The writings here are in the nature of a blog. Unlike most blogs, the most recent post is under this pinned post. There is no specific topic; I like to write occasionally. Be advised, though, that my writing is often in the form of a stream of consciousness. I know the overall theme. Then, I start writing until I get to what I believe is the end. Sidetrips are inevitable, but I get back to the point.
I write about the law because I’ve spent over 40 years in it. I write about things that interest me, like politics, history, current events, God, people, family, observations, and reflections. I avoid the names of people because ethically, sometimes I have to or to avoid embarrassment to others. It wouldn’t be fair because no one can defend themselves here.
But I say what I believe, and sometimes words offend. It’s not because I’m offensive; it’s because we live in a time when people need to feel offended by every perceived slight. There will be nothing here I wouldn’t speak to another person.
There won’t be the opportunity to leave comments, good or bad. I don’t fear comments but can’t always get back promptly. But, if you want to comment, you can do so from the contact page via email. [NOTE: AS OF JANUARY 10, 2026, COMMENTS CAN BE SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL]
Let me say upfront, anticipating that some will argue the Bill of Rights protects citizens only from government infringement, not private entities, I assure you that I understand, but bear with me. What prompts me to write this are comments by Michigan Senate candidate, Abduhl El-Sayed, and Ohio State Representative candidate Jeff Clapper. El-Sayed soke recently. Clapper 14 years ago. Both argued for abolishing the Second Amendment. Clapper’s comment was more extreme.
First Amendment.
The First Amendment provides several key protections. Again, it dictates that the government shall not establish a religion, prohibit the free exercise thereof, abridge the freedom of speech or of the press, or infringe upon the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Rights are being infringed both privately and by the government. Even when done privately, it happens with the tacit approval of the state. Think back to COVID as but one example.
If anything has become an established religion, it is the worship of big government. Meanwhile, free exercise is actively suppressed. Look at the pandemic: church services were shut down, yet rioting was permitted as if the virus could magically distinguish between rioters and churchgoers. Freedom of speech and the press are systematically undermined by private platforms working hand in hand with government pressure.
Look at college campuses a few years ago, and even today: the moment speech is labeled “hate speech,” free speech dies. Expression is speech. Wear a MAGA hat on campus and see what happens; some have gone so far as to equate it to a white hood. Universities allow this hostility to thrive, though a reckoning is coming if current trends continue.
And then there is cancel culture, which is the social execution of anyone who speaks out of line. Finally, consider the right to petition for redress: rioting is not petitioning. Yet local and state governments stand down while soft-on-crime prosecutors refuse to charge offenders.
Second Amendment.
This guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. The Biden-Harris administration made its agenda clear by intending to disarm law-abiding citizens, likely through forced buybacks. It didn’t happen, but the fight for guaranteed rights was an expensive one in the courts. These rights are being steadily eroded. One needs only to look at what has happened in Virginia after the left, under the guise of moderation, seized control of the legislature and governor’s mansion.
Third Amendment.
While historically vital to prevent the quartering of troops in private homes, which was a direct response to British tyranny during the Revolution, it has not been a major legal battleground in modern times. Still, it remains an essential check on power.
Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.
These three protect due process and fair legal procedure. The Fourth guards against illegal search and seizure; the Fifth protects life, liberty, and property from arbitrary government takeovers; and the Sixth guarantees criminal procedure rights.
Yet these protections are regularly ignored. During the first Trump administration, invalid search warrants were secured using the fabricated Steele dossier, which was paid for by a rival political campaign, to trick the secret FISA court and spy on the Trump campaign. As long as the USA PATRIOT ACT exists, there is going to be an encroachment of privacy rights. Today, some would add flock cameras to the discussion.
As for the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination, we have turned traditional due process upside down. On college campuses, accused students are routinely denied the right to present witnesses or confront accusers. Look back at the Kavanaugh hearings: an innocent man was expected to prove a negative, which is a legal and logical impossibility. Social media, and regular, declares guilt upon accusation.
Seventh and Eighth Amendments.
We can largely skip the Seventh, but the Eighth demands attention. It bars excessive bail, outrageous fines, and cruel and unusual punishment. Yet the system has failed here, too. Joe Biden’s 1994 Crime Bill led to the mass incarceration of miner offenses, disproportionately affecting minority communities. Remember how Kamala Harris prosecuted marijuana offenses aggressively, only to laugh about her own past use later. President Trump took action to reverse these injustices through real criminal justice reform.
Ninth and Tenth Amendments.
