Author Archives
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AUTOPSY OF A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
“these self-righteous censors often construct a “hero narrative” about themselves in which they are morally pure crusaders who must protect society from the objectionable opinions of the unenlightened masses.” ― Greg Lukianoff, Freedom from Speech Yesterday, Nashville’s Mayor Cooper… Read More ›
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PROPOSED RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
“Though [Abraham Lincoln] never would travel to Europe, he went with Shakespeare’s kings to Merry England; he went with Lord Byron poetry to Spain and Portugal. Literature allowed him to transcend his surroundings.” ― Doris Kearns Goodwin When I… Read More ›
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THE ROLE OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY
“People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination This week, amidst great… Read More ›
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ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END
“One of the hardest things in life to learn are which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.” ― Oprah Winfrey The 2021 version of the Tennessee General Assembly is slowly coming to a close. But whether it… Read More ›
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THE NEW ABNORMAL HAS IT’S PLUSSES
“The mind can calculate, but the spirit yearns, and the heart knows what the heart knows” ― Stephen King Clipping the leash to the dog, I check that I have the necessary plastic bag in my pocket. Once verified, I… Read More ›
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A RACE TO NOWHERE, WITH NO GUARANTEED WINNERS
“the city’s ills were supposed to disappear.” ― Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain Back when I wore a younger man’s clothes, I drank the elixir of the protestant work ethic by the case. I was sold on the idea that… Read More ›
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WHO DO WE WANT THEM TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP?
“The time has arrived when patience becomes a crime and mayhem appears garbed in a manner of virtue” ― Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes I’m going to let you in on a little secret this morning. For… Read More ›
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A CORE PROBLEM
“Our values are the same. We disagree on policy, but we don’t disagree on humanity, we don’t disagree about love and compassion. I think that’s true for all of us — it’s just that we get lost in our fear of… Read More ›
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A QUESTION ON NUANCE
“A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.” ― Thomas Edison “When are you getting your vaccination shot?” My wife asked early last week. “I don’t know. Sometime soon.” “Why haven’t you already gotten… Read More ›
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TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” ― Alexis de Tocqueville These days I perpetually find myself questioning which will prove more destructive to America, the… Read More ›
