This week I returned to Lexington, Virginia to celebrate with my Virginia Military Institute (VMI) classmates—Brother Rats we call ourselves—the 55th anniversary of our matriculation as cadets. On 21st of August 1969 we found ourselves immersed in a spartan lifestyle. It would bring us together in a lifelong bond. Four years Read more…
We live in a nice neighborhood. It’s clean, well maintained, has great neighbors, and is safe. We’re a very diverse community. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, private sector, retired military, former and current government employees, young and old, including and granddaddies and grammies. Shelley and I are card-carrying members of this Read more…
Imagine for a moment that you alone were in change of hiring the next President of the United States. Based on their resume, who would you hire for the job, former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris? This is my rendering of their resumes. Who would you pick? Read more…
This past week our family vacationed in the Florda panhandle. It was a delightful news break, only interrupted by Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. We followed the revelations on the attempted assassination of President Trump. Shocking unpreparedness by the Secret Service. My hope was to do some reading, which Read more…
Now that the dust has settled a bit—Biden is out—the Democrats have chosen Kamala Harris has their presidential nominee. At least at this writing she seems to have the delegates lined up. But is she really their best choice? To date she hasn’t shown much ability. As Border Czar she Read more…
During the Boer War, Winston Churchill encountered danger as a wartime correspondent. He wrote this for the Daily Telegraph in 1898. “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” For a young ambitious man, such an experience was exhilarating. Yet this week, Americans were not Read more…
When our Founding Fathers devised our Constitution in 1787, they sought to balance power between the Executive, the Congress, and the Judiciary. Each would have their duties. Each was a separate but equal partner in a federalist system between the States and the Federal Government. Yet in the years since Read more…
My life is filled with reunions these days. That’s a good thing, particularly being able to attend them. (Consider the alternative.) I had a dear colleague in the General Assembly of Virginia who, when addressed by another “Good to see you,” would respond, “Better to be seen than viewed.” So Read more…
Yesterday afternoon, our power went out after a large storm passed through our area of the Northern Neck of Virginia. We’re fortunate because we have a propane-powered generator and some of our power for essentials were uninterrupted. It’s a price worth paying when you look at the weathered crops that Read more…
Some years ago, my friend Ken, who grew up in the rural southland of our great nation, introduced me to an expression I had never heard before. He proceeded to explain the meaning of the phrase “come up a big cloud.” That’s the way his part of the old south Read more…