Recent Jim Mitchell Commentaries

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A Few Silver Linings
Former computer scientist Jim Mitchell is another local resident who shared his perspective on the virus and living under quarantine conditions. Mitchell started programming for computers in 1962. During his career, he “worked on programming language design and implementation (FORTRAN WATFOR, Mesa, Euclid, C++, Java), interactive programming systems, dynamic interpretation and compilation, document preparation systems, user interface design, distributed transactional...
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May 8, 2020
Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
What Real Leadership Looks Like
I happened across Frances Perkins while searching files at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. She was the first woman in U.S. history to serve...
Welcome to Caesar’s Palace East
In addition to dismantling federal agencies and undercutting states’ rights, Donald Trump has launched a systematic assault on the foundations of American democracy. He’s attacked...
Searching for Our Better Angels
I’ve read and re-read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address many times. Today, its words and meaning echo more loudly than ever. “Both parties deprecated war; but...
Integrity and George W. Norris
In every generation, there are a few public servants who stand as reminders of what political courage truly means. George W. Norris, the five-term Republican...
A Call for Civic Courage
When I first read Common Sense in college—admittedly, more out of assignment than interest—I understood its place in history but not its wisdom. I recognized...
Integrity and George Washington
How do we reconcile the integrity of a leader to whom service to the country was exemplary, but held slaves in service to him? Washington...