Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. — First amendment to the US ... Continue reading
In search of peace
January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
It was a brisk, cloudless, January morning, a perfect day to be out and about. I was working in the yard and considering a trip to the Home Depot. At a shopping center a few miles to the south, several dozen people were queuing up outside of a grocery store to speak with their congressional ... Continue reading
The heroes of United 93
September 9, 2011 By 1 Comment
In Greek mythology, the gods would sometimes take human lovers. The offspring of these liaisons were the demigods, known more popularly by the name heroes. The heroes were mortals with extraordinary powers. They were great warriors, and are the likely inspiration for many of the modern day ... Continue reading
Despairs of the heart
January 10, 2011 By
When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. — Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik When Pima County Sheriff ... Continue reading
God, airlines, and questions of sovereignty
July 24, 2010 By 3 Comments
If there's a God who controls floods and earthquakes, does the deity also have a hand in an airline's mechanical problems? ... [Southwest Airlines] recently added "mechanical difficulties" to the list of acts of God and other events for which the carrier will not be liable if travel is delayed. — ... Continue reading
Underwater Thanksgiving
November 25, 2009 By
The headlines don't seem to offer much reason for being thankful this Thanksgiving. My home state of Arizona is second in the nation for "underwater" mortgages, according to a Wall Street Journal report. 48% of all homeowners here owe the bank more than their homes are worth. Nationally, 23% of ... Continue reading
Flawed justice
September 29, 2009 By
Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny. — Edmund Burke When William Hawkins was 28, he was convicted of attempted sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl. It is the sort of violation most of us find odious, but Hawkins' crime actually occurred much earlier, when he was 16. Young men often do ... Continue reading
Turning lead into gold
June 28, 2009 By 2 Comments
I started college as a philosophy major. While my friends were agonizing their way through calculus and organic chemistry, I was happily holed up in the library stacks with musty volumes by Nietzsche, Socrates, Pascal, Descartes, Leibniz, et. al., or in the Student Union having deep conversations ... Continue reading
