Looks like I’m about to beat on a dead horse some more. 

Schoolchildren all over the United States know the story: the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and shared in the bountiful harvest of the Wompanoag Native Americans back in 1621.

I want to take a moment to express how I am feeling this morning. This is something that has been weighing heavily on me since reading this paid advertisement in the Tallassee Tribune last Wednesday.   

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your…

Do you ever feel yourself clinging to nostalgia?

On Sunday, I heard live music in church for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

So if you’ve been living under a rock, or just not subscribed to the Tallassee Uncut page on the ol’ book of the faces, a prison is coming to town — well, to the outskirts. Let’s call it town adjacent.

It is no mystery we are living in a highly politicized time.

Typically I use this space to move a conversation forward; to talk politics or sports or things going on in my life; or to just unload the cornucopia of useless knowledge and thoughts bouncing around inside my skull like what makes Jello … Jello, why is Notre Dame still relevant and whatever…

You know I’ve come to understand why the mummies are always iller than a hornet who has just been disturbed by the peaceful protest of an encroaching Zero Turn when they are first awoken by some overzealous archaeologist or erstwhile adventurer. Think about it: If the last memory on this ear…

Oh my goodness, I caught the COVID-19 virus! I got the big one — full blown, in the hospital ICU and all. It was terrible. I went to the doctor and he sent me straight to the emergency room. From there they took me to the ICU and put me in a tiny little room called ICU 1 and sealed the door.…

It was on Feb. 9, 1964 when the Beatles appeared on the top-rated “Ed Sullivan Show,” and the exposure led to not only radio and chart domination for the rest of the decade, but a multimedia juggernaut that continues to roll on. 73 million people watched them on television that night — and n…

"Gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not."

Maybe you’ve heard the objection before against Christianity, or maybe you’ve said the objection before yourself, and it goes like this: “There are too many hypocrites in the church!

From 1929-2016, The Tallassee Tribune featured a weekly column called “Dirty Digs.” This week, the style of this space reflects how Mr. Eubanks and Mr. Cottle might have covered some recent news.

For the third time, the State’s Charter School Commission denied the application of the Magic City Acceptance Academy. The denial wasn’t an outright no to the state’s gay community; it was by abstention, as some members of the commission voted yes and some voted no but others chose to not si…

One of the things we deeply desire in times of uncertainty is to know God is in control. We want to see how God is moving in the circumstances of our lives. The test of faith is we often cannot see clearly how God is working. While on rare occasions God works through miraculous means, the va…

Have you ever have a day where you are just blank?

Over the weekend, I was honored to present the eulogy for Mrs. Pat Burak, a lifelong resident of this area and former colleague at Tallassee High School. Her contributions to our community were so great, it seems only proper to remember her in this space today.

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint as Mr. Brantley was unable to send a column this week.

In our formative years, we were taught the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That’s something we can all agree seems good, fair and accurate in theory.

So much about our lives over the past seven months has been turned upside down. It can be overwhelming.

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. - Nahum 1:3

There are days when you are set to craft the next great American column but the moments those fingertips touch keyboard … nothing.

I know suicide; I know it well.

Editor’s Note: This is a reprint as Mr. Brantley was unable to send a new column this week.

Over the last few months, one of the biggest and probably best arguments for the return of high school sports was about how important the extracurricular activities are for teenagers. For some, it can keep them out of trouble, and for others, it can provide a path to college or even a future…

Dear Editor,

It feels like the past seven and a half months have been a fog of depression from death, the coronavirus, municipal and national elections, “peaceful protests,” overpaid professional athletes and sports radio constantly sprinkling stats and recaps with political proselytizing and posturing. …

Note from the author: This originally ran in The Tribune in August 2013. Over the past few years, more people have approached me about this column than any other I’ve ever written.  So, I therefore present for your reading pleasure a command performance of “Gator Boy and the Bikini Mama.” – M.B.

“Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth?” — Isaiah 51:12-13

After what may end up being the weirdest offseason of my entire life, high school football will get started this week, as players will hit the field under the lights for the first time Thursday. In past columns, I have admitted preseasons rankings and predictions do not hold much ground and …