I’m 73 years old, and I’ve lived long enough to see America at its best and at its worst. I’ve seen boys barely old enough to shave shipped off to Vietnam. I’ve seen Americans march in the streets for civil rights, demanding this country live up to its promises. I watched a man walk on the moon, and for a moment it felt like anything was possible if we stuck together and remembered who we were supposed to be. Back then, morality wasn’t as complicated. It wasn’t political. It was just how you lived. You weren’t supposed to hurt people for fun. You weren’t supposed to lie when the truth mattered. You weren’t supposed to turn your back on a child. You didn’t worship leaders like they were gods. You weren't supposed to treat people like they were disposable. Churches preached compassion while preaching from the Gospel instead of turning their backs on it. Neighbors were supposed to help each other. We expected our leaders to act like grown‑ups. We weren’t perfect, but at least we ...
COMMON SENSE IS NOW A RADICAL ACT I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the line, using plain old common sense started feeling like a rebellious act. Not because it’s extreme. Not because it’s political. Just because it cuts through the nonsense that so many people seem to depend on now. You look at something with your own eyes, you say what you see, and suddenly you’re the problem. Suddenly you’re “causing trouble.” Suddenly you’re the villain in somebody’s story. It didn’t used to be like this. You didn’t need a news anchor to explain reality to you. You didn’t need a politician to tell you how to think. You didn’t need a “breaking news alert” every ten minutes to know when something didn’t add up. You just used your head. You trusted your gut. You asked questions when something smelled funny. Now? You ask a simple question and politics jumps in your face like, “Sit down, piggy,” or whatever insult they’re throwing around that day. Anything to shut you up. Any...