Letter to Brian Lindsey

An Open Letter to Brian Lindsey

By:  The Midnight Rider

Brian Lindsey

Superintendent

City of Muscle Shoals

Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

Dear Sir:

The letter is in regards to the stadium at Muscle Shoals High School. I am aware that the City of Muscle Shoals has spent tons of money on this stadium, making it a highly valued venue for picture taking. I would like to request the use of the stadium to take pictures of my two girls.

It is my understanding that the stadium is locked so not just anyone can get in. Even though the taxpayers funded this project, they cannot use the stadium track to walk for exercise. Only the privileged have access to the stadium.

Well, I don’t live in Muscle Shoals. Actually, I live in the County so I don’t pay City Taxes. I do occasionally stop and eat in Muscle Shoals, so I guess that would cover my fee for using the stadium for the short period of time that I need to make pictures.  

As you read this letter, please understand that my girls are clean and beautiful. They are dear to my heart. They are Daddy’s babies. Below is a recent picture of them. I know after looking at the picture, there is no way you can turn down my request.

Thank you for your understanding and help in this matter.

The Midnight Rider

P.S. If they leave a little fertilizer, it makes the AstroTurf grow.

That’s it for now. But remember, the Midnight Rider will always be around to voice his/her/their (?) opinion.

I am and always will be, the Midnight Rider

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We had a reader ask if Hershel Dale Graham could be considered an escapee. That's a good guess - of course he's an escapee. He failed to complete his sentence and gave no one his new address.

As we understand it, this is Third Degree Escape, but still escape. If you see Graham, please report him to authorities. The family of his murder victim will be eternally grateful to you!

Ryan Johnson's Indictment Leaves Unanswered Questions

Ryan Tolliver Johnson of Lexington has been indicted on three charges that, if convicted, could bring him 60 years in prison. Since the 19 year-old has no previous record (that we know of) and the Alabama court system likes to play Let's Make a Deal, we can be reasonably sure his final sentence won't be so daunting.

Johnson Indicted in DUI Death

Yet the indictment leaves many questions. Let's look at them:

1. Whose UTV was Johnson driving? A Polaris UTV is expensive, and since it can't be driven on public roadways, it's a true luxury unless one is a farmer, forester, etc. Perhaps Ryan has money? Or perhaps his family didn't know that he sometimes "borrowed" farm equipment?

2. Why didn't the indictment include underage drinking and on-road driving? We'll give the troopers a pass for not charging him with the on-road driving since that was hearsay, but if he tested drunk, shouldn't he have been charged?

3. Where did Ryan get the alcohol? Someone either sold it to him or he borrowed that from family as he may have the UTV. Did he supply it to his friends? After all, we now know the UTV was not a Polaris model equipped for a driver and three passengers, but was suited to only one passenger. Why did Ryan's four friends agree to such a risky ride if they weren't similarly impaired?

If there's no trial, we may never know the answer to these questions. What we do know is that, barring some genius on Ryan's part, he's just demoted his station in life...as in forever. It's sad, but it's also sad for the Newton family who has to live the rest of their lives without Jackson because Ryan Tolliver Johnson made the choice to kill his friend. 

Yes, he made that choice whether he was aware of it or not. We doubt that teenage boys are in our reading demographic, but let's hope at least one reads this and makes a conscious decision not to let this happen to him.

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What's going to be the local race to watch this fall? It could possibly be the Colbert County Circuit Court clerk race. Qualifying doesn't end for ten more days, so we may see even more interest before then.

How Many Prisoners on Medical Leave Has the DOC Lost?

For any who may not know, the Alabama Department of Corrections usually lets dying prisoners go home. That's if a judge approves and the prisoner has a home to which to go. 

Two local prisoners who come to mind are the late Oliver Brazelle and the late Mr. Neler Keeton (note that we used a title of respect for only one of the two). A third who received such a furlough was Hershel Dale Graham, the killer of young husband and father David Andrasik.

The morbidly obese Graham never left the Kilby Receiving medical unit during his relatively short stay in prison. After several months, he was granted permission to come home to die...on the condition that if his health improved, he would be returned to the regular prison system. 

Now, no one knows where Hershel Graham is. He was originally assigned to his father's care; however, when Graham's father died, Hershel began to float from address to address in Alabama and Mississippi. Oh, someone out there may actually know where he is, but the Department of Corrections and the Franklin County Probation Office deny any knowledge of his current whereabouts.

