Welcome to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! Thank you for being here. It’s been a very challenging week as I try to get my articles posted on social media. My mind has been on the basics of our founding, as is reflected by the article below. Posts that I have written on social media have […]
The Ties That Bind (Part 2)
The Ties That Bind, part 2 What ties bind you in your fidelity to your family, job, or interests that you pursue? Why do you stay loyal to your circle of friends or specific causes? Our Founders agreed on certain principles. That’s what kept them together. Fifty-six of them signed the Declaration of Independence. Congress […]
What Will We Do As a Nation?
What do you do when a potential confrontation is looming? Think about how, in the past, you felt, the plans you made, and the split decisions involved. How did you handle it? Let’s look at some mega-tense moments in our nation’s history to see what others have done. Our nation’s first Constitutional Convention was deteriorating, […]
Christmas Overnight, 1776
Christmas overnight, December 25-26, 1776. Rain turned to sleet, turned to ice, turned into a biting storm from the northeast. Who would brave a night like that with a poorly clad, hungry, tired army and the need to cross the ice-choked Delaware River? George Washington would. The army was battle-weary and in bad need of […]
Christmas-An American Tradition
How do you celebrate Christmas? If you are not a “religious” person or not a Christian, read onAmeric. Christmas is an American tradition and a national holiday. All are welcome. I’ve heard some say, “It doesn’t feel like Christmas this year.” Others have said they personally “are not in the mood.” Here are my top […]
Frauds? Or Heroes?
Are you hearing the courage of American patriots this week? Or are you witnessing a bunch of everyday Americans as frauds? Notice, I didn’t ask you what you are seeing. More on that in a moment. What I see happening is that people are divided into two camps. They either see frauds or heroes. For […]
Thanksgiving 2020
Amid controversy in our nation, I’m incredibly grateful for my freedom. Freedom involves choices. I’m not a victim. I can take a stand. I can defend the Constitution. I can celebrate with traditions or make new ones. I can exercise common sense. I can celebrate the gift of liberty that our forefathers gave to us. […]
At What Price?
Is there a cost to abandoning our American traditions? Think about the traditions that we have been asked to set aside because they might be coronavirus super spreader events. I’m thinking of events like the Wreaths Across America ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, a traditional outdoor event. (The event has since been reinstated due to […]
Knowing What to Do and Doing It
What is America’s reality right now? It’s complicated. Hang on. Stick with me here. Is cheating sometimes right? Do the ends justify the means if you believe a person to be so evil that they must be taken out of office? Does it matter how you “take them out?” Our Founders signed their names to […]
America’s Identity Crisis
Remember what it was like to go through an identity crisis in your younger life? Fun, eh? Not so much. How did you resolve who the real “you” is? What changes for the better did you make? What good things about yourself did you or someone close to you remind you of as you worked […]
Keeping America
They are taking our country apart, piece by piece. They are using intimidation, humiliation, degradation, and victimization at our expense. They are the Marxist, Leftist, and Communist adults who are using young anarchists and criminals to tear down our history. They want to remake us in their own image. Are you appalled when you watch […]
Why We All Just Can’t Get Along
How would you answer a younger person if they asked you why we all can’t get along today? We can retrace history, but their view is somewhat limited unless a younger person has lived history. They don’t transfer yesterday’s lessons of history to today’s applications. Instead, they accept the politician, journalist, and college prof’s ideology […]
The Best or Worst of Times?
Recently, I heard two different conversations where young men surmised that there was never a time more tumultuous than these past three months. Each man was referring to the pandemic and the recent riots and unrest following the murder of George Floyd. Right away, red flags went up in my brain. For younger people, this […]
Christmas Night, 1776
Christmas overnight, December 25-26, 1776. Rain turned to sleet, turned to ice, turned into a biting storm from the northeast. Who would brave a night like that with a poorly clad, hungry, tired army and the need to cross the ice-choked Delaware River? George Washington would. The army was battle- weary and in bad need […]