Speak Out

No excuses

Ray Bryan said on WDNG AM-1450 that according to the law he wasn't certified to run for office. He blamed it on his own reading of the small print in the law and missed the campaign report filing date. He wants to get around the law by claiming he filed late, but there is no provision in the law for late filing. Is this ignorance of the law a trait of Bryan's and will it continue if he's elected to the bench?

How can Bryan sit in judgment of others and expect those in his court to reach standards that he himself can't attain?

In addition, will he accept an "I didn't read the law" excuse in his court, as he seems to do in his political life? From my few run-ins with the courts, excuses aren't tolerated well.

John Johnson
Weaver

Only a small mistake

I'm an independent voter, and I'm having the hardest time trying to figure out why Ray Bryan's victory is so hard for some people to swallow.

You know it's the government's job to do the will of the people. Since when did we start being OK with stolen elections?

This state's political climate is just pathetic, and it only proves to me that the people in charge don't give one red cent about the what's best for the residents of Alabama.

Ray made a small mistake, yet our senators and representatives get nothing done and are even prone to violence, but they still have their jobs. Where is the justice?

Ray didn't do anything bad. He made a mistake that seems to me that anyone running for office without the benefit of an overpaid campaign manager could have made.

The people have spoken. Ray Bryan should be the Republican nominee for family court judge.

Bethany Gamble
Anniston

Shame on Bryan

Area voters know that there was a deadline to meet on the filing of Ray Bryan's finances for the election. We all can understand that when waiting for the last moment, one can forget.

But please tell me why Bryan could not have shown this community that he was of the character to just say, "I'm sorry I was late filing, please grant me grace," and fall on the mercy of the steering committee.

Instead, he said, "I don't like to see the abuse of the voters in this county." I feel Bryan has been the abuser of those who voted for him by not filing on time and causing such a ruckus. He has embarrassed me.

This situation makes me wonder what kind of a judge Bryan will be. Is he a man of integrity or is he just another politician? Time will tell now that Bryan lives in the fish bowl.

Diane Ulrich
Oxford

Following the law?

Since when did somebody who runs for a judgeship not have to follow the law? Ray Bryan never filed financial reports when he contested Brian Howell for the seat vacated by Judge Sam Monk. He claimed that he thought you only had to file if you won. If the forms must be filed before the election, how can you think they only have to be filed if you win?

As Sen. Del Marsh pointed out, Bryan could have driven those forms to Montgomery if necessary. How can he sit in judgment of someone else when he doesn't follow the law and all he has to do is say, "It's not fair"?

Several years ago, Roy Moore was ordered to remove the Ten Commandments plaque from his Etowah County courtroom. He refused to do so. Then he placed the monument in the state Supreme Court building in the darkness of night. The Star continually held Moore accountable regarding the Ten Commandments issue, and rightfully so — he was breaking the law. How is this situation different?

Sandy Martin
Piedmont