If my father were alive today, he would be just shy of 111 years old. He passed away 56 years ago when I was a 19-year-old first-year cadet—a Rat—at the Virginia Military Institute. His death left an enormous hole in my life when I was hardly a man. I have Read more
In Greek mythology, many themes still apply today. Consider the quest to clean the Augean Stables. The task was one among the “twelve labors” assigned to the Greek hero Heracles to accomplish. The Augean Stables belonged to Augeas, the king of Elis, who kept 6,000 head of cattle there. After Read more
In 2002, I was fortunate to meet Balint Vázsonyi. Born in Hungary, Vázsonyi immigrated to the United States legally as a boy who could not speak English. In his early years in America, he would study music. He would become a remarkable pianist, making performance history by playing a chronological Read more
It’s hard to avoid the problems that beset life. Most people I know try to focus on positive things. That eases the mind and steers one away from contemplating the troubles. Yet if we are to resolve the problems we and our nation face, we must address them forthrightly. If Read more
It’s as predictable as dawn and dusk and the rising and falling of tides. Newly elected executives and legislatures think that they have a mandate to do as they please. This is particularly evident when a political party wins a majority sufficient to control both the executive and legislative branches, Read more
Our Founders—who drew from the classical and Enlightenment writers and thinkers throughout the ages—wisely created our nation. The constitutional republic they crafted was based on the experience of Greco-Roman self-governance and the insights of men who illuminated the natural rights of man, free markets, and individual liberty. In designing our Read more
I’m reading a book—Occasions and Protests—written by novelist John Dos Passos. It’s a collection of several articles and book excerpts that express his ideological views over the course of his life, views that shifted considerably. I have a special interest in him because he grew up on a farm on Read more
Like many Americans, I’m taken aback by the recent revelations concerning the Somali communities in Minneapolis. That city has become a haven for Somali immigrants from a war-torn and corrupt nation in Africa. You can understand in part why people have fled that continent by reviewing Somalia’s history. It’s ripped Read more
Recently, a pollster from the Rasmussen company, Mark Mitchell, visited with President Trump to share some realities. He was blunt: we need a new “Contract for America” to show voters that Republicans understand their problems. According to Mitchell, only one in four Americans thinks their children will be better off Read more
It’s a depressing statistic when the FBI highlights the widespread anti-Jewish hatred in America today. Jews account for two percent of the US population, yet they were the second most-targeted group for violence that is categorized as a “hate crime.” In 2024, that was at 18 percent, up from 5.8 Read more