Okay, okay okay. You can probably already guess by the title that this isn’t going to turn out well.
I have two season tickets to the University… »
Common Sense Values
How to Live a Meaningful Life
Fifteen minutes of fame. Or shame. It doesn’t seem to matter which anymore. Our society’s constant worship of celebrities and fascination with the freak du jour has fueled the seemingly insatiable need to get noticed—to be “somebody”. Never mind that the “somebody” you may be is a laughingstock, a pervert, a criminal, a blowhard, or… »
God or Government? A Man-Made Deity
God or government? It’s a question that I think we as a nation must ask ourselves as we stand at the crossroads of decisions that will have historic impacts on the very nature of our country for a generation or more.
Although I admittedly lean toward less government, I don’t hate government—I just believe that it… »
Don’t Screw Up Your Life, Part 1
I read a very interesting statistic a few weeks ago. In Bernard Goldberg’s book “Crazies to the Left of Me, Wimps to the Right”, he quotes a pretty startling statistic: if you 1) graduate high school, 2) don’t have kids until you’re married, and 3) don’t get married until you’re 20 then you have only… »
Is Praying a Crime?
I just received an email from one of my dear friends from college. Her father-in-law, Frank Lay, is principal at Pace High School in Pensacola, Florida. My friend informed me that Lay and his athletic director, Robert Freeman, are facing criminal charges for saying a prayer before a meal to dedicate the completion of a… »
The Fantasy of the “Soul Mate”
NOTE: This was originally published in The State Newspaper, July 9, 2009.
As a Christian family man, I was disheartened to see a once-principled man choosing to risk everything in his life for a temporary thrill. How could Mark Sanford allow himself to veer so far off track? The given explanation is that Sanford’s mistress was… »
Mark Sanford and “Leadership”
I have so many thoughts about the Mark Sanford story that I’m not sure where to begin. I am frustrated by yet another “conservative” failing our values in such grand, hypocritical fashion. I am disappointed by the unfulfilled expectations I had when Sanford was elected. I am perplexed by the arrogance of politicians who think… »
The Big Tent Fallacy
I’ve heard enough. I’m not sure who first put forth the idea that the Republican party should be a “Big Tent”, but I’m about ready to pack mine up and move out. For those of you who may not be clear on the meaning of the “big tent” philosophy, it’s basically this: our party is… »
Why am I a Conservative? Part I
My name is Cliff. And I’m a conservative.
I feel like I should be in a 12-step program to acknowledge and turn away from my shame. The term “conservative” is a bad word anymore. We’ve been branded as bigots and hatemongers.
Despite the recent election results, I assure you the conservative movement is not dead. I and… »
Columbine Revisited: The Absence of Hope
As we mark the 10th anniversary of the horror of Columbine High School, our society finds itself still asking many of the same questions that a decade ago seemed to provide no acceptable answers. Why did this happen? Who is to blame? Why don’t we have more gun control laws?
It’s natural for people to want… »
Dang Write! debuts
April 18, 2009 marks the official debut of Dang Write! In recent years, but particularly since the political shift of 2006, I have had conversation after conversation with fellow conservatives dissatisfied with the political direction of our country–this includes disappointment with many Republicans and other “conservatives” who seem to have abandoned the core principles that… »