Context matters.  Take this statement regarding the combatants of the Civil War: “Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other…The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully.” It’s from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, considered one of the greatest speeches ever given by an American, and nearly the equal of the Gettysburg Address.  In it, Lincoln sought to reconcile victor and vanquished, urging “let us judge not that we be not judged”.  But taken out of context, the lines cited above could … Continue reading Both Read The Same Bible

After a determined fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease – Dr. Josh Wandell died on February 15.  He epitomized the motto he adopted along with this family and friends: Faith > Fear.  He made the most of the time given to him on this earth and was an inspiration to those who knew him.  The following article originally ran in The Johnson City Press in their Community Voices column in the winter of 2014, as the disease was beginning to take its awful toll on Josh.  Not long after, I saw him at the funeral … Continue reading Goodbye To A Brave Man

“Any idiot can face a crisis, it’s the day to day living that wears you out” (Anton Chekhov). After a relatively good night’s sleep, you wake up knowing it’s going to be just another bad day.   Your bathroom scale just re-confirmed the existence of an obesity crisis. While chugging down your morning latte, the newspaper contains an extensive article about the coffee crisis.   Then the children are off to school, to contend with gender identification and test cheating crises. For both you and your wife, it’s off to work to endure yet another day of problems.             Later, dragging … Continue reading CRISIS, CRISIS, EVERYWHERE A CRISIS

A final thought on President Trump’s impeachment: President Trump’s impeachment was triggered by his “perfect” phone call to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (perfectly stupid, if you ask me) when he asked for a “favor” – that Ukraine open an investigation into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.  It may have been legally permissible for him to bring the Bidens’ situation to Zelensky’s attention, but it was politically maladroit to say the least.  These sorts of things are handled at arm’s length by underlings precisely because it’s impossible to avoid the appearance of coercion and political (rather than law-enforcement) motives when done by … Continue reading The Folly of Unvirtuous Men

That’s right, I’m going to the polls on March 3 and cast my vote in the Democratic primary for Bernie Sanders.  Not that I really want him to be President.  Oh, Lord, no!  Instead, it’s my salute to Rush Limbaugh and Operation Chaos.  Late in the winter of 2008, it looked like Barack Obama was going to run away with the Democratic nomination.  That’s when Rush announced Operation Chaos.  He urged people (like me) who wouldn’t dream of voting for either Obama or Hillary Clinton in the general election to vote for Hillary in their state’s Democratic primary.  The main … Continue reading All in for Bernie!

Genesis tells us that God’s first act, after creating our world, was to create night and day – or time.   St. Augustine observed that “The world was not made in time, but together with time”. In ancient times, the alternating of night and day controlled peoples’ lives, and those very dark hours were believed to contain demons and unwholesome vapors.   Plato noted how “evil spirits” were averse to the light. In those days, there was little sense of time’s passing.   But today, our precise measurements of time have made us virtual slaves to it.   Time controls … Continue reading WELL, IT’S ABOUT TIME

In the midst of the impeachment circus, President Donald Trump just keeps on working. It’s a good thing he can work through chaos, since our liberal friends have spent the three years since his election creating it. The economy has never been better, unemployment rates are at a record low and two powerful Middle Eastern terrorist leaders have been annihilated in recent months. And today, Mr. Trump will make history as the first sitting president to attend the March for Life. Vice President Mike Pence first spoke at the event in 2017 and President Trump has addressed the crowd via … Continue reading March for Life 2020

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