Happy Day, Thomas Paine!

“He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression.” Thomas Paine was an England-born political philosopher and writer who supported revolutionary causes in America and Europe. Published in 1776 to international acclaim, “Common Sense” was the first pamphlet to advocate American independence.

Temporary Like Achilles

Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them. Virgil Like all else, misfortunes are temporary but not fleeting. They are often not necessary or destined. Many are preventable. Those that could have been prevented are often caused by negligence. Rather than submit passively to them like a victim, fight them boldly. […]

How Was Your Burns Night?

Burns Night honors the iconic Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote the New Year’s Eve anthem Auld Lang Syne. Many Scots host a Burns supper on January 25, the poet’s birthday, although they can be held throughout the year. Some of the suppers can be grand affairs; others less formal. The events will often feature […]

Our Constitutional Right to Counsel Protects Individual Rights

The right of every person to counsel and a jury trial protects us from the over-reach of powerful government and private interests. Yahoo News provides an important reminder. American Founders Knew: Right to Counsel Is Fundamental The right to counsel is a core American principle pre-dating the establishment of American jurisprudence. Our founding fathers experienced […]

Grandma used to say, “Keep your nose to it …”

I’m reading Citizen Cash by Michael Stewart Foley. The book tells the story of Johnny Cash’s misunderstood politics of empathy. In today’s divisive politics, Republicans and Democrats both claim him as their own. Conservatives view him as a traditional patriot and Liberals view him as a champion of the downtrodden. But the author suggests the […]