By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 2, 2022 As I watch right-wing conservatives rail against gender identification education and African-American studies in public schools, I knew it was just a matter of time before they would ban the Bible as too vulgar and violent for young children to read. After all, Holy Bible contains graphic sexual content and gruesome scenes of violence, particularly in the Old Testament. On May 12, 2022, I published an article titled, "Is the Bible Too Graphic for Children Under 18." Now, we know that one public school district thinks so. Today, the 72,000 Davis School District north of Salt Lake City, Utah removed the Bible from its elementary and middle school libraries due to its vulgarity and violence. Historically, the Bible was available in Utah public school libraries as a resource book for students who are interested in comparative religious studies. The school district's ban on the Bible comes as conservative parent activists, including state-based chapters of the group Parents United, are descending upon school boards and statehouses throughout the United States, sowing alarm about how sex, violence, and racial matters are taught and discussed in public schools. Here are some of the Biblical passages that make right-wing conservatives uncomfortable with the Holy Book: 1. The Old Testament Contains X-Rated Descriptions of Sexual Conduct, Male Genitalia, Ejaculation, Gang-Raping of Female Prostitutes, Mutilating Female Bodies, Murder, Acts of Terrorism, and Stoning Deaths. In "The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)," published by Biblica, Inc. (Miami, 2014), there is a graphic discuss of sexual conduct, male genitalia, ejaculation, gang-raping women, mutilating female bodies, murder, and acts of terrorism in Ezekiel 23:1-48. Chapter 23 discusses the story of two daughters of the same mother, Oholah and Oholibah. Both gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem. Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was the Lord's chosen people. "She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her." Ezekiel 23:8. "They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword." Ezekiel 23:10. All of this happened to Oholah because "she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians -- warriors clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men and mounted horsemen." Ezekiel 23:5-6. "Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution, she was more depraved than her sister." Ezekiel 23:11. "When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from them in disgust, Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses." Ezekiel 23: 18-20. The New Living Translation (NTL) Study Bible, Second Edition, published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (Carol Stream, Illinois) uses the same language for Ezekiel 23:20: "She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey's and emissions like those of a horse." God was angry at Oholibah because of her prostitution and stirred up her lovers against her. "They will cut off your noses and your ears...". Ezekiel 23:25. "[Y]ou will tear your breasts." Ezekiel 23:34. "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut them down with their byword; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses." 2. The Bible Discusses the Use of Angelic Weapons of Mass Destruction. In 2 Kings 19:35, the Bible discusses how a single Angel of the Lord "went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning -- there were all the dead bodies." The Angel's execution of 185,000 soldiers in one night, whether justified or not, constitutes an act of "mass destruction." Apart from the Angel's execution of 185,000 Assyrians, the United States is the only nation in recorded history to inflict mass destruction on civilians. On August 6, 1945, America killed 100,000 Japanese civilians with a direct hit from an atomic bomb that was dropped over Hiroshima. An additional 100,000 residents of Hiroshima died from exposure to radiation after the blast. On August 9, 1945, America killed 40,000 Japanese civilians with a direct hit from a atomic bomb dropped over Nagasaki. On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered to American forces, thereby ending its role as an American enemy in World War II. Jesus had twelve legions of Angels at his disposal (Matthew 26:52), with about 3,000 Angels in a legion. Based upon 2 Kings 19:35, each one was capable of killing 185,000 people in a single event. Yet, Jesus never killed or harmed any man, woman, or child. Likewise, Jesus nor God ever commanded any person to kill in their names. Both commanded that, "Thou shall not kill." 3. Unlawful Sexual Relations In Leviticus 18:30, Moses lays out what he says is the Lord's list of "detestable customs that were practiced [by the Israelites]." In Chapter 20, Moses set forth the punishment for these sins. "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, .... [t]hey must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Leviticus 20:13. "If anyone curses his father and mother, he must be put to death." Leviticus 20:9. "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife -- with the wife of his neighbor -- both the adulterer and adulteress must be put to death." Leviticus 20:10. "If a man marries both a woman and her mother, ... Both he and they must be burned in the fire.... ". Leviticus 20:14. "If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, .... she must be burned in the fire." Leviticus 21:9. Of course, Jesus explained to his followers that the laws laid out by Moses in Leviticus were too harsh and that it was "not this way in the beginning." Matthew 19:8. What is more, Jesus never advocated the death penalty for any offense. He even stopped the stoning death of a woman who was accused of adultery, as commanded by the laws of Moses in Leviticus 20:10. See, John 8:2-11. 4. Innocent Wives and Children Were Killed for the Sins of Their Husbands/Fathers. In Daniel 6:24, the Bible discusses the story of Daniel, who was thrown into the lion's den. God protected Daniel from any injury and/or death by the lions. After Daniel was lifted out of the lion's den, "the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lion's den, along with their wives and children." Daniel 6:24. "And before they reached the floor, the lions over-powered them and crushed all of their bones." Id. Revised Versions of the Bible Toned Down Some of its X-Rated Sexual Content The reference in Ezekiel 23:20 to sexual organs of Olabah's lovers, "whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses," appears in other Bibles. For example, "The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures," published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (Penn. and New York, 2013), presents Ezekiel 23:20 this way: "She lusted after them like the concubines of men whose male members are like those of a donkey and whose genitals are like those of a horse." The publishers of other Bibles toned-down the graphic sexual content that is found in Ezekiel 23:20. For example, The Santa Biblia Holy Bible, King James Version, published by Hendrickson Publishers (Nashville, Tennessee, 2018), and the Holy Bible, published by Holman Bible Publisher (Peabody, Massachusetts, 2011), use this soft-core sexual language for Ezekiel 23:20: "For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses." The same toned down language for Ezekiel 23:20 appears in the Gideon Bible and many others. On a related subject, the Bible discusses "eunuchs" in the Book of Matthew. A "eunuch" is a castrated man -- a man without a penis and testicles. Jesus discussed this subject by saying: "For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others -- and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19:12. The most famous eunuch in America is Dr. George Washington Carver, the distinguished botanist and Tuskegee University professor who invented scores of commercial uses for the peanut. Dr. Carver was castrated by his slave-owner so that he could serve his white slave master in the mansion and around master's daughters. Should the Bible Be Banned for Children's Reading? In light of the graphic sexual content and violence depicted in Biblical scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, right-wing conservative Republicans seem to think the Bible should be banned for children under 18-years of age. The Bible ban in Utah public schools represents their latest victory in this growing book-banning movement. Lost in the debate over banning the Bible is this pertinent question: Is there a version of the Bible that is religiously-correct and suitable for children under 18? Finally, should Sunday schools teachers in Christian churches across America make references to the sexual and violent topics mentioned in this article when teaching the scripture to children under 18? [Author's Note: I am a life-long Christian. I was raised in the Baptist faith. My maternal grandfather, Rev. Willie Varnado, was a nationally-known black preacher in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was my Sunday School teacher, pastor, and Baptist Training Union instructor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama (USA) in the early 1950s. In the 1930s, Rev. Varnado's first cousin was lynched in Mississippi on a Sunday afternoon by a crowd of white Southern Baptists, who returned to their afternoon church service after hanging, shooting, and burning this lynching victim. Dr. King preached and practiced non-violence in every aspect of his life. Yet, Dr. King died on April 4, 1968 from a white assassin's rifle bullet to his head.]