These amendments reserve unlisted rights and state powers to the people and the states. Yet state sovereignty has been systematically gutted by an expanding federal Leviathan run by an unelected, unaccountable administrative state: the Swamp.
The Bottom Line. This decline did not happen overnight, but the erosion of our fundamental liberties has accelerated dramatically in recent years. The bleeding can be stopped, but it requires leadership committed to upholding constitutional limits.
FB has restricted my reach, so I am typing this quickly to get it on my page before the election, because the principles of our nation are on the ballot. I plan to expound on each of these points in greater detail soon. On X, I have no restrictions. Feel free to share it.
I will leave you with this: the 2026 election results will test American common sense, patriotism, and our instinct for self-preservation. Our nation is not perfect; we have made mistakes, but we have always fought to correct them.
I am asking you to stand up and keep America, America.
Living in a free society brings both privileges and responsibilities. Among the most important is the right to vote. It is one of the few opportunities each of us has to help shape the future of our communities, our state, and our nation.
For some, voting is simply a civic duty. For others, it is also an expression of faith and a commitment to the common good. Regardless of our backgrounds or beliefs, we share a responsibility to be informed, engaged, and concerned about the well-being of those around us. By participating in elections, we exercise both a right and an important responsibility.
As citizens, we have the opportunity to influence the direction of our communities through thoughtful participation in the process. Whether our priorities center on family, education, public safety, economic opportunity, or individual liberty, voting provides a meaningful way to make our voices heard.
For people of faith, voting can also reflect a desire to live out values such as compassion, integrity, and concern for others. Prayer may guide the process. For those who do not practice a faith tradition, reflection on principles and convictions can serve the same purpose. In either case, voting should be approached with sincerity, respect, and a genuine concern for the common good.
Our constitutional republic depends not only on our freedoms, but on our participation. We may differ on issues and candidates, yet we all benefit when citizens engage thoughtfully and respectfully for the founding principles of our country. Healthy communities are built not through uniformity of opinion, but through a willingness to listen, learn, and participate.
As a new week begins, take time to learn about the issues, consider the needs of others, and make a plan to cast your ballot. Good citizenship is measured by our willingness to engage responsibly in the life of our nation.
May God grant us wisdom where choices are difficult, humility where opinions differ, and a spirit that seeks the welfare of our neighbors and communities. And may we never take for granted the freedoms and liberty our founders bestowed upon us or the responsibilities that accompany them.
For in caring about the future of our communities, we demonstrate our concern for one another, and in participating thoughtfully and respectfully, we help build a future that reflects our highest ideals and our shared hopes of our republic for generations to come.
On Halloween Eve, I’ve written about Orson Welles and his broadcast of The War of the Worlds, and linked the radio broadcast. Sticking with it for the most part, here is a shortened version of The War of the Worlds history, with a real-life second part added. Part 1: Martian Panic, Edgar’s Dummy, and a Pair of Shoes
On Halloween Eve 1938, a 23-year-old Orson Welles broadcast his now-famous War of the Worlds radio play. Was there a legal issue? Minor ones, mostly. The strange part is the show had been publicized in newspapers beforehand, proving people’s gullibility hasn’t changed much over time.
Despite three explicit disclaimers during the broadcast stating the Martian invasion was fiction, headlines the next day exaggerated claims of widespread panic and terror. In reality, the audience was small. Most listeners were tuned into ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his famous dummy, Charlie McCarthy.
Threatened lawsuits followed, but almost all were dismissed. CBS settled a few minor claims, and Welles reportedly bought a new pair of shoes for one listener who claimed he’d spent his shoe money on a train ticket to flee the Martians. Welles’s notoriety paid off. Three years later, he co-wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Citizen Kane, winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Part 2: Living the Panic 46 Years Later
I was always well aware of the War of the Worlds history, though I obviously wasn’t born when it aired. What was strange was experiencing that exact same psychological phenomenon firsthand, forty-six years later.
On Sunday evening, April 29, 1984, NBC re-aired Special Bulletin, a realistic TV movie shot to look like a live breaking news report about a nuclear submarine crisis in South Carolina.
I happened to be driving that night toward a small motel 180 miles away to start a new job the following morning. Unaware of the movie, I called the motel’s front desk from the road to say I was on my way. The owner, an older woman, answered in a full-blown panic. She was 100% convinced the nuclear crisis was actually happening.
I flipped through radio stations as I drove, but found nothing. I called her back to explain the radio was quiet, but she was still watching her TV and even more panicked than before.
