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Huey Long and Trump

Before his death at the hands of an assassin in September 1935, Senator Huey Long produced his second book, entitled “My First Days in the White House,” a tongue-in-cheek fantasy. He fashioned a cabinet that included political adversaries and Republicans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, were included, as well as a few eccentrics. With Donald Trump finishing his first hundred days, Long seems prescient in predicting an administration that emerged ninety years later. Long created a scenario that was both unrealistic and comical. He wanted to ...

Is Oklahoma in danger of ‘Satanic School’

The Supreme Court heard arguments on April 30 on whether a Catholic school in Oklahoma named for St. Isidore the Farmer can be the first charter school with a religious foundation. It’s the latest case to alarm the media about the so-called separation of church and state. New York Times legal reporter Adam Liptak cited a study finding that since Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court in 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious people and groups over 83% of the time, compared with about 50% of the time for other courts since 1953. “In most of these cases, the winning ...

Spring flowers and yardsale signs in Barbour

Hello from Barbour County! School is almost out, spring is in the air, and yard sale signs are popping up all over. There will be a yard sale at Calvary Baptist Church on Rt. 92 in Belington on May 3 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. This is to benefit the Strutters Baton & Dance Team. There will be a tire collection at the Barbour County Fairgrounds on May 6 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. You must show your valid WV identification to participate. A limit of 10 tires from cars and light trucks only will be accepted. This can be a great time to clean out your yard and/or garage. There will be an ...

Leaders have impact on employees

How employees perceive things often depends on their leader.  I often speak to organizations that are undergoing a merger or consolidation. (This is happening a lot right now.) In my presentation to the group, I will usually talk about the many benefits of joining a larger system. For example, it gives them access to capital and technology. It lets them leverage their size to save money on supply chain purchases. It helps them standardize things, grab best practices, and create a lot of consistency in the care they provide. Sometimes people aren’t positive about a consolidation. ...

100 Days reflections

Richard Nixon was in a fighting mood on Feb. 16, 1973, during a meeting with acting FBI Director Patrick Gray and John Ehrlichman. With Watergate heating up, the President was full of bile and vindictiveness against “leakers.” “This country, this bureaucracy,” Nixon continued, “It’s crawling with, Pat, at best unloyal people, at worst treasonable people.” This could sum up President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in tone and style. When he was not banning journalists, his Attorney General was arresting judges. Moreover, the lack of discipline and the rush of emotion ...

We cannot just watch lawlessness

In the last 100 Days we have seen people imprisoned and deported without due process in court, and we know that unelected Elon Musk has taken away tax dollars from government programs established by our elected representatives. Citizens should not tolerate more violations of our basic freedoms and Congress needs to call a halt to this process of dismantling the most successful democracy and economy in the history of the world. We must not forget the importance of ensuring due legal process for everyone to avoid the unjust imprisonment of anyone. Also we need to resist taxation without ...