(Flickr-Wonder woman0731, CC BY 2.0)
If you’ve made it this far into the year and are still maintaining your New Year’s resolutions, congratulations!
But if you, like most of us, have already failed at these efforts of reform, take heart. There’s still time to make changes, even small ones. And my suggestion for that small change is that you start by choosing one book to read this year. Continue reading
US Philippine War cartoon
The following quote from an article published by Aroop Mukharji on October 1, 2023 in the International Security Journal, provides insight to President William McKinley’s handling of the Philippine Islands and military intervention in the late 1890’s. It reads,
“The meddler’s trap denotes a situation of self-entanglement, whereby a leader inadvertently creates a problem through military intervention, feels they can solve it, and values solving the new problem more because of the initial intervention. The inflated valuation is driven by a cognitive bias called the endowment effect, according to which individuals tend to overvalue goods they feel they own. A military intervention causes a feeling of ownership of the foreign territory, triggering the endowment effect.”
According to a simple definition from dictionary.com, “meddle” means “to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly.” Meddling defines many US foreign policy decisions where the “meddler’s trap” begins with President McKinley. Continue reading
Trench warfare during World War I. (Wikimedia Commons)
Upon U.S. entry into the war, in 1917 the Wilson administration proposed and a compliant Congress almost immediately passed the Espionage Act, a direct attack on American press freedom. The law criminalized newspaper journalists who dared to oppose the war, question the official narrative, or encourage dissent. Massive fines and stiff prison sentences were dealt out with regularity throughout the war. The postmaster general, Albert Burleson, used the Act with particular vigor, banning socialist and anti-war publications from the mails, which then was the only serious method of media distribution. Continue reading
In his announcement speech for his presidential run , in 1974, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter said there were things he would not do to become President: “I would not tell a lie. I would not mislead the American people … and I would not betray your trust.”
If anything defined President Carter, it was his basic decency and morality. Continue reading
A Connecticut student who can’t read or write earned a diploma and attends university, while Oregon suspends literacy graduation requirements through 2028.A few weeks before high school graduation, Aleysha Ortiz had some stern words for Hartford Board of Education members at their meeting in Hartford, Connecticut on May 7, 2024.
“I felt like they didn’t care about my future,” she said, referring to her school. “I truly believe that you do not value me as a student and as a human being and that you do not care about my education.”
Continue reading
We all saw horrifying images and heard heartbreaking stories about the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene. But chances are you also heard a few stories of hope, of people lending a hand to those in need. I heard one of these a few days after the storm, compliments of some friends living in the area.
Although their home was high enough to avoid getting swept away in the deluge, my friends were cut off from the outside world for a few days as a nearby creek became a raging river. While waiting to evacuate, the family’s two early- to mid-teenage sons heard screams coming through their window one night while reading before bedtime. When they couldn’t find their father – who was, unbeknownst to them, trying to get some news from the outside world on the car radio – they took matters into their own hands, grabbing some equipment and heading out to the creek, where they rescued their neighbor from debris and a partially submerged car. Continue reading
A U.S. soldier stands watch in a trench in the Alsace region of Germany in the spring of 1918. (The National Guard / CC BY 2.0)
“War is the health of the state.” So said the eerily prescient and uncompromising anti-war radical Randolph Bourne in the very midst of what Europeans called the Great War, a nihilistic conflict that eventually consumed the lives of at least 9 million soldiers, including some 50,000 Americans. He meant, ultimately, that wars — especially foreign wars — inevitably increase the punitive and regulatory power of government.
He opposed what Americans commonly term the First World War on those principled grounds. Though he’d soon die a premature death, Bourne had correctly predicted the violations of civil liberties, deceptive propaganda, suppression of immigrants, vigilantism, and press restriction that would result on the home front, even as tens of thousands of American boys were slaughtered in the trenches of France. Continue reading
The United States’ Navajo code secured victories at major turning point battles and remained unbroken by the end of World War II. But it wasn’t a series of random, encrypted characters — it was a pre-existing language.
During the war, the U.S. Marine Corps enlisted members of the Navajo Nation, a Native American population and reservation in what is now Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Their originally unwritten language became the basis of a code that was used in most Marine operations in the Pacific Theater, according the U.S. Intelligence Community, a group of federal agencies dedicated to national security. Continue reading
Noah Webster
If you’re a normal person, you’ve likely done a double take some time in the last year as your eye rested on a news headline so crazy – even in this unbelievably chaotic world of ours – that you couldn’t believe it. Evidence that such craziness is now a common occurrence shows itself in the popularity of news sites such as “Not the Bee,” whose tagline is “your source for headlines that should be satire, but aren’t.”
But there are still some normal headlines out there that also cause us to do mental double takes, largely because they run completely opposite this trend by offering unbelievably positive news. Such was the case when I came across a Wall Street Journal headline proclaiming, “Sales of Bibles Are Booming.”
The article largely attributed these booming Bible sales to the heightened marketing tactics of Christian booksellers. But it also acknowledged that some seismic cultural factors may be playing a role in the 22 percent increase in U.S. Bible sales this year. In fact, as I read those quoted in the article – everyone from a social media influencer to a Nevada mother – I began realizing that they were all citing three main reasons for their renewed interest in the Bible, namely, a search for stability, meaning, and happiness. Continue reading
When kids help with tasks around the house, they learn how to contribute value to their community. Biba Kayewich
For the third time, you start unloading the dishwasher. A few more plates find their home in the cupboard before the cries of the toddler in the other room shatter the silent sanctuary you foolishly attempted to construct. Again.
You hurry to the adjoining room. His tower of blocks has again betrayed him with diabolical malfeasance, collapsing into hopeless ruin – much like your hopes of completing any housework. What to do? Continue reading
The cover of the 1992 print of “Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus” by Francis Pharcellus Church.
One of the most beloved Christmas stories traces its origins to a picturesque street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood. The brownstone and brick rowhouse at 115 W. 95th St. was the childhood home of Virginia O’Hanlon, the eponymous girl in the “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” 1897 editorial published by The Sun.
This editorial has become legendary; it’s the most republished editorial in American journalism. The text has entered the Christmas canon with families and communities rereading it as part of their annual celebratory tradition. Continue reading
“The negro vote was not at all committed to Kennedy, but it went there because Mr. Nixon did not do anything to win it. I understand his view but felt he was making a mistake …”
The famous retired baseball star – at that time an NAACP fundraiser and vice president of Chock Full O’ Nuts coffee – campaigned hard for Richard Nixon in 1960. Here, in the aftermath of defeat, he offers suggestions as to how the party of Lincoln might attract more future African-American voters in his (and Nixon’s) native California.
JACKIE ROBINSON. Typed Letter Signed, “Jackie”, to Theodore L. Humes. [n.p.], November 15, 1960. 1 p., on personal letterhead.
A leading advocate for innovation and opportunity in education is not surprised that Elon Musk is opening a private school in Texas.
The world’s wealthiest man has gotten a permit to open Ad Astra (Latin for “to the stars“) in Bastrop County, about 40 minutes outside of Austin. The pre-kindergarten Montessori school will reportedly teach children to sweep, draw, and explore.
Montessori observed that children learn best when they are free to move free to choose their own work and progress at their own pace. Continue reading
Charles Dickens and President John Tyler
As part of an extensive tour of the United States that encompassed most of the first half of 1842, English author Charles Dickens earned an invitation to meet President John Tyler at the White House. However, this visit left a lot to be desired on the part of the author, beginning with his attempt to actually locate the commander in chief.
As explained in his travelogue American Notes, Dickens and an unnamed official, “having twice or thrice rung a bell which nobody answered,” simply entered the White House and attempted to find the president on their own. Continue reading
Get your children OUT of the System – NOW – and keep them OUT!
Historically, homeschooling rates in Missouri hovered around 3% — roughly one in 30 students (Getty Images)
Over the past few years, education in Missouri has undergone a quiet but seismic shift. What’s most interesting about this change is that it’s happening outside of schools. Continue reading
George Orwell, one of the most influential political writers of the 20th century, is widely recognized for his searing critiques of totalitarian regimes in his novels Animal Farm and 1984. Orwell’s portrayal of state control, propaganda, and the manipulation of truth has resonated with readers across the political spectrum. However, Orwell’s personal political ideology and his critiques of totalitarianism are far more complex than is often acknowledged. Rather than being a passive observer or simply an opponent of dictatorship, Orwell was deeply involved in the socialist movements of his time, aligning himself – whether accidentally or intentionally – with Trotskyist circles. Orwell was a powerful voice of the left, despite being a target in the war among socialist factions. Continue reading
Many parents aspire to raise future leaders, and leadership is a skill that can be nurtured with purposeful guidance. Through thoughtful strategies, parents can help their children develop critical qualities like resilience, communication, and the ability to inspire others. Experiences that foster growth and critical thinking build a foundation for effective leadership. By creating environments that support confidence and adaptability, parents empower their children to thrive as leaders in any setting, preparing them to take on challenges and make a meaningful impact in the world. Continue reading
Several weeks ago, I made the claim that a culturally literate person knows the Bible. Because the Bible was a part of common culture for so many centuries, those who fail to familiarize themselves with its contents cut themselves off from deeper historical and cultural understanding.
I was reminded today just how valuable that knowledge can be as I was reflecting on Veterans Day and World War I. Continue reading
March 6, 2006 ~ It is that time of year for me to remind my readers about the magnificent stand by the defenders of The Alamo back in 1836. The Alamo fell on March 6 of that year. For more than 13 days, 186 brave and determined patriots withstood Santa Anna’s seasoned army of over 5,000 troops. To a man, the defenders of that mission fort knew they would never leave those ramparts alive. They had several opportunities to leave and live. Yet, they chose to fight and die. How foolish they must look to this generation of spoiled Americans! Continue reading
But have you ever noticed how difficult it is to figure out exactly what kind of books our children are reading in school? Continue reading