David Lorango: BP oil spill: A Flip-flop on regulation

  Take a look at some of the comments over on the Wall Street Journal regarding the BP oil spill. You will notice certain trends, but the most glaring among them is this: the government failed to adequately regulate the oil industry.

  That's right. The government failed to regulate the oil industry.

  Excuse me if I'm missing something, but I assumed that the "drill, baby, drill" slogan was about the government NOT regulating the oil industry.

Gary Palmer: We are still Americans

  In all of America's wars during my lifetime, I had never personally known someone killed in action... until April 28th. On that day, in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Thomas Rivers, Jr. gave his last full measure of devotion. Rivers was a team leader with 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines Regiment.

  That morning, his father Tom had just finished his morning Bible study and had prayed for Thomas as he did every morning. Just after 7am, he was in the kitchen making coffee when he heard the sound of a car door shut in front of his home. When he looked out, he saw three Marines walking to his front door.

The Secret office emails

Editor's note: I, Joseph O. Patton, am guilty of gossiping about my coworkers and sharing tales of office drama with Capital City Free Press Managing Editor Josh Carples... and he does little to discourage me from doing so. In fact, he suggested our correspondence might work as a humorous article (see below). The names have been changed to protect the innocent... and the neurotic. And if this doesn't entertain you, then you can blame Josh because it was his idea.


Wednesday, September 20

9:17 am

  Joseph: Josh, these people are not right.

  First there is Gina. Gina was moved from one desk to another. She cleaned, sanitized, decorated, etc. that poor cubicle for two hours solid! She was sweating profusely. You would have thought they had forced her into a tuberculosis ward. Our supervisor finally had to stop her and tell her that she needed to go open the mail. I asked her finally (mild sarcasm included) if she was trying to "feng shui" her desk.

  Then there is Joan. She is a pure nut, barking out loud - which I'm told is actually a laugh - at random times when no one is speaking to her. She also wears this bright red smock as if she were a hairdresser and regularly scrubs her hands with rubbing alcohol. I thought this was bad enough until I hauled some materials to another office with her yesterday and found out that she carries a ruler to press the elevator buttons with… while barking of course.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by the numbers: The Military loses patriotic men and women every day

  The House this week could take an important step forward in bringing equality to the military by passing an amendment that would repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” as part of the fiscal year 2011 Defense Authorization bill. DADT is the discriminatory policy that prevents gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly in the military. The Senate Armed Services Committee is also considering a similar amendment.

  Defense Secretary Gates called earlier this year for a Pentagon working group to begin drafting a plan for enacting a repeal to the ban, and that proposal is due to the secretary, Joint Chiefs, and president later this year. Congressional passage of repeal would ensure that all parts of government—legal and military—can move forward together once the Pentagon’s proposal is completed.

Steve Flowers: Inside the Statehouse: Countdown to the Alabama primaries

  As we enter the last few days of campaigning leading up to next Tuesday’s Democratic and Republican primaries the candidate’s messages may get muffled by the Memorial Day weekend. Voters may be more interested in vacationing, picnicking or barbequing than political television ads. However, we will wake up from the revelry of the first summer holiday weekend to face a full slate of candidates from governor to coroner.

  We will begin the process by picking the successor to two-term Republican Governor Bob Riley. The Democrats will pick their nominee for governor on Tuesday.  Because there only two aspirants, there will be no need for a runoff. Four-term Democratic Congressman Artur Davis has forfeited his safe congressional seat to seek to become the first African American governor of the Heart of Dixie. His opponent is two-term Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks. They have waged a spirited battle.

Gary Palmer: Greek debt crisis a warning to U.S.

  The focus of the 2010 elections is shaping up to be about the importance of limited government and, of all things, the country of Greece gives us a working example of why this is so important.

  Greece functioned as a “super nanny” by providing expensive lifetime entitlements to all of its citizens and is a government that abandoned any pretense to limits. It is also a government that is flat broke and now dependent on the European Union and the United States to save it. Thus, Greece is the latest example of the failure of socialism.

Charles C. Haynes: Separation of church and state: fact or fiction?

  Not so very long ago, “separation of church and state” was as American as motherhood and apple pie. Despite perennial debates over the degree of separation, public support for the principle itself has been strong for much of our history.

  But in today’s culture-war climate, the very mention of “separation of church and state” is enough to trigger a bitter argument over the relationship of government and religion in the United States.

  Consider the current fight over the social studies curriculum in Texas. For months now the Democratic minority on the Texas Board of Education has been sparring with the Republican majority (mostly social conservatives) over what to teach students about the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Jacob G. Hornberger: Rand Paul, civil rights, and more liberal hypocrisy on race

  I recently wrote two articles in which I criticized liberals for being two-faced and hypocritical when it comes to racial issues. The articles, which concerned the minimum wage, a longtime favorite government program among liberals whose negative effects fall disproportionately on blacks, were entitled “Why Do Daily Kos and Alternet Favor a Racist Government Program?” and “Free Teenagers: Repeal the Minimum Wage.”

  Of course, I could also have written an article pointing out the decades-long liberal support of the drug war, another vicious government program whose adverse consequences have long fallen disproportionately on blacks and Hispanics. See, for example, this list of articles.

  Thus, it’s not a coincidence that liberal icon Barack Obama, a drug user himself (he smoked dope and snorted cocaine when he was young and smokes tobacco today) and his Democratically controlled Congress are not only not ending the drug war but instead are ramping it up, even encouraging the Mexican government’s use of the military to wage the drug war in Mexico.

Michael Josephson: Character Counts: Righteousness is revealed in conduct, not rhetoric

  It's hard to look at the world and some of the people who seem to get ahead without occasionally asking ourselves why we should be ethical. However normal it is to think like this, the question should be off limits for people who profess strong religious beliefs. After all, what religion does not mandate morality?

  To authentically religious people, the motivation toward virtue is grounded in the acceptance of a nonnegotiable duty to be a good person in the eyes of God, not in anticipation of personal benefits. Dishonest, irresponsible, or unfair conduct is simply wrong.

Steve Flowers: Inside the Statehouse: Troy King vs. Luther Strange

  The governor’s race is always the marquee event in Alabama politics. That will be especially true this year because the race is wide open. This is the first time that an incumbent governor has not been on the ballot in 20 years.

  However, the Republican primary for attorney general may very well be as interesting and competitive as any contest on the ballot this year. The winner of this battle royale between incumbent Troy King and challenger Luther Strange will be the odds on favorite to take home all the marbles in the fall. Alabama voters have tended to favor a Republican in the attorney general’s office for two decades now.

  Troy King is facing the toughest challenge of his young political life. He has been attorney general for over six years having ascended to the post when Bill Pryor was appointed to the federal bench. King was appointed by Gov. Bob Riley to fill Pryor’s unexpired term as attorney general. Prior to that Riley had made King his legal advisor.