John Brown’s body lies a-moulderin’ in the grave…. One of the ironic facts about John Brown’s raid on the federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, is that the leader of the small force sent to take it back was Colonel Robert E. Lee.  Yes, that Robert E. Lee. Now, I happen to think that Lee was one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, in spite of his treason and taking up arms against the nation. He was a slave holder, inherited from his wife’s father – but they were freed according to his father-in-law’s will, remarkably in the middle … Continue reading Our John Brown Moment?

Trumpistas, you stepped in it good this time. I am still trying to wrap my head around what happened in Washington on January 6.  I’m having a hard time believing it. TRUMPISTAS, YOU HAVE GIVEN YOUR ENEMIES ON THE LEFT ALL THE EVIDENCE THEY WILL EVER NEED to prove conclusively that you are exactly what they have been saying for the last 4 years – not patriots, but mindless followers of a dangerous demagogue willing to go to any lengths to stay in power. And don’t try to blame it on a lunatic fringe.  YOU WERE THERE.  At the very … Continue reading God, Save Me From My Friends

Trumpistas, get over it.  Your man lost.  I voted for him, reluctantly, because the alternative was worse, but in the end, senile old Joe is fairly in, and Trump is fairly out, and we shall see who is the happier, to paraphrase George Washington. The way I see it, 4 years ago Trump was a sharp stick in the eye of a Washington establishment that richly deserved it.  For all his manifest faults, he was just the messenger to deliver the thrashing and wake-up call they needed.  But 4 years of Trump proved to be more than enough message for … Continue reading Post-Election Blues

My dear friends, If you haven’t already, you should read John Pavlovitz’s blog post about the election results: https://johnpavlovitz.com/2020/11/05/we-were-wrong-about-america/?fbclid=IwAR22cRk2dFPP7jCCQwYLqlXYPdAd8tct5YwxFeK_3coiDw6x5O624M4LhN4 I find there is only one thing on which I can agree with him:  He’s wrong. My dear friends, surely you can’t agree, either?  You’ve known me and my family too long to believe that we are any of the awful things Pavlovitz accuses us of being.  Yes, I voted for Trump, and so did my wife, and so did 2 of my sons, not that any of us particularly liked it.  We weighed him in the balance and decided that … Continue reading An Open Letter to my Dear Friends on the Left

I never heard of Keith McWalter of Granville, Ohio (and I’m sure he’s never heard of me, so we’re even), but the Wall Street Journal published his letter on Nov. 7 that contained these brilliant lines: “Voting isn’t a sacrament, it’s the grubby duty of democracy.  Yes, sometimes that means voting for the lesser of two evils…Disdain isn’t an effective stance in a representative democracy – it’s merely self-indulgent.  We’re obliged to make a choice.”  Mr. Granville, you’re a wise man.  Perhaps we should post his letter in every civics classroom in America (middle and high schools still teach civics, … Continue reading Still Waiting for Final Results, But…

If you’re into art, here’s a review of Asheville’s new museum.  The reviewer loves it and the Southern Appalachian region it celebrates. Kenneth D. Gough Continue reading Asheville’s Not Just For Hippies Anymore

Those of a certain age will remember Jimmy Quillen, who represented East Tennessee in the House of Representative from 1963 to 1997.  His 34-year term was notable for good constituent service – and nothing else.  He was the quintessential back-bencher.  One anonymous Republican colleague was reported to have said (good – naturedly) that Quillen “couldn’t organize a one-car funeral”, which is why, in spite of his seniority, he never chaired a House committee.  In 34 years, he introduced a total of 3 bills, voted the way the leadership told him to vote, made sure that his office straightened out Grandma’s … Continue reading The Case for Term Limits

Woke up this morning to discover that Nancy Pelosi has introduced a bill to form a 25th Amendment Commission, which will advise Congress on whether or not a president is fit for office.  It has absolutely nothing to do with Trump and the election, of course. Pelosi must think the rest of the country is as nuts as she is. Or gullible.  Or stupid. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Here’s hoping whoever wins the election, Pelosi is no longer Speaker of the House.  She has become an embarrassment not just to the Democratic Party, but to the House and the nation. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ There’s an … Continue reading Random Thoughts, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up Edition