Brave & Free

Few of us expected Hurricane Helene to be as destructive as it turned out to be when it hit on Friday, September 27.  In rural upstate South Carolina, many homes and businesses are still without power. There was a serious rush for gasoline for the next three days immediately following the storm. Trees lay across the roofs of some houses, and I’ve seen one house completely split down the middle by fallen timber. Those who weren’t prepared found themselves in long, wending lines for fast food at the few restaurants open. People need help. And in this unforeseen situation, it has been an unexpected joy to watch my community pull together.  Perhaps you’ve heard about how rude, selfish, and sometimes violent people have been at grocery stores and gas pumps.  After a natural disaster, when we feel desperate, it’s instinctive for us to only look out for “me and mine.” But there is a force of people determined to stay cheerful in adversity and to help others. This is kn...

By June 1776, the American colonies were thoroughly agitated by the overbearing presence and oppression of the British. Thomas Paine’s  Common Sense  had been published in January, and further cemented the people’s indignation. On June 7, Richard Henry Lee introduced a statement to the Continental Congress:  “ That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."   On the same day, Congress appointed the Five Man Committee to draft a resolution that would state their motives and intentions regarding independence. These men were Thomas Jefferson, who was the chairman, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. After conferring with the committee, Jefferson began writing the first draft on June 11, 1776. On July 2, Congress rec...

 I have had grand intentions of writing and publishing a well-timed Memorial Day piece since the inception of this blog. At last, here it is.  This is the first year in my memory that Greenville, SC has not held a ceremony at County Square to memorialize all those who have died defending our nation. Why is that? Because this year, after spending millions of dollars on city projects, including Unity Park and a shiny new county square, the government decided it wasn't worth it to pay for a Memorial Day ceremony. Since government employees are off today, it would cost extra to have a few open and close the building. Volunteers do the rest of the work.  Greenville, while rising in national acclaim, is currently unable to respect the thousands who have died for our country.  Greenville, what is wrong with you?  Now, today isn't about calling out this fallible city. It is a day set aside to remember, to reminisce, and to renew our shared patriotism, sorrow, and d...

Teenagers are dumb because that’s what is expected of us. Society is stuck in a reciprocal echo chamber, where low expectations lead to corresponding behavior. The remedy has the capacity to come from either side, but it would be better for us to take initiative and pull ourselves up rather than be brusquely yanked up into competence. What keeps us from doing this?    In ancient Rome, the Andabata were gladiators that fought blindfolded. If they wandered too far away from each other, they would be prodded with spears and poles until they ran into each other again. While it is an unrealistic correlation, some days my peers and I may feel like gladiators in an educational arena where scholarships and Grade Point Averages push us back into combat. In short, the modern education system is flawed and unnecessarily complicated, which leads to stress for all parties involved.    The world ping-pongs between two approaches to our unsteady generation. We receive big helpings ...

A buff chick Since Shenandoah University played Juniata College on September 23, there's been a big hullabaloo about women in football.  Liberal news sources hail Haley Van Voorhis of Shenandoah University as the first female non-kicker football player, a warrior for equality, and a pillar of feminism.  Before we address the blatant misreporting of the whole story, let's go over how wonderful an idea it is to put a nineteen-year-old girl on a NCAA football field with twenty-one exceptionally strong men. Van Voorhis is exceptionally strong herself, but she cannot possibly be as strong as male college football players. Additionally, standing at a respectable height of 5'6", weighing 145 pounds, she is not small for a woman, but she is small for a  man.  College football players are at the peak of athleticism. They are drafted at the age when they are most fit and booted when their skills start to dull. They are in better shape than the general public. So, even if Van V...

I wrote this essay in 2019, before I knew how to spell the word "privilege." “…to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This is a powerful statement written in the Declaration of Independence. All the citizens still have this power, because this country is built upon the fact that all of mankind are created equal. We can do many things in our government, but in this essay, I’ll only be talking about our involvement in the legislative branch, which is the branch that makes the laws. We can write letters, make phone calls, send e-mails, etc.  We can encourage, inform, and discourage our legislators respectfully. The republic style of government is one of many in the world, and it is the benefit of living in America. I have sent a letter about homeschool and one about farming and have found it becomes easier after every time.             ...

At sixteen years old I arrived in the texting world ready to LOL my way through teenage pleasantries and chatter. What a shock. In two months, my thumbs sped up and I didn’t accidentally press “send” anymore; I was improving. There was one thing that clashed with my expectations like a spotted sweater and plaid pants. This one thing was included in every book, movie, television show, and commercial I had ever seen that included text messages. I was disappointed. Letdown. Dissatisfied.    Where on earth has LOL gone? As far as I can tell, LOL was once a cherished friend of high school chums. But now they have backstabbed her, abandoned her, and treated her like garbage. Garbage!    Does anyone remember when LOL covered for them, hiding a crushed spirit under lighthearted casualty after the party invitation never came?    Does anyone remember when she provided the perfect response to that video of the cat with a toilet paper tube stuck on her furry head? We w...

