10/28/15 Unsafe at Any Speed

Thanks, Ralph Nader, for the headline. There is no end to the conflicting studies about the food we eat. We are constantly warned about the dangers of fast food, as if to imply slower foods are safer. But it seems nothing is safe for consumption anymore. If it is perchance less unsafe, there are environmental…

10/17/15 New Treatment for Mental Defectives

I’ve read more than one article focused on a new process whereby one’s brain is bombarded with magnetic waves, which are touted as a “treatment” for one’s belief in god, as if to say that faith is a mental anomaly in need of treatment. This simply goes beyond what is reasonable, since many reasonable people,…

10/8/15 Monroe Mandolin Camp 2015

Early in September, I had the pleasure of being able to attend the Monroe Mandolin Camp held in a beautiful setting in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, just West of Nashville. Mike Compton and Heidi Herzog went to great efforts to produce and host a delightful experience. What a good time I had. If you are interested…

10/6/15 Disinformed

I believe I’ve been disinformed. Having come to this realization, I am now trying to pinpoint the source of my disinformation. After initial review, it seems that locating an ultimate source is going to be rather difficult, if not impossible, there being so many sources of disinformation that they wind up supporting each other, increasing…

10/4/14 Musings of an Archaic Man

I have not written in a while. I have wanted to, but have not been so motivated, overtaken, perhaps, with a general torpor of laziness….too lazy to get out my laptop and put my fingers to the keyboard; too lazy to think enough to be able to write something. Then, I find inspiration in what…

9/2/15 Where Does It Come From?

The August malaise, having passed with its sweltering oppression, has me recovering my words and ready to write, or at least anxious to start back writing. Have you ever wondered just what happens when you flip the light switch at your home? What do you expect when you do? How do you feel when the…

7/9/15 Fear of the Gun Lobby

On July 7, 2015, at a house party in Ottumwa, Iowa, it is reported that Hillary Clinton commented, “Let’s not be afraid of the gun lobby, which does not even really represent the majority of gun owners in America.” Really? And what if they did? Would she have any different view? In a June 17…

6/27/15 Opinion about Recent Opinions

As of late, with monumental Supreme Court ruling opinions and dissenting opinions, there is an over-abundance both of reasons to opine and opinions themselves. They flit about like gnats on a windless summer night; aggravating, most are too small to successfully swat, leaving one with no sense of satisfaction like one might feel upon seeing…

6/12/15 Ode to Jim Ed Brown

Some of the most delightful singing I have ever heard on this planet came from the harmonious voices of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters, Maxine and Bonnie, who were simply known as “The Browns.” The Browns were rightfully inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame just a few weeks ago; they deserved their…

6/10/15 Going to Miss California This Summer

Every year for the last several years I have had the great privilege and pleasure to go to the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains in California for a fabulous music festival where I not only play, but enjoy exciting music from around the world, all in a heavenly setting. I will not make it this year…