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 4, 2023 An Editorial Opinion Because of: (a) basic engineering failures, (b) shoddy workmanship during construction, (c) $21 billion in cost overruns, (c) a political chokehold on the Georgia Public Service Commission, (e) cronyism and influence peddling within the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), (f) a calculated “wokeness” decision to hire Chris Womack as the Southern Company’s chief executive officer, and (g) direct political connections with President Joe Biden's White House, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the U.S. Department of Justice, it is highly probable that the Southern Company’s two newly constructed nuclear power units at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant will create the biggest nuclear disaster in the United States since the meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979. Vogtle has been a disaster in the making for Americans ever since the NRC issued a combined Owner/Operator licenses for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 on February 10, 2012. As explained in an April 18, 2023, article titled, “Is the Southern Company’s Vogtle Nuclear Power Project the New Three Mile Island?”, this disaster arises from the following contributing factors that have been documented by a team of nuclear experts: A culture of production over quality A culture of poor inspecting or non-inspecting of work High personnel turnover and absenteeism Significant work backlogs High first-time component testing failure rates, and Need for extensive rework and retesting. The list of major construction-related mistakes that Southern Nuclear Operating Company missed on the project management checkoff sheets for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 is staggering and dangerous. The shoddy workmanship and potentially catastrophic failures at the construction site fall within the five categories of instruction that are covered in basic high school industrial arts classes (e.g., Industrial and Engineering Drafting, Industrial Materials, Power and Energy, Information Industry, and Automation). Here are a few examples of these basic failures: 1. Approximately 8% of the original cabling that had been used in the construction needed to be recut/replaced, resulting in additional delays and costs to the project. As a result, approximately 500,000 linear feet of cable – equivalent to about 95 miles – had to be replaced. 2. Bolts that had been originally tightened had not been inspected at the time. So, each of those had to be loosened and then retightened to the specific torque value. 3. In 2022, there were some 26,000 electrical Inspection Records that had not been completed. While the work had been done, the inspection records weren’t complete at the time. The only explanation provided to the PSC for this faux pas was,“someone didn’t do their job.” 4. Bechtel, an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm hired by the Southern Company in 2017, and the Southern Nuclear Operating Company, the licensed operator and construction management firm for Vogtle Units 3 and 4, missed the engineering checkoff during construction for the installation of the structural support systems required to prevent Unit 3 from vibrating during start-up testing in January 2023. This costly mistake is analogous to installing a motor in a new car without installing motor mounts to keep the motor from vibrating and tearing loose from the car frame over time. The Vogtle Plant is jointly owned by Georgia Power (45.7%), Oglethorpe Power Corporation (30%), Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (22.7%) and Dalton Utilities (1.6%). The shoddy workmanship and remediation work at Vogtle Units 3 and 4 have resulted in $21 billion in cost overruns for the two construction projects, which were originally budgeted at $14 billion. Today, the total cost of the two Vogtle units is estimated at $31 billion. . All three of Georgia Power’s partners in Vogtle sued the company in 2022 over the issue of cost overruns associated with Units 3 and 4. Two of these lawsuits are still pending in court, while the one filed by MEAG was settled last year. The Southern Company’s Influence Peddling for the Vogtle Project is Obscene and Dangerous The Southern Company’s political influence peddling for the Vogtle project is obscene and dangerous. It also evidences the Southern Company's chokehold on state and federal utility regulators, as well as its ability to impede criminal investigations by the Department of Justice into the company's business affairs. In 2018, the Southern Company appointed Ernest J. Moniz to its board of directors. Moniz served as Secretary of the Department of Energy under President Barack Obama from May 2013 to January 2017. Moniz serves as the Southern Company’s direct link to President Joe Biden. The two men are buddies. His presence on the Southern Company’s board of directors also eases the way for final approvals needed from the Department of Energy. In October 2021, the Southern Company appointed Kristine L. Svinicki to its board of directors. Ms. Svinicki served as a Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2008 to 2017 and then served as Chairwoman of the Commission from 2017 to January 20, 2021. Her presence on the board eases the way for final approvals needed from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In 2020, the Southern Company appointed Colette D. Honorable to the board. Ms. Honorable served as Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The FERC regulates the wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce. The Commissions also reviews and licenses projects in the energy markets. Ms. Honorable was nominated by President Barack Obama in August 2014 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She served as a FERC Commissioner from January 2015 until her term expired in June 2017. Her presence on the Southern Company’s board of directors eases the way for any final approvals needed from the FERC. An Act of “Wokeness” is Used as a Bridge Over Troubled Waters The Southern Company is using its May 24, 2023 appointment of Christopher C. Womack as its CEO as a bridge over the troubled waters engulfing the Vogtle Units 3 and 4 projects. Womack, a legendary womanizer, has no college degrees, professional licenses, industry certifications, on-the-job training, or practical experience in any field of engineering or nuclear power generation. Yet, Womack has become the public face of the Vogtle projects with the White House and key federal regulatory agencies in Washington. Prior to his appointment as CEO of the Southern Company, Womack served as the CEO of Georgia Power for nearly three years. However, all major decisions involving Vogtle Units 3 and 4 during this period were made by former Southern Company CEO Thomas A. Fanning. Prior to his Georgia Power CEO position, all of Womack’s job experience in the Southern Company and its affiliates was gained in the external affairs and public relations divisions of the company.. The external affairs and public relations divisions of the Southern Company handle a variety of influence peddling activities, including: (a) doling out campaign contributions to greedy federal, state, and local politicians, (b) awarding sponsorship money to legislative caucuses like the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington and Dr. Joe L. Reed’s Alabama Democratic Conference in Montgomery, Alabama, and (c) giving out free private jet rides and tickets to sporting events and concerts to federal, state, and local elected and appointed politicians and regulators, their spouses, lovers, and mistresses. Former U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) is generally regarded as the greatest beneficiary of the Southern Company’s campaign money, free private jet rides, and free perks to federal politicians. Shelby never reported his private jet rides and other free perks. Shelby viewed them as a part of his Senatorial entitlement package, and the Southern Company willingly obliged him in this view. Christopher Womack’s appointment as CEO of the Southern Company was designed to curry favor with the Biden administration’s by supporting his political “wokeness” agenda at the expense of the legitimate and well-documented public safety concerns arising from the two deeply flawed nuclear power units at Vogtle. Womack's appointment as CEO of the Southern Company was a self-serving corporate personnel action that elevated a symbolic “feel good” moment over public safety. Nuclear Insurance and other Insurance Coverages for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 The Southern Company’s Form 10-K for 2022 states that the company’s “[o]peration of nuclear facilities involves inherent risks, including environmental, safety, health, regulatory, natural disasters, cyber intrusions, physical attacks, and financial risks, that could result in fines or the closure of the nuclear units owned by Alabama Power or Georgia Power and which may present potential exposures in excess of insurance coverage.” Page II-162 of the Form 10-K describes the Southern Company's basket of insurance coverages on Vogtle's nuclear power units. These insurance coverages are as follows: Under the Price-Anderson Amendments Act (Act), Alabama Power and Georgia Power maintain agreements of indemnity with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that, together