I’m a Huntsvillian through and through. Born and raised in that great city, I’ve seen it grow and flourish right before my eyes. For the better, and unfortunately for the worse.
I believe this story tells it all for Huntsville, and it took place right in my childhood neighborhood. In our cul-de-sac of the house I grew up in, that of which my parents still live in to this day, there’s a light pole that’s been at an angle as long as I’ve remembered it.
During Alabama football halftimes, we’d go in the yard and throw football through the power lines running through this pole. From the countless times we nailed these lines with our throws, amazingly, we never took out power in our neighborhood.
This pole, sitting at almost 45 degrees at the center of our cul-de-sac, just sort of faded into the background of our neighborhood. Nobody thought anything of it, since it’s never moved in 20+ years.
As I was helping my dad bring in groceries on a weeknight, I noticed a U-Haul truck in the driveway of the house across the street. New neighbors were out and about, and the father of this new family noticed us across the street. Almost immediately, he came running across the cul-de-sac towards us in a panic.
“Hey! Somebody needs to call and have that pole fixed. It’s about to fall over!” he said.
My father and I looked unfazed, and I said, “It’s been like that for about 25 years.”
He then proceeded to tell us he was moving into town from Colorado for government work, and noticed a lack of liberal talk radio on our airwaves.
I remember leaving that interaction feeling rather concerned for our state, and the great city I love. It wasn’t just about the light pole; it was about liberal newcomers coming into our city and state and seeking to change us. That light pole represented my childhood, and the city I grew up in. It represents the values and beliefs that shape our identity. Yet almost immediately upon entering, it was under fire.
Even though I welcome the incoming boom to our state economy, I would like to impress upon my fellow Alabamians the urgency to hold strong to what’s made our state so beautiful. As Huntsville starts to turn purple from these newcomers, I pray we lifelong Alabamians across the state remember the Alabama we grew up in, and keep it that way.
Alabama is the most beautiful state in our Union. I admit my bias as someone who has never lived anywhere else in my entire life, but as I grow and learn more about this great state, I hold it increasingly dear. When I travel across America, I admire the beauty of Wyoming, the innovation of Los Angeles and New York, etc., but nothing quite hits like home.
Of course, I love the white beaches, the waterfalls, and the towering pine trees. But what I admire most is our state’s righteous stubbornness to be not of the world. We hold tightly to Christ in a world that seeks to destroy Christianity, standing strong against those who seek to uproot our values.
This is not solely a love letter to the state I call home, but a call to action to those who love it as well, to keep Alabama beautiful.
Alabama is considered a hidden gem for a reason. It’s becoming increasingly hard to find strong Christian culture in a country that appears to be running as far away from it as possible. Self-indulgence and debauchery run the show in so many parts of America today, which makes our great state stand out.
Not only has this aspect invited more newcomers, but our business-friendly policies have opened a floodgate of innovation. I applaud our elected officials for bringing Alabama a booming economy; however, I must also give a warning to us Alabamians not to let our great state be transformed.
The way we do this is at the ballot box. Civic disengagement is paramount in how communities are overrun. The democratic process only works when the citizens engage. I urge my fellow Alabamians who love this state to get out and vote to keep Alabama conservative.
Make your voice heard that we want to keep this state unabashedly Christian, and it will be seen through our policies. Let it be known that we want this state to continue to be the conservative stronghold that puts the rest of our nation to shame. Send a message to liberals in this state who seek to capitalize upon the flood of newcomers to upend Alabama: we will stand strong for what we hold dear.
Keep Alabama, Alabama.
Justin “JP” Plott is the executive producer/co-host of “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” and co-owner of Rightside Media. You can find him on X @JPRightside. Watch “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” every weekday from 10am-12pm CT at www.rightsidemedia.org.
