Thankful

There are ten recognized Federal holidays in the United States. I love all of them. As a Christian, I particularly look forward to Christmas and Easter, although the latter isn’t recognized as a Federal holiday. Some would say we should include other religious holidays, but I’ll leave that to another writing.            As a Read more…

Draft Redux?

As Veterans Day just happened, it occurs to me that a discussion about the draft—otherwise known as conscription—is in order. I think this is particularly so for two reasons. First, do we have a military—specifically an Army—that is reflective of all of America? Second, shouldn’t the responsibility for the defense of our nation Read more…

Shall We?

As I consider the strife we are witnessing in America today, I am left wondering if we can aspire to the ending passage of President Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address of 4 March 1865, only a month before he would be struck down by an assassin’s bullet. As compelling as his concluding Read more…

Purveyors of Fear

In his first inaugural address in 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” These words were designed as encourage a nation that had been deeply shaken to its roots as a result of the Great Depression. It was an event that was experienced Read more…