Recent Citizenship Commentaries

Featured image for “What Thoreau Still Asks of Us”
What Thoreau Still Asks of Us
“The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.” – Henry David Thoreau I first read Walden back in high school. At the start, the pace felt slow, but once I settled into the rhythm, I was pulled in. Henry David Thoreau wasn’t simply a nature lover; he was...
Read More
October 3, 2025
Featured image for “Thomas Paine—A Man for Our Times”
Thomas Paine—A Man for Our Times
French philosopher Voltaire once observed, “Common sense is not so common.” Thomas Paine trusted it anyway and helped inspire a revolution built on it. In January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a pamphlet that spoke in plain, direct language ordinary colonists could understand. English by birth, Paine became an extraordinary patriot. His words cut through chaos at one of...
Read More
September 15, 2025
Featured image for “Strength, Trust and Respect”
Strength, Trust and Respect
Returning from summer vacation, the atmosphere in the country, sadly, remains unchanged. While future commentaries will highlight America’s triumphs as well as the times we found the courage to correct our course, the challenges before us now are too flagrant to ignore: the same divisions, the same anger, the same refusal to face reality persist. With armed National Guard units...
Read More
September 5, 2025
Featured image for “Make America <em>Breathe</em> Again”
Make America Breathe Again
“If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.”— Abraham Lincoln The absence of truth at the microphone tells us just how far we’ve fallen. And every day, we feel that distance grow—each news cycle thick with chaos, each headline steeped in grievance or fear. We are exhausted—not just politically, but spiritually. For years, we’ve been...
Read More
August 8, 2025
Featured image for “Waiting for Mr. Smith”
Waiting for Mr. Smith
It may seem obvious, but it couldn’t be more urgent: we need about a thousand Mr. Smiths in Washington right now. We need the idealism, yes, but we also need the pragmatism. We need leaders with the courage and character to stand up for what’s right. We need leaders who can turn vision into action and build a better, more...
Read More
July 7, 2025
Featured image for “It <em>Can</em> Happen Here”
It Can Happen Here
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.—Derived from “It Can’t Happen Here” by Sinclair Lewis This is the most prescient book I have ever read.  In 1935, Sinclair Lewis published a novel with a title that felt more like comfort than warning: It Can’t Happen Here. But the real message behind...
Read More
June 13, 2025
Featured image for “The Call That May Never Have Happened—But Still Matters”
The Call That May Never Have Happened—But Still Matters
It’s a story that’s made its way through online forums, Reddit threads, and grief support pages. No news articles. No official confirmation. And maybe that’s the point. The story goes like this: In 2020, while filming News of the World, Tom Hanks received a folded note from his assistant. A man named James Mallory, a retired teacher from Ohio, was...
Read More
June 12, 2025
Featured image for “Short and Sweet”
Short and Sweet
Eight Social Rules— 1. Silence in Arguments—Not every opinion needs a reply. 2. The calmest voice controls the room—power doesn’t shout. 3. Gossip once, lose trust forever—people remember. 4. Ask more, talk less—Silence is golden. 5. Praise in public, correct in private—Respect goes viral. 6. Facing an implacable individual, mirror their energy, not their chaos—Stay in control. Amendment—Challenge people in...
Read More
May 23, 2025
The Courage To Act
Embed from Getty Images Ethics begins where self-interest ends. We’re facing a moment that goes far beyond politics. This is not about party affiliation or ideological differences. It’s about the preservation of the rule of law, the integrity of public institutions, and the ethical core of our democracy. A president who believes he is above accountability is dangerous.  » Read more...
Read More
April 18, 2025
Featured image for “Democracy is a Test of Character”
Democracy is a Test of Character
In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” At the time, the country was in the depths of the Great Depression, and fear was everywhere—fear of poverty, fear of failure, fear of the unknown. Roosevelt knew that fear, if left unchecked, could paralyze a nation. More importantly, he understood...
Read More
March 10, 2025