Assimilation is an integral part of living in America. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, England, is a new resident of the United States. As good neighbors and common sense citizens, let’s help a guy out, shall we? He thinks our First Amendment is “bonkers.” Just to help us to better understand the Prince, Oxford […]
Heard On the Street
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Americans are openly admitting and confronting the many and sudden changes in our culture. I hear of more people attending city council meetings and speaking up at school board meetings. This week, I wrote about the human need to be free. We also discuss ideas […]
The Pursuit of Freedom
People crave freedom. We know that all too well. If you’ve raised children, you “get” it. If you’ve lived in the United States for any length of time, you’ve experienced it. If you were born here, it’s in your DNA. How many of you know someone moving to where they can inhale an independent spirit […]
The Times They Are a Changin’
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Thank you for spending a few moments of your valuable time here. My goal is to teach American civics and citizenship with a view of the U.S. Constitution in mind. Seems like many treat the Constitution as too hard to understand or old-fashioned. Here, we treat it […]
Who Are“We the People”?
“We the People” is us, not the government. Recently, a prominent public official said that “We the People is all of us.” When public servants are not in their official roles, i.e., mowing the lawn, doing carpool, grocery shopping, a day at the beach, they are “We the People.” When they serve in their official […]
Victimhood or Victory?
You have a story. How did you get to where you are today? More specifically, how did you exercise American freedoms to get you to a better place? Some Americans made decisions in their youth to be or not to be like someone else. Instead, you charted your own path to get out of a […]
Freedom and the Importance of Balance of Power
There was a time when our constitutional government was the envy of the world. Many countries attempted to adopt our system of government. Those countries didn’t wholly succeed because a cornerstone of our American government is that our rights do not come from government at all. Our rights come from our Creator. “…that they are […]
Common Sense Applied
Common Sense Applied Do you ever find yourself “connecting the dots?” You know, those times when thoughts are swirling around in your brain? Below are a few of mine as I try to make sense of things. The week’s events caused me to sit down and just let my fingers write and type. I find […]
This Week in Common Sense Civics and Citizenship
Welcome to this week’s edition of the newsletter! Thank you for returning and subscribing. We appreciate your engagement here. Our topics this week included the meaning of peaceable assembly and the questions that arise when lawlessness is tolerated. The idea for that article came from a recent speaking engagement in a civics and government class […]
When Lawlessness Has Free Rein
“The Constitution is not a living organism. It’s a legal document, and it says what it says and doesn’t say what it doesn’t say.”- Justice Antonin Scalia Recently, I was the guest speaker in a high school government class. I taught the Bill of Rights from the late Justice Scalia’s perspective. So, in talking about […]
The Absolute Amendments
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! I hope that your week is off to a great start, both personally and professionally. This week, we paid attention to what is being said to us and about us as a country. The first article, “The Absolute Amendments,” explores the mistaken idea that our amendments are […]
Delusion or Decision?
“People never give up their liberties but under some delusion.” -Edmund Burke, Irish statesman, economist, philosopher, and a contemporary of our Founders I read this quote, and it stopped me in my tracks. We gave up a lot of our liberties over the past year. If Burke is correct, that begs the question: Are we […]
God, Property, and Politics
Welcome! Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. More and more Americans are beginning to speak up on the issues, rather than being blind-sided into silence. It is my hope that our subscribers gain insights that help you as you sort through the issues. In our first article, we look at two […]
Complicit in Child Trafficking?
Is the United States unintentionally complicit in trafficking children internationally? This question was postulated over the weekend by a couple of sources. If someone floats a statement like that about my fellow citizens and me, I want to dig deeper to see what is going on. So I did. Late last week, photos surfaced from […]
Let’s Take a Closer Look
Welcome! Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter and returning this week. By chance, have you noticed there are two diametrically opposing statements about the same issues facing our country lately? Who is telling the truth? Better yet, what are the facts so you and I can come to our own conclusions. We have two […]