with private insurance, cover third-party liability arising from any nuclear incident occurring at the companies' nuclear power plants. The Act provides funds up to $13.7 billion for public liability claims that could arise from a single nuclear incident. Each nuclear plant is insured against this liability to a maximum of $450 million by American Nuclear Insurers (ANI), with the remaining coverage provided by a mandatory program of deferred premiums that could be assessed, after a nuclear incident, against all owners of commercial nuclear reactors. Alabama Power and Georgia Power are members of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited (NEIL), a mutual insurer established to provide property damage insurance in an amount up to $1.5 billion for members' operating nuclear generating facilities. Additionally, both companies have NEIL policies that currently provide decontamination, excess property insurance, and premature decommissioning coverage up to $1.25 billion for nuclear losses and policies providing coverage up to $750 million for non-nuclear losses in excess of the $1.5 billion primary coverage. NEIL also covers the additional costs that would be incurred in obtaining replacement power during a prolonged accidental outage at a member's nuclear plant. Members can purchase this coverage, subject to a deductible waiting period of up to 26 weeks, with a maximum per occurrence per unit limit of $490 million. A builders' risk property insurance policy has been purchased from NEIL for the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4. This policy provides the Vogtle Owners up to $2.75 billion for accidental property damage occurring during construction. Claims resulting from terrorist acts and cyber events are covered under both the ANI and NEIL policies (subject to normal policy limits). The maximum aggregate that NEIL will pay for all claims resulting from terrorist acts and cyber events in any 12-month period is $3.2 billion each, plus such additional amounts NEIL can recover through reinsurance, indemnity, or other sources. A Nuclear Disaster at Vogtle Units 3 and 4 is Highly Probable. According to the Southern Companies website, Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 will be the first new nuclear units built in the United States in more than three decades, using the Westinghouse AP1000 advanced pressurized water reactor technology. Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC, which was the original EPC contractor for the Vogtle projects, went bankrupt working on Units 3 and 4. If properly completed, the Vogtle site is expected to produce enough carbon-free electricity to power more than 1 million homes. Georgia Power currently projects a Unit 3 in-service date later this month. Unit 4 is projected to be complete in either late 4th quarter of 2023 or 1st quarter of 2024. Vogtle Unit 3 reached 100% power on May 29, 2023, marking a major landmark toward commercial operation. This event marked the maximum energy the unit is licensed to produce in the reactor core and is the first time the unit has reached its expected output of approximately 1,100 electric MW, which can power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses. Once all startup testing is successfully completed and properly verified and validated, Vogtle Unit 3 will enter commercial operation. Unit 4 completed hot functional testing on May 1, a significant step for the new unit ahead of initial fuel load. The Vogtle site team is now focused on completing the remaining work necessary to submit documentation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that all inspections, tests, and analyses have been performed and all acceptance criteria, collectively known as ITAACs, have been met on Vogtle Unit 4 as required by Southern Nuclear Operating Company’s Combined Operating License. This is a Southern Company self-certification process. Each ITAAC closure notice must be verified by the NRC before fuel can be loaded into the reactor. On July 29, 2022, Southern Nuclear announced that all Unit 3 ITAACs had been submitted to the NRC. A mere five days later, on August 3, 2022, the NRC found that the acceptance criteria in the combined license for Unit 3 had been met. This allowed nuclear fuel to be loaded into Unit 3 and start-up testing to begin. Fuel load for Unit 3 was completed on October 17, 2022. Unit 3 Started Vibrating During Testing in January and Had to be Shut Down In January 2023, the Southern Company started up Vogtle Unit 3 to perform criticality testing. The Unit started vibrating during the testing and had to be shut down. Incredibly, the Bechtel/Southern Nuclear construction team failed to install the support systems specified in the original engineering plans and specifications to prevent this disastrous event from occurring. This construction flaw was dangerous and inexcusable. As expected, then-CEO Thomas Fanning downplayed this construction flaw and testing failure during his February 2023 earnings call with Wall Street analysts. An Independent Engineering Review of Vogtle Units 3 and 4 is Needed The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should pause its final approval of the Vogtle project until there has been an independent inspection and thorough review of: (a) all Front End Loaded engineering plans and specifications and major component equipment packages, (b) all EPC construction work, (c) all identified flaws in the construction, (d) all remedial work and documentation of work completion, and (e) all operational systems, safety systems, safety protocols, operating manuals, and personnel training by a qualified, capable, and independently chosen panel of nuclear experts. Based upon the troubled history of the construction projects at Vogtle Units 3 and 4, the Southern Company lacks the trustworthiness to self-certify its full compliance with all applicable NRC licensure regulations. Considering the sheer size, scope, and complexity of the Units 3 and 4 projects, and given the history and extent of the engineering flaws and shoddy workmanship at these units, there is no way the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can thoroughly perform a high-quality inspection of the engineering, procurement, and construction work performed by Bechtel/Southern Nuclear in time to bring Unit 3 online this month -- without compromising public safety in a major way. This is exactly why the meltdown at Three Mile Island happened. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission yielded to political pressure from Three Mile Island's owner/operator and, in the process, compromised the soundness and safety of the nuclear plant's operations. The NRC promised that this kind of political influence peddling would never happen again. However, all the objective evidence to date suggests that the Southern Company prowess at influence peddling is strong enough to cause the NRC to break this 1979 promise. Interestingly, the NRC has not scheduled an evidentiary hearing on two February 3, 2023, complaints relating to the Southern Company's ownership and operation of Units 3 and 4, even though the complainants requested such a hearing prior to the issuance of the final operating permits for Units 3 and 4. The complaints challenged the Southern Company’s “fitness” to hold a combined Owner/Operator licenses for Vogtle Units 3 and 4. When the licenses were issued for these units, the NRC explicitly found that the applicants were "fit" to hold the licenses for these nuclear plants, which is a requirement for licensure under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (as amended). Because of the Southern Company's massive $27 billion accounting fraud scheme and its multi-state racketeering enterprise, the company is no longer "fit" as licensees of a nuclear power plant in America. Additionally, it does not appear that any panel of credible and capable independent nuclear experts has been appointed by the NRC to review and assess: (a) the innumerable construction flaws, (b) the purported remediation work, (c) the installation of adequate safety devices and required redundancy systems, (d) the long-term and objectively measured reliability and dependability of each unit’s commercial operation, and (e) the adequacy of employee safety and training, plant safety protocols and procedures, and operational controls at Units 3 and 4. Because the probability of a catastrophic disaster event at Units 3 and 4 is so high, all counties, cities, and communities within a 100-mile radius of Vogtle should be made aware of a NRC-approved “Disaster Plan” that sets forth an evacuation plan and describes what steps affected residents must take to minimize the loss of life when the nuclear disaster occurs at Units 3 and/or 4 prior to Unit 3 being placed into service. This has not happened. Vogtle is One Hot Mess for All Involved With more than 9,000 construction jobs at its peak and more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operation, Vogtle 3 and 4 is currently the largest jobs-producing construction project in Georgia. Operating 24/7/365, nuclear energy facilities produce more than half of all U.S. carbon-free electricity. The Southern Company claims that Vogtle will play an essential role in supporting its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. If Units 3 and 4 are properly completed, the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant is expected to be the largest carbon-free generating asset in the country. For this reason, President Joe Biden is eager to showcase the Vogtle project as one of the Crown Jewels in his clean energy political program. The Southern Company has placed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under extreme political pressure to get Units 3 and 4 approved for commercial operation. The company has subjected the Commission to non-stop influence peddling to secure the final authority needed to place Unit 3 in commercial service this month. The Southern Company’s artificially high stock price, which is propped up by a long-running, massive $27 billion accounting fraud scheme, depends upon this event happening, quickly. In 2017, the Southern Company, which is boggled down with $63 billion in fixed and credit facility debt, began faking profitability in the hope that it could bring Vogtle Units 3 and 4 online quickly, despite the faulty engineering work and shoddy workmanship at the construction site. The company even implemented a practice of borrowing money to pay consistent quarterly dividends in increasing amounts -- a practice that is expected to continue through 2025. Privately, the Southern Company’s mantra since 2017 has been to “fake it ‘til you make it.” Politics in Washington have now overtaken public safety in Georgia. As a result, the lives of residents in and around Waynesboro, Georgia will certainly be lost when the catastrophic disaster occurs at Vogtle Units 3 and/or 4. At this juncture, the NRC seems to be focused on regulatory approvals that have more to do with propping the Southern Company’s stock prices and appeasing the Biden administration than providing public safety at Vogtle. This is one hot mess for everybody involved in the Vogtle Units 3 and 4 projects. Finally, I want the record to reflect that I did everything within my power as an independent journalist to prevent a highly probable catastrophic nuclear disaster at Vogtle. We will see if the Nuclear Regulatory Commission does the same.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 5, 2023 On May 24, 2017, I published an article on former Birmingham, Alabama city council member Marcus Lundy, Jr. He is an incredibly gifted, talented, focused, and successful business leader. Marcus is also a wonderful human being. I admire and respect Marcus a lot. When I published my 2017 article on Marcus, I knew it was time for him to leave the city council and move on to the big stage of global business. On the big stage, Marcus could favorably impact a growing network of strategic business alliance partners, as well as the African-American community, through direct economic empowerment in the private sector. Yesterday, Marcus and I caught up with each other by phone for the first time in 6 years. I checked in with him to see how he was doing. I was very pleased to learn that Marcus had continued his personal and professional growth in a big way since we last talked 6 years ago. Today, Marcus serves as Vice President and Global Head of Supplier Sustainability and Supplier Diversity for Capital Group Companies. Capital Group ranks among the world’s oldest and largest investment management organizations, with over $2.2 trillion in assets under management (as December 31, 2022). Like JPMorgan Asset Management, with $2.4 trillion under management in 2022, and Goldman Sachs, with $2.5 trillion under management in 2022, Capital Group is in the "Big-Boy" league of asset managers. Marcus has earned the right to play in this league of international financial giants. Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1931, Capital Group is privately owned. The firm has more than 9,000 employees working in 32 offices around the globe in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Prior to joining Capital Group in February of 2022, Marcus served as Senior Vice President, Supplier Diversity at Regions Bank. Earlier in his career, Marcus held senior executive leadership roles at Wells Fargo Advisors, Wachovia Securities, and AmSouth Investments. In 1998, Marcus earned a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. He further studied at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, completing the Emerging Leaders program in 2015. In 2022, Marcus attained a master’s in Management and Leadership from Campbellsville University. Marcus served as a former Birmingham City Council Member from 2013 to 2017. I am very proud of Marcus Lundy, Jr.! He is on a personal and professional growth trajectory that will reach or exceed his ultimate goals in international business. Reprinted below is the original May 24, 2017, article I published on Marcus Lundy, Jr. ******************************** Thank You, Marcus Lundy, Jr. By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on May 24, 2017 On Tuesday, my friend and protégé, Marcus Lundy Jr., announced that he would not seek re-election to his Birmingham, Alabama, city council seat. The announcement took many city residents, public officials, and local political observers by surprise. I met Marcus over 25 years ago. We met while I was serving as the special legal counsel to Birmingham Mayor Richard Arrington, Jr., the city’s first black mayor. In 1992, our discussions focused on Marcus’ interest in participating in the political process as an elected official. That year, Alabama was on the verge of electing its first black congressman since the Reconstruction era. I used this exciting event as an opportunity to mentor Marcus on the "in” and “outs” of Alabama politics and on how to serve a political constituency group responsively and responsibly. Based upon Marcus’ intellectual acumen, integrity, and leadership ability, I could tell that this graduate of West End High School and Alabama A&M University was a rising star. He was already preparing himself for an executive management career in the financial services and information technology industries. At the time, very few blacks were pursuing executive careers in these highly competitive industries. Marcus questioned me extensively about my service as an elected official from 1979 to 1983. He knew that I was the youngest councilman elected to serve on the Montgomery city council. I defeated a popular incumbent and four other challengers by garnering 70% of the votes cast in my district. I served only one-term even though I could have easily won re-election. I advised Marcus that the best way to have the maximum positive impact as a public official is to serve only one term. This self-imposed term limitation frees up the officeholder to place the public interest ahead of his/her personal interest in getting re-elected. It also minimizes the ability of major campaign donors to “buy” the heart and soul of a public official during a re-election campaign. I suggested to Marcus that he secure his family’s financial future prior to running for public office. He did just that in the banking and technology industries where Marcus has served as a vice president of education and workforce development at the Birmingham Business Alliance, as founder and president of Cardinal Resource Group, and as a senior management executive at Wells Fargo Advisors, Wachovia Securities, AmSouth Investments, BE&K, NorthStar Communications, ViaTech Staffing, and CSX Railroad. On October 8, 2013, Marcus was elected to the Birmingham City Council. He represents neighborhoods in the Pratt City Community and parts of the Ensley, Smithfield and North Birmingham Communities. As a Birmingham city council member, Marcus chairs the Economic Development, Budget and Finance Committee and is a member of the Administration/Technology, Governmental Affairs, and Environmental Justice Committees. When Marcus was elected in 2013, I knew that he would only serve one four-year term in office. During this period, Marcus’ public service to his district and the city of Birmingham has been outstanding. Marcus led the council in transparency, accountability, and high ethical standards. Several city officials are currently under state and federal grand jury investigation, but Marcus Lundy, Jr., is not one of them. Several months ago, Marcus reminded me that he would not be seeking re-election. He made this decision official on Tuesday. Marcus’ career in the banking and financial services industry is wide open for his upward mobility. His management-level credentials have been earned in one of the toughest and most regulated financial industries in the world. They are impressive and impeccable. I expect to see Marcus Lundy, Jr., acquire, own, and operate a Birmingham-area bank within the next 5 to 10 years. If and when he does, Marcus will become only the second black person in the history of Alabama to own a full-service, state chartered, FDIC-insured bank. The first black person acquired his state-issued bank charter -- for Alamerica Bank in Birmingham -- in January 2000. I am proud of Marcus Lundy, Jr., for his dedicated service to the city of Birmingham. He is an exceptional leader and wonderful role model for his family and community. I expect Marcus to continue climbing the mountain of success. His best and greatest contributions to society have yet to be rendered. Thank you, Marcus Lundy, Jr., for a job well done. ************************************************* Marcus Lundy, Jr., is a rising superstar in the world of global business. Marcus will continue to make forward-thinking Americans of interracial goodwill very proud of him. We wish Marcus nothing but continued success!

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 8, 2023 An Editorial Opinion Gauging the level of public corruption within President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice is fairly easy to do. Just pay attention to the indicators below: 1. The only reason Hunter Biden has not been indicted on tax evasion and public corruption charges is because his father, Joe Biden, is the president of the United States. If Hunter was not a Biden family member, he would have been indicted, tried, and convicted by now. 2. The only reason no top official at the Southern Company, Wells Fargo Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, or First Republic Bank has been indicted, tried, and convicted on financial fraud and/or racketeering charges is because rich Wall Street corporations can buy their way out of criminal prosecutions in Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice. “Cash register” justice is the name of the game with Merrick Garland. It all boils down to Garland’s mantra, “show me the money.” The only exception to this "show me the money" rule is Donald Trump's criminal case. In Garland's view, Trump must be prosecuted at all costs. Furthermore, it is generally recognized in Washington circles that Merrick Garland is the most useless Attorney General in modern history. He always seems to be missing-in-action. 3. The only reason Jay Town, the former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, has not been indicted on obstruction of justice charges is because Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice goes out of its way to protect crooked federal prosecutors. Garland prefers to accept the hasty resignation of a crooked prosecutor, as opposed to prosecuting him/her. 4. The only reason Abdul K. Kallon, the former U.S. District judge for the Northern District of Alabama, has not been indicted for his shady role in the North Birmingham Bribery Scheme is because Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice is far more corrupt than Kallon. The Department allowed Kallon to resign his judgeship in order to escape a criminal prosecution. 5. The only reason U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has not been indicted for bribery, tax evasion, and public corruption is because Merrick Garland knows that Joe Biden and his family members are far more corrupt than Clarence Thomas. Garland cannot prosecute Clarence Thomas without prosecuting Joe Biden. 6. The only reason federal prosecutor Brenda K. Morris was not fired and prosecuted for her judicially determined prosecutorial misconduct while she led the public corruption trial of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is because the Department of Justice protects crooked federal prosecutors. In fact, Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to Donald Trump’s criminal probe, thought so much of Ms. Morris that he added her to the federal prosecution team that tried and lost a high-profile public corruption case against Alabama-based gaming icon Milton McGregor and his co-defendants. In our view, Attorney General Merrick Garland is as crooked as John N. Mitchell, who appears in the feature photo to this article. Mitchell served as Attorney General under President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1972. Mitchell was indicted, tried, and convicted for his role in the infamous Watergate break-in. He served 19 months in a federal prison camp at Maxwell Air Force Base for his crimes. Today, Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice, including the Christopher Wray-led Federal Bureau of Investigation, is far more weaponized and corrupt than it was during the COINTELPRO and Watergate eras (1956 to 1972). Merrick Garland, himself, is traveling down the same path that landed John Mitchell in jail.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 8, 2023 “Let your work speak for you .... and you’ll never have to say anything about yourself.” -- Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D. This quote has been the Watkins family mantra for six generations. My oldest brother, Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., practiced it religiously. Levi's journey from "VU Med School Get's 1st Negro" to the dedication of The Levi Watkins, Jr. M.D. Outpatient Center at Johns Hopkins Medical Center has been an amazing experience for our family. Levi, Jr., who died in 2015, became a world-renowned heart surgeon whose implantable defibrillator has kept more than three million hearts beating in a regular rhythm since he made medical history at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1980 by co-developing and implanting the first automatic defibrillator in a heart patient. The Watkins family is proud of Levi, Jr., and his pioneering work in cardiovascular surgery. He lives on in every patient who has an implantable defibrillator keeping him/her alive. Today's dedication of The Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D. Outpatient Center at the John Hopkins University Medical Complex is an extreme honor for Levi, Jr., and the Watkins family. It was also a historic event for one of the world's premier medical institutions. The dedication ceremony was attended by several immediate Watkins family members. This was the fifth dedication of a major building in America that bears the name of a Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family member. The Watkins family has always been and will continue to be "Bridge Builders" in American society.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 9, 2023 An Editorial Opinion Yesterday, Donald Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami on 37 counts of violating federal laws governing the handling and retention of classified government documents. Trump has been summons to court in Miami for his first hearing on Tuesday at 3 p.m. EST. Can Trump win this criminal case? Yes, but not with the defense team that presently represents him. They do not have the experience or talent level for winning this kind of criminal case. If you look at the biographies of the attorneys on Donald Trump’s defense team, you will notice that these lawyers are virgins who have no experience in defending individuals whom the federal government considers as political "ramble-rousers," "trouble-makers," and “outcasts.” Trump is viewed by Joe Biden’s Department of Justice as a political "trouble-maker" and "outcast" who must be taken down. What is worse, Trump’s lawyers do not even mention their win-loss record in criminal cases that have gone to trial. The reason for this glaring omission is obvious -- these lawyers DO NOT have impressive win-loss records in criminal trials that gone to trial and resulted in "Not Guilty" verdicts. Donald Trump’s case is one where losing is NOT an acceptable option. Yet, he is entering the fray with a defense team that is woefully unprepared for this kind and caliber of Blitzkrieg fighting. Representatives Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), James Comer (R-Kentucky), and other political gunslingers in Washington cannot win the Miami criminal case for Trump. His lawyers must win it for him in the courtroom. I am NOT optimistic for Donald Trump. As the record-holder for winning the most felony counts (85) in a single-defendant, high-profile, federal criminal case (U.S. v. Richard Scrushy), I have noticed that Trump’s defense team has already blown at least two excellent chances to disqualify Jack Smith as Special Counsel and tank his criminal cases against Trump. These missed opportunities occurred because Trump’s lawyers lack the skills, training, and experience necessary for this kind of “gladiator” fighting. Frankly, I have NOT seen one iota of evidence that convinces me that Trump’s defense team knows how to fight and win this federal criminal case. Unless Donald Trump gets the right defense team in this case very soon, he will suffer a long, expensive, emotionally painful, physically draining, gut-wrenching experience and devastating outcome in his court battles with Jack Smith in Miami and Washington.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 10, 2023 An Analysis and Editorial Opinion Yesterday, I reviewed the 38-count Indictment in Donald Trump’s criminal case involving Trump’s mishandling and retention of classified documents. Thirty-seven of the counts were leveled at Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta. An additional count was charged against Nauta, alone. Since Thursday, I have been watching the talking heads on TV discussing both sides of the case. They are clueless about the pretrial and trial process in Trump’s case. They know even less about the trial strategies for each side. None of these talking heads has acknowledged that Special Counsel Jack Smith will be indicting Trump in Washington on charges relating to the January 6th Insurrection, as well. This second Trump indictment is called "prosecutorial redundancy." It gives Smith two bites at the apple. In August, Trump will be indicted by Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D-Atlanta) on voter fraud charges. In April, Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs (D-New York) on charges stemming from a “hush money” scheme involving $130,000 in secret payments Trump made to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 while he was a candidate for the presidency. The state and federal indictments are designed to wear Trump out, imprison him, and kill-off Trump's 2024 presidential campaign by prosecutorial triangulation. Donald Trump is now the “target” of an all-out, well-coordinated state and federal Blitzkrieg. This is a "do or die" moment in time for Trump. Jack Smith is Leading a Coordinated Blitzkrieg Against Trump I saw Jack Smith’s news conference on Friday, where he took no questions. As discussed in my November 25, 2022 article titled, “Jack Smith: Too Flawed to Serve as Special Counsel in Trump’s Case,” Smith's