Recent Commentaries

Featured image for “Doing the Good”
Doing the Good
“Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.” – Socrates Remember Lucy van Pelt, the loud-mouthed, know-it-all critic of everyone, especially Charlie Brown? From time to time, she’d set-up a booth and hang out her shingle: Psychiatric Help 5¢. With the coronavirus quarantine, 6-year-old Callaghan McLaughlin in Saanich, British Columbia puts his own positive spin on the concept....
Read More
April 29, 2020
Featured image for “Good News? Maybe”
Good News? Maybe
Captain Brett Crozier, the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt who was reprimanded and removed from his command as a result of a letter he sent to Navy officials in Washington imploring their support in removing sailors from his ship due to an outbreak of coronavirus on board, appears to be on track to be reinstated to his command…...
Read More
April 27, 2020
Featured image for “Duty, Courage, Sacrifice”
Duty, Courage, Sacrifice
Those are the three words that come to mind when I think about military in the field. They’re also critical when they’re not in the field. The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt carries 4,800 men and women, all sailors trained to perform specific jobs that ultimately ensure the safety of Americans at home and abroad. However, Captain Brett Crozier never expected...
Read More
April 24, 2020
Featured image for “I Didn’t Say That”
I Didn’t Say That
When it comes to honestly reporting the facts to the American public, I’ve given up expecting Trump to deviate from his past behavior. While the President continues to walk on water to his base, the rest of us know that he continues to contradict and flat-out lie about his own statements. Washington Post reporter JM Rieger put together a video...
Read More
April 22, 2020
Featured image for “Prayer is Not Enough”
Prayer is Not Enough
In “Finding Hope,” a special report by TIME magazine (April 27-May4), the editors asked a variety of notable individuals to offer their perspective on handling the effects of Covid-19 have had on us all. See if you can identify the common thread in the collection below. Basketball star Stephen Curry on individual actions: “I was the first NBA player tested...
Read More
April 20, 2020
Featured image for “SGN*”
SGN*
With the United States now the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, tough times have fallen hard on millions. However, as these stories illustrate, that’s when Americans step up. Georgetown, Tennessee teen, Elizabeth Taylor, a cashier at a local grocery store, stepped up when Layne McKeel was short of cash at her check-out counter. As reported by a local NBC affiliate...
Read More
April 17, 2020
Featured image for “How Do We Restore America’s Integrity?”
How Do We Restore America’s Integrity?
We have survived crises before. However, the events we are now facing have brought about an unimaginable chain reaction. This is not the America many of us grew up with and loved. We’ve faced down bullies before, but these current threats come in a different form: deceit, corruption, unreason, and disease; not just disease from a deadly virus, but an...
Read More
April 13, 2020
Featured image for “One Soldier’s Story of Faith”
One Soldier’s Story of Faith
During his thirty-five-year career in the Marine Corps, General Charles Krulak served two tours of duty in Vietnam and rose through several command and staff positions to become Commandant of the Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At a Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics in January 2000, General Krulak opened the meeting with the...
Read More
April 10, 2020
Featured image for “The Power of Faith”
The Power of Faith
During these extraordinary times, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. Will I be safe? Will my family be safe? How will I pay for food, rent, mortgage? When will it end? In his ground-breaking book, Man’s Search for Meaning, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl describes his heartbreaking loss in a letter to friends after his liberation from Auschwitz....
Read More
April 8, 2020
Featured image for “Moral Duty v. Military Duty”
Moral Duty v. Military Duty
Updates at the end of this commentary. Military heroes are known for their immediate courage on the battlefield, but for some, ethical courage can be just as urgent. Just ask Captain Brett Crozier. As the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, with a crew of 4,000 sailors, Capt. Crozier faced a challenge he never expected when he reported to...
Read More
April 6, 2020