Has anyone ever asked you what makes you an American? This past week, “Bryan” posited this question to a media audience in which I took part. Today is a great time to think about being American, especially since our nation and identity are under daily assault. Here is my answer to the man making the […]
Strengthening America from Within
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. I have a couple of questions for you. What are you good at? What could you be good at? How could answering these two questions help our towns and restore healthy respect for America from within our borders and beyond? It’s a citizenship issue, so […]
True American Law and Government (Part 2)
Let’s continue our discussion on True American Law and Government that we started a few days ago. Thanks to all of you for your valuable input and civil discourse on this topic. Here is Part 2. American law recognizes individual rights. The power of our American government is limited and defined by our Constitution. Totalitarianism […]
True American Law & Government
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! Several raw interactions I’ve had this past week call for a review of what it means to be truly American. Let’s dive right in! It’s hard to believe, but many Americans have been deceived. We have fellow citizens believing that the government, once voted in, has a […]
Lessons of the Unwanted
You’ve heard the argument: Now that Roe is repealed, who will take all those babies? (Translation: “those babies that should have been aborted”). Then they ask, “will you?” It’s not just the young that think this way. Raise your hand if you’ve heard this argument waged by a middle-aged or older adult. Yes. That’s what […]
Can America Recover?
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. If you are a new subscriber to our newsletter, welcome! This week, I address the concern about America ever returning to its founding priniciples. Our second article (under “articles” in the upper right on the home page of .http://www.civicsandcitizenship.org) takes a look at one of […]
Did SCOTUS Establish a Religion in Ruling?
Did the Supreme Court just establish a religion by issuing its opinion in the Kennedy v Bremerton School District case? Did the Supreme Court establish Christianity as a religion to exclude all others? What happened to the separation of Church and State? Maybe you see the need for a civics lesson with all the rumors […]
Happy Independence Day!
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! We are considering our American Independence this week by thinking of all the reasons we have to celebrate it- yes, even now. Following the first article is a piece that addresses our need for more and better civics education. Let’s begin: Happy Independence Day! Well, it is […]
Wanted: Civics Education
Ignorance is not bliss. I am stunned at the lack of American civics knowledge on display. I mean, people in the know don’t know, and children are parroting the mistaken views of law and freedom. The Liberty Bell is ringing loud and clear (figuratively, of course). “Come all who will listen and learn the American […]
Supreme Court Decisions, Decisions
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Today, we are looking at two of the latest Supreme Court decisions. I give you my thoughts in this newsletter about these First and Ninth Amendment cases. Let’s dive right in… The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the abortion decision to […]
People In Power Ought To Be Mistrusted
Who said this? “The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.” You’re right if you said many have expressed this sentiment over the decades. This particular quote is from the “Father of the U.S. Constitution” and our fourth president, James Madison. When you first read it, maybe you thought it was […]
Patriotism Defined
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. How have headlines influenced our culture since the 1800s? Also, America’s founding generation had a working definition of “patriotism.” We examine these issues, noting how subtle forces influence us in ways that take us off point from what our country was created to be in […]
Headlines and Hoodwinks
Do you ever wonder about those in-depth articles that go on and on, diving deep into a story? Who has the time to read the whole story? Apparently, not many Americans do. I think about how much time it takes to research and write a report or story as I skip over intense content to […]
Consider this: Accept America’s Founding
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. I’m not sure how your week went, but mine was full of questions-my own and other people’s as well. In our first article, we look at accepting America’s founding rather than trying to re-make her. This dovetails on the article below about the affect of the media […]
About Your Constitutional Life…
Faithful messengers in history’s pre-computer age were the social media, press, cell phone, email, air, and ground transport of their respective eras. These couriers transmitted the critical information needed to run a government, maintain relationships, build businesses, etc. Today, we depend on modern communications to maintain our constitutional lives. When I heard the phrase “constitutional […]