soiled reputation and sordid history as the former head of the Office of Public Integrity makes him unfit for the Special Counsel’s job in Trump’s case. I do not respect Jack Smith as a federal prosecutor. My lack of respect for Smith goes back to the criminal case of U.S. v. Milton McGregor, et. al., Cr. No. 2:10-cr-186-MHT (M.D. Ala., 2010-2011). This case is discussed in detail in my November 25, 2022, article. Excerpts from my emails to Jack Smith on behalf of my client, Milton McGregor, are reprinted in this article. They speak for themselves. On October 4, 2010, Jack Smith charged McGregor and ten other defendants in a 39-count Indictment with committing 138 federal felony offenses, including conspiracy, federal program bribery, extortion, money laundering, honest services mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and making a false statement. After a trial and retrial, Jack Smith lost on all counts and all listed offenses against Milton McGregor and seven of the defendants who chose to go to trial. Three of the defendants pled guilty prior to the first trial. During the criminal proceedings, Jack Smith openly embraced two flaming racists -- Alabama state Sen. Scott Beason and state Representative Ben Lewis -- as instigators of the underlying FBI investigation and as cooperating government witnesses during the trial. Beason's and Lewis' racism, which was grossly repugnant, was captured on audiotapes. Jack Smith has also proven to me that he is capable of destroying innocent lives, without blinking an eye. The emotional stress that Smith placed on one of the McGregor case defendants – Ray Crosby -- caused him to suffer a heart attack and die on the eve of his retrial. Based upon what I witnessed in McGregor's case, destroying innocent lives is Jack Smith’s only area of expertise. Trump’s Criminal Case is Winnable Jack Smith’s criminal case against Donald Trump can be won by Trump, but not with his current defense team. They do not have the litigation skills, deep of experience, or win-loss record for defending this kind of high-profile, politically complex criminal case, where losing is not an acceptable option. It is important to remember that Jack Smith only needs to win one of the 37 counts against Donald Trump. If this occurs, Trump will likely be sent to a federal prison camp for at least 5 years. Trump's criminal defense lawyers must win an acquittal on all 37 counts against their client. This is a very tall order. A mistrial will not suffice in this case for many reasons, including the emotional and physical stress of the ordeal on Trump and the adverse impact that a retrial would have on his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump must achieve total victory against a cold, hardcore, federal prosecutor who benefits from a structurally rigged federal criminal justice system. Remember, whenever the trial judge and prosecutors get paid from the same source (i.e., the U.S. Department of the Treasury), there is a built-in conflict of interest. During my representation of former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy in U.S. v. Richard Scrushy (2003 to 2005), federal prosecutors started out with an 85-felony count Indictment against Scrushy. Using laser-guided pretrial motions, my defense team reduce the number of counts from 85 to 58. We went to trial in 2005 on 36 counts and won all of them. The remaining 22 counts were characterized as forfeiture counts that would have only come into play if we had lost any one of the 36 counts involved in Scrushy's criminal trial. In Donald Trump’s classified documents case, Jack Smith has added one more count to our record-breaking win of 36 counts in Scrushy's trial -- a record that still stands today. By raising the number of trial counts to 37, Smith is trying to make it nearly impossible for Trump's legal to win his case. Jacking up the number of counts is one more legally permissible way for Smith to rig the criminal justice process against Trump. It took an incredible amount of focus, energy, resources, and litigation skills for my defense team to go from 85 counts to 58 in Richard Scrushy’s case, then from 58 counts to 36, and finally, from 36 to 0 counts. In my opinion and with all due respect, Donald Trump's criminal defense team lacks this level of trial skills, knowledge, ability, and experience. The Art of Inspiring "Jury Nullification" Regardless, there is one tool left for Donald Trump to win his criminal case in Miami. It’s called “jury nullification.” This tool has been used in many high-profile cases, particularly in the South. I have successfully used “jury nullification” in cases that many inexperienced legal pundits thought could not be won. This is why I rarely listen to lawyers who do not try criminal cases to verdict on a regular basis. A lawyer’s win-loss record in the “gladiator pit” still matters to me. Under “jury nullification,” trial jurors are permitted to use their common sense to: (a) determine the facts of the case, (b) apply the applicable law, as provided by the trial judge, to those facts, and (c) decide whether Donald Trump is the “victim” of a politically motivated prosecution this is being carried-out by Jack Smith. If trial jurors believe that Smith’s motivation for prosecuting Trump is political, they are free to ignore all of the prosecution’s witnesses, documents, photos, and audio-recordings and render a verdict in Trump’s favor on all 37 counts. If jurors render “jury nullification,” there is nothing President Joe Biden, Attorney General Garland Merrick, Special Counsel Jack Smith, FBI Director Christopher Wray, or the assigned trial judge can do about it. Trump’s case would end with “Not Guilty” verdicts, all of which must be unanimous – 37 times. There is a specific technique for identifying potential “jury nullification” candidates for Trump’s trial jury. For example, subservient people are not well-suited to render “jury nullification” verdicts. They are often too docile to go against mean-looking federal prosecutors. There is also a detailed profile of the best candidates in the jury pool for “jury nullification.” Extensive body language skills are also needed in this juror identification process. Additionally, there is a specific process for getting high-quality “jury nullification” candidates into the jury pool from which 12 trial jurors and 2-4 alternates will be chosen in Donald Trump’s case. Finally, Donald Trump’s success at implementing “jury nullification” will depend largely upon: (a) the courage of his lawyers, (b) the manner, degree and level of their trial preparation, and (c) the flawless execution of their client's “jury nullification” strategy. Stay tuned for more analyses in the high-stakes criminal case of U.S. v. Donald J. Trump, et. al.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 11, 2023 An Analysis and Editorial Opinion Donald J. Trump caught a huge break when U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Mercedes Cannon was assigned to preside over his 37-count classified documents case. Cannon, who was born in Cali, Columbia in 1981 to a Cuban refugee mother and an American father, is a pro-Trump judge who demonstrated her loyalty to the former president during the judicial proceedings that challenged the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago in August of 2022. The Department of Justice appealed Cannon’s unprecedented and controversial decisions to intervene in the criminal investigation and appoint an independent special master to review the documents seized in the raid. The ultra-conservative 11th Circuit Court of Appeals severely rebuked Cannon for her intervention in the criminal investigation of Trump case. However, Cannon was not fazed by this smackdown. Judge Cannon is expected to kill this criminal case and free Donald Trump from all 37 felony charges pending against him. Here is why and how: Trump Ramrodded Cannon’s Judgeship Confirmation in Congress After His 2020 Defeat In June 2019, the office of Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) indicated to Cannon that he was considering her for a position of United States district judge. Rubio and Cannon are politically compatible Floridians of Cuban descent. Cannon expressed interest that month, and subsequently was interviewed by representatives for Senator Rubio and Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida). On May 21, 2020, at age 39, Cannon was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. On July 29, 2020, a hearing was held before the United States Judiciary Committee on Cannon’s nomination. On September 17, 2020, Cannon’s nomination was reported out of committee by a 16–6 vote. On November 12, 2020, the United States Senate confirmed Cannon’s nomination by a 56–21 vote. She received her commission on November 13, 2020. Cannon Owes Her Lifetime Federal Judgeship to Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott Aileen Cannon owes her lifetime federal judgeship to Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott. Her nomination should have died with Trump’s defeat on November 3, 2020. Thanks to incredible political work by Trump, Rubio, Scott, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, Aileen Cannon became a federal judge for life. Understandably, Aileen Cannon is a Trump loyalist. Trump and his Republican allies rammed Cannon’s May 2020 nomination through Congress after Trump had lost the election. By doing this, Trump demonstrated his undying loyalty to Cannon, first. Under these unique facts and political circumstances, Judge Cannon does not give a damn about her relationship with her fellow judges on the federal bench in Miami, or her judicial reputation, or the lofty opinions of lawyers who practice in the federal criminal justice system regarding her handling of Trump's case. Judge Cannon grew up in Miami. Within Cannon's Cuban-American heritage and culture , loyalty to those who show their loyalty first