On this date in 1961, Alan Shepard made history on May 5, 1961, with a 15-minute suborbital flight aboard Freedom 7. Later, he would return to command Apollo 14 in 1971, making him the only one of the original astronauts to land on the Moon.

Unlike the gals doing it earlier this year in their form-fitting blue suits, it was a little different for Shepard. He didn’t have make-up artists getting him ready to prance in front of cameras, entering the capsule. His capsule was so small that the height requirement for astronauts was 5’11” or less just to fit in the cramped space. He had to wait several hours from when he woke up until liftoff. Is that important? In a way, it is.

The flight had been postponed several times. The United States would have launched the first man if not for the delays. In the interim, Russia beat us to it. And it was almost delayed on the day of the launch. Nature called as Shepard sat in Freedom 7, forcing him to empty his bladder into his suit.

Medical sensors attached to it to track the astronaut’s condition in flight were turned off to avoid shorting them out. The urine pooled in the small of his back, where his undergarment absorbed it.

But we learn by trial and error. After Shepard’s flight, the space suit was modified, and by the time of Gus Grissom’s flight two months later, it included a liquid waste collection feature built in.

I learned three funny things researching this, one that made me do a literal LOL. The first was Shepard, who later recalled his wife Louise’s response when he told her that she had her arms around the man who would be the first man in space: “Who let a Russian in here?”

The second was on May 18, 1959, when the seven astronauts gathered at Cape Canaveral to watch their first rocket launch, which was similar to the one that was to carry them into orbit. It spectacularly exploded a few minutes after liftoff, lighting up the night sky. The astronauts were stunned, of course. Shepard turned and said to John Glenn, “Well, I’m glad they got that out of the way.”

My favorite quote was from a book about him, recalling an interview. When reporters asked Shepard what he thought as he sat atop the Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff, he replied, “The fact that every part of this ship was built by the lowest bidder.”

Every year on this date, I’ve written about the shootings at Kent State University, now 55 years ago. I lived close to KSU, about 20 miles away. I was 17 at the time and have always maintained that I was the first in my school to know about it because I was out riding around, having a couple of smokes.

My uncle and others from our little town were in the National Guard that day. Other young people from home were students at KSU. I still have the jacket my uncle wore that day.

Over the past 15 years on Facebook, I’ve written what amounts to a small book. I had an unusual perspective on what happened—not just because my uncle was there or because I knew students at KSU, but because I worked on the school newspaper and covered the political groups on campus.

Since it was always a topic of discussion, and because of my work on the paper, I had access to people involved and interviewed many of them. After 55 years, what’s left to say?

Some compare this to the Boston Massacre 200 years earlier. The second president of the United States, a nation’s founder, defended the British in court, and all but two were found innocent. The other two were guilty of reduced charges. The defense argument was similar to that of the National Guard.

But there really isn’t a comparison. The first led to the founding of this country. May 4th was indeed a tragedy—death almost always is. Some from my generation feel it led to ending the war in Vietnam. It didn’t. The war dragged on for three more years, followed by an almost Afghanistan-type withdrawal a couple of years later.

I learned a lot from talking to people and recording their stories in print. I never accepted that the Guard was solely at fault. It is also unfair to suggest that the students were at fault. I spent my first year at Ohio State and participated in protests.

Today, we see campus protests; some students do not even know what is being protested. There’s speculation that some are paid, and others are curious and hanging around.

For me, protesting wasn’t so much about calling for an end to the war. I liked to be where things were happening. I should be ashamed to say this, but I liked throwing rocks and busting (my wife hates when I use that word) things. But at the last protest I attended, a Columbus police officer changed my mind. Not in a bad way. They were busting heads with batons and billy clubs. But when it was over, I talked to him. He had a bandaged face from being hit by a brick the night before.

The reality for me was that I wasn’t anti-war. That doesn’t mean I favored war. I find it abhorrent but, at times, necessary.

