What if you heard that a new law was passed that said that anyone named Bill could be legally put to death? Certainly, you would protest the “law” and say it was wrong.

Wouldn’t we all come together at once to restore legal protection to all Bills?

We could certainly say that this new law was against the Constitution, which claims to protect the rights of every person. But suppose that even the Constitution were changed to say that it’s okay to kill Bill. Would we then say it was really okay? No, it would still be wrong. Read More»

I have watched with interest the furor surrounding Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

Few deny that Tebow is a gifted athlete. Tebow was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a high school senior and chose to attend the University of Florida.

As a backup, Tebow helped the Gators win the national championship during the 2006 college football season.

Tebow was the Gators’ starting quarterback during the 2007 season and became the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 or more touchdowns in a single season. Read More»

I rode my Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle for over 10,000 miles before I ever considered allowing a passenger on the bike. It was easy to not have passengers for several reasons.

First of all, my wife had two requests when I took the Rider’s Course in August of 2010. The first was that I not ask her to ride with me. The second was that I keep my life insurance premium paid.

Secondly, I knew my limitations: a rookie rider has no business taking on passengers.

Thirdly, my bike did not have a passenger seat. Problem solved. Read More»

“Paging Janice Doogan. Janice Doogan, please report to Gate 4 for boarding.” I didn’t know who Janice Doogan (not her real name) was as I and my wife waited at Gate 4 in St. Louis. Our flight to Atlanta was preceded by a flight to Orlando. Apparently, Janice Doogan was in danger of missing her flight.

Again, the call went out, only this time a countdown began. “Janice Doogan, please report to gate 4. Your flight will close in 15 minutes.” Read More»

From 1972 to 1983, M*A*S*H* became one of the most popular television series of all time. Initially intended to be a comedy about a medical unit in war-torn Korea in the early 1950s, M*A*S*H* progressively began to examine serious themes.

On several occasions, the program was set during the Christmas season and, while the scenes were often funny and the characters true to form, the ever-present reality of war, suffering, tragedy, and death could not be ignored. Read More»

In December of 1996, I walked into the office of The Citizen newspapers in Fayetteville, Ga., to place an ad for our church. I ran into Cal Beverly, publisher of the paper, and he asked me if I still wrote.

And, indeed, I had written some articles for a newspaper previously and had a number of articles published in various periodicals and magazines. He asked me if I would be interested in writing a few articles for The Citizen. After some discussion and clarification, I submitted my first couple of columns.

That was approximately 780 articles ago. Read More»

I was on my way to Evans Middle School the morning before Veterans Day. Several days earlier Debbie, the mother of my grandson Sam Epps, an 8th grader, called to say that Sam would like to invite me to attend Evans’ Veteran’s Day observance. I readily agreed. I had never been to such an event so I was a bit curious as to what would take place.

I arrived at Evans about 20 minutes prior to the start of the program. As I approached the gym, where the event was to be held, a young lady, whom I assumed to be a teacher, asked if I was a veteran.

“I am,” I replied. Read More»

When I moved to Georgia more than 28 years ago, I was not aware that I would have new experiences in weather. The fact that tornadoes occur occasionally in our adopted home was a bit of a surprise. More surprising was the phenomenon of drought. Read More»

I was cut down in a hail of bullets in the middle of a crossfire. Hit several times, the bullet to the spine was the most serious before the final shot was fired. The kill shot was to the top of my head.

My son, John Epps, after fighting heroically, was sprawled out dead in the hallway behind me having been sprayed by about eight rounds to the side and back.

Also dead was Frank Golan, cut down while ferociously defending his position. Vicki, the final member of our team would be felled by a shot to the throat. Read More»

A couple of alleged burglars should be counting themselves very fortunate. Recently, two men, ages 23 and 25, illegally entered a home in Fayette County. They were met by the homeowner, who was armed. The homeowner, showing great restraint, in my opinion, held the pair at gunpoint until sheriff’s deputies arrived to take them into custody. Another man, age 23, was also arrested as part of the scheme. Read More»