Musings on the Elites
I remember often hearing my Uncle Frank Ackerman use the phrase, “common sense.” He used it when he was frustrated at some statement, practice, or event that in his estimation defied “common sense.” My hypothesis here is that “dirt farmers,” as Uncle Frank sometimes called himself, front-line workers of every kind, teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, and the entire group of grassroots…
I Want You to Know We’re Still Here
“I Want You to Know We’re Still Here” by Esther Safran Foer is about a search for ancestors she had never met, and could not meet because they were victims of the Holocaust. I found her book when I complained to the woman at the help desk. “All your books seem to be written by celebrities and big shots,” I said. I…
Rambling about Enigmas of the American Dream
The most compelling response I find to writing a book is engaging with the reaction to it. That can be as simple as a long-time family member saying: “I didn’t know you did that.” It may be a longer discussion about a common interest a reader found, but one of the most enjoyable responses is from another writer. The other writers know…
West Point Grads Activate Anti-Racism Response
Nine recent West Point grads say it is time for an anti-racist West Point. The nine young officers, two former First Captains, a valedictorian, Rhodes, Fulbright, Schwarzman, and Stamps scholars among them, along with other cadet and athletic leaders at West Point, draw on their own experiences. The action plan they describe in detail seeks to activate an openness to change by…
Where did our Liberty Come From?
America’s Revolutionary Mind is a detailed history about the self-evident truths in the Declaration of Independence. It explores how they came to be part of the American ideal in the period before Thomas Jefferson Included them in the Declaration of Independence, and how they then roused the patriots to action in the Revolutionary War. Its author, a Professor of political science at…
Virus Music
Virus Music My daughter, Julie, sings Neil Young covers on Facebook most nights lately. Her creativity is so fun to watch, putting together the lyrics, chords and capturing them with her own emotional tone and feeling. Music is soothing during the virus, and Julie’s appreciation of Neil Young and his music is longstanding. She plays it softly, with wonderful pitch, as she…
New Review from Pacific Book Review
www.pacificbookreview.com Title: Re-Making the American Dream Author: David Vaught Publisher: AuthorHouse ISBN: 172832663X Pages: 236 Genre: Biography Reviewed By: Dan MacIntosh Pacific Book Review David Vaught’s Re-Making the American Dream is a biography of sorts, as it tells the story of his life; from where he grew up, to where he moved on to later in life. Moreover, though, it’s a tale…
The Joy of Turbulence
I have been avoiding airlines the last few months. Narrow seats and cramped leg room were closing in on me. So I flew our flying club’s Cessna 182 to see Nancy and Denny in South Carolina. It was way more fun. As Hurricane Dorian devastated Grand Bahama and headed up the East Coast, I could fly in the high pressure pushing up…
Wars and Rumors of Wars by Roger L Shinn
I met Roger Shinn at the Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1970. I was there with Cornelius Cooper, my classmate at West Point and fellow soldier in the 82d Airborne Division. Shinn was interviewing him about conscientious objection and became an expert witness in Cooper’s Army hearing to become the first West Point graduate recognized as a conscientious objector. When…
Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Freedom by Luke Goodrich.
This author discusses recent religious freedom cases, and then advises Christians how to avoid culture war traps while strengthening religious freedom. Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . . 1st Amendment, U S Constitution. I learned in law school that this plain language of the Constitution includes an internal contradiction. Sometimes…
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