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Trump storms ahead with divisive agenda

Some thoughts spring to mind after President Donald Trump’s 100-minute address to Congress. The first is that this 78-year-old man has amazing resilience and perseverance. Consider that in the past 12 months, he has had to spend hours listening to a kangaroo court proceeding before a hostile judge in New York, has maintained a campaign rally schedule that would daunt candidates half his age, has participated in planning sessions for a detailed set of executive orders he might never have an opportunity to issue, has faced the former president and vice president of the United States in ...

Spineless defenders

It’s amazing how men who prided themselves on strength and toughness will submit to a gangster. In 2022, after Russian tanks rolled across an international border into Ukraine and missiles pierced the quiet of cities like Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earned worldwide acclaim for his courage and heroism. No one was more pro-Ukrainian than Sen. Lindsey Graham, who exulted in an arrest warrant the Russians had issued against him: “I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor.” Last Friday, ...

Trump and Zelenskyy

Open arguments and bickering in the Oval Office are not usually a good look. But the bitterness of the exchange between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump was not only “good television,” it amounted to bringing the Ukrainian question to a head. Some saw Trump as being boorish, goaded by J.D. Vance. Others saw Zelenskyy as grandstanding, using the President as a prop for his propaganda. Although Trump was blunt, he was largely correct in rebuking the Ukrainian President. When he said that he “had no cards,” he simply stated a political fact. But the reason for Zelenskyy‘s ...

Finding, publishing ‘Crazy Quilt’

We found a fascinating crazy quilt in a closet under the eaves in 2008 when we started clearing out family papers from the Kump house. There wrapped in a white sheet inside an old box was a quilt with a fan at the top to identify the quilter, “Fannie” Frances Irvin Logan Scott, Edna Kump’s mother. Fannie started this quilt the year Edna was born, but never finished it because she died after her fifth pregnancy. Edna, who became the future Governor Kump’s wife in 1908, was Fannie’s only child to survive beyond age five. Finally, the eBook “Fannie’s Crazy Quilt” is ...

Downtown key to community

When it comes to revitalizing a community, a thriving downtown is essential for attracting businesses, residents, and visitors. A great downtown boosts the economy, enhances quality of life, and creates a sense of place. Quint Studer outlines four key ingredients to success: programming, retail and entertainment, office space, and residential development. Programming Events and attractions give people a reason to visit, shop, and linger downtown. Communities benefit from regular public events that showcase local businesses and inexpensive ways to drive traffic during ...

The wrath of CON

I am a Star Trek nerd through and through, ever since I can remember. Naturally, I’m a fan of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” I have many favorite scenes from that movie. I even have a Hallmark ornament of the (spoilers) famous engine room death scene with Adm. James T. Kirk and a mortally wounded Capt. Spock, separated by glass, unable to touch his dying first officer and friend. But one of my all-time favorite scenes is Khan appearing to outwit Kirk, stealing the Genesis device and leaving him, his ex-lover, their son and his landing party marooned in the center of a ...