Where would Indy be without his fedora? Picture the opening scene change in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” It’s when young Indy discovers his fear of snakes on the train and loses his fedora. Suddenly, leap forward to the next scene, when this symbolic prop shows up again on Indy’s head in the [...]

"Naw. Let's watch something at home." If I had a buck for every time I’ve suggested a night at the movies to Karen, I’d be a wealthy man. I still love watching movies in the theaters, but these days we’re more likely to opt for staying home. A sign of age? (Ugh…I hope not.) [...]

"Don't turn a blind eye to kids." - Goldie Hawn Before I get to my real point… It’s already hot in the kitchen, and we’ve got three months to go. Ah, how the past comes to haunt us. JD Vance is defiantly fending off political and media attacks concerning a Tucker Carlson interview in [...]

Looking for the truth. On a recent visit, my friend Reid said, “Wouldn’t it be great if (so-called) journalists were held to a professional standard regarding egregious levels of dishonest and biased reporting…something akin to disbarment for attorneys found guilty of ethics violations?” Interesting idea. But alas. The founders of the United States believed [...]

How did you respond? We don’t watch Trump rallies, so we were unaware in real time until we noticed a text minutes later from a local Young Life representative. We turned on the TV and viewed the tape in horror. Being old enough, I flashed back to the assassinations of President John Kennedy, Senator [...]

The fireworks have been for me all along, right? I celebrated another birthday on July 4th. Always loved sharing my birthday with America—the fireworks have always been for me—so I decided I’m going to pass into glory on…July 4th, many years from now. Hey, stranger things have happened. Like this…the Declaration of Independence was [...]

It continues! “C’mon, Mike,” you might be saying. “Don’t you have anything more relevant to write about?” Well…yeah. But the date of June 16, which landed eight days ago, got stuck in my brain last week for reasons other than Father’s Day. It so happens, on June 16, the year of our Lord 1884, [...]

Are we still a melting pot? “On the boats and on the planes, they’re coming to America. Never looking back again, they’re coming to America.” - Neil Diamond Words from a rousing anthem that induced pride in country a generation back. The melting pot. The idea was such that a schoolkid could understand it. [...]

Does it have a role in our republic? In 1835, Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political thinker and historian, wrote and published Volume 1 of his book, Democracy in America. The second volume followed in 1840. Together they represent a comprehensive analysis of American society, politics, and institutions during the early 19th Century. In [...]

To those who don’t agree, please set aside any animus you may harbor toward former President Trump…or the Make America Great Again movement...or any notions about conservatism that may cause you to point and say, “That’s the problem.” This is not a political post (culture and history are my topic areas). I’m not a [...]