Recent Tom Volk Commentaries

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Fish Story
I’ve written ethics-related stories regarding baseball, football, golf and tennis. But this story fished me in! When Lincoln, North Dakota resident Tom Volk dropped his line in the Heart River on Easter Sunday, God must’ve been smiling down on the 41-year-old fisherman as he reeled in a 16-pound, 9-ounce walleye, crushing a state record set last year. “Volk caught the...
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May 31, 2019
Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
Searching for Our Better Angels
I’ve read and re-read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. Today, its words and meaning echo more loudly than ever. “Both parties deprecated war; but one of...
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...
Rules of The Game
Well, boys and girls, it’s my favorite time of year: Baseball Postseason. It’s that magical time of year when my heart follows the teams and...
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...