Edward Snowden is no hero
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.

There are a lot of people in this country who will classify Snowden as a hero and he is doing the Americans a favor by exposing some intelligence surveillance.
What they fail to remember is Snowden was hired as a consultant with the sole intent of stealing  confidential information and making it available to whoever would like to have it. I am a firm believer that he did not act alone.
He had already planned his direction to travel; probably had spoken with the Russians to assure him political asylum. There is no organization in America that has been given the assignment to kill Edward Snowden. The only thing the Justice Department is asking is that he return to the U.S. to stand trial. If he is innocent he should do this.
Edward Snowden should be classified as a thief who stole pertinent information that could put American citizens in harm’s way.

Can Chris Christie survive?
Quite the contrary to what a lot of people believe, Chris Christie will not be the GOP nominee for President in 2016. This will never happen. The way it was set up was all the nominees would go through the five of the most conservative states in America, and he would be so far behind after leaving these states, he would have to withdraw.
The Tea Party and the right-wing of the Republican Party detest Chris Christie with a passion. One reason why they hate him so much is because he made a kind remark about President Obama. Barack Obama, in the radical eyes of the Republican Party and the Tea Party group, is the most hated person in the world. Among these people, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hitler was more liked than Obama.
Chris Christie will be completely destroyed politically because of the bridge-gate scandal. Every day another shoe drops and they are dropping closer and closer to him. The point here is, if he knew about the situation before it happened, he should be impeached and if all these things went on while he was in charge, he should resign.
I recall George Wallace telling me, the first thing you should never do, is anything illegal. In the event you have to, do it by yourself. I do not have to tell you how difficult it is to do anything wrong by yourself. We all know that the person who sings first, gets the best deal. We also know that self-preservation is the first law of nature. In plain and simple terms, somebody will start squealing before this week is out. My guess is it will be David Wildstein, the Chairman of the Port Authority, who will be  first to sing like a mockingbird.

We remember Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley played collegiate basketball at Auburn before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was elected to the All-NBA First Team five times; earned 11 NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993, he was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player and during the NBA’s 50th Anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was a competitor in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States’ Dream Team. Since retiring as a ball player, Barkley has had a successful career as a television NBA analyst with Turner Network Television. (Wikipedia)
Here’s what he said about Birmingham:
“I have been frustrated with the City of Birmingham. Going back to the last two Mayors, I’ve asked  them for the last 10 years of more, I would like to invest $20 million in Birmingham and both of them said to me, ‘Let’s do it,’ and my phone never rings…and my people live here.
And they’ve had a couple of meetings and it was a waste of my time and my energy… and I’ve been very frustrated with the leadership in Birmingham… because I own a lot of stuff, but I don’t own anything in Birmingham.”
The reality is if he wanted to invest in Birmingham it would be welcomed. He never really even tried. As a general rule, celebrities with name recognition don’t plan to come to a city where they were reared to be helpful. They want the city to pay them for the use of their name. The same scenario as with Magic Johnson. Not only do they want pay for the use of their name, they want to continue to get a percentage of whatever the business produces. In other words, they want something for nothing.
Incidentally, Charles is a personal friend who still owes me $42 from the last time we played golf together.

e-mail: jjlewis@birminghamtimes.com

by Senator Hank Sanders
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Challenges came at me from all directions. Just sharing one such challenge in detail this week does not bear witness sufficiently. I want to share multiple challenges I faced this week so you can see what it is like to face challenges from all directions.

