Corporatism and Liberty
I had some interesting discussions this week on the interwebs. The first was with my little political discussion group, where one of my regular debate partners (I will call her Linda) made a good...
View ArticleProfits, Ownership, and Reason
I worked a lot of “little” lobs before I left college. I worked at Six Flags and Wendy’s and TG&Y. I worked at convenience stores like Magic Market and did brief stints at a number of other,...
View ArticleCan We Find Common Ground?
There is in fact a shift in attitude taking place in America, and I think I have an idea of which way we are shifting. The last couple of weeks have given us a great deal to consider. But before we...
View ArticleLocal Politics and Personal Responsibility
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I am concerned with the size and scope of our federal government. From the NSA spying to our massive debt, to Obamacare and the concentration of power in the...
View ArticleBranding, Principles, and Votes
The debates between right and left in this country continue to be both heated and dysfunctional. And even the debates within the spheres we call “left” and “right” are dysfunctional. Generally...
View ArticleBoys on the Playground
I watched this week as the world’s most powerful men proved themselves to be nothing more than little boys on the playground. Putin and Obama danced around the Russian invasion of the Crimea. President...
View ArticleShall Not Be Infringed
Good afternoon Texas! Welcome to the Patriots Rally for Freedom. I want to start by stealing a line from Ross Perot’s running mate, “Who are we, and why are we here?” I don’t know all of you yet but my...
View ArticleEthics and the Neighborhood
I grew up in the small town of Ellisville, Missouri. When my parents moved there in the early 1960’s it was not exactly rural but there were literally cows at the end of our street. My folks were from...
View ArticleThe Right to Work
In 1978 I was a junior in high school and not quite old enough to vote but I posted flyers supporting the Right to Work effort in Missouri. It failed. The measure was recently before the Missouri...
View ArticleFriendship and Sandbars
After sleeping in my own bed last night, my back is almost back to normal. I had quite a long weekend; it was interesting and awesome and brutal. I turned 53 on Sunday, and I took Friday off to make it...
View ArticleA Farewell To Kings (Part 1)
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (The more things change, the more they stay the same.) As you may have noticed, crucifixions and beheadings are back in style in the Middle East. Sunnis and...
View ArticleA Farewell to Kings – Part 2
It is not chance that rules the world. Ask the Romans, who had a continuous sequence of successes when they were guided by a certain plan, and an uninterrupted sequence of reverses when they followed...
View ArticleA Farewell To Kings Part 3
The record for the highest number of electoral votes ever in a US presidential election is 525. That record is held by on Ronald Wilson Reagan. To amass those electoral votes Ronald Reagan had to form...
View ArticleShades of Gray in Ferguson
“Sir!” I turned and saw a lady looking at me. I walked over to where she stood on the sidewalk. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” she asked. “Of course not” I replied. She looked at me and asked...
View ArticleWhy Words Matter
Words represent ideas. And ideas are important. The concepts in the Declaration of Independence or the Bible or those of Shakespeare or Aristotle would not be available to us without the words used to...
View ArticleCreated Equal?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of...
View ArticleTortured Logic
A report released last week by the Senate Intelligence Committee condemns tactics employed by the CIA to gather intelligence from terrorist detainees. I will skip most of the details here; most of you...
View Article