My last active involvement was five years ago. The 50th anniversary was set to have Jane Fonda as a featured speaker. I, Ohio’s Secretary of State, and others opposed her coming, not because we opposed free speech, but because we felt the event should be about remembrance and healing. But her appearance and the rest of the speakers would open old wounds. And to those who claim she apologized for her actions in North Vietnam, she did not.

For me, it was mostly a writing campaign. Fonda did not speak live on campus, but not because of anything I did. The 2020 pandemic wiped out the ceremony.

There was a virtual program, but I didn’t participate. Based on a personal online debate with the sister of one of the wounded students organizing the program, I know there was no intention of reconciliation. The listed speakers were there to assign blame for the “murders” 50 years earlier.
By the way, the picture is of a bullet hole in a metal sculpture by Taylor Hall, where the shootings occurred and where I had all of my journalism classes.

After over five decades of talking and writing about it, I’m done—forevermore. I could say a lot more, but why? I mentioned fault early on. Governor Jim Rhodes bears responsibility for what happened, in my opinion. I could explain why I believe this, but I won’t. But fault is less important than what happened, and I hope it never happens again.

Hebrews 13:8 powerfully reminds us of God’s unwavering nature: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

It’s comforting to know that in a world full of change, uncertainty, and shifting values, God remains constant and that His love, grace, and truth never waver. No matter what happens, we can rely on Him with absolute confidence.

This verse is about His reliability, offering stability when everything else seems unpredictable. It reinforces the idea that His promises remain constant, just as they did in the past, and will continue to in the future.

Another note: the Bible is an unchanging truth that guides people across all generations. The verse affirms Christ remains the same forever. So do his words. It’s like the Constitution, a foundational document that establishes enduring principles.

God’s words remain constant. His moral standards don’t shift with societal trends or cultural changes. What was right and wrong in His eyes thousands of years ago remains the same today.

With scripture, the idea is that God’s word stands forever, and its truth is absolute, regardless of cultural or historical changes. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever,” emphasizing this permanence.

These truths are seen throughout the Bible in the Old and New Testaments. Times may change, but good and bad do not. It’s important not to change the words to meet what you want them to mean to fit personal desires or changing worldviews.

The beauty of it is God doesn’t change the promises for us; we shouldn’t change them for our convenience.

DOJ Reaches Agreement to Settle Lawsuit by Family of Ashli Babbitt

It’s a first step. Michael Byrd needs to be held accountable. There are still questions to be answered.

A teacher wants you dead. Barney Fife knew the answer.

A teacher at Waterville Senior High School in Maine, JoAnna St. Germain, posted on Facebook calling for the U.S. Secret Service to “take out” President Donald Trump AND his supporters to prevent a civil war, claiming Trump is not a legitimate president. She expressed willingness to do it herself if she had the skills.

I figure she realized she had committed a serious crime because she tried to clarify what she meant but failed miserably. As is customary by the Left, she also compared Trump to Hitler.

If she believed she had committed a crime, she was right. Her statements prompted investigations by local law enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and the school district, with the superintendent addressing safety concerns.

So, it was time to double down. St. Germain remained defiant, aware she might lose her job, but refused to retract her statements. But here’s the problem: it’s becoming a trend of increasing political violence and extremist rhetoric from the Left.

Continual references to Hitler in the context of comparing someone like Trump to him escalate tensions and potentially incite violence. The reality is we don’t have a Hitler in our midst and haven’t in this country as long as I can remember, but the comparison is highly charged.

For the ignorant, it evokes extreme historical connotations of tyranny and genocide, designed to inflame and polarize. When repeated, it vilifies a person or their supporters; it may contribute to a climate where some individuals feel justified in extreme actions, including violence.

By who? Well, the ignorant have been mentioned. There is another group. Repeatedly stating “Trump is Hitler,” there is a group on the fringe that sees it as a call to action and escalates the chance of violence among unstable individuals. My concern is that the fringe element on the Left continues to grow.