Friday, June 9th. The number of people standing for life outside the Greenville Women's Clinic has doubled since last month. There were two or three woke activists there before us, and they fired up a scratchy speaker as soon as we arrived.  Crowded close together, we sang the usual psalms and hymns. But it was unusual, because for the first time, we actually drowned out the noise. At one point, all I could hear was the beat, and it happened to lend itself very well to our song.  Shortly, the opposers realized that their current tactic had been overcome, so they pulled out some gear that was so rude it was ridiculous: long, plastic horns, which were very loud and sounded like they were dying. They walked around our group with these noisy devices for the half hour we were out there. Sometimes, one would stop and aim the noise directly at the back of a singer's head for a moment or two. It didn't matter if they were an adult or a child.   One of the activists, a man I'll ...

Written in January of 2022, this is a letter to the popular children's magazine Stone Soup. It is famous for exclusively publishing work by creators younger than fourteen years old.  Dear Stone Soup,               I enjoyed submitting poetry, photography, nonfiction, and fiction to you for years. My  work was never published, but once I made it to the Honor Roll. I was super excited when I  learned about a magazine that publishes work from kids like me! Thank you for giving young  people the opportunity to share their God-given talents.  Although I hit the age limit two years ago, I still receive your newsletter. I must say it  is very well put together, but it makes me sad. I wish the leading publisher of children's work lacked blatant political bias, but it's laced throughout the company.  Strangely, every piece that addresses a controversial topic such as LGBTQ+ rights, BLM, or Covid-...

"In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a high school cheerleader could not be punished in school for using curse words on social media when commenting about not making the cheer team while she was off school grounds. Do you think students should be held to the same standard when exercising their First Amendment right to freedom of speech whether they’re on or off school property?"  My answer to this prompt: Public school speech restrictions are in place to protect innocent ears and inhibit conflict. They benefit schoolchildren. However, the favorable result of a policy is not the only factor to take into account when considering its expansion. Before all else, we ought to ask if the entity has the right to take this action.  In this case, the question pertains to the federal government and public school speech restrictions. Since 1979, when the U.S. Department of Education came into being, public schools have been government institutions. The government does not have the...

I had a good time with the final IR Debate this week, since the topic was global warming. The media has blown it up into a laughable farce.   Earth was created about 7,000 years ago and has been going through  cooling and heating cycles ever since the global Flood. One of the most obvious results is the Ice Age. Making plans and spending billions of dollars to try to control something that only God can command is neither humble or wise.  Since I don't believe that anyone should "pay for stopping global warming" in the first place, I decided to pick a side and do the assignment like I was playing a part. All I did to satisfy my conscience was place notes at the end. It worked. Here's the phony essays, which earned an A+.  The initial: Obviously, global warming is a big deal. Climate change is more prevalent today than it has been at any other time in history. Plants, animals, and people are negatively affected by global warming. Concerning the question at hand, I...

FDI brings positive benefits to developing countries. Developing countries basically need one thing to grow, and that's capital. Without printing money and causing inflation, there is one obvious option: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).  Certainly, in any situation concerning a significant amount of money, people can make bad decisions that hurt others. Greed and selfishness must be combated in every business. Here in America, rich people can invest in and influence poorer companies with similar results to FDI. Overall, FDI is helpful for developing countries because it gives their new businesses a solid start and their struggling businesses a boost. How else can poor countries develop? The African nation of Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, is making efforts to receive FDI. Recognizing how beneficial FDI could be to its economy and citizen's wellbeing, Burundi is working to improve infrastructure and general working conditions to attract foreign investors.  ...

States make few efforts to promote and protect human rights. First and foremost, it is important to understand why human rights matter. Every man, woman, boy, and girl is created equal and bears the likeness of God. Fundamental human rights are endowed by God, not by government leaders. State human rights policies affirm that which is already true.  The freedom of expression, right to life, the right to work and get an education, and freedom from slavery and torture all fall under the human rights category. Being generally agreed upon as beneficial principles, these rights also contribute to international norms. Most states say that human rights are good and they are working on them, but they are inconsistent.  Inconsistency holds people and policies back. For example, the right to life is a human right and thus, in theory, it is supported by all democratic countries. However, abortion is still legal in 173 countries out of 195. Many of these nations restrict abortion, but tha...