This past week the Ahmaud Arbery trial started in Brunswick, Georgia. For most of this time, it has been overshadowed in the news by the ongoing Rittenhouse trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the case of a young man charged with the killing of two people in a Black Lives Matter protest. With a verdict imminent in…

The recent news of efforts to ban certain books about race and controversial subjects has been disappointing and reminiscent of past attempts to censor what we read. Today when I was running errands in Dahlonega, I was listening to an interview on my truck radio with authors and others about the issue which got me…

The case of Ahmaud Arbery recently went to trial in Brunswick, Ga. The point of this post is to alert and encourage you to pay attention as this case unfolds. His murder while out jogging in February 2020 is a reflection on all of us and needs to be indelibly written on our conscience. This…

I have long remembered what a friend said to me in 1980 when Ronald Reagan was running for president. Confused, she said that she didn’t understand his popularity, all her friends were voting for Democrats. At that time, I still had strong ties to Iowa and told her that all the farmers out there were…

When I walk by a window here all I see outside is woods. This time of the year the view is especially good, with the fall foliage putting on its show. No matter when I click a photo, however, I can’t capture the reality of the scene. I guess you got to be here to…

Some time ago, a friend suggested that I read Power and Liberty by Gordon Wood for a better understanding of American constitutionalism. It was a good tip for which I’m grateful. I knew about Wood as a distinguished historian of the revolution and early republic, but had not seen his latest tour de force. This…

Today is my sister Mary’s birthday. She is ninety years old and still very much an inspiration to all of us for her joie de vivre and sweet personality. Permit me to take the time to salute her and tell her that I love her, something I don’t do frequently enough. Since there are nine…

Many years ago, I spent several weeks in Alaska meeting people and traveling about. If you have been up there, you know that it is a different place from down here even though most of the residents migrated from other states. They frequently speak disparagingly of the “lower forty-eight” states. People here, somehow, don’t measure…

Whining in Paradise After two weeks on St. Simons, I’m back at Potlatch just in time for the fall finale of crisp weather and color. The solitude here is striking especially after surviving the revelry of the Georgia-Florida fans this past weekend on the island. This has always been my favorite season, the last hurrah…

After Rosie left yesterday, I went back to my routine of getting caught up on the news and thinking about American politics and recent history. It left me reeling with despair and depression over our state of affairs. Our world has gone mad. Simply dropping out for a few days without reading newspapers, watching the…