Author Archives: jameshpyle

An open letter to my grandkids on Independence Day: The fervid debate over a proposed $15.00/hr. minimum wage set me to thinking about my first job and what it meant to me. I worked as a helper in a small … Continue reading →

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary: “a cult is a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous”. In a previous post … Continue reading →

Religion has been defined as:  a cultural system of behaviors and practices, world views, ethics, and societal organization that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called ‘an order of existence’. Different religions may contain various elements, ranging from divine sacred things, faith, supernatural being(s) or some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that claim … Continue reading →

Today is Father’s Day. Much is being made in the media of the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, being an American citizen, and not a Muslim terrorist.  Perhaps I’m confused but I don’t get the distinction. Doesn’t the term ‘American’ describe … Continue reading →

2016: They insinuated toward the enemy with heads held high. Their mighty swords and Allah Akbar, a piercing battle cry. Those who launched a thousand ships stood impotent on the quay. Tears rained from Lady Liberty’s face. We may never … Continue reading →

  Today is Flag Day Orlando’s tragic event should have been the impetus for our chuckleheaded leaders in Congress to put aside their petty bickering and come forth with an intelligent proposal to address the spate of mass murders that … Continue reading →

  Donald Trump’s brutal and personal attacks on political opponents can be attributed to the messy business of running for national office, and excused as such. His attacks on Mexicans, Muslims, McCain, China and NATO each had a kernel of … Continue reading →

While the world ponders the next round of elections and whether the results will pull us to the right or left, I am left with the daunting task of responding to loyal readers who constantly ask me the following questions, … Continue reading →

Today the political pundits were agog over Charles Koch’s announcement that he might support Hillary over any Republican candidate in November’s presidential election. Obviously, he knows Donald Trump will prevail and be pitched against the former ‘Madame Secretary’ when all … Continue reading →

One of the few munificent gifts of aging is having sufficient free time to ponder. That’s ponder, with and ‘O’. Not pander with an ‘A’. That’s a topic for another time and a less cerebral thinker than your writer. A … Continue reading →