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
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
The 2016 election was, to state it mildly, a shock to people who believed that Hillary Clinton would easily win and that President Donald Trump had no chance. He won, and Clinton advocates cried foul, citing her popular vote count as greater than Trump’s. It was to no avail. Trump won the Electoral Read more
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
There has been much discussion in recent years around the role of judges and justices, particular those on the Supreme Court of the U.S. We are seeing that discussion play out vividly in America even today, much of it partisan in nature. Modern liberals want judges who will be focused on Read more
When Associate Justice Antonin Scalia sat on the Supreme Court, he advocated for an originalist interpretation of the Constitution based on the words that actually appear in it. He was not a proponent of judicial activism, but rather of judicial constraint. Do the facts of a case comport to the letter Read more
Last Saturday morning, our yellow Labrador, Sonny the Wonder Dog, went on his last retrieve peacefully at home lying beside me. He had been suffering from severe arthritis in his hind legs and a very bad bowel condition. Through it all, he never whimpered or complained. But I could see in Read more
There are few judicial principles more vital to the freedom and our republican form of government than this: Jus dicere, et non jus dare, that is “to declare the law, not to make it.” The people who founded America debated this concept. The Federalists wanted a strong national government with three branches: Read more
I suppose there are few talents as important in life as seeing things clearly. George Washington, while leading the American Army in the Revolution, was particularly gifted at seeing things as they were, not as he wished them to be. He saw the poor state of readiness and discipline in his Army Read more
This week I had trees on my mind. It’s that time of year when I pick apples, having already enjoyed cherries and peaches that I harvested earlier this summer. Trees are remarkable. But as sturdy as they can eventually become, those we plant for their fruit require much care if they are to Read more