Eunity?
The scientific community would like to buy the world a Coke. Well, not exactly; they’d just like to bring us all together as one large and getting-along family of mankind. The way to do this, according to Matthew Stremlau, is through unbridled, unlimited gene research. Writing from the State Department (that’s scary), Mr. Stremlau reassures […]
One of Us
I had a “Usual Suspects” moment last night, watching the evening news. I’ve thought a good deal about how Barack Obama managed to become President of the United States. Race was a factor, but not the deciding one, as were his good looks and charm, easy eloquence, and sudden folksiness. Experience and grasp of the […]
Yeah, that should do it
For most of the spring and early summer, the Obama Administration fretted over the situation with North Korea, a “rogue nation” with a megalomaniacal dictator, and, oh yeah, nuclear weapons (almost). Pyongyang fired off rockets, tested a nuclear device (maybe), threatened South Korea, sentenced two American journalists to prison terms, warned the world away from […]
What Will Throttle it All
I listened carefully to the President’s press conference last night. I believe Mr. Obama is sincere, mostly. He can’t resist the allure of power – or a friendly press corps – and so he’s going to try to wield as much of it as he can. But I think he’d really like to go to […]
Sauntering or Soldiering
Yesterday morning was lovely. Warm but overcast, a light breeze wafting and the promise of some rain. I went out to have a cup of coffee on the front porch and watched as workers continued building a new access road to the local elementary school. A flat bed truck appeared with a single plastic drain […]
The media, they…
Andy Griffith once famously described football as a game where one side tries to get a funny-looking ball over the other side’s goal “without gittin’ knocked down, or steppin’ in sumpin’” President Obama has stepped in it royally, and he’s doing his best to keep from getting knocked down over it. To say the least, […]
Above All
Of all the commandments, statutes, precepts, and rules which the Lord has given to enable His people to live free from sin and growing in full and and abundant life, only one is prefaced by the words, “above all.” Which is it? Surely the first; I mean, what could be more important than having the […]
Life, quality of
“Quality of life” is on the table again. Or, rather, under the table, it seems. Fox News Sunday reported on a Veterans’ Administration workbook intended to help veterans think through their “options” when they find themselves questioning their “quality of life.” The booklet includes what might be described as “the Oregon solution” as a consideration: […]
The Business of War
Sherman had it right: war is hell. And sometimes there’s hell to pay as the business of war unfolds. It’s one thing to go to war as a combatant when you know that both you and your adversary are agreed on submitting to international conventions regarding the treatment of prisoners. It’s another thing to be […]
Count Me Not In
I have, I’m sure, now heard the phrase, “social networking”, about as much as is needed for one lifetime. I am frequently asked why I’m not on Facebook, why I don’t Tweet, will I become a friend of someone on this or that or some other “social network.” Not that many readers would be inclined […]
Harness the Sun
In our little town of Hamilton a flock of turkey vultures roosts on the old water tower behind the Baptist Church. These late summer days, when the air is a little cool, they will often mount up together and soar, in fairly tight circles, kettling over the town as they drift from thermal to thermal, […]
A Simple Act of Decency
I’m having a cup of coffee on the front porch yesterday mid-morning, when the mail lady turned on to our street. She didn’t see me when she entered; nor did she when she made the rounds of the twin cul-de-sacs and headed back out of the neighborhood. But the neighbor’s tabby cat crossed the road […]
Principal-in-Chief
On Tuesday next, America’s public school children will be treated to a special assembly at which the Principal-in-Chief will speak to them about the importance of education. And he means it. By itself, President Obama’s speech to the children doesn’t trouble me – much (however, I try to imagine the hoots and calls for impeachment […]
Keeping up with the Joneses
The case of Mr. Van Jones, President Obama’s Green Czar, is troubling. Mr. Jones is not a gentleman. He may be well versed in green technologies and whatnot, but he is an ideologue first and foremost whose comments regarding the Republicans in Congress, President Bush, and who knows how many other things are an embarrassment […]
Afraid to Die?
The Economist opines that the”current debate about health-care reform is in part a debate about death, which is why it evokes such fear” (September 5th, 2009). Americans, like everybody else, are afraid of dying. Dying is, well, messy business, and, even though you can’t really do it “right,” Americans don’t want government getting in the […]