Is anyone actively looking for Graham? He's obviously able to make it on his own and should be returned to prison. Does anyone besides David's family care that this murderer is roaming around out there in the wilds of western Alabama/eastern Mississippi?

Your tax dollars at work...

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A recent letter to the TD advocated 20 year term limits for the U.S. Congress. The writer suggested that it be on the "next ballot." Sorry, but it would take a Constitutional Amendment to bring that to pass. We will give the writer credit for realizing that that such limits shouldn't be two years or six years.  

Yet we do have a method of imposing term limits. It's called defeat at the polls; we strongly suggest that Mo Brooks is most in need of replacing.

A Snowball's Chance

From the Anonymous Deacon:

I saw a snowball this week. Not the freezing variety that you pack together in your hands real tight and take aim at your little sister with. No the type of snowball I was fortunate enough to witness was made entirely out of kindness, but like it’s wintry cousin started out small and very quickly became a force of nature. By chance I just happened to be standing there when the first flakes of an idea began to take shape. It started with a simple thought said out loud by a friend of mine, “(Jane Doe) was really nice to me in high school. I wish there was something I could do to help turn her bad luck around.”

It’s funny how some thoughts bounce around in your head and only live for a second or two while others seem to turn into something so tangible you can almost feel them weighing you down. For my friend this idea of wanting to help refused to go away and within hours phone calls were being made to see what could be done. Simply because daily life and routine took over, I got caught up in other things and lost track of what happened to that tiny idea that was spoken out loud. A couple days went by and I was shocked to hear that people from all over Tuscumbia, Sheffield, and Muscle Shoals were now directly involved in making somebody’s life better. What began as a few words said in passing had snowballed into this glorious movement in which complete strangers were going out of their way to help a family get back on their feet. Donations were made, groceries were bought, and strings were even being pulled at a few local employers in hopes of finding a better job for a dad just trying to provide for his family. Last I heard, the snowball was still rolling and getting bigger every day. One less child will go to bed hungry tonight and it all started with the smallest of ideas that refused to remain silent.

There are people all around you that need help.

They may not ask for it, but I promise all you need to do is stop and look around and you will find somebody nearby that needs a helping hand. I encourage you to start your own snowball. Don’t let that idea you just had while reading this melt away and instead hold it tight and give it room to grow.

The Anonymous Deacon

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It wasn't all that long ago that skimmers in Lawrenceburg stole account information from card users and cleaned out the bank balances of a few. Yes, the victims were reimbursed, but it's certainly a major hassle for anyone who becomes the target of such theft

Now, we have reports of at least two skimmers found today at Listerhill Banks. These newer devices don't have to be picked up, but transmit data that thieves use. Theft with chip technology in place? Yes. The data thieves have card numbers and security codes from the back. They can easily place mail orders to ship merchandise to various safe points for pickup. 

Check your balance online frequently. If you don't have online banking, set up your account right now!

Johnny Mack Is in the Frying Pan

Yes, our Johnny Mac is in the frying pan, and the question on the lips of many is: Will he fall into the fire? Think what you wish about Attorney General Steve Marshall, no one has similar criticism for AGA Matt Hart. Make no mistake; Matt Hart is on a mission.

Earlier this week, Hart subpoenaed state lawmakers to provide evidence backing up their expense reports. Call it a fishing expedition if you wish, it's going to be like shooting fish in a barrel when Hart examines the expense reports of many in our legislature. When we asked earlier in the week just how many of our legislators were crooks, we weren't thinking about Hart supplying us with the answer. Yet that's exactly what the Raymond Burr lookalike will be doing.

Hart's investigation into campaign finance fraud begins with a loophole in the state ethics law. The not so airtight law states that expense reports must itemize all expenditures over $100.00. Sounds pretty straightforward, doesn't it?

However, many members of our legislature have found a loophole in the law. Simply charge what they want, be it $500.00 or $5,000.00 each period, then note the payment to Visa, Mastercard, American Express, whatever. Slimeily slippery, isn't it?

Now would you like to guess which of all our state senators and representatives has the most unitemized expenses listed as payments to charge cards? Didn't the blog's title give it away? 

Yes, our Johnny Mack is rapidly approaching the fire...

