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The controversy over same sex marriage in some jurisdictions, as illustrated by recent events in Alabama with Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court Roy Moore leading the opposition, perplexes but does not surprise me. We need to remember that Justice Moore was previously removed from his position as Chief Justice because he refused aRead more

The outpouring of solidarity, righteous anger, and commitment to freedoms of speech and the press exhibited in the recent Je suis Charlie demonstrations following the terroristic attacks in Paris reminded me of a similar emotional response after the 9/11 attacks on our homeland. Andrea and I attended a performance of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra onRead more

Words have meaning and, most often, the simpler our writing and speech, the better for clarity of our expressed thoughts. We frequently encounter complex language that attempts to hide basic reality. For instance, we say Aunt Mary expired, passed, crossed over, or is in a better place rather than stating the obvious: Aunt Mary died.Read more

I experienced an epiphany concerning time when I was a sophomore at LaGrange High School. This sudden new insight occurred shortly after my first day in Mrs. Raymond Smith’s sophomore English class. Mrs. Smith and my grandmother, Mama Ruth, sang in the choir at the First Presbyterian Church. I sometimes noticed Mrs. Smith looking intentlyRead more

I typed the first sentence of a new blog post into the computer, Several aspects of Christmas perplex me. A soft blue light suffused my writing den, the clock stopped at 2:00 a.m., and a sharp knock sounded on the doorframe as the visitor came into the room and sat on the chair to myRead more

As discussed in my previous blog post, I favor a rational immigration policy. My family history shows how legal immigrants can add to the vitality of our society and economy. High tech businesses in particular need immigrants with skills necessary to fuel innovation because our educational system does not produce sufficient numbers of graduates toRead more

I follow our nation’s immigration policies with great interest. Discussions on this subject in our media, notably on talk radio and the Internet, often confuse the issues: Unless we are directly descended from native born, indigenous ancestors (American Indians) without “contamination” from other blood lines, all of us come from immigrants. That is, we areRead more

Miss Louise Owen taught senior Government classes at LaGrange High School. By the time I came to her stimulating classroom in 1956, I had already become politically aware. Conservative economic and liberal sociological positions attracted me even then. Liberal, Conservative, Centrist During one class discussion, I came up with a not-too original observation: The DemocraticRead more

The following is an excerpt from my in progress book, Through The Wilderness – a collection of essays on subjects at the interface of religion, science, politics, and culture. POLITICS: WHY AND HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS PARTICIPATE? First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings andRead more

From my Ebook, Thoroughly Biased Opinions, an edited collection of my columns published in the Franklin County Citizen. I wrote this column when POTUS George W. Bush was still in office. (Photo courtesy of Folkert Gorter.) Know the Enemy Many, if not most, Americans probably do not understand how the current battles in Iraq, Afghanistan,Read more