Dispatches from El Camino
Amazingly, spirituality is not a “weird” and awkward subject for the people of Madrid, it’s normalized. Here, people seem to treat the topic of religion as cordially as you’d discuss college football.
Society
The Forgotten Virtue: How Our Culture is Crumbling Without Forgiveness
In a world that prizes outrage, thrives on callouts, and worships moral high ground, one ancient virtue has quietly vanished from public life: forgiveness.
Patterns in the Myths: How Modern Thinkers Nearly Uncovered a Deeper Truth
Across time and culture, human beings have told stories to explain life—stories about brave heroes, dying kings, magical cups, and mysterious journeys that lead to transformation.
Made in the Image of God: Creating Order in a World of Chaos”
Life is chaos. Not metaphorically. Not symbolically. At its core, existence is one long, tangled mess of disorder, uncertainty, and entropy. From the spinning galaxies to the storms on Earth to the mess in your kitchen—chaos is the natural state of things.
That Thing That Never Happens, Has Happened Again
Lia Rose, who reportedly used to compete as Zachary, won the high jump at the Portland Interscholastic League Varsity Relays with a height of 4 feet, 8 inches, beating the second-place finisher by two inches.
An American Procession
It’s overcast. I’m with my wife and my dog. We are on the wide porch of a vacation rental house. This is the main road which cuts through this small town. There are sounds of kids laughing, playing. Easy traffic.
Food Stamp Nation; A federal nutrition program promotes childhood obesity.
Ever wonder why childhood obesity is the worst among the poor? Food stamps. They are easier to get and more generous than ever before—and you can use them to buy candy, potato chips, and soda.
An Analog Childhood
You slap the power button on TV. The old Zenith console warms up. The television is cased in a faux wooden cabinet, with warped oak-grain veneer from a bygone Dr. Pepper someone once placed atop the television, even though this someone’s mother told them to NEVER set ANYTHING atop the TV, not that we’re naming names here.
Truth, Duty, and the Three Great Lies Undermining Society
At West Point, the motto is clear: Duty, Honor, Country. These are not just words; they represent a code of conduct, a commitment to truth, and a foundation for leadership.
Federal Land, Affordable Housing…Affordable Food?
On March 18th, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced their collaboration in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Part II: A Nation of Riflemen: Roosevelt, the DCM, and a Culture of Shooting
President Theodore Roosevelt brought moral clarity and public enthusiasm to the growing marksmanship movement.
The Laws of Stupidity: How Carlo Cipolla Explains America’s Political Fanaticism
Carlo M. Cipolla (1922–2000) was an Italian economic historian known for his insightful and often humorous takes on human behavior. While he wrote extensively on economic development and technological history, his most famous work is The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity (1976).
The Flick Heard ‘Round the World
In the quiet town of Tavistock, Ontario, a craftsman named Eckhardt Wettlaufer sought to create a special gift for his son’s fifth birthday. Drawing upon his woodwork skills, he crafted a circular wooden board with a central hole, surrounded by concentric scoring rings and small pegs acting as obstacles. This was in 1876, and little …
What Snow White could have been; The moral to the story matters more than the DEI hiring
When my mother took me to see Snow White, everyone fell in love with Snow White. I immediately fell for the wicked Queen. —Woody Allen in Annie Hall, 1977 It is not kosher to begin a newsletter quoting Woody Allen because he married his daughter or something like that. OK, it was his crazy girlfriend’s …
A Walk in Birmingham, Alabama
I awoke early and went for a walk with my dog. The sun wasn’t up, I let my eyes adjust to the darkness of Birmingham.
Was It Darkest Before the Dawn?
The first presidential election I remember taking an active interest in was in 1976. Jimmy Carter was running against Gerald Ford. I think the reason this election stands out in my memory is that I was in elementary school and the school held a “mock election.”
The Unraveling of American Disagreement
There was a time in America when disagreement wasn’t synonymous with destruction. Politicians argued policy by day and shared stories over dinner by night. But something has changed. Today, disagreement isn’t a point of discussion; it’s an invitation for personal ruin.
The Birth Control Pill and Its Lasting Impact on Society; Part 3
This series is about the Birth Control Pill and its lasting effect on societies. Today: 3: 1990s to Today – The Destruction of Family and Society
Series: The Birth Control Pill and Its Lasting Impact on Society; Part 2-The 1960s and the Sexual Revolution – A Cultural Shift
The 1960s were a time of massive social change, fueled by civil rights movements, political unrest, and the rise of countercultural ideologies. But perhaps the most transformative change of all was the sexual revolution, enabled largely by the birth control pill.
Whatever Happened to…?
Idiots complain. And I’m not a complete idiot. Idiocy is all about percentages. I’m only 40 percent idiot, the other 75 percent of me is bad at math.