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The term, hold the line, originally referred to military tactics in which a line of troops was supposed to prevent an enemy breakthrough. The non-military meaning today alludes to maintaining the existing position or state of affairs. Like many people, I think Gen. James Mattis’ remarks to his troops about “holding the line” are inspiring:Read more

Albert Einstein: “To us humans, except for physicists, time always seems to move at the same rate and in the same direction—from past through the present into the future. For those of us who believe in physics, the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” William Faulkner: “The past isRead more

In my previous post, I discussed the fatal flaws at the core of socialism, e.g. the embedded anti-democratic nature of that economic and social system.[1] This post deals with the fatal flaws of American-styled capitalism. Definitions A serviceable definition of capitalism is: An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital or wealth—products,Read more

Fatal flaws exist at the cores of American-style capitalism and socialism, even the oxymoronic democratic socialism. This post deals with socialism; a subsequent post will focus on capitalism. Definitions Many proponents of socialism tend to confuse the assumed benefits (e.g., free college expenses, free childcare, guaranteed income, free universal healthcare, equality of outcomes) with theRead more

Scott Fitzgerald: The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. The Wikipedia definition of cognitive dissonance: “The mental discomfort (psychological stress) experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values.Read more

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa: I voted for Mr. Donald J. Trump in the 2016 presidential election. During the 2016 electoral season, Andrea and I were residents at Brookdale Becket Meadows, an assisted living facility, in Austin, TX. The Travis County Board of Elections designated Becket Meadows as an early voting center and assigned sixRead more

A dictionary definition of prescience is: The fact of knowing something before it takes place; foreknowledge. I previously wrote about the remarkable prescience of Ms. Louise Owen, who taught senior level government classes at LaGrange (GA) High School. By the time I came to her stimulating classroom in 1956, I had already become politically aware.Read more

Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . Although I have a long association with the press, I have never been a professional journalist in the sense that I was paid for my efforts other than delivering newspapers and receiving a free subscriptionRead more

I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Prior to our recent move to Buena Vista, CO, Andrea and I lived in several locations: Austin, TX; Chapel Hill, NC; the Cleveland, OH area; Georgia; the Miami, FL area; andRead more

I previously wrote about how the Frosolono line of my family came to the United States in the later part of the nineteenth century as immigrants from Italy. By the time I was born in 1938, the Frosolonos were well-assimilated into the society of this nation and, to my knowledge, have never needed public assistanceRead more