Bill Rice, Jr.: 31-03-2026,
I couldn’t find a picture of me in 1976, but here’s a picture from around then which shows my little brother (in the net jersey), my late father (at right) and Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who visited Lee County around 1976 to speak at an Alabama Alumni Club banquet at the invitation of my father. The event was held at the local country club, where our middle-class family were members.
My last dispatch included a section where I was critical of the Iran War and President Trump. I’ve not been surprised to learn many subscribers disagree with my public criticisms. For example, in the Reader Comments one of my subscribers opined that “I was on the wrong side of history” regarding the necessity of this war.
My response was that we’ll probably all know soon enough who was right and who was wrong about the wisdom or necessity of prosecuting this war. As I posted, “it won’t take 10 or 20 years” for history’s verdict to be recorded. Regarding the question of whether this war was a smart move, “We’ll probably know eight months from now,” I opined.
In fact, we might all have a more definitive answer in a couple of months. For example, even the large number of Americans who are currently avid supporters of President Trump and this war might change their tune in 94 days by July 4, which just happens to be the 250th birthday of the United States of America.