Funny Papers Again Column | Let Freedom of the Press Reign, but Donāt Let It Rule
In a short conversation with a man Iāve known for decades I mentioned how hard it can sometimes be to conjure up a topic for this column; he agreed by saying if such a task were left to him, heād probably get run out...
Guest Column | Letās Not Neglect Our Real Hearts This February
We all live in a brainiac world, to be sure, but the heart remains the emotional, spiritual center of our being. Itās still such a symbol of love and emotion, with our language sprinkled with metaphors invoking the heart as the source of empathy,...
Worthy to Print Column | Living in a Family Town
You know I have had a few folks ask me why I live in Gonzales. Letās see⦠it couldnāt be the night life. Oh sure, we have mariachi bands trying to get the snare drum to match the bass they play so well. Have...
Window on the World Column | Day in the Life of a Pre-Op Patient
As I sat on the shore watching my old friend and my daughter cavorting on paddleboards in the early morning sun, the North Sea an unusually flat blue millpond of joy, I could not help the envy rising inside and it was not a...
Worthy to Print Column | Staying Busy
Do you like living in a small town? Oh say, like Gonzales or Soledad or any of the South County cities? I really love living here. I know just about everyone, and the people that I donāt know well enough to stop and talk...
Funny Papers Again Column | Oklahoma City to the Big Apple: How Many More Memorials Will We Need?
One late afternoon some years ago I stood among rows of uniformly sized brass markers placed with military precision in the grass at the Riverside National Cemetery. At my feet was my fatherās marker, and this was my annual pilgrimage to his final resting...
Worthy to Print Column | Put On Your Mask
Iām beginning to think like my personal nurse. Her opinion is that we will be wearing masks for the rest of time. I would have to agree with her. I have been around for a lot of years and watched my government closely as...
Funny Papers Again Column | Bon Giorno! Day 1 in Switzerland
Every fine time is far more enjoyable if first one experiences some minor hardships along the way. As I write I am sitting on a second-floor balcony at the Hotel Lake Maggiori in Locarno, Ticino, Switzerland. It is 10 minutes after four in the...
Letter to the Editor | Deadly Force at School
To the Editor:
One of the default solutions offered for countering an active shooter in a school is arming teachers. Thus, ensuring that āthe schoolā can push back on an intruder rapidly and lethally.
At first glance, this solution rings true; but is it really? Like...
Window on the World Column | Bad Days, a New Book and Sailing Around the World
It was simply one of those days. A wake-up call that didnāt involve coffee or soft music, let alone the sound of little birds singing to herald the dawning of a new day. āThis is Bank of America. We have reason to believe that...


















