The federal government is under attack. That attack is not coming from a foreign government or enemy troops, but from those in this country who consider the federal government the deep state, or want it to do only their bidding. The attack is supported or approved of by some citizens who, for a variety of reasons, have issues with the federal government. There is no question that the federal government is not perfect and never will be. It is, however, not a deep state, nor should it be … [Read more...]

  On January 20, 2025 Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Eight years earlier on January 20, 2017, Trump was sworn in as the 45th president. In the period from that date until he left office on January 20, 2021, President Trump blew his trumpet improvisationally and idiosyncratically. He did that because he had no specific musical score to play and was not prepared for the job. That will not be the case this time around. Trump has a definite … [Read more...]

  Peace on earth has been a common request since the beginning of time. Luke, the apostle, said in Bible verse 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet, in 1863 wrote: I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! U-2, the rock band, in 2001 sang: Heaven on Earth We need it … [Read more...]

  This Thanksgiving we are thankful that the light of our American democracy still shines. That was the opening sentence of our Thanksgiving blog, written after the 2022 mid-term elections. Even though we are not happy with who won the presidency, it is the opening sentence for our Thanksgiving blog this 2024 election year as well. Here’s why. In 2022, we described the electoral environment as follows: Much of the media in the period from Labor Day in September until the … [Read more...]

    At his inaugural address on January 20, 2017, President Donald Trump infamously said, “This American carnage ends right here and ends right now.” As usual, Trump was wrong. Due to his presidency and his destructive behavior since he left office on January 20, 2021, American carnage has grown. Given this, an overarching question as we approach the presidential election of 2024 is: Will the American citizens vote to bring carnage back to the presidency by electing Donald … [Read more...]

      Two roads diverge in America today And we cannot travel both While some would decry the “politics of envy”, others would decry the “politics of inequality” While some would call protecting those at risk “socialist”, others would call caring for those less fortunate “humanist” While some would embrace “free market capitalism”, others would embrace “the democratic society” While some would make government “the enemy of the people”, others would make government … [Read more...]

    In the United States of America in 2024, there is unquestionably an urban-rural divide politically, with Republicans dominating in rural areas and Democrats dominating in urban areas. This divide is not recent. It has been developing for some time, but it has expanded considerably in this 21st century. Suzanne Mettler, professor of political science at Cornell University, and her student, Trevor Brown, point this out in their 2022 Annals of Political … [Read more...]

    Hillbilly Elegy, a book written by JD Vance, the current Republican Vice-Presidential candidate, was a best seller in 2016. Vance’s book was a “memoir” and story about the devastating problems in his family life and the white working class city of Middletown, Ohio in which he grew up. Elegies are typically written to mourn loss, and to reflect upon and pay tribute to who or what was lost. Vance’s Elegy did not. It primarily placed blame on those “hillbillies” who … [Read more...]

    I want to be happy But I won’t be happy Till I make you happy too. Life’s really worth living When we are mirth giving Why can’t I give some to you When skies are gray and you say you are blue I’ll send the sun smiling through Those are lyrics from “I Want to be Happy,” a song written for the musical No, No, Nanette in 1925. In the first half century after that, from 1925 until 1975, versions of … [Read more...]