The William Penn Overture
I like Pennsylvania. They’re nice here. They say “yous” and “yinz” and “soda pop.” They have Appalachian manners, a steelman’s work ethic, and potholes big enough to swallow Peterbilts.
Americana
Learning from the Tragedy at Weehawken
On July 12, 1804, former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton died from injuries sustained in a duel against Aaron Burr. Burr had challenged Hamilton following a long string of overheard political attacks over the years. But who was right, and who was wrong?
Birmingham: My Home Sweet Home
It was an average weeknight in Birmingham when I stood atop the Vulcan statue. Snow on the ground. I was looking at the city below, standing beneath Vulcan’s massive butt cheeks.
The Obama Presidential Center: An $850 Million Monument to Failure
The Obama Presidential Center is finally open, but even its noteworthy ugliness and its star-studded gala opening day couldn’t outshine the scandals behind this embarrassing construction project.
The America 250th Anniversary Celebrations Are Underway And the Anti-Trump, Anti-America Crowd Are Big Mad
The UFC event rose above all the hate and nonsense spewed by this vocal, unhinged and violent segment of our society and their cheerleaders in the LSMBTGANF. The pageantry with the backdrop of the White House predominant with events centered around the Ellipse and the Washington Monument was splendiferous.
George Washington: Father of his Soldiers, his People, and his Nation
In 1775 – when the Continental Congress unanimously selected him as our Commander in Chief – and today, it is clear that George Washington was and remains, in every way, the Father of His Country.
A Birmingham Angel
Birmingham. I met the old woman for coffee. She was small and slight, with a mane of white. She spoke with a thick Latin accent.
“I have a story for you,” she said.
The Feel of a Real Newspaper
Newspapers have a smell. If you’re lucky enough to find a physical newspaper in our digital world, you’ll notice the smell first. Fresh newsprint paper. SoySeal ink. Still warm. It’s a unique scent.
Caught Between a Rock and a Rockwell
I have a thing for Norman Rockwell. When I was a kid, I collected Rockwell memorabilia in the form of calendars, picture books, and posters. I clipped illustrations from books and plastered them upon my bedroom walls.
General Washington: The Education of a Virginia Patriot
The greatest president of them all, George Washington – surveyor, planter, trader, legislator, executive, and soldier – had no “higher education” at all. How ever did he manage it?
The Murder in Tulsa
His dad was murdered. Just outside Tulsa. You probably never heard about it. It was an average winter night out in the country. No snow. Cold as you-know-what. Harry Aurandt and his buddy, Ike, had been rabbit hunting….then…
Common Sense and the Glorious Cause
Historians, political scientists, and philosophers alike often look at revolutions and ask the question “Was it a simple coup d’etat, or a real popular revolution? And if a real popular revolution, just how ‘popular’ was it, really?”
George Washington: A Victor in Battle, a Freeman at Heart
t is said that, when George III learned that General Washington planned to return to farming rather than take a crown, as any European general would presumably do, the defeated king said “If he does that, then he will be the greatest man in the world.”
Insulating America from Government Shutdowns
So, while this isn’t the biggest immediate issue to resolve, it is indeed the biggest longterm issue: what can be done to reduce the harm of future shutdowns?
Columbus Set the Oars in Motion
Why has modern America chosen to attack Columbus Day? Many schools no longer celebrate it; many states have dropped it in ignominy… or worse, they use it as a negative teaching opportunity: to trash the explorers who brought European civilization to these shores. Of course, it’s still celebrated as …
Reflections on a Philadelphia Summer
Would you agree to attend meetings for an entire hot, humid Philadelphia summer, from March 15 through September 17, without a working air conditioner in the conference room? That’s hard, but we’re not done.
The American Way
Daddy used his belt buckle to pop open his Coke. He used his teeth to tear open the peanuts. Then he carefully dumped the nuts into the mouth of the bottle. He handed the bottle to me. “Here,” he said. “This is something my daddy used to do. Try it.”
George Washington and the Ides of March
Thirteen upstart colonies had declared themselves states, and united in a loose federation to fight for independence from the greatest military power on earth. And they handed over the reins to George Washington, to make it happen.
The Life and Times of Dothan Mardi Gras
Today, I am Grand Marshal of the Dothan Mardi Gras parade. Truthfully, I don’t know what a grand marshal’s official duties entail, but apparently you are required to hold beer wherever you go.
The Fabric of Society Suffers Another Blow
Joann’s bankruptcy is both a casualty of a cultural shortcoming and a contributing cause of that shortcoming’s growth. It is a vicious circle.