Out of curiosity, folks will sometimes ask who is an inspiration or hero to me. Since I rarely think in those terms, I have to stop and think about that answer.

Without fail, I always find that the ones who have inspired me most were common folks with few, if any, uncommon traits or accomplishments. Parents, teachers and others who offered a kind word, encouragement or wisