In our third travel blog on the Gulf Shores, I wanted to share a few of our experiences with the local food and music. Once again, since we had only a couple days, this is a limited selection but it might be of a little assistance for anyone coming down to the Panhandle. We actually found a couple of terrific spots that you might want to try. Continue reading “Gulf Shores: Eating and Entertainment in the Panhandle”
Perhaps the most chilling aspect of the rising censorship in the United States is that countries like Germany (with histories of antagonism toward free speech) have criticized the trend as dangerous and wrong. While Democratic leaders and media figures have supported censorship, figures like Angela Merkel (long criticized for her attacks on free speech) have criticized moves like Twitter banning Trump. Now, Germany has fined YouTube for something that many on the left in the United States have supported: the removal of a video contesting Covid-19 limits. Continue reading “YouTube Fined By Germany For Removing Pandemic Protest Video”
We have previously discussed the continued failing of the public schools in preparing African American students for college or the workforce. I have specifically discussed the horrific figures coming out of Baltimore despite being one of the top districts in terms of per capita spending. Recent data now offers another chilling statistic: 41 percent of students in the Baltimore system have a 1.0 (D) GPA or less. Continue reading “Baltimore Public School Data Shows 41% of Students Have a 1.0 GPA or Less”
We have been discussing the rapid decline of American journalism. As news organizations adopt echo and advocacy journalism as models, the public has lost faith in the media as a source of information. This is coming at a time when journalism professors are arguing for the abandonment of objectivity as the touchstone of the journalism. The result is the death of American journalism as reporters frame the news to reaffirm their own views or that of insular groups. That decline is reflected in chilling detail in a new Gallup poll.
Continue reading “Gallup Poll: Only 21 Percent of Americans Trust Newspapers”
One of the things at the top of my list in visiting the Gulf Shore was a visit to Fort Morgan. As a military history nut, this is a visit that was an utter thrill. The fort drips with history. It was the most prominent focal point of the Battle of Mobile Bay. It was the scene for the great battle of the ironclads as well as Admiral David Farragut’s famed command of “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Though perhaps incorrectly chronicled, the battle was every bit as exciting and worthy as legend. Continue reading “Gulf Shores: Fort Morgan and the Commanding View of American History”
Free agent cornerback Richard Sherman has been arrested and notably denied bail in King County, Washington after a bizarre series of events overnight. The famed cornerback was arrested in connection to a hit-and-run but charged with burglary domestic violence, a charge that might not be familiar to many of our readers. It is a very serious charge and explains the initial denial of bail.
Maud Maron is a public interest lawyer who is now at the center of a firestorm in New York. A Bernie Sanders donor and public interest volunteer, she is the classic image of a Manhattan liberal. Maron is also someone with the type of resume that should bring pride to any school. She is a mother of four who graduated from Cardozo Law School and became a public defender with the Legal Aid Society. By every indication, she is a dedicated public interest lawyer. Her life changed, however, after, as a mother of four public school kids, she criticized the teaching of what is commonly referred to as critical race theory in public schools. That led to her colleagues labeling her a racist and demanding her removal. She has now filed a lawsuit that claims that she was effectively forced out of her job by fellow lawyers and the union. Continue reading “Lawyer Sues Legal Aid Society For Discrimination After Being Attacked For Her Criticism Of Critical Race Theory” 
The Gulf Shore area is of course famous for its beaches, but it has a remarkable array of things to do from hiking to historical sites to fishing to music. We only had a couple days to scratch the surface but it was overwhelming. Continue reading “The Gulf Shores: Fishing, Hiking, and Just Relaxing”
Dr. Leana Wen, CNN analyst and Distinguished Fellow at the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute of Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University, has caused a stir due to her recent declaration on CNN that “it needs to be hard for people to remain unvaccinated.” With France implementing a mandatory “health pass” and private companies like Morgan Stanley requiring vaccinations for employees to return to work, we can expect more protests and challenges around the world. Those cases are likely to focus on whether mandatory requirements are based on medical or political imperatives. Wen’s comment is likely to be repeated in many filings as another case of “saying the quiet part out loud.” She appears to advocate measures defined to coerce people to take vaccinations due to the continuing refusal of a sizable number of people. Continue reading ““It Needs To Be Hard For People To Remain Unvaccinated”: Making The Case For Covid Challenges”
As I mentioned yesterday, I came down to the Gulf Shores for a speech and I have decided to stay a couple days to explore this unique area. I am staying at The Lodge at Gulf Shores Park a unique property that I will be discussing later on the travel blog. I wanted to start with some pictures taken at dawn during a long walk down the beach running along the Gulf Shores Park. We had a heavy storm come through last night and the birds were out getting their breakfast. This is also a major sea turtle nesting area so you are given stickers to go over your phone lights (Baby sea turtles can confuse cellphone lights of the moon and head in the wrong direction). The beauty and sense of natural power of this place is overwhelming particularly on an abandoned beach at dawn. Continue reading “The Gulf Shores: The Jewel of Alabama”
Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the declaration of a gun violence emergency by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The centerpiece of Cuomo’s plan is a new law to allow victims of gun violence to sue gun manufacturers under a nuisance theory. If it sounds familiar that is because it is painfully familiar. It has failed repeatedly in various states, including New York. It is doubtful that Cuomo truly believes that the law will make a significant, if any, impact on gun violence. However, that is not the point. The point is the appearance of action, not the ultimate result of such action.
Here is the column: Continue reading “The Illusion of Action: Cuomo’s New Gun Manufacturer Liability Law is a Colossal Misfire”
Today I have the pleasure of addressing Alabama political and business leaders in Alabama as the keynote speaker at the Electric Cities of Alabama Conference. The conference is being held at the Lodge at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I will be speaking this morning on “Institutional Faith and Failure in the Age of Rage”, a discussion of how our institutions have functioned during these difficult times. Continue reading “Turley Speaks To Alabama Business and Political Leaders on The Gulf Shore”
There is a troubling case in Panguitch, Utah where a woman has reportedly been charged with a hate crime for allegedly “stomping on a ‘Back the Blue’ sign” at a gas station. There is a national movement to add attacks on police as a category of hate crime in various states. This case is an example of the serious free speech concerns raised by such prosecutions. Many of us find this conduct to be offensive and obnoxious. However, it is also a classic form of protest and political speech.
Continue reading “Utah Woman Charged with Hate Crime for Stomping on “Back The Blue” Sign”
We have been discussing the movement in journalism to discard out-dated notions of objectivity and define journalism as a form of advocacy. Now, Lauren Wolfe, the recently fired freelance editor for the New York Times, has not only gone public to defend her pro-Biden tweet but published a piece titled “I’m a Biased Journalist and I’m Okay With That.” It is a full-throated endorsement of the new journalistic model of open bias and advocacy. Indeed, Wolfe may have only been undone by her expressly declaring bias as opposed to reflecting bias in her writings.Continue reading “Former New York Times Editor: “I’m a Biased Journalist and I’m Okay With That.””
It is not uncommon for university professors to share their views on the curriculum of public schools. At least, that may have been the view of Jay Bergman, a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University, when he wrote to the state’s superintendents to criticize the inclusion of “1619 Project curriculum” in schools. Fellow professors have now asked for Bergman to be disciplined and even fired for expressing his views of the project, which is most associated with former New York Times writer and now Howard University Professor Nikole Hannah-Smith. Continue reading “Connecticut History Professor Under Fire for Objecting to 1619 Project in Public Schools”