I was five years old when our family brought “Weinnie,” a delightful Bench Beagle, into our lives. He was lovable and frolicked with us in the backyard of our home at 4008 Fauquier Avenue in Richmond’s northside. We loved this pup, but unfortunately, he had an early demise. It was sad. Soon we Read more…
Boomerangs are fascinating tools. They have been around tens of thousands of years. There are rocks carved with depictions of boomerangs being tossed at animals by Aboriginals in the north central Kimberly region of Australia as long as 50,000 years ago. Boomerangs have also been found in ancient Europe, Africa, and North America. They are a fascinating Read more…
On Easter Sunday in 2022, I felt the urge—I believe it was spiritual—to read through all the Old Testament books of the Bible. The urging I had was “read slowly,” which is not hard for me. But also, to comprehend the stories of the Bible and how they relate to me and Read more…
In the foreign policy and national security business, it’s usually better to be clear unless being vague is necessary to your purpose. Sometimes national leaders are opaque when they are considering actions they do not want to telegraph. However, in Ukraine, we should be explicit. Indeed, being explicit is exactly what the United Read more…
When I was born in 1951, Democrat Harry Truman was our President. He won his race in 1948 amid a contentious election with Governor Thomas Dewey of New York. Dewey was favored to win, but Truman’s dogged campaigning snatched victory from what appeared to be the jaws of defeat. In 1952, General Read more…
Normally, people are too busy with life to consider the fate of martyrs. The word “martyr” means “witness.” The process of bearing witness doesn’t necessarily lead to the death of the witness, but it often has. For centuries, Christians have experienced a brutal end as they were imprisoned, tortured, or killed for their Read more…
Increasingly, Americans have an identity crisis. You can see it primarily in the way that people define themselves. We, of course, all have an identity of one sort or another. People find their identity in many things. Religion, values, family, friends, work, and recreation. Hopefully that identity is grounded in positive, lawful, and productive activities Read more…
Life often involves a desire to grasp or obtain something that in the end was not a very good idea. Many of us had parents who shared this admonition with us when we craved this or that thing. We were warned—wisely—that the things we yearn for rapidly become the things we abjure Read more…
“I can’t write,” is the response I often hear from people who have had an interesting life but shy away from writing about their experiences. That’s too bad, because many of us have lives filled with lessons and stories that others can benefit from, provided someone shares them. True enough, lessons can Read more…
I haven’t met many Presidents. The only formal introduction was to President George W. Bush in 2005. On that occasion I was paraded through the Oval Office with several of my Republican Virginia House of Delegate colleagues for a publicity picture shaking hands with the President. It was pleasant. He met with all Read more…