Yawper

One of the factors in the decline and fall of the Roman Empire was a temperamental evolution among the Roman classes.  In short, they outgrew the traits that made them “roman” in the first place.  Among these traits were a certain ferocity of character, a pervasive and driving ambition, and a faith that Rome was […]

The obnoxious temerity of Barack Obama has shown itself most clearly in four words uttered in Roanoke, Virginia.  “You didn’t build that,” has become more than a theme in the 2012 election, it is a line of demarcation that forces every person to declare on which side they stand. Can the American experiment in liberty, […]

Today I learned that the word “character,” a word we may use to describe strong, usually positive, personality traits, is derived from Greek where it meant “to engrave.”  The etymology gives me a new perspective on the idea of character development in myself and my children.  To build character is to etch a heart, to […]

“Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them?”  Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience. The mantle of Thoreau is today carried by the Roman Catholic Bishops of America who have said, individually and collectively that they will not obey – indeed that they can not obey – […]

There is rot, corruption, and greed in our political system.  On this point there seems to be universal agreement.  Our personal disposition may blame one faction more than another faction but that is irrelevant.  A problem exists. Too, near universal agreement seems to exist on the source of this problem.  It is money.  There is […]