Challenge # 1 –Things were so hectic the previous week that I did not get the opportunity to write Sketches until Monday night, Dr. King’s birthday  holiday.  I usually have a first draft typed on Friday so I can review it over the weekend.  Even though I was writing Sketches late Monday night, I still had to complete it by the Tuesday, noon deadline with all the other things I had to do.  It was crazy, but I met the challenge.
Challenge # 2 – I was the keynote speaker for the King Celebration in Grove Hill, some 75 miles from Selma.  I had also agreed to bring greetings at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast in Selma.  The challenge was to get away from the Unity Breakfast in time to make it to the Grove Hill speaking engagement without adverse consequences.  People don’t say anything if I don’t come to an event, but they judge me if I leave early.  I met the challenge.
Challenge # 3 – I had a 7:30 a.m. breakfast meeting in Selma.  I still had to go by my Selma office to handle various matters and then travel 55 miles to Montgomery for a dental appointment at 9:30 a.m. and other meetings beginning at 10:45 a.m.  I was snagged toothed from my trip to Turkey the previous week.  I made each event on time, meeting the challenges.
Challenge # 4 – Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh is sponsoring an ethics bill which I consider more cosmetic than substance.  I had a substitute ethics bill that would close every loophole.  While the Senate was in session, there was a meeting with Pro Tem Marsh, both the executive director and general counsel of the Ethics Commission, the Senate Minority Leader and others.  Some of them were trying to get me to take certain things out of my proposed amendment.  I did not agree.  I met the challenge.
Challenge # 5- Senator Jimmy Holley is sponsoring two bills that will consolidate control over a number of legislative entities including the Legislative Fiscal Office, the Legislative Reference Service and the Legislative Council.  No one could provide a reasonable explanation for these drastic changes. I am convinced that this move will compromise the integrity of these legislative institutions and therefore the Alabama Legislature. I engaged in extended debate, better known as filibustering. I was clotured (cut off of debate) twice and the bad bills passed anyway. I met the challenge of struggle but not the challenge of victory.
 Challenge # 6 – There is a proposal before the U. S. Congress to revive certain provisions in the Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.  The proposal is weak and does not cover Alabama and most other states with long histories of voting rights denial. I have to decide whether to support, oppose or try to change this anemic proposal as it travels through Congress. I had a conference call and read the Congressional bill and documents. I met the challenge.
Challenge # 7 – I had an important SOS conference call at high noon on Thursday and a Legislative Black Caucus lunch at the same time, where I was scheduled to make a presentation on the voting rights proposal. The challenge was to do both in the same time frame?  I resolved to participate in the conference call until the lunch meeting commenced. I grabbed some food and placed a chair in the hall. I ate as I participated in the conference call keeping a sharp lookout for the lunch meeting. The House of Representatives did not break for lunch so the meeting did not take place and I could not make a presentation.  The challenge was met by the change of circumstances.
Challenge # 8 – The Senate session resumed at 1 p.m.  However, I had a conference call at the same time with a federal judge and other key leaders in the Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation. I also had to vote several times on amendments to an important bill. I went into the Senate Caucus Room which is right back of the Senate Chambers.  I would put the phone on mute, run out to vote and return to the Caucus Room.  I did this several times, just making it each time as my name was called to vote.
Challenge # 9 – This Thursday was the 44th Anniversary of our marriage. In spite of all I had to do, I still celebrated the occasion. I skipped my usual early morning two mile walk to spend time with my dear wife of 44 years.  I went to the office and worked until 8:15 a.m.  I rushed to the radio station to participate on the Faya’s Fire radio program because Faya wanted to discuss our marriage on the air as an example to others. I also handled other matters and still made it to Montgomery in time for the 10 a.m. Senate Session. I was prepared to leave the Senate session early to spend a little more time with Faya on this anniversary but the Senate adjourned early. I rushed back to Selma to get a small gift and spend some time but Faya was stretched out.  She also had to keep five grandchildren on our Marriage Anniversary so an evening event was out of the question. I worked until 11:30 p.m.
These are just a few of the challenges I faced this week. I tried to meet each challenge.

EPILOGUE – The old folk had a saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”  People often tell me that they do not see how I do all that I do. In jest I say, “When we are crazy, we do not know our limitations so we keep exceeding them.” I understand that in every joke, there is a little truth.

 While economic freedom has reached record levels throughout the world, it continues to decline in the United States. That is the result of the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom calculated by the “Wall Street Journal” and the Heritage Foundation.
The Index has the United States in twelfth position, the only nation to have recorded a loss of freedom for each of the past seven years.  The key ingredients of economic freedom are personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete in markets, and protection of person and property.
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Index.  As in the past, Hong Kong ranks first in economic freedom. Others in the top ten are Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Canada, Chile, Mauritius, Ireland, and Denmark.
The Index comprises four major categories – rule of law, limited government, regulatory efficiency, and open markets – and 10 sub-categories. Let’s look at the United States.
In this country, rule of law guarantees property rights.  And the judiciary functions independently and predictably. But expansive use of government regulations to manage sectors such as finance, healthcare, and energy reduces economic freedom.
Several factors negatively affect the limited government category.  Total public debt is greater than GDP.  Higher taxes – top rates of 39.6 percent and 35 percent for personal and corporate taxes, respectively – impair economic freedom.
Regulatory efficiency has deteriorated significantly.  The overall cost of meeting regulatory requirements has increased by over $60 billion in the past five years.   Price distortions caused by government intervention have increased substantially.
The open markets category has declined because of barriers to the free flow of goods and services. The full effects of the onerous Dodd-Frank bill have not been fully felt.  And questions regarding rulemaking create business uncertainty.
Several European nations have reached new highs in economic freedom. Others, such as Estonia and the Czech Republic, are the most improved.  At the same time, the United States and the United Kingdom, historic champions of economic freedom, have suffered the most pronounced declines.
Economic freedom is important because it affects every aspect of life.  A high level of economic freedom leads to increased income, lower poverty, less unemployment, and longer life expectancy. In short, it improves well-being and leads to a higher quality of life.