trumps all other considerations. Donald Trump did that for Cannon. What is more, Judge Cannon has her eye on an appointment to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. She has been a member of the ultra-conservative Federalist Society since 2005. Cannon will likely be Clarence Thomas’ replacement on the Supreme Court, if Trump wins the 2024 presidential election. She is cut from the same cloth as Thomas. Killing Jack Smith’s Case Against Trump is Easy There are several ways Judge Cannon can easily kill Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against Donald Trump. Here are a few: First, Cannon can delay the proceedings forever by making rulings that can't be appealed. Second, Cannon can limit or exclude crucial evidence by saying it was wrongfully gathered or not relevant. She can also exclude statements made by Trump by simply finding that they were campaign rhetoric and hyperbole, or that they are “too prejudicial.” Third, Cannon can limit the testimony of national security experts and/or government archivist, which she will surely do. Fourth, after she cripples Jack Smith’s case through her restrictive evidentiary rulings, Judge Cannon can push the case toward a trial and impanel a jury. Once the jury is impaneled, Cannon can grant Trump’s motion to dismiss the charges. Granting such a motion would end the case. Double jeopardy would prevent Smith from retrying Trump on the 37 charges in this Indictment. Finally, Judge Cannon can grant Trump a directed verdict of acquittal at the end of the government's case, or at the end of all evidence presented by the government and the defense. Only the truly naïve among us believe that today’s federal judges make judicial decisions in high-profile political cases based upon the law and facts. In truth, cases of this nature in federal courts across the nation are decided by: (a) the parties’ political affiliations, (b) the political affiliation and socio-economic agenda of the trial judge, and (c) the amount and nature of ex parte contact with the trial judge. Ex parte messages to federal trial judges are usually back-channeled through the U.S. Senators from the nominee's state who sponsored his/her judgeship. In Cannon’s case, this would be Senator Marco Rubio. Senator Rick Scott would be the backup messenger. Sometimes the backchannel messenger is the judge’s financial benefactor, as is the case with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. Billionaire Harlon Crowe is Thomas’ handler. Based upon Judge Cannon's previous rulings in Donald Trump's case, she will not need much in the way of backchannel messaging. Cannon already knows what her mission is, and what political plume awaits her. Judge Aileen Cannon will NOT disappoint Donald Trump and his political supporters. The "Death Knell" Playbook for Judge Cannon The "death knell" playbook for Judge Cannon to restrict evidence and throw out the entire case against Donald Trump was developed and successfully implemented by former Birmingham, Alabama U.S. District Court Judge U.W. Clemon in the case of U.S. v. Don Siegelman, Paul Hamrick, and Phillip Bobo (2004). On May 27, 2004, Siegelman was indicted by a federal government in Birmingham for fraud. The day after his trial began in October 2004, prosecutors were forced to drop all charges against Siegelman and Hamrick after Judge Clemon threw out much of the prosecution's evidence. Clemon, a longtime Democratic power-player, was the first black federal judge in Alabama history. He was nominated to the federal bench by Jimmy Carter. Donald Siegelman was the Democratic governor of Alabama (1999 to 2003). Siegelman ran for governor in 2004 and lost to Republican Bob Riley. On October 26, 2005, federal prosecutors indicted Siegelman and former HealthSouth Corp. CEO Richard Scrushy on public corruption charges. In June of that year, Scrushy defeated federal prosecutors in an original 85-count Indictment arising from a $2.7 billion accounting fraud scheme at HealthSouth. Judge Clemon’s playbook also shows Cannon how to hold Jack Smith and members of his prosecution team in contempt of court and/or lock them up, if she chooses to do so. All that Donald Trump is lacking in his Miami case is experienced criminal defense lawyers who have a demonstrated track-record of trying and winning cases in the “gladiator pit.” This caliber of lawyers is needed to give Judge Cannon cover for her judicial actions in killing Trump's case. The lawyers Trump has now are not "gladiators."

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 12, 2023 An Editorial Opinion Saturday night, Jay Town, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017 to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, appeared on NBC Nightly News to defend Special Counsel Jack Smith’s June 8, 2023, indictment of Trump and bash the former president. What NBC News did not disclose to its millions of viewers were these pertinent facts: 1. Town was the U.S. Attorney who exercised his “broad discretionary authority” to steer the North Birmingham, Alabama Bribery Case away from the Southern Company, its Alabama Power Company affiliate, and the top company executives who organized, approved, funded, and implemented the bribery scheme that sent a black state legislator and two co-defendants to prison. 2. In street language, Town “fixed” this criminal case to shield the Southern Company, its top executives, and networking partners from criminal exposure to a bribery scheme that was organized by them. The scheme funneled $360,000 in bribe money to former Alabama state representative Oliver Robinson, who led an effort to suppress the environmental protection rights of 4,000 mostly black residents/customers in three North Birmingham neighborhoods. 3. Jay Town was the subject of a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, in December of 2019 and January of 2020 by Kevin B. Forbes, Chief Executive Officer of Consejo De Latinos Unidos (CDLU), which alleged prosecutorial misconduct on the part of Town in “fixing’ the North Birmingham Bribery Case for the benefit the Southern Company, its Alabama Power affiliate, and top company executives. 4. CDLU submitted internal Southern Company documents and emails from 2015 unequivocally showing that not only were Alabama Power, CEO Mark A. Crosswhite, and other participants heavily involved in the criminal bribery scheme, but Crosswhite, himself, demanded the creation of the Alliance for Jobs and the Economy (AJE), the entity that laundered the $360,000 bribe to Robinson. Crosswhite did not want the bribery money to go through the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) where he served as Chair in 2015. 5. On July 15, 2020, Jay Town resigned abruptly and in disgrace after photos surfaced publicly of Town inappropriately chugging down celebratory cocktails with Mark Crosswhite before the trial began for two of the North Birmingham Bribery Case co-defendants. 6. In November of 2022, Mark Crosswhite, too, resigned in disgrace as Chairman and CEO of Alabama Power. 7. In late 2022, the Southern Company hired King & Spalding to probe widespread criminal misconduct at the giant utility and its affiliates, including the misconduct involving Town, Crosswhite, and other company executives identified in the CDLU complaint. King & Spalding was tasked with securing a deferred prosecution agreement from Joe Biden’s Department of Justice for this criminal conduct. 8. On April 5, 2023, OPR notified CDLU that the Department of Justice would take no further action on CDLU’s complaint against Jay Town. Given the massive volume of documentation establishing Jay Town's misconduct as a federal prosecutor in the North Birmingham Bribery Case, the suspicious and bizarre closeout of the OPR investigation made no sense. 9. Then, on June 10, 2023, Jay Town appeared on NBC Nightly News as a “de facto” Department of Justice spokesperson for the purpose of bashing Donald Trump in the aftermath of his June 9, 2023 indictment. NBC News presented Town as a "credible" commentator because he had been appointed to his U.S. Attorney's job by Trump in 2017. Essentially, the Department of Justice "flipped" Jay Town from a MAGA Trump loyalist to a prolific Trump basher. In exchange for the "flip," Town's criminal exposure in the North Birmingham Bribery Case went away. 10. Confidential sources inside the Southern Company, who are in a position to know, report that the rehabilitation of Jay Town’s soiled public image and his Trump-bashing media appearances are projects of the Southern Company’s Public Relations Division, which is headed by Bryan D. Anderson in Washington. The Southern Company also arranged for Town to give a June 9, 2023, Trump-bashing appearance on Yellowhammer News, an online media entity that was created and is financed by Alabama Power. As explained in two articles by National Public Radio – one published on December 19, 2022, and another on December 22, 2023, hijacking mainstream news organizations for PR purposes is a widely-used tool of the Southern Company. They have now captured NBC Nightly News for the limited purpose of bashing Donald Trump in front of millions of NBC news viewers, across all of the network’s affiliates. The Southern Company is cleaning up Jay Town's seedy professional reputation as part of the process of earning a non-prosecution agreement from the Department of Justice for a multi-state racketeering enterprise and massive $27 billion accounting fraud scheme that have been implemented by the Southern Company, its Alabama Power affiliates, and their top executives since 2017. Will the Southern Company's clean-up and reimaging of Jay Town benefit the company in its own criminal case? Probably so. After all, the administration of criminal justice within Joe Biden's Department of Justice is always "for sale." Just ask Wells Fargo Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic Bank, the Southern Company, and, of course, Hunter Biden.

By Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 13, 2023 An Analysis and Editorial Opinion After I published a June 11, 2023 article describing why and how U.S. District Judge Aillen Cannon is expected to kill the Department of Justice case against former president Donald J. Trump, I received a number of private inquiries from readers who wanted to know whether federal law required Judge Cannon to step down as the presiding judge in Trump's case. The answer is, “No.” The applicable 11th Circuit Court of Appeals case on this point is United States v. Alabama, 828 F.2d 1532 (11th Cir. 1987). Ironically, this appellate court ruling involved the defendants’ requested removal of Birmingham, Alabama U.S. District Court Judge U.W. Clemon as the presiding trial judge in the decades-long federal case to desegregate Alabama’s 32 public colleges and universities. As explained in my June 11th article, Judge Clemon developed the “death knell” playbook for how an experienced trial judge can effectively kill the government’s prosecution of defendants in a highly partisan, high-profile, criminal conspiracy case. Judge Clemon brilliantly implemented this playbook in the case of U.S. v. Don Siegelman, Paul Hamrick, and Phillip Bobo (2004). On May 27, 2004, Siegelman was indicted by a federal government in Birmingham for fraud. The day after his trial began in October 2004, prosecutors were forced to drop all charges against Siegelman and Hamrick after Judge Clemon threw out much of the prosecution's evidence. Clemon, a longtime Democratic power-player, was the first black federal judge in Alabama history. He was nominated to the federal bench by Jimmy Carter. Donald Siegelman was the Democratic governor of Alabama (1999 to 2003). Siegelman ran for governor in 2004 and lost to Republican Bob Riley. On October 26, 2005, federal prosecutors indicted Siegelman and former HealthSouth Corp. CEO Richard Scrushy on public corruption charges. In June of that year, Scrushy defeated federal prosecutors in an original 85-count Indictment arising from a $2.7 billion accounting fraud scheme at HealthSouth. Scrushy was indicted in HealthSouth case in November of 2003. Judge Clemon’s playbook also shows Cannon how to hold Special Counsel Jack Smith and members of his prosecution team in contempt of court and/or lock them up, if she chooses to do so. The Relevant Question on Whether Judge Cannon Must Step Down in Trump’s Case Based upon the speck facts and circumstances in Donald Trump's criminal case, this is the relevant question on whether Judge Aileen Cannon must step down in Trump's case: Did Judge Cannon actively participate in the very events and shape the very facts that are at issue in this criminal prosecution? Again, the answer is, “No.” Judge Cannon did not assist Donald Trump in removing the classified documents in question from the White House in January of 2021. She did not assist Trump in storing the documents at Mar-a-Lago several days later. And, Judge Cannon did not participate in any activity to conceal the classified documents from the FBI during the August 8, 2022, raid on Mar-a-Lago. Just because Judge Cannon ruled against the government during proceedings last year that related to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago is NOT a valid ground for seeking her removal from Trump's case. The Court of Appeals asked the same question in Judge Clemon’s higher education desegregation case and answered this question in the affirmative. The Court closed its ruling in Clemon's case with this enduring statement: “That all may drink with confidence from their waters, the rivers of justice must not only be clean and pure, they must appear so to all reasonable men and women. Under the particular facts before us, the prior activities of the district judge [as a state legislator] cloud the court's impartiality and diminish its moral force.“

By Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 14, 2023 An Editorial Opinion Yesterday, Donald Trump attended his arraignment in a Miami federal courthouse without a lead trial attorney. Trump spent the day before the arraignment interviewing criminal defense attorneys. Donald Trump is having a hard time finding a qualified and capable Miami-based criminal defense attorney to lead his defense team because lawyers in this specialty area rarely try cases anymore. They typically encourage their clients to plead "guilty," something that Trump will never do. This "guilty plea" trend has gotten much worse in the last 20 years. As a result, very few criminal defense attorneys in Miami and/or America have significant trial experience. None of them has a substantial or impressive win-loss record in trials that resulted in "Not Guilty" verdicts. For the most part, their professional reputations are built on PR hype, not real courtroom performance. Just because a lawyer is a talking-head on a TV news show does not mean he/she has substantial trial experience. In fact, I do not know of any of the TV lawyers/commentators who has an impressive win-loss record in trials. Because they have no trial experience, the overwhelming majority of criminal defense attorneys simply surrender their clients, rather than fight for them in the “gladiator pit.” This is why federal prosecutors win 99% of their criminal cases. Today, I only know of one lawyer in America who is capable of winning Donald Trump’s case and his name is David S. Shankman. I featured Shankman in an article I published on June 10, 2023. Shankman, a Tampa-based lawyer, is the only attorney I know who possesses the knowledge, courtroom skills, litigation abilities, and trial experience needed to win Trump’s criminal case – a case where losing is not an acceptable option.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on June 17, 2023 An Editorial Opinion America was founded on the genocide of the indigenous people who lived here thousands of years before the Europeans settlers arrived in 1612. Our nation was built upon the enslavement, rape, murder, lynching, brutalization, and dehumanization of people of African descent. Violence, wars, the wholesale theft of Native-American and black-owned lands, and racism have been prevalent throughout this nation’s history. Yet, America is still the greatest nation the world has ever known. We have defended liberty and justice around the world and saved tens of millions of lives in the process. As a nation, we have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and healed the sick in many poor nations, while seeking nothing in return. Despite our nation's many chapters of negative history and growing socio-economic problems, America remains the only country (out of the 195 nations on the globe) where every person’s dream can be realized. There are 8 billion people in the world. Nearly 334 million of this number are fortunate to say they are Americans. Remarkably, nearly everyone on the planet looks up to America, whether they acknowledge this fact publicly or not. After all, America is the leader of the free world. Beginning with the election of Donald Trump in 2016, America plunged into an endless cycle of political in-fighting between Democrats and Republicans. The values of freedom and democracy that inspired the world’s population to admire and respect America have somehow become repugnant to many MAGA Republicans. Freedom of speech has been constricted through book-banning and prohibitions on teaching a complete and accurate, unsanitized version of American history in public schools. Confederate flag waving is back in vogue. In Alabama, even Tom Parker, the Chief Justice of the state’s supreme court, engages in the Confederate flag waving tradition by handing out a fist full of flags at public events. Democratic elections across America have been undermined by new state voter suppression laws. Impermissible racial gerrymandering in legislative districts is thriving, as noted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Mulligan v. Allen on June 8, 2023. The doctor-patient relationship for women has been invaded by the male-dominated state legislatures that passed laws limiting reproductive rights and threatening the health of women. Law enforcement agencies are under attack. The Left wants to defund state and local police agencies in the aftermath of the George Floyd and Breanna Taylor murders, while the Right wants to defund the Department of Justice and FBI in the aftermath of the criminal indictments of Donald Trump. Our churches, malls, concert venues, night clubs, dance halls, theaters, schools, banks, hospitals, and streets are no longer safe gathering places because our gun purchase and carry laws are dangerously weak and ineffective. We even experienced an Insurrection at our National Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. Many MAGA politicians have declared our moral compass to be irrelevant. The only things that appear to matter to them are: (a) the financial security of the richest one percent of Americans and (b) the evisceration of legal rights for women, Americans of color, the elderly, poor Americans, Muslims, LGBTQIA Americans, and migrants of color. For a growing number of Americans, “In God We Trust” only has meaning when it is affixed to a dollar bill. The glaring hypocrisy of the organized church is rendering this religious institutions useless as a force for positive change in America. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. predicted this sad state of being for the church when he warned in 1963 that: "The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority." While those outside of America continue to see us as a beacon of hope whose light shines around the world, many leaders in Washington are determined to make America feel, look, and act like the authoritarian nations from which tens of millions of migrants seek to escape. As we approach the 4th of July holiday in three weeks, I am hopeful that America can regain its focus as a nation, unify around the core values that made this nation great, and maintain America's rightful position as the undisputed leader of the free world. As an American who works in more than 40 countries, I personally know that we are all blessed to be American citizens. Despite the political differences that we have among us, we can work through them as we have always done since 1612. God Bless the USA!