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Since Rep. Morrow's expense reports could hide so much, or even so little, is there any way of predicting what may be found during a more thorough reckoning of Johnny Mack's campaign spending? Yes, in fact, we can offer you some tidbits right now. From AL.com:

Between January 2013 and December 2015, Morrow charged more than $56,000 to his campaign credit cards, none of which he itemized. In 2015 alone, he spent $25,238 using the credit card pass-through trick, which is all the more remarkable as 2015 wasn't an election year.

...the biggest three categories Morrow reported were "Transportation" ($6,638), "Lodging" ($3,691) and "Food" ($9,159). In 2015, the state reimbursed Morrow $12,138.45 for official expenses.

Conclusions? We're leaving those to our readers. How will this affect Johnny Mack's chances of defeating Doc Larry? We're holding our noses, er, final thoughts on that one.

How Secure Is the Sheffield City Jail?

Jail? Not Secure in Sheffield

By:  The Midnight Rider

Last week, we wrote an article about how the City of Sheffield was like a soap opera. We focused on several of the different Departments, mainly the Police Department. Well, the day after this article was published, there was an inmate who decided to leave the jail.

First let’s see what Webster’s Dictionary has to say:

Definition of jail

1: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody; specifically: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (such as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crime.

Okay, a jail should be secure. The Times Daily reported the prisoner was making a phone call and then ran out the side door. So I reached out to a source within the Department and asked about this. I was told:

“The phone is about 10 feet from the side door. The Door is card operated to enter but not secured on exit. So basically anyone can just walk out of the door.”

My next question is where the Jailer, Officer or Supervisor working the jail that day was. Is there more than one that works the jail at one time? Were they not watching this prisoner?

Now the prisoner was captured 90 minutes later. But the basis of this article is why did it happen in the first place?

That’s it for now. But remember, the Midnight Rider will always be around to voice his/her/their(?) opinion.

I am and always will be, the Midnight Rider.

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Another excellent commentary by the Midnight Rider! We do have to ask about the door with the carded entry. Unless it's an old Charles Bronson movie, not too many people try to break into jails, so why does this system work only to keep intruders out?

What Will Corfman-Moore Suit Bring to Light?

To refresh everyone's memory, Leigh Corfman accused Roy Moore of attempting to seduce her when she was only 14. Instead of Moore suing Corfman for libel/slander, he openly called her a liar during a very public campaign speech. Then Corfman sued Moore for slander.

On Wednesday, Moore sent out an e-mail to all on his campaign list asking for money to fight Corfman's suit. The former chief justice of Alabama says he has "minimal resources" and states his legal bills could approach $250,000.00. Really?

While Moore would be the proverbial fool to represent himself, he could throw himself into actually performing some of the preliminary legal work involved in his case. Surely he could cut a few attorney hours here and there? How much will Moore's legal team be charging? The hourly rate must be staggering. After all, isn't much of the investigation already done according to press releases before the election?

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What of Leigh Corfman's attorneys? Since it's a civil suit, they can freely call as a witness any woman who accuses Moore of similar behavior. 

Perhaps that's it. Perhaps Moore feels he will lose and will then have to pay Corfman's attorneys also. 

Anyone feel sorry for him?

Just How Many in Our State Legislature Are Total Crooks?

As you know, we've been highlighting some odd bills currently proposed in our state legislature. Here's one we haven't gotten around to, but someone else has: A proposed Constitutional Amendment was introduced in the Senate that would remove the Lt. Governor as the president of the Senate, and provide that the sole duty of the Lt. Governor would be to succeed the Governor upon his removal from office. The bill is pending in the Senate Constitution, Ethics and Elections Committee [SB88 by Senator Gerald Dial].

We were going to ask the purpose of the bill and if the reduction in job duties precipitated a reduction in pay. Silly us! This morning we read this by John Archibald:

A Power Grab

So the Lt. Governor would have less duties, but get a 26% raise. That sunk in yet? The state senate would then elect one from among their ranks to preside over it. So what's the biggie here?

According to Mr. Archibald, it's the Lt. Governor's current duty of appointing various senate members to committees. Just think of the ability committee members have to influence votes in favor of certain programs/businesses.

This bill was introduced by Gerald Dial who also introduced one to allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public buildings. Mr. Archibald mentioned how much defending this bill would cost the state taxpayers, but we'll reiterate it. This bill would be quickly overturned, but not before some members of the law firm Brashly Arrogant made a few bucks.

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We received this from a reader:

Russellville Elementary School

One of the elementaries at Russellville City Schools has no soap dispensers in the bathrooms. They have paper towels, and sinks with water (but) no soap dispensers.

It's the RES elementary school. With the flu and other viruses going around and the fact that you can catch staph, pink eye, etc.. without washing hands with soap. So if a child gets feces, vomit etc. on their hands and uses water with no soap does that kill the bacteria? NO!! They then touch door knob going back to class rooms and they spread it to everyone who touches that door knob if they rub their eyes, touch their mouth ! Would you eat at a place where I was a cook in the bathroom who washed with no soap knowing I would be cooking your food? I wouldn't. I've emailed superintendent Heath Grimes...

We see this in restaurants and public buildings all over the Shoals. We recently were in a public building in Florence where only one soap dispenser worked. If you think it wasn't the one of two where we were washing our hands, you're a great guesser. We had to wait until the person standing next to us finished.

Yet this is much worse for children in public school systems. Is the janitor not doing a good job? Are supplies low because of inadequate budgets? We're thankful parents care enough about their children to make sure this is corrected. If you know of a local school that is short on basic hygiene supplies, shoot us an e-mail.

No Shutdown

No Shutdown

A Guest Editorial

I read that around midnight this past Friday the government shutdown. I woke up Saturday morning before the rest of my family like I normally do, fixed a cup of coffee, and read the online edition of the Times Daily. Around noon that day I noticed the mail had run which is something it didn’t do during last week’s snow storm. Sunday morning on the way to church I noticed somebody had built a small shelter for that stray dog that hangs around the drainage reservoir along John R Street. Later that afternoon I read where Room At The Inn needed volunteers to help the local homeless population get a decent night's rest someplace warm.

Monday morning the government was still shutdown, but for my family it was back to work and school as usual. The garbage men showed up like clockwork, the news was still filled with stories of cruelty and violence, and the day followed its normal routine. In my peripheral vision I noticed people asking for prayers online, asking for help to feed their families, pleading for help with a difficult situation they suddenly found themselves in. I saw several requests from people literally begging for work. The government was shutdown, but as I made my way through the day I simply couldn’t tell the difference from one day to the next. In spite of what was taking place in Washington there were still people hurting, still those in need of a second chance, still plenty of kind words that needed to be said, and good deeds needing done.  

As a father I don’t get the luxury of stopping. As a husband I can’t simply say I’m done with all of this responsibility. As a Christian I’m told in Philippians to pray without ceasing and in Hebrews that nothing worth truly ever having comes without hard work. The government shutdown ended Monday night and if this affected your family I apologize for what may seem like a lack of sensitivity on my part, but in my world as a son, father, husband, and most importantly a Christian…there is too much work to be done, too many people in need, and too much at risk to simply shutdown whenever I come up against something I think I can’t handle. Thankfully when I stumble and when I struggle I have Jesus Christ by my side to carry me forward…and so do you.

The Anonymous Deacon

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We hope this is only the first post from the Anonymous Deacon. We see he mentioned Room at the Inn, one of the most worthwhile charities we can think of. There's still much more cold weather to come this winter. Please consider making a donation to help those who can't, for whatever reason, help themselves.

How Many Must Die?

His friends called him "Muff." He had beautiful red hair and even more beautiful eyes that he sometimes enhanced with colored contacts. He also had a Mustang that he invariably drove too fast; he was driving it too fast that day on Piney Chapel Road when he missed a curve, hit a tree, and that was all she wrote. We didn't know Muff that well, but that makes no difference. We never hear of a young person dying in a similar crash that we don't think of him. He was much too young to die.

Of course, Muff wasn't wearing a seat belt.

Parents, if you don't tell your children to slow down and to wear their seat belts, you take responsibility in their deaths. You also need to tell them that driving and alcohol don't mix. Then throw in a few murder threats while pasting a sticker that reads "Old Pilots...Bold Pilots" on their vehicle's dash. It may not save every young driver's life, but it will save some.

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We had a critic yesterday who indicated that when a child dies in a traffic accident we should just type "Prayers" and let it go. Our Maker is very displeased with us for doing more she indicated.

Really? It's our belief that God would be very displeased if we didn't tell young people...all people...to wear seat belts. And to slow down. 

If you want the thrills and chills of speed, ride a roller coaster. If you want to live into old age, slow down and wear your seat belt!

