New Media from a Journalism Veteran
Osama bin Laden deserved to die
Normally, I wouldn’t cheer the death of a human being but the killing of master terrorist Osama bin Laden by a team of Navy SEALs Sunday was a well-deserved, justifiable homicide of the man who planned the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Friends were among those killed at both [...]
Liars, damn liars and Anthem Blue Cross
Eleven months ago, my weight — which has grown steadily over the past few years — hit a knee-staggering 280 pounds. My doctor warned me that my blood sugar had reached the bottom threshold to signal a threat for diabetes. She recommended I deal with the problem immediately. I listened and went on a weight [...]
In search of…a non-partisan America
Put 300-plus miles on my motorcycle Saturday, riding mountain roads and stopping only for gas and to view the beauty of a country that I love, have served, and now appear doomed to mourn. On my Harley, I’m removed from the mind-numbing tsunami of political propaganda of cable TV, Internet chatter and radio rancor. While [...]
A time for 'none of the above'
After watching Virginia’s two gubernatorial wannabes hack away at each other in a televised debate Monday night, I’m hoping this year’s ballot has a a check box for “none of the above.”
Neither Bath County’s Creigh Deeds or Northern Virginia’s Bob McDonnell gave an informed viewer any reason to put either one in the governor’s mansion for the next four years.
If these two are the best that Virginia’s Republican and Democratic parties have to offer then the Commonwealth is headed for a lot of trouble.
Vick and Beamer: Co-conspirators who got off easy
The National Football League lifted its suspension on former Virginia Tech football star quarterback Michael Vick, clearing the way for a team to sign him to play in the upcoming season. Assuming, of course, that any team is willing to sign the convicted felon who ran a dogfighting ring while playing for both Tech and [...]
What happened to our quiet, peaceful little county?
Newcomers tell me they came to Floyd County for the peace and quiet. Lifers and long-time residents say our area is known for its laid-back, peaceful lifestyle. So where’s the quiet? Where’s the laid-back, peaceful lifestyle? The sound of jackhammers ripped through the town of Floyd this week. A new crosswalk is under construction. Workers [...]
July 4th: What is left to celebrate?
I once looked forward to the Fourth of July. Of course, I once believed in the Easter Bunny. Lately, it seems the independence that defined this great nation is as mythical as that Easter egg laying rabbit. Our Founding Fathers would not recognize America today: They would emerge from their graves to find an over-governed [...]
Racists still walk among us
One of Muse’s regular readers emailed last night to ask that a comment she posted saying she would vote for Barack Obama be removed because her daughter was being harassed over her support of the Democratic Presidential candidate. Over the past two weeks, the spam filter for Muse has caught more than 50 comments from [...]
Partisans are not patriots
A local cornered me at the Floyd County Store recently and, in an angry voice, wanted to know “why you support that black bastard Obama.” It’s not the first time I’ve run into racism here or elsewhere in this country. I’m sure it won’t be the last. His next comment was, sadly, also something I’ve [...]
Rabid Republican racism
To understand how far the Republican Party in Virginia will go to try and defeat Barack Obama in this battleground state, one only has to read this report from Time magazine’s Karen Tumulty: If John McCain is as serious as he says about running a “respectful” campaign against an opponent he considers “a decent person,” [...]