When I finally arrived, the show was still on. She invited me in to watch, and I stood in her living room taking in the screen. It looked remarkably real, but key details didn’t add up—starting with the network’s call letters, which weren’t ABC, CBS, or NBC. When the on-screen disclaimer finally appeared, I pointed out that it was just a fictional docudrama. She still refused to believe me.
It’s amazing what the mind can do when a broadcast tells it to panic—and sitting in that motel living room in 1984, I felt like I had stepped right into 1938.
No one can be forced to believe in God. Belief is not something that can be argued, pressured, or replaced by good works. The choice to turn away is real, and it is your choice, not God’s, that leads to an eternity of separation from Him. Psalm 14 reminds us that the claim “there is no God” is often spoken even after people have been exposed to the truth. But it also leaves room for the possibility that hearts can change. God respects people’s freedom by not coercing them, but He can still work with those who are open to Him. The door to salvation stays open only in this life.
As the election approaches, it’s common to hear reasons why people choose to sit it out. Frustration with politics is real, but as believers, our civic participation rests on spiritual principles rather than temporary feelings.
Here are common objections people raise.
My preferred primary candidate lost:
Well, voting is not a declaration of affection for an individual. It is a decision on policy direction, judicial appointments, and societal governance.
It feels like choosing the lesser of two evils:
I hear this one a lot. In a fallen world, every leader is flawed. Waiting for a morally flawless political figure with this mind means never participating at all. Unless Christ Himself is on the ballot, a perfect candidate will never exist. If viewed as choosing the lesser of two evils, common sense tells us to choose the option that limits harm and promotes the greatest good. For the believer, that choice is accompanied by lifting that leader up in prayer; for others, it should bring peace in knowing the best possible choice was made for the community.
God is sovereign over rulers anyway:
I think this explains why some Christians choose to sit out voting. It is true of course but divine sovereignty never absolves believers of personal responsibility. God commands us to act, pray, and seek the welfare of our community.Those who say it is God’s will are right only in part. Divine preeminence never absolves believers of personal responsibility. God does not tell us to sit back and do nothing; He commands us to act, pray, and seek the welfare of our community as we work for His glory.
My single vote doesn’t matter:
Not true of course. Many critical local decisions on school boards, budgets, and judges are decided by remarkably slim margins.Think about this for a moment; history proves otherwise. In the 1960 presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, the election was decided by a margin averaging fewer than two votes per precinct nationwide. On both national and local levels, single votes have decided critical outcomes. It’s why we use coin flips to break a tie when the election should have been decided by those staying home because their vote didn’t matter.
The system feels corrupt or broken:
It probably is and needs to be fixed. But you don’t fix it by staying home. Withdrawing surrenders all influence to those who may actively promote harm or restrict freedom. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
Feeling unprepared or uninformed:
That’s on you. In Proverbs, we’re told seeking wisdom and researching issues is part of faithful stewardship. By the way, I’ve used stewardship a few times because I find it Biblically based, but think of it in terms of responsibility, accountability, or moral duty.
How does Scripture shape our response?
Voting is an Act of Stewardship
In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus teaches that we are held accountable for what has been entrusted to us. In a republic, political influence is a tool given to citizens. Choosing not to participate is like burying that tool in the dirt out of frustration instead of using it to influence society for good.
Seeking the Best for Your Community
God calls His people to seek peace and prosperity for where they live. Voting is one direct, accessible way to influence local and national decisions that impact schools, public safety, economic stability, and freedom of worship. And yes, freedom to worship, in my opinion, is on the ballot this year.
Voting as Direction, Not Endorsement
Recall from above, a vote is not a declaration of personal affection or spiritual endorsement for a candidate. In a fallen world, every leader is imperfect. Scripturally, choosing to limit harm and promote policies that align closest with justice, mercy, truth is an act of wisdom. Our ultimate hope never rests in earthly governments. Our ultimate citizenship is in Heaven. However, our temporal responsibility is to be faithful stewards right where God has placed us today. Pray for wisdom, engage with purpose, and use your influence to serve your neighbors and country well.
Does viewing your vote as an act of serving God change the way you approach election season? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
To my brother-in-law, Denny, for pointing out to my wife, Dawn, Romans 1:1 to 21 which directly underscores and expands on the main points in this reflection.
The writings here are in the nature of a blog. Unlike most blogs, the most recent post is under this pinned post. There is no specific topic; I like to write occasionally. Be advised, though, that my writing is often in the form of a stream of consciousness. I know the overall theme. Then, I start writing until I get to what I believe is the end. Sidetrips are inevitable, but I get back to the point.
