Blithering On

When I enlisted in the Marines in early 1975, there were still people on active duty who had fought in World War II—and many more who had fought in Korea. Today, those veterans belong to a dwindling few. The youngest of the World War II generation are now approaching their hundredth year. The Korean War veterans aren’t far behind. Vietnam veterans are now in their 70s. We see them with canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. We see them sitting quietly in the corner, sometimes overwhelmed by the noise and motion around them. We see them needing help with the simplest tasks. We see some confined to beds in the final chapters of their lives. And yet, some remain remarkably strong—sharp, steady, and full of life. It can be hard to imagine them as anything other than what we see today. But we can—if we try. If we look closely, past the years etched into their faces, we can see them as they once were: seventeen… or even sixteen, having lied about their age to serve. We can see the energy, the rest...

Our nation will be fixated for days over this week's loss of three show business icons: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. Ed McMahon was Johnny Carson's late night show sidekick for more than 30 years and was known as a man who became famous for helping make Johnny Carson famous. He served as a U. S. Marine during World War II and Korea. McMahon died Tuesday after battling pneumonia and bone cancer. Farrah Fawcett was one of the three "Charlie's Angels" in the 1970s television series and she became a popular pinup poster model with a number of television and movie credits to her name. She bravely battled cancer for three years, seeking out aggressive treatments in her attempt to defeat the disease. She lost her battle today. Michael Jackson has been known as the King of Pop Music. His dancing, music, and showmanship electified audiences throughout the world, but his conduct with and around children taint his image. This conduct will be a minor footn...

Founding Father James Madison is sometimes called the "Father of the Constitution," and rightfully so. He authored 29 of the 85 articles that comprise the Federalist Papers, written to argue the case for a constitutional form of government.  After nearly four months of strenuous debate, deliberation, and compromise, Madison sat down and drafted the U. S. Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation which many considered inadequate and a confederacy to be a weak structure for the newly independent United States. His words live on today as his name was mentioned 17 times during the testimony of three Constitutional experts before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the impeachment of President Trump on December 4, 2019. One of those experts reminded us of a speech that Madison delivered at the Constitutional Convention on July 20, 1787 when he said that impeachment was "indispensable" “for defending … ag[ain]st the incapacity, negligence, or per...