Everything has become way too complicated. I understand it will usually be that way in science, engineering, and technology, but I’m focused here on our personal lives and on national programs and policies. Instead of adding amendments, clarifications and exemptions to direct almost every aspect of government action and our personal behavior, let’s cut to the simplest way to get something done, without trying to rig the outcomes. It will take some courage, but here are some initial ideas to...
I want to share my thoughts on the two ends of a conceptual telescope I will call “Character." Not character like someone in a novel, but as with: The aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. Qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity. Reputation. Good repute. (Character Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com) At the larger end of the Character telescope is the big picture view of our nation's Virtue that everyone can see. For...
This month, just before the Midterm Elections, I’m focused on the perfect storm created by the intersection of three disastrous forces running amok in our nation today. I wrote about the first force back in 2013, in “What We Don’t See is Killing Us”—I hope you will take a moment to read it, because it sets the stage for what is to follow. In that post, I extolled the writings of Henry Hazlitt on Economics, and particularly his observation that policies always have two effects: immediate and...
Several years ago my friend and teacher, Ken Boa, in his Wednesday morning Bible Study, mentioned how Moses, in Psalm 90, instructs us to number our days for a specific purpose. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (v. 12) Just before that, in verse 10, Moses states that it’s reasonable to expect a lifespan of 70 years, but we might make it to 80. “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures;” After thinking about it a bit, and already...
The confluence of Father’s Day and my 75th birthday within two days of each other this year reminded me of the power of families, and of the key role of fathers in the family. My father turned 75 in 1993, when I was 46. Like all of us, he was imperfect. But he was faithful, loyal, and loving. If he had a motto, it was “Always Do the Right Thing.” He put himself through Georgia Tech after the Depression and then fought in World War II. His father was in the first class at the Auburn University...
As addressed in last month’s post, there are many good reasons to dislike Critical Race Theory (CRT), and to work quickly to end its poisoning impact on leadership in our nation’s corporate, education and military's highest circles. One of the least discussed reasons to end CRT is its teaching that Oppressors—Whites, Males, Heterosexuals, and Christians—will never change and will always oppress. CRT’s answer to this “fact” of unrelenting oppression is that governments must step in to solve the...
I am very concerned about finding and acting on the Truth, as any reader of my recent posts will attest. As a student of Russian History who made my first visit to Leningrad in 1969 at the age of 22, I have always been aware of how the Soviet State bent “truth” to suit its needs. From big lies, like portraying their one-party, top-down, controlled elections as “democracy”, to the small lie that prices in their economy had anything to do with real costs or demand—all were fabrications to help...
The Elections, the Virus, and the Violence--the three big issues (so far) in this unusual year--have taken up a lot of time and ink. I focused on each one in recent months, and, after re-reading those earlier posts, I don't have much to add. Here are those links: Term Limit Trumps the Mob Coronavirus Perspective A Warning and ABLM My one additional thought about next week's election would be: It would be a terrible tragedy if two relatively short-term issues--the President's personality and...
Let’s take a break from the current political fracas and consider a subject which will be with us until long after the next election: Spiritual Warfare and the Family. First, let me stipulate that I know there are some troubled families that are seriously dysfunctional with abuse or addiction, and/or where no father is present. Those situations are important to address, but they require skills and interventions which are beyond the scope of this post. My focus here is calling attention to the...
I truly believe that Black lives matter. The question I’m about to ask is not snarky or a rhetorical gimmick. It is a genuine question which I hope one or more Progressives will answer. To some--even many--people Black lives matter, unless they are about to be aborted. And then they don’t. My question is: How can this be? For the past several months we have been shown repeatedly how Black lives as a group are in worse shape than others in our nation. Black people succumb more often and with a...
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