Browsing All Posts filed under »History«

On Patriotism

May 9, 2023

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Not too long ago a friend of mine, Susan Warner, asked me if patriotism was out of form. Her husband, Jack Warner, now deceased, was a veteran of the Burma theater in the Second World War and he loved this country. Then on Sunday April 16, I read a piece in the Wall Street Journal […]

The Banana Republics

May 4, 2023

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Some of you may be wondering what a “banana republic” is. You can look it up in Wikipedia but be careful, since the first definition that pops up is to an upscale clothing store with lots of boobs and legs, although there are other outfits marketed for everybody from babies to men. Keep on scrolling […]

Doctors, Pilots, and Equity, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Infecting Our Land and People

May 4, 2023

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Let’s start out with a simple decision most of us have to make at one time or another. I don’t know about you, but if I am flying or having surgery, I want someone qualified by training and ability to handle the cockpit or the scalpel. I certainly don’t want someone who is there because […]

Back in the Days…

May 3, 2023

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Old timers today tend to extol the virtues of when they were young, and the world was right. We all do it, perhaps exaggerating the virtues of our world and the vices in today’s world. I was reminded of this great old world as I started to convert my huge file of 35mm slides I […]

Bartolomé de las Casas and the Popes

January 6, 2023

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Bartolomé de las Casas and the Popes The recent passing of Pope Benedict, his memorials, and burial earlier in January 2023, brought to mind another Catholic prelate, hardly known in the twenty first century. He was however an iconic figure of his age in the sixteenth century, a man of Christian wisdom and strength, someone […]

Little Venice, or Venezuela Yesterday and Today

December 2, 2022

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That’s the origins of Venezuela’s name, “Little Venice.” And for you journalist mavens here’s your quick quiz of the week, right up front. Who is the most famous man in Venezuela or her history? A. Nicolas Maduro, B. Hugo Chávez, C. Simón Bolívar, D. Fidel Castro. Any choice but Simón Bolívar is wrong, really wrong. […]

Lesson from the Apostle Paul

November 24, 2022

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How many times have you done or said something wrong? If you are not in this category of humankind, just quit reading and continue with your cup of coffee or glass of wine. If you have done or said something wrong, keep reading. There are two questions you need to answer: 1. What did I […]

Of Doctors, Pilots and Equity

August 12, 2022

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Let’s start out with a simple decision most of us have to make at one time or another. I don’t know about you, but if I am flying or having surgery, I want someone qualified by training and ability to handle the cockpit or the scalpel. I certainly don’t want someone who is there because […]

Quid omnes tangit debet

June 7, 2022

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I thought I would sound erudite and educated in the old-fashioned way today and try out some Latin on you. We’re all familiar with e pluribus unum but how many know what it means? Not too long ago I ran into Quid omnes tangit debet while working on the iconic Dominican priest Bartolomé de las […]

White Racists, 2022 Update

April 20, 2022

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White Racists, 2022 Update Over the past several years, the University of Alabama’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion vigorously denied it teaches white racism is inevitable, endemic, and cannot be changed. But is this what they teach? A couple of summers ago DEI at UA hosted a “common read” of the New York Times […]