It was a very uncomfortable scene, that row of presidents and First Ladies. Actually, it looked quite comfortable until the current president and First Lady arrived. After that, you could cut the tension with a knife. Donald and Melania Trump looked like fish out of water in that church pew. They have been taking quite a bit of heat since the funeral because they were the only ones in that row that did not take part in the liturgy of... Read more
“Send us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” Those words are etched onto the most famous statue in the world, which stands in the harbor of America’s largest city. For centuries now, people have been coming to America from all over the world to escape dreadful, hopeless lives in their own homelands. They came and they made us better. Without them, we could not have grown to be what we have become. They, after all,... Read more
I was sort of excited at the reports of larger than normal turnouts at the polls for the recent midterm elections. Typically, midterm elections have very low turnouts. This time was different. Some areas saw voter numbers that rivaled what would normally only be expected during a presidential election. But even with all that, as encouraging as it seemed, the overall nation wide turn out was still less 50%. That’s right, in this crazy, hyped up election year, not even... Read more
My life could so much simpler–so much less stressful–so much more carefree. I live in Indiana. There are many things I love about my state. There are many things about it of which I am proud. But when it comes to politics, Indiana almost always breaks my heart. My state just might be the deepest red of any north of the Mason-Dixon Line. When it comes to politics, Indiana bears a much closer resemblance to Mississippi than Massachusetts. I guess... Read more
This week, Kanye West took another turn on his recent bizarre path into politics. Perhaps one of the most unlikely supporters of Donald Trump, Kanye has decided to hit the brakes and change directions. He tweeted that he has realized he’s being used to spread messages he doesn’t really believe in. When I read this, I felt a mixture of relief and frustration. I’m glad Kanye seems to have had this epiphany, but part of me wants to grab him... Read more
As I watch with numbed disbelief the ongoing bizarre events revolving around the Trump administration, one thought keeps banging around in my head; in the end, we are who we choose to believe and, to some people, as long as you win, that’s all that matters. Last week, in the wake of the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, much debate swirled about the details. Turkish officials issued a grisly detailed account of the death and said it was... Read more
Forgive me America, for I have sinned. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, I fell victim to a grand scheme. I was made to feel it was my duty to walk in lock step with the political party that has hijacked the Christian narrative. They forced me to believe that there is only one way to vote and still be in the good graces of the church. I have helped elect the most unholy leader imaginable. Secretly, I cringe when he... Read more
I wasn’t planning to write on the Kavanaugh hearings, but then two things happened. First, I began to see some of my conservative Christian friends showing support for Kavanaugh and brushing off the accusations by Dr. Christine Blassey Ford. Then President Trump shot his mouth off at a rally in which he openly mocked Ford’s testimony. I’ll address my thoughts on Kavanaugh’s testimony a little later, but let me first get the President’s part out of the way. Donald Trump... Read more
Let’s face it, we have a president that might not be qualified to do most of our jobs. The last couple days I’ve been trying to imagine what it would be like if Donald Trump had my job, or yours. It got me to filling in the blank of the question I used to title this piece: What if Donald Trump were ____________? What if Donald Trump were a teacher? I’m not at all sure he could even be hired... Read more
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The Last Days of Trump
I’m Indiana born and bred, a Hoosier, through and through. I grew up in the 1970s and 80s when the Indiana Hoosiers basketball program was a juggernaut. At the helm of that program was one of the most legendary and ultimately notorious coaches in the history of the sport, Bob Knight. For most of my childhood through early adulthood, Bob Knight was, without question, the most powerful single person in Indiana. He earned his nickname, “The General” through his iron-willed... Read more