Recent Government Commentaries

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One Quality That the People of This Country Have Always Respected
We’re all looking for positive stories. This editorial — from The New York Times, Sunday March 7, 1954, under the title, “The ‘Positive’ Story” — is more a warning to President Eisenhower, and offers many parallels to today’s headlines. What many were unaware at the time, Eisenhower had already begun a stealth campaign against the demagogic Senator Joseph R. McCarthy,...
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December 23, 2019
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Moral Courage
In my 2005 book, What Do You Stand for? – Stories About Principles That Matter, I began tobacco insider Jeffrey Wigand’s story with these words: What do you do when you discover something wrong? What do you do with what you know? Do you remain silent or come forward? Do you remain loyal to the company or expose the truth?...
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December 18, 2019
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Why it Matters
This is not about Democrats vs. Republicans; this is about Right vs. Wrong. America used to be the standard of moral behavior: liberty; justice for all; freedom of religion, press; human rights. While we haven’t always been perfect, we constantly strive toward a more perfect union. On the other end of the continuum, we have one individual who — abetted...
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November 29, 2019
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Republicans are Morally Bankrupt
The whistleblower was not in on the call. It was hearsay. “Everything Trump says was in the best interests of the country.” No due process. Secret basement meetings (with Republicans in attendance). “The Ukrainian president didn’t do the investigation… No quid pro quo.” “Was there a quid pro quo?” E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland asked rhetorically, testifying before the House committee....
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November 26, 2019
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What Do We Stand For?
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” – Thomas Paine, English-born, American philosopher and activist. Taken from Paine’s essay, The Crisis, those words were meant to inspire American revolutionaries as they faced an extraordinary moment of character. Considering our current crisis, what Paine writes next is worth reflection. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will,  » Read more about:...
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November 20, 2019
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House of Cards
“So, he’s going to do the investigation?” – President Donald Trump, in a phone call to Gordon Sondland in Ukraine Why is this man smiling? Gordon Sondland, the man literally in the middle of the president’s impeachment inquiry, appears happy as he walks to a joint House committee not long ago. How will he feel walking to the House Intelligence...
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November 18, 2019
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Should the House Impeach Trump?
In January 1972, John Dean, White House Counsel to President Richard Nixon, met with Attorney General John Mitchell and others to hear a plan proposed by G. Gordon Liddy for intelligence-gathering for Nixon’s re-election campaign. After the plan met with resistance, Liddy scaled it back and Mitchell approved a scheme that called for a break-in of Democratic Headquarters in the...
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November 15, 2019
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The Choice Before Us
It’s no longer about right vs. wrong; it’s about Democrat vs. Republican. It’s not about looking at the facts; it’s about looking at the latest tweet from the president. It’s not about loyalty to the Constitution; it’s about loyalty to a corrupt president and his die hard base. That’s Washington, in a nutshell. What’s missing from that curt analysis is...
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November 4, 2019
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One Final Piece of Wisdom From Elijah
In the midst of trouble and turmoil in our nation’s Capitol, a giant of a man, a fervent spokesman of equality for all and a representative of the state of Maryland quietly passed from this world. And the divisive infighting in Congress paused for a moment to honor a man who fought all his life for the best interests of...
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October 28, 2019
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What General Mattis Could Have Said
Much has been said regarding General James Mattis’ speech at a recent event. Here’s my take. James Mattis, one of America’s foremost generals, served and led in the Gulf War, as well as wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, later serving as Donald Trump’s secretary of defense before vacating that position. In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote to the president saying,...
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October 21, 2019

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