BIRMINGHAM NEWS OPINION

Commentary and editorial pieces from the editorial writers at The Birmingham News

Luther Strange, who hopes to beat incumbent Attorney General Troy King in the June Republican primary, last week accused King of taking more than $190,000 in campaign contributions from gambling interests. "It's pretty straightforward," Strange said. "He made a commitment if he knew money was from gambling interests he would return the money. I want him to honor his... Full story »

In theory, it makes sense to reserve valuable prison space for the people who most need to be there because they are a threat to public safety. But in practice, it becomes troubling when certain classes of criminals -- that is, those who break the law in offices, with pencils or pens or computers -- escape the worst punishments... Full story »

Almost four years ago, I wrote a letter in The Birmingham News expressing displeasure over the deplorable condition of Interstate 65 southbound from the Gardendale/Fieldstown on-ramp to the Walker's Chapel exit (uneven and crumbling pavement). There was a promise of repairs to begin in 2008 and into 2009 to address these issues. Well, 2009 came and went, and, yes,... Full story »

More and more, Alabamians have come to the belief that state voters need a chance to say once and for all whether electronic bingo should be legal -- or not. It's impossible to say whether this is because of relaxed attitudes about gambling, or out of sheer exhaustion from the ruckus arising from the ongoing dispute about the legitimacy... Full story »

The thunderstorms that lashed Birmingham and dumped half a foot of rain on us this past week would make anyone long for a little sunshine. Something about absence making the heart grow fonder. If only the absence of government sunshine made our hearts grow fonder for transparency, and compelled us to do something about it. That's not really how... Full story »

By The Economist The announcement last week that Northrop Grumman and its European partner EADS were pulling out of a bid for a $35 billion contract to build air-refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force was no surprise. Northrop had said it would not contest the terms of the latest contract proposal, even though it thought they had been... Full story »

By FISHER HUMPHREYS On the death penalty, as on so many issues, Baptist minister and activist Will D. Campbell has been out in front of many of us. Perhaps you have heard the story about a debate he had on this subject. His opponent made a case for capital punishment that was reasoned, balanced and thorough. The moderator of... Full story »

By JULIE HEDGEPETH WILLIAMS It was a nagging mystery. Did one of the Wright Brothers live in Birmingham? My book about the Wright Brothers' flying school in Alabama, "Wings of Opportunity: The Wright Brothers in Montgomery, Alabama, 1910," examines the Wrights' Montgomery flying school through the eyes of the Alabama press, including the Birmingham Age-Herald. That newspaper noted tantalizingly... Full story »

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington described slavery as a necessary evil. They both knew it was wrong to enslave human beings, but they knew the practice was too much a part of society and the economy to go away quickly. They thought it would go away naturally with time. That is how I view our currently accepted practice of... Full story »

A high school diploma ought to mean something. Colleges and employers should have some common expectations of all high school graduates, wherever they may have gone to school. That is why a new proposal, backed by the nation's governors and top state school officials, for national standards in math and English deserves careful consideration. In those key areas, we... Full story »

One promise Mayor William Bell made when he was running for office was that his government would be more transparent. In other words, no backroom deals; everything would be open to the public. Bell certainly has alerted the watchdogs, both the media types and the gadfly types with that promise, so if he breaks it, we'll likely know. But... Full story »

There likely won't be a visit to the White House and face time with President Barack Obama, but that doesn't in any way diminish the national championship UAB's ethics bowl team won last week. The team, in just its second year of existence, beat last year's champion, Indiana University, then put away four more teams to take the title... Full story »

I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to all our friends and partners along the Gulf Coast who joined Mobile's fight to build America's next generation of refueling tankers here. I know we are all sickened by the way things played out: a Northrop Grumman victory, followed by a Boeing protest, completely changed specifications and, ultimately, Northrop's... Full story »

Electronic bingo's slated return to the Bessemer Cutoff might have been inevitable once a Jefferson County judge awarded custody of Gov. Bob Riley's gambling task force this week to Attorney General Troy King. King's views on the issue have been decidedly more favorable to the electronic bingo industry, and perhaps those in the business feel they face no threat... Full story »