Home of Today's Common Sense

One of the heroes of my youth died recently and another passed a little while ago in Vermont. Captain Kangaroo-Bob Keeshan was 76 years old on June 27, 2003 and together with Mr. Greenjeans, Rocky and Bullwinkle and the others on the morning TV show, were my companions and role models while growing up.
The Canadian border area where I grew up was very economically depressed but heaven compared to the Ireland, with the poverty and persecutions there, that my folks left just a generation or so before.
My dad, granddads, uncles and the other adults in our family demonstrated the concepts of “self reliance and honor” to me everyday; The Captain reinforced these with stories and daily demonstrations that were part of his show. More »

Published Brownsville Herald 3/7/2004
I recently watched the movie “Goin’ To Texas”, one of the many about Sam Houston’s participation in the independence of Texas. It brought to mind many of the others such as those relating to the defense of the Alamo.
The theme that rings so clear is that the only thing the folks wanted was the freedom from an interfering national government.
I have recently taken to reading such revolutionary material as the Federalist Papers, the anti-Federalist Papers, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”, and Levy’s “Origin of the Bill of Rights”.
In most of the debate it was very clear that the framers of the Constitution wanted the same thing. The major contentions were, how best to protect the people from the government. Contentions surrounding the “Bill of Rights” demonstrate it well. The “Federalists” contended that a “Bill of Rights” was not necessary as the Federal Government did not have the authority or power to do any of the things mentioned and that the mandates contained in Article 2 Section 9 were sufficient. Many also asserted that if they were specifically mentioned in the constitution, it would be inferred that the Federal government did have that power and that an activist court would take advantage of them. The opposition was so afraid of the power of an interfering central government they insisted on the “Bill of Rights” to protect them and possibly to even delay the approval of the new Constitution.
More »

Published Brownsville Herald 2/8/2004
The eloquence and passion, of the opinion entitled “Students are more than mere products” submitted by “teacher” Kathy Raines and published in the Herald on January 25, moved me more than few things have. She conveyed what she and, I believe, most teachers do and feel in their daily attempt to guide our children to a better life. Granted some teachers may treat the profession as a “job”; but my experience as an active observer of the educational process for more than 30 years tells me that most teachers are dedicated to education and view our children in the way that Ms. Raines demonstrates. BISD should be proud to have them and support them. However, past actions of the Trustees and the Administration have not given me a basis for great hope. Teachers were rewarded by being passed over when pay raises were handed out to administrators, also when pay raises have been given in the past the experienced teachers were not considered for comparable raises.
More »