Is Elon’s problem simply loneliness?

July 17, 2023

Why does Elon Musk have to be the center of everyone’s attention every day? Has he no hobbies? Is running an industrial empire less than a full-time job? Perhaps he’s just lonely. Perhaps social media is not filling the need for human companionship — as many a depressed adolescent can explain. At times, the richest man on the planet, Musk certainly has options. He’s already done remarkable things, such as supercharge the age of the electric vehicle and send rockets into space. Yet he chooses to pick public fights that offend his customers, while having negligible effect on ...

Time for refocusing America’s attention

July 17, 2023

America is struggling. While this country and its people have faced their share of difficulties -- including the Great Depression, several wars, terrorist attacks and countless devastating natural disasters -- we seem to be losing a key attribute of our national identity: our confidence in our ability to solve problems and achieve what was once considered "impossible." That confidence was born of at least three widespread attributes — initiative, gratitude and humility — which are sorely lacking at present. Initiative is what's behind every single aspect of America's political ...

Vice President Harris’ unknown language

July 13, 2023

If President Biden is serious about seeking a second term, he must fix the problem of his vice president, Kamala Harris. Though Biden's poll numbers are currently not much better than Harris', latest polling by the Los Angeles Times finds as of this month "41% of registered voters had a favorable opinion of Harris and 53% had an unfavorable opinion -- a net rating of -12 percentage points." One wonders what those 41 percent see as Harris' accomplishments, because there have been none, as far as I can tell. Republicans will likely make Biden's age an issue in the coming campaign and ...

Store that cultivated a community

July 13, 2023

Nestled in the rolling farmland in Ashe County is a tidy white-clad building whose wistful charm beckons you to stop. It’s the kind of place you may only spot if you set your navigation app to avoid highways. And even if you’re trying to make good time down Silas Creek Road, you will find it impossible not to stop here. Across the very top of the storefront reads “Phipps General Store,” accompanied by signs for Schwan’s Ice Cream and one noting that it is the Silas Creek United States Post Office. All around it are barns and postcard-perfect farmland. It is only upon closer ...

One man versus Communist China

July 10, 2023

Last week, while we celebrated the work of America’s founders, I honored a living freedom fighter: billionaire businessman Jimmy Lai. When Communist China crushed freedom in Hong Kong, Lai could have gone anywhere in the world and lived a life of luxury. But he chose to stay in Hong Kong and go to jail. A new documentary, “The Hong Konger,” tells his story. Lai grew up in poverty in China. “My mother was (imprisoned) in a labor camp,” he recalls. “We were just 5 or 6 and managing ourselves without an adult in the household. When I was 8 and 9, I worked in the railway ...

Juniata County’s “Grasshopper War”

July 8, 2023

I am a little late to the game since it began in 2018, but I have begun watching the television series, Yellowstone. If you aren’t familiar with it, I will give you a brief overview. The series follows the Dutton family, the patriarch being John Dutton played by Kevin Costner, as they strive to protect the family ranch in Montana called Yellowstone. It is constantly under attack by those seeking this picturesque and valuable land for development. It also involves the bordering Indian reservation of Broken Rock. Believe me when I say there is plenty of drama! Some of which is a bit far ...