Category: Politics & Government

Opinions on contemporary political happenings and the workings of civil government.

The Joe Biden I “Know”

This current generation of voters knows Joe Biden only as Obama’s VP. I’ve been around a lot longer than your average voter (how startling to say that now) and I’ve “known” Joe Biden from the 1980s up to the present. He hasn’t changed with respect to his character: practiced smile while eviscerating a foe (cue the Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination hearings); plagiarist without equal (which led to the demise of one of his presidential runs); teller of tall tales…. Read more »

Bold Steps for Life

One of my most adamant public policy positions, based on my Christian beliefs, is the promotion of the pro-life movement. Abortion is one of the most heinous sins, arguably the most heinous, to be found in American society. Along with the normalization of the sin of homosexuality, the very nature of human beings and their interaction with each other has altered fundamentally over the past four decades. I’ve also tempered my deep concern over abortion by advocating whatever incremental measures… Read more »

By This Shall All Men Know

Jesus gave His followers some very difficult instructions—at least, we seem to make them difficult. Sadly, one of the most difficult seems to be this one: Love One Another. This commandment is truly that: a commandment. It’s not just a good suggestion. When the world sees those who proclaim faith in Christ at each other’s throats, we undermine the Gospel message. Sadly, history shows Christians (or at least those claiming to be Christians) persecuting and even killing one another. In… Read more »

When Rule of Law Prevails

The release of the Mueller Report has had the predicted result: very few partisans have been convinced to set aside their preconceived notions about either the guilt or innocence of Donald Trump with respect to contacts with Russians during the presidential campaign or his actions to obstruct justice in the investigation. What is most dismaying to me, though, is that partisans for Trump have rarely looked at key sections of the Mueller Report. Some won’t because they consider Mueller to… Read more »

My Political Wilderness (Part 2)

In my last post, I made it clear that I don’t have a home in the Democrat party. The extremism that dominates that party makes it an unwelcome place for those, like me, who believe abortion is wrong, that same-sex marriage is unacceptable, and that big-government socialism is not the proper path to follow for policy. All of those positions are anathema to me because of my basic Christian presuppositions. So my obvious political home should be the Republican party,… Read more »

My Political Wilderness (Part 1)

Way back in the Dark Ages of my life, I thought I was a Democrat. I was raised to think—not ideologically, but culturally—that all the good common people were Democrats. I wasn’t taught this specifically; it was simply my cultural environment. JFK was the charismatic rerun of Camelot; LBJ was the champion of the poor and the downtrodden. How could I not be a Democrat? Going to college, though, turned me toward Republicans. That was certainly counter-cultural during my years… Read more »

The Loss of History Is Our Loss

I remember it was back around 1980, when I was teaching some high school students, that I first encountered the realization that I was older and they were unbelievably young. What do I mean? I was talking about the JFK assassination and was stunned to learn that they were too young to have had firsthand knowledge of it. Of course, if I had been thinking clearly, I would have understood that ahead of time; after all, even if I’m not… Read more »