Recent Jocelyn Benson Commentaries

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And The Four Others Who Stand Up For Democracy
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is distinguished by a ship’s lantern. “The lantern elicits immediate recognition and evokes the shared cultural symbols of light and truth,” designer Edwin Schlossberg says. “Light is the beacon of warning, of safety, of hope in the wilderness. A lantern symbolizes the search for an honest man. It lights a dark path,...
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April 29, 2022
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Accountability, Optional
On October 7, 2025, Pam Bondi, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, appeared before a Senate oversight committee and refused to answer question after question,...
My Dinner with Jefferson, Hamilton and Madison
In June 1790, I attended an extraordinary dinner. Through a tear in the fabric of time, I found myself seated at a small table with...
When the Story Becomes the Scandal
For nearly sixty years, the CBS News program 60 Minutes has stood as one of the few remaining institutions in American journalism recognized as serious,...
A Light from Christmas Past – Conclusion
I’ll be back on January 5th. Later that night, Emily returned home, warmed her hands around a cup of tea, and set the original lantern...
A Light From Christmas Past – Part II
Emily returned to the attic the next evening. The attic felt different, not mysterious, purposeful. She unlocked the small door again and stood for a...
A Light from Christmas Past
In the winter of his century, Charles Dickens walked a London powered by industry but running short on warmth. People moved past one another as...