Recent History Commentaries

Featured image for “1969: The Good, the Bad, the Politics, the Music, Two Miracles and a Principled Stand”
1969: The Good, the Bad, the Politics, the Music, Two Miracles and a Principled Stand
In 1969 — fifty years ago, today — I was driving a 1965 blue Mustang while attending my second year of college as turmoil swirled in the country. While I didn’t know it at the time, the country was more divided then at any time since the Civil War. The Good: miniskirts… lots of them. The Bad: the Manson family....
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September 24, 2019
Featured image for “A Time of Fear…”
A Time of Fear…
Note to Readers: Apologies for my absence. I’ve been working on completing a long-term project. It’s taken longer than expected. I hope to have another commentary on Friday, and return Tuesday. I appreciate your understanding. It was a time of fear; fear of communism; fear of American citizens who may be Communist spies; hate for those who sat before the...
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September 16, 2019
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T.G.I.V.
Thank God It’s Vacation time! While the media continues to give this President the attention he craves, I’m unplugging from it all. In the meantime, I’ve selected some of the most popular commentaries. From the Philippines to Saudi Arabia; from the Netherlands to the United States, all continue to receive strong interest. I’ll return after Labor Day. The Mueller Report,...
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July 26, 2019
Featured image for “The Echo of Fascism”
The Echo of Fascism
“SEND HER BACK! SEND HER BACK! SEND HER BACK!” We’ve heard it all before. “LOCK HER UP! LOCK HER UP! LOCK HER UP!” You may laugh it off, but this is what fascism sounds like. Don’t be fooled just because there are no tanks in the streets or brown shirts running around arresting people. Fascism,  » Read more about: The Echo...
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July 22, 2019
Featured image for ““Has Anyone Seen a Hasselblad Floating by?””
“Has Anyone Seen a Hasselblad Floating by?”
Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary that two men landed on the surface of the moon. It’s impossible to overemphasize the extraordinary achievement that took place 50 years ago this week. Technical skills aside, the courage that three men took was beyond anything that had ever been attempted. And yet, the men, inside their Columbia space craft, found the time to...
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July 19, 2019
Featured image for “One Face of Justice”
One Face of Justice
This is Ben Ferencz, and at 97-years-old, he is the last man standing… literally, who prosecuted Nazis at the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II. While watching Ferencz’s backstory on 60 Minutes, I thought, well, this will be a nice little profile about the past, but I was completely wrong. Ferencz continues his fight for justice and...
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July 10, 2019
Featured image for “Remembering this Nation, Born in a Day”
Remembering this Nation, Born in a Day
In countless letters to his wife and partner, Abigail, John Adams poured out his heart and his mind. Abigail was not just a sounding board for his political conscience; she was his moral compass in every way. Adams, 90, and Thomas Jefferson 83, while gravely ill, wanted very much to live to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of...
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July 4, 2019
Featured image for “We Need to Forgive”
We Need to Forgive
Returning Friday 1986 was not a happy year for Bill Buckner or me. Thirty-seven years old, I had filed for divorce from my first wife. Racked with self-doubt, work was intermittent as I pondered whether I would ever find my right place in a career. I returned to an empty apartment and lay awake wondering what’s going to happen next....
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June 17, 2019
Featured image for “Respect and Responsibility”
Respect and Responsibility
Last week I wrote how the outcome of James Holzhauer’s loss on the game show Jeopary! was leaked the Sunday before the show aired on Monday, (I’ll take ‘Best Penalties’ For $1,000, Alex). The show’s executive producer, Harry Friedman, believes he knows who leaked the information and said that “very, very, very appropriate” action will be taken. At the end...
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June 10, 2019
Featured image for “The Character of a Leader”
The Character of a Leader
June 5, 1944, Allied Supreme Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower had under his command the largest invasion task-force in history: 175,000 British, American and Canadian assault troops; 5,000 vessels; 20,000 vehicles; and 11,000 aircraft. His directive – “You will enter the continent of Europe and, in conjunction with the other United Nations, undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany...
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June 6, 2019