bush is right. We should have left American troops to stabilize and safeguard Iraq and defined our mission there in terms of decades, not in terms of months. The same is true of Afghanistan. Now, ISIS poses a major threat to our national security interests and the entire Middle East. “Every day that goes by, the cost of liberating Iraq or the cost of defeating this cancer is only going to increase,” he said. “So I think we have to do the force that’s proportionate or, frankly, the violence proportionate that’s necessary to push back ISIS,” said U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois on a State of the Nation appearance. . We also should be asking whether the United States should be more succinctly defining a new foreign policy to bring stability to the Mideast and other regions of the world and safeguard the security of our alleged allies in Europe and Asia. America needs to commit troops now back in Iraq, and plan to stay there for a long time. World public opinion and political correctness be damned. Our military needs to attack ISIS, both in Iraq and Syria, with unrestrained military might. In terms of being the world’s policeman, America needs to grow its balls back. It’s time to remind the world of our power and military might. In the face of the growing influence and military power of Communist China, fascist Islamic radicalism, and a new Russia embracing dangerous nationalism and dictatorship, Americans enamored with Bruce Jenner’s sex change also need to wake up to new, very dangerous threats to our nation’s existence. Iraq is the right place to start and to begin repairing our perception of weakness in the world. Obama and his advisers entrenched in a failing internationalist foreign and military policy have made a very poor judgment call pulling our troops out and declaring the war over. It was folly to expect a nation historically hampered by deep religious, tribal and sectarian violence and division to not only present a viable defense to radical ISIS, but as a nation, which takes decades, if not centuries to evolve as a democratic nation. American soldiers should not continue to spill their blood in Afghanistan and the rest of the world for bad, obtuse foreign policy and national security objectives that now exist under the Obama Doctrine. Instead, on future Memorial Days, their sacrifices should be celebrated and honored once again for a more defined, even noble, goal of safeguarding human rights and promoting good democratic and economic objectives for both Americans at home and those living under brutal regimes around the world. Steven Kurlander blogs at Kurly’s Kommentary (stevenkurlander.com) and writes for Context Florida and The Huffington Post and can be found on Twitter @Kurlykomments. He lives in Monticello, N.Y. Column courtesy of Context Florida.
Round-up of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers
Here’s a round-up of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers: The Anniston Star – H. Brandt Ayers: Fool me twice … To get elected in Alabama and elsewhere, you have to scare the voters with some manufactured Bogeyman from whom the clever candidate promises protection. That was the theme of a column centered on early Alabama history last week by colleague and professional historian Hardy Jackson. His essay merits a hearty Bravo and A-a-a-a-men! When the election is over and the Bogeyman has melted away and nothing special happens, the voters are left with that self-critical sinking feeling, “Darn, fooled me again; Shame on me.” The experience leads to cynicism about the whole process, In Alabama, where vivid monsters have been created out of thin air, blacks will rule. They’re gonna take our guns away. We’re drowning in immigrants. These fears usually are followed by a do-nothing or do-little government in Montgomery, which inspires a low-level helpless anger among voters. The political culture in this state could be called: “Angry Resignation; I’m mad as hell but I can’t or won’t do anything about it.” But this shadow play between candidates and voters is not exclusive to Alabama. It is as old as Rome and Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” the first handbook for crafty politicians. In America, the threat is persistently seen as coming from the left. From Social Security to Medicare, the opposition has cried in horror, “Creeping Socialism.” Communism and socialism have been chief Bogeymen of American politics, and neither could be more bogus. American culture is highly resistant to left-wing ideology. The Birmingham News – Marketing maternity: Are we valuing the message over the medicine? Imagine you’re a woman who just found out she is going to have a baby. You see a hospital advertisement for maternity care that includes words and phrases like “empowerment,” “personalized birthing plan” and “you decide.” Sounds good, doesn’t it? The advertisements present a menu of appealing services. Most pregnant mothers already want to have a say in the details of delivering their babies, so these advertisements play on that demand. But what happens when the care provided doesn’t match marketing expectations? It happened to a friend of mine, Caroline Malatesta, who is now in ongoing litigation with the hospital where she delivered her baby. She chose the hospital based on their advertised flexibility and customization, discussed her birth plan with her doctor, and arrived at the hospital assuming that the plan would be followed. During the delivery she was told to lie on her back. When she protested that doing so was not part of the plan, the nurse simply told her that her doctor wasn’t on call. A physical struggle ensued, forcing her to her back. The child was delivered healthy, but instead of a joyful experience, Caroline now suffers permanent injuries. While she didn’t have a specific birth plan, my wife delivered two of our sons at the same hospital and our experiences were positive. But that’s the point. The Decatur Daily – Legislators show their bullying ways Alabama legislators usually operate with a veneer of civility and expressions of concern for their state, but occasionally some reveal themselves as schoolyard bullies. So it is with their treatment of the state Board of Education. The latest of many clashes came last week, when the board declined to confirm appointees for the newly minted Public Charter School Commission. A 4-3 majority preferred not to be a rubber stamp in appointing nominees they had no role in selecting, for a charter-school law into which they had no input. They tugged on Superman’s cape. It was a courageous move they may come to regret. The first retaliation came from state Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, with the enthusiastic support of Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard. Just back from a trip to D.C. to collect an award from an out-of-state charter school group honoring her for pushing a version of its legislation through the Statehouse, Collins had no patience with the impertinent education board. “If they don’t want to take advantage of the honor, we’ll go back to the appointee process,” she said, and immediately filed a bill that would entirely exclude them from selecting charter commission members. It was a sadly amusing legislative slap. In fact, both the board and the department it oversees have been isolated from meaningful input throughout the process of implementing a charter school system. Taxpayer money to support the charter schools — much of which will enrich private companies that the law authorizes to manage them — comes straight from the state’s public schools. The law gives local-elected school boards nominal control over charter schools, but allows the charters to instead report to the Public Charter School Commission if local boards don’t do what they want. The state Board of Education likewise has nominal authority over who serves on the charter commission. That authority is a sleight of hand meant for public consumption, however, as the board is limited to nominees selected by the same elected officials who pushed the charter legislation through. So Collins’ threat to eliminate the board’s authority over the charter commission is merely a threat to make blatant what previously was concealed. The Legislature resents its elected counterparts on the Board of Education, and has never had any intention of including them in the charter school conversation. Dothan Eagle – Gaming the budget In the midst of controversy over Alabama’s chronic financial problems, it’s wise to consider what the politicians have to say with a healthy dose of skepticism. However, it’s mind-boggling that the Ways and Means Committee of the Alabama House would respond to weeks of teeth-gnashing and wailing over the potential harm of a budget shortfall by approving a general fund bill without filling the gaps. From one perspective, it’s an unconscionable dereliction of duty. There are various options afoot that would go a long way toward increasing the state’s revenue. And there are surely expenditures that could be eliminated long before threatening to decimate public