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Meanwhile in Montgomery: A bill was introduced in both Houses that would create the Association of Former Members of the Alabama Legislature whose purpose would be to cooperatively promote public service and strengthen representative democracy and our republican form of government [HB93 by Representative Jack (JD) Williams and SB110 by Senator Greg Reed].

We need a bill for this? Since when do civic groups need a bill to exist? Is there going to be a salary? This may be an excellent idea, but it's bills like this that take away time from little things like passing a budget. Sure, we hear that's going great this year, but it's the first time in years our state has been on track in that department. 

Then again, perhaps our legislators feel they have to inflate their CVs with such nonsense. Some people feel they have to keep up with the Joneses; perhaps Alabama legislators feel they have to keep up with Ed Henry...

Why You Should Consider Clayton Hinchman for Congress

Remember the video of Congressman Mo Brooks running from reporters who were questioning his support for Roy Moore? Didn't that tell you something?

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that we've supported Mo Brooks in the past. Just for the record, it's going to be hard to find too many candidates in the 2018 elections, at least Republicans, who didn't officially support Roy Moore. Nevertheless, Brook's behavior was a deal-breaker for us.

Now our Mo has an opponent in the Republican primary. His name is Clayton Hinchman and you can read about him here:

Clayton Hinchman

There's still over two weeks of qualifying time left. We may see other Republicans enter the race. It's going to be a bumpy ride...

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We have a correction to make...as in we were halfway totally wrong. We recently blogged that it is impossible to fiddle with our state time. Apparently, it's impossible to put our state on Daylight Saving Time permanently, but not to put us on Central Standard Time permanently - this is per the Uniform Time Act. First our legislature would have to pass the law (would the electorate then have to vote on it?), and second the federal government would then give its expected approval.

Will it come to pass that DST is no more in this state? We sincerely doubt it. No one wants to see the sun setting before 8:00 p.m. in the summer...or do you? If you have some strong opinions, e-mail us. We'll forward any great replies to Rep. Tommy Hanes who's sponsoring the bill to do away with DST.

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Why can a state declare Standard Time the year round norm, but not Daylight Savings Time? Apparently that would amount to an actual change in time zones and is not allowed by the federal government. 

Is the Civil War Coming to Tuscaloosa, Alabama?

From Southern Son:

By Civil War coming to Tuscaloosa, AL, I don’t mean assistant coaches vying for position under General Nicholas L. Saban, Jr. We’re talking about the war to determine which UA grad/trial lawyers are going to represent the University and which UA grad/trial lawyers are going to represent Ms. Barber in the coming Civil War battle to be fought in the federal court system.

Both sides will make a motion to stipulate the comments made by Ms. Barber are horrible. And to that motion the judge will sustain. Her defense attorney will argue that while her comments may be offensive to certain segments of society, she never threatened violence or to punch anyone in the nose like the former Governor of Virginia on MSNBC. The same governor that emigrated from Syracuse, NY to Richmond, VA. Just like the Richard Spencer case at Auburn University, U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins in Montgomery barred Auburn from blocking Spencer, "stating there was no evidence that he advocates violence...Discrimination on the basis of message content cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment."

Only questions that remain are which UA grad/trial lawyer is going to represent the University and which UA grad/trial lawyer is going to represent Ms. Barber in the coming Civil War in Tuscaloosa and will the University settle out of court?
Anybody want to place a bet that Ms. Barber will at least be represented by Jere Beasley ’62? Beasley completed his bachelor’s degree at Auburn University in 1959 and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1962. 

Can anyone key up the theme song to the movie Gods and Generals?

Southern Son

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Time for another strange entry into the "Let's Pass a Bill" sweepstakes: A bill was introduced in both Houses that would require all non-volunteer fire departments to install diesel exhaust systems in fire station buildings within a certain time frame and under certain conditions [HB7 by Representative Tommy Hanes and SB4 by Senator Rusty Glover].

Another Tommy Hanes bill? Perhaps he's running for governor in 2022? So, isn't it a good idea. Yes, it's probably a very good idea. The problem is that if this bill is passed, the state is once again stepping on the toes of various Alabama cities. How many cities don't have such an exhaust system installed already? Is this bill totally redundant? How would this affect some of the very small towns which are lucky enough to have a fire department, but may be so poor that this is a hardship? Would they close down their fire departments? Consolidate their fire stations?

Moreover, why is the state so anti-federal government intrusion, but so pro-state intrusion into city and county governments?

Calling All Social Justice Gardeners

The East Florence round-about has been highly touted as either a Savior or a Satan. Will it have a fountain? No. Will it be simply asphalt? No.

What it will have is a sodded area in the center. You know, the kind local garden clubs claim as their own because the city is too cheap/busy to take care of the area properly. Here's a nice round-about that we may aspire to:

So is everyone aspiring? We need a statue to really bring off this look. Perhaps the city can acquire one that's being removed from Memphis or a similar area?

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Sh*t Show vs. Sh*thole…Tomatoes vs. Tomatos

Who said “Sh*t Show?  That would be President Barack Hussein Obama.  

“So we actually executed this plan as well as I could have expected: We got a UN mandate, we built a coalition, it cost us $1 billion—which, when it comes to military operations, is very cheap. We averted large-scale civilian casualties, we prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict. And despite all that, Libya is a mess.”  President Barack Hussein Obama.

Mess is the president’s diplomatic term; privately, he calls Libya a “sh*t show,” in part because it’s subsequently become an ISIS haven—one that he has already targeted with air strikes. It became a sh*t show, Obama believes, for reasons that had less to do with American incompetence than with the passivity of America’s allies and with the obdurate power of tribalism.

Source:  April 2016 Issue of The Atlantic written by Jeffrey Goldberg.  

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-

doctrine/471525/

Southern Son

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Tommy Hanes strikes again: A bill was introduced in both Houses that would reestablish the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) [HB1 by Representative Tommy Hanes and SB2 by Senator Shay Shelnutt].

We thought a previous incarnation of the legislature did away with DROP because it was costing the state tons of money. So is there a rationale for this, or does Hanes have relatives who are in need of more funds? This, by the way, is why the policy of term limits is a bad idea!

Park Place/Customer Service/Public Records

From Park Place:

Park Place is an Independent Living Facility located in downtown Sheffield. This community offers a variety of apartments and amenities and comes with a rich history of our area. Park Place complex also houses several retail, business offices and restaurant spaces. It is our goal at Park Place to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for our tenants at all times. We strive to be a productive business to the downtown area of Sheffield and to continue to bring business and revenue to this area of the Shoals. We are serviced by a Professional Pest Control Company and handle all complaints from tenants promptly and efficiently. Park Place is a vibrant, active community in the heart of Sheffield. We invite you to call and schedule a guided tour of our Facility.

It would seem that whatever problems some have attributed to Park Place, they are welcoming tours. It's always hard to keep any large facility completely free of problems; however, if you know of a major health hazard at Park Place or anywhere, it's always best to report it first to the manager and/or owner. If you don't receive the response you feel you deserve, please feel free to contact us.

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A few days ago, we had a young woman contact us who stated we had "put her friend's business out there." We asked for more information...as in a name would help...but received no reply. Nevertheless, we feel we know to whom this reader was referring - a many times convicted criminal.

It shouldn't be hard to understand that some people are public entities. Those who commit crimes against the state (all residents of Alabama are the state in this particular case) are public personages. They remain public until they leave the state court system. After that, sex offenders excluded, they are private individuals unless they re-offend or enter public life in some other way.

So, no. We haven't put anyone's private business "out there."

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Now another odd bill introduced into our legislature: A proposed Constitutional Amendment was introduced in the House that would exempt the state from the observance of daylight saving time. The bill is pending in the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee [HB185 by Representative Tommy Hanes].

Well, Rep. Hanes, if you knew your stuff, you would know this (from ThoughtCo):

But does any agency or entity actually have the responsibility to regulate daylight saving time across the United States? Believe it or not, yes.

It's the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 and later amendments to the daylight saving time law state that the Department of Transportation is "authorized and directed to foster and promote widespread and uniform adoption and observance of the same standard of time within and throughout each such standard time zone."

The department's general counsel describes that authority as "ensuring that jurisdictions observing daylight saving time begin and end on the same date."

So what happens if a rogue state wants to, say, create its own version of daylight saving time? Not gonna happen.

For any violations of the daylight saving time rules, the U.S. Code allows the secretary of transportation to "apply to the district court of the United States for the district in which such violation occurs for the enforcement of this section; and such court shall have jurisdiction to enforce obedience thereto by writ of injunction or by other process, mandatory or otherwise, restraining against further violations of this section and enjoining obedience thereto."

So, no, we as a state can't control it. Sorry. Perhaps next session, you can introduce a bill authorizing us to secede from the Union.