A couple of weeks ago, former State Sen. Roy Smith invited me to speak at his monthly Etowah County GOP breakfast. I had a great time with Sen. Smith, Rep. Blaine Galliher, Sen. Phil Williams, and the rest of the Etowah crew — but 93-year-old former Congressman Jim Martin really stole the show when he led the group in an a capella rendition of “God Bless America.”

Martin was elected to Congress in 1965 and is widely considered to be one of the founders of the Republican Party in Alabama. He’s as sharp as ever and still has some pipes…