Do you know the four types of government jurisdiction? Hint: the first one is not national government! Self-government is the first jurisdiction of government. To live in a free society, one must govern oneself. This involves self-control, maturity, and a set of values that respects the proper use of personal freedom as well as the […]
Self Government: Has America Failed?
Is the American experiment in self government a failure? If yes, it’s because We the People grew remiss in our responsibility to guard our liberty. We voted for politicians who surrendered their obligation to care for our constitutional republic, and we gave it to unelected bureaucrats. If not, we consider the daily misuse of our […]
Consistency Is Key In Being American
I am humbled and truly impressed that our Founders understood the need to tolerate each other’s differences but united on a common goal: to build the United States of America on sound principles that work when practiced with consistency. As an illustration, have you ever heard of a 3 yr old’s basketball team? I went […]
How Do You Select Leaders?
When you cast your ballot, what factors determine who you choose to lead? How do you select leaders? That was the topic in my Jr. High civics class this week. It sounds so simple, but then again, it’s not easy, as my ‘tweens discovered. Maturity I asked the students what “maturity” meant. One child answered, […]
We Can’t Do Everything; We Can Do Something
Many fellow citizens have expressed deep concerns, like, “Should I take our country seriously? Or languish in feelings of defeat for the almost 250-year-old American Experiment?” Last night, I met “Ash Bay.” Hear the story of an everyday American that decided to do something small and do it with “all-in” effort. The town board asked […]
Students Need to Know
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Whoever thought that teaching American students about communism would be controversial? Florida is taking the topic head-on. In this week’s newsletter, we address that issue and another hot item- the protests over the leaked draft of the Supreme Court opinion of Roe v. Wade. I’m […]
Truth and Error
How much of what you are hearing is propaganda? How would you know? What methods are practical in discerning truth from error? Who do you believe? What do you believe? Why do you believe it? These are questions I have been asking myself. A few of my young students are hearing things at home and […]
Pandemic Life in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia
Wonder what the atmosphere is really like in Washington, DC, and Philadelphia lately? It was an interesting trip I took to those two historically American cities recently. I have a few personal observations for those who might be curious. The usual hustle and bustle of visitors during spring break in Washington was noticeably absent. This […]
Personal Thoughts from Candace
Tempers and emotions are high. I have received notes indicating people think I am in a position to control what is happening in our country. I am not in that position. We can only control the two feet we each stand on. The goal here is to help us to think, not take on the […]
Freedom vs. Lockdowns
What extraordinary thing would you do to save your life? Most people are inclined to preserve their lives. So why the rebellions across the world against coronavirus lockdowns? Here’s why: We love freedom. All humanity yearns for it. If people believe in a cause, they will lay down their lives for it. Recently, I reflected […]
Straight Talk about Civil Unrest
What would you do? Not sure what I’d do if I had to live through “Protest Hell” as the direct object of gangs of verbally abusive, under 30-somethings. The scenes I’m seeing aren’t staged. They are first-person accounts. These incorrectly labeled “Peaceful Protestors” get up in your face as you walk in a suit and […]
The Slippery Slope to Communism
How much has communism subtly infiltrated America and become accepted? What, you ask?? I found a fascinating article by Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh, where she shows us how many goals of communism the United States has implemented in the past 60 years. Dr. Paugh used Dr. W. Cleon Skousen’s book, “The Naked Communist.” [Citations appear […]
No Longer Afraid
I saw the following sentence at 6:32 a.m. eastern time the Tuesday after Memorial Day and, after searching repeatedly, I could not find it several hours later in the publication. “But the photographs last weekend of crowded beaches, lakes, parks, and malls suggest millions of Americans are willing to defend to the death their right […]
