Three years ago, on a warm summer’s night, I burned my mother in law while a small crowd looked on with tearful smiles.  Not many people have an opportunity to write a sentence like that in their lifetime so a bit of explanation may be in order.  While I warrant these statements to be true, I confess nothing.  Here’s the rest of the story.

I first met Sheila when I was sixteen years old.  As my girlfriend’s mother, she was cordial enough in the beginning and maybe even a bit taken with me if I do say so myself.  We shared a mutual fanaticism for Stephen King, Bob Dylan, Greenpeace and a few other miscellaneous commonalities that made for easy conversation in what’s normally an awkward relationship. More »

Regular readers will not be surprised to hear that I have some disagreements with many of Mr. Obama’s policy decisions but the president currently finds himself in the awkward pre-election position of being simultaneously perceived as both too liberal and too conservative depending upon the voter’s perspective.  Our continued role in the eleven year Afghanistan war is no exception. More »

Almost immediately after the recent tragedy in Colorado, reports began to surface on ABC suggesting a “right wing” or Tea Party association with this senseless act.  Three hours later, numerous blog posts claiming the shooter was actually a member of Black Bloc, a radical fringe of the Occupy movement, began to spread throughout the Internet. To date, neither claim has been substantiated but the fact that accusations were flying before the blood had even dried points again to the growing divide in our society.

Rather than seeking answers or explanations, our first response is now to point fingers as we race to assign blame to the other side.  Once a convenient political affiliation had been ruled out, gun control advocates began mobilizing in a national effort to spin the horrific scene into an argument for greater limitations on the 2nd amendment. More »

Given the emergence of last summer’s OWS crowd and the tone of the campaign rhetoric to date, we can expect that money and possessions will be central themes throughout the current election cycle.  As our economy continues to stagnate and so many continue to struggle, it would seem only natural that themes of greed and fairness would take center stage in the theater of this ongoing class warfare battle, but is this really the most pressing issue facing our country? Does vilifying the wealthy provide any real solutions or does it simply make us feel better in the short term? More »

When the President first spoke of an Arab spring back in May, the metaphor that immediately came to my mind was geological rather than seasonal.  One suggests an expected, temporary occurrence, the other a constant movement with the power to erode even the hardest stone over time.  Is the current unrest in the Middle East a passing event or something that will change the geopolitical landscape of the region forever? More »

As a conservative, it was heartening to hear so many like-minded views echoed across the stage during the first Republican debate last week.  Consistent themes of smaller government, fiscal responsibility and greater personal liberties abounded but as a voter, I couldn’t escape the feeling that something was missing. More »

After the first downgrade of America’s credit rating in the history of our country, Democrat leaders and media outlets have been quick to point fingers at the obvious cause of our nation’s financial woes.  Those darn Tea-Partiers are at it again! More »

Watching as the events continue to evolve throughout the Middle East, it’s difficult to determine a central theme to our current foreign policy positions. Widespread protests have been squelched by iron-fisted leaders across the region as people are gunned down by oppressive regimes in Yemen, Iran, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Saudi royalty is keeping one hand on the oil spigots and the other on top of the heads of their citizenry. Bahrain, one of our most strategic allies, teeters on the precipice. Our response? Tepid and indecisive. More »

Given the diversity of interests within the modern Democratic party, it’s often difficult to find one consistent, unifying factor that all members of this eclectic club can agree upon.

In years past, George Bush served as a lens for the left’s collective contempt, focusing the myriad rays of misplaced angst into a laser beam of pure, unabashed hatred. The mere mention of his name was enough to start veins bulging and blood pressures rising around the dinner tables of America, but the statute of limitations is just about up on the GWB effect and the left desperately needs to find a new windmill. More »

Shortly after the 2008 elections, Republican leaders gave President Obama a list of modest proposals regarding the upcoming stimulus bill to which he replied, “elections have consequences and I won.”  Perhaps the Democrats and their union rent-a-mob should be reminded of that statement as the farcical scene in Wisconsin goes on display for an international audience already reeling from world wide demonstrations and an overload of violent uprisings. More »