Authors
Brian
I’ll start out by saying my name is Brian LeCompte and no, I’m not French. I was born and raised in south Alabama. I earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University, where I met my lovely wife. After graduating we moved to Maryland and despite having a good time and meeting great people we wanted to get back to Alabama.
We moved back to Alabama in 2003 and ended up where many engineers seem to end up in Alabama: Huntsville. The Rocket City is a great place to raise a family, which is good since we have proceeded to have three fantastic children. It bears mentioning that a grand total of 29 months (2.4 years) separates the first and third child. In other words, my wife, who elected to stay home with them, is a saint.
As far as ideology goes, I’m a libertarian leaning Republican. I believe in personal and economic freedom. I love capitalism with a passion. I abhor government programs that attempt to overrule the axiom that there are no guarantees in life.
In order to stay informed I get my news from a wide range of sources. Both extremes of the spectrum have their own takes on the news of the day and the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. I’m something of a news and political junkie and this blog is both my hobby and my outlet.
Reactionary
Reactionary – a pejorative term used by lefties to describe conservatives. Edmund Burke, the Father of Conservatism, was called a ‘reactionary’. I embrace the term and use it as my pseudonym to let readers know my point of view from the start.
My name is Jay Hightower, born in New Orleans, raised in Huntsville. My family ties to Huntsville go back to a Tennessee Volunteer ancestor who rode through town with Andrew Jackson to fight the Creeks during the War of 1812.
I graduated from UAH and moved around (Boston, DC a couple of times, Iuka, New Orleans), but now I’m back in Huntsville.
I feel blessed to live in Alabama the Beautiful, and I do my part to conserve (and enjoy) our rich natural resources and heritage. I think it is a citizen’s responsibility to be involved in Government, and I campaign for a candidate each election: I’ve campaigned for Democrats like James Record, Steve Hettinger, and Anthony Williams (former DC Mayor); and Republicans like Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bob Riley.
Thanks to Brian for letting me guest blog with him on one of the best political blogs in Alabama.
Rep. Mike Ball
Mike’s bio (shamefully lifted from the AL legislative website):
Representative Mike Ball was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2002. He and his wife, Debbie, have three children – Chris, Cara, and Mandy, and a grandson, Jacob. Mike received his A.S. in Criminal Justice from Jefferson State Junior College and his B.S. in Political Science from Athens State University. He is a member of Asbury Methodist United Methodist Church in Madison.
Mike served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1973 to 1977 and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant. In 1978, he became an Alabama State Trooper, and served 8 years in the Highway Patrol Division. In 1986, he was assigned to serve in the Major Crimes Unit of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. In addition to his investigative duties, Mike also served as a Hostage Negotiator. He retired from the Alabama Department of Public Safety on January 1, 2003. After his retirement from the Department of Public Safety, Mike and his son Chris have operated the family business, Ball Roofing.
Mike also enjoys singing and playing mandolin with The Madison Mountaintop Band. A student of several musical instruments, he particularly enjoys improvisation with other “shade tree” musicians. [Comment from Brian: I highly recommend listening to Mike and his band if you get the opportunity.]
Dan
Long time readers of blogs about Alabama politics almost certainly know Dan Roberts. He ran a very popular blog known first as “Between the Links” and later as “Daily Dixie.” As Dan dedicated more and more time to legislative advocacy he took a hiatus from blogging. He later started his blog back up, only to realize that maintaining one involves a lot of overhead. After “detailed negotiations” Flashpoint bought out Daily Dixie. He now brings his unique brand of apartisan commentary and considerable knowledge about the mechanics of our state government here.
A native Alabamian, Dan joined the Marines as an air traffic controller after high school. Once he completed his service to our country he enrolled at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and later graduated with a degree in engineering