Wayne Curtis, Ph.D., is a former superintendent of Alabama banks and Troy University business school dean.  He is retired from the board of directors of First United Security Bank. Email him at wccurtis39@gmail.com.

By Steve Flowers

Over the years some of you have inquired about the use of the filibuster in the halls of the U.S. Congress and Senate. The word itself is not something that the average citizen is familiar with or totally knowledgeable of its meaning. A filibuster is simply a fancy word for talking a piece of legislation to death. It is a dilatory tactic that senators use to delay a vote on a bill and hopefully tire out the proponents of a prospective law.
The filibuster is most times associated with the Senate. Under the parliamentary rules of both the U.S. Senate and the Alabama State Senate, the length of time that a senator can debate a bill is longer than the time limits allowed in the House of Representatives. Therefore, the filibuster is primarily orchestrated in the Senate. Our forefathers designed these rules to allow the Senate to be the more deliberative body. They wanted the upper chamber to be more like the British House of Lords.
The ability to filibuster has long been a part of Senate history. The best depiction of the senate filibuster is the scene portrayed by Jimmy Stewart filibustering for hours on the floor of the U.S. Senate in the famous movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
The legendary South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond holds the record for the longest talk-a-thon on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Thurmond stood on his feet for a talking record of 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act. Some of the topics he used in his historic filibuster were historic documents. He read from and recited the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and President George Washington’s farewell address.
The South has had some legendary and colorful political characters. Georgia had Gene Talmadge. Louisiana had Huey Long. Mississippi had Theodore Bilbo. We had Wallace and Folsom. Strom Thurmond is South Carolina’s contribution to the southern political folklore of our greatest politicians. Indeed, none of the above can match Strom’s endurance and longevity in the southern political arena.
Strom was born in 1902 in Edgefield, South Carolina. This small hamlet had amazingly produced several South Carolina governors before Strom. The most famous of which was the legendary populist “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman.
Strom studied at Clemson University and was first a teacher and superintendant of education. He then became a lawyer and quickly became a Circuit Judge. In 1947, he was elected Governor of South Carolina. He became a national figure a year later. In 1948, when Harry Truman insisted on promoting civil rights as a major plank in the Democratic Party platform, most of the southern delegates walked out of the Democratic Convention. They joined hands and created the Dixiecrat Party. Gov. Strom Thurmond became the presidential candidate of the Dixiecrat ticket. Thurmond and the Dixiecrats carried the Deep South states. However, Truman prevailed over Republican Thomas Dewey and captured the White House.
Strom was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1954. In 1964, he led the Republican Revolution in the South. His change to the Republican Party paved the way for the South’s transition to the Republican Party. He literally unscrewed his desk from the senate floor, picked it up and moved it from the Democratic side of the aisle to the Republican side of the aisle. His dramatic move was the beginning of the end of the Democratic South. The rest is history.
His ability to pick up and move a 200-pound antique senate desk illustrated his uncommon energy and legendary fitness. Strom did hundreds of sit-ups and pushups every day. He neither smoked nor drank. He did, however, like women. He fathered children into his mid 70’s and had a penchant for fondling women in the senate elevator.
Strom served as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. His tenure on the Armed Services Committee, coupled with his incomparable seniority allowed him to bring home the bacon to South Carolina.
He retired from the U.S. Senate in 2012 after having served a remarkable 48 years. Strom Thurmond was the oldest person to have served in Congress and was a Senate member longer than anyone else in U.S. history. He died at the age of 101 in his hometown of Edgefield.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears weekly in more than 70 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. He may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.