August 12, 2026

Archives for October 2012

What’s the big idea? No, really. What is it?

October 30, 2012 by

There was a time when a man arose to the Presidency and challenged, rather than entitled, Americans to seek great things.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.

It was a heady day, a day of big ideas: a race to the moon, the fight against world wide communism, ending poverty, civil rights, and more.

Today’s Presidency, though? Big Bird, bayonets, birth control, and government subsidies. Forget about asking what you can do for your country–it’s time to feed at the trough and see what you can get from your country.

Filed Under: History and People, Leaders Tagged With: , , , , ,

First brush at the foreign policy debate winners

October 22, 2012 by

First off, I don’t think many people watched the debate. The Bears were playing the Lions, and the Cards were playing the Giants. If Twitter, Facebook, and my Better Half were any indication, foreign policy is just too boring for most Americans.

But…I like foreign policy. A lot. Here’s my take:

Filed Under: Foreign Policy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

What are your favorite books? Do you have them, still?

October 22, 2012 by

Anyone who knows me even a little knows that I’m a lifelong bibliophile (yes, it’s a word). Whether it’s a mental disorder, a bad habit, or a pleasant pastime, I like books, and I like to buy them. Naturally, when I saw Joe Queenan’s column in the Wall Street Journal, I was delighted.

Filed Under: Books and Reading Tagged With: , ,

5 Minute Book Review | Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

October 21, 2012 by

Every once and a while I read a book because I’m supposed to, whether because it won the Pulitzer or Nobel or Booker, or some other prestigious prize, or it’s just old enough to have been granted “classic” status.

Usually, the book turns out to be just as good, or at least just as notable, as it is supposed to be.

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

5 Minute Book Review: “The Secret Agent” by Joseph Conrad

October 20, 2012 by

I wish I had read this in the early years after 9/11. While the characters in Joseph Conrad’s “The Secret Agent” are not superficially the same as the characters that would figure into the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the subsequent events, the themes are eerily similar.

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Meet Derek Brown of Utah’s 49th Legislative District

October 19, 2012 by

The following is a profile I wrote about Derek Brown, representative to the legislature from Utah’s 49th district, for Examiner.com (Please click on over and read it there!). Truth be told, a lot more could be written about Derek than I was able to squeeze in to the profile. He’s got an infectious good humor about everything, and it’s easy to talk to him about almost anything under the sun. I hope he’s able to win reelection this fall because we need more like him in public service.

Filed Under: Utah Legislature Tagged With: , , ,

Questions on Benghazi remain

October 18, 2012 by

As President Obama goes on the Daily Show to explain what happened in Libya, it’s clear that a lot of questions remain, the least of which is: why doesn’t he go on a real news show to explain?

Is it possible that he’s afraid that real journalists might actually hold him accountable?

Filed Under: Foreign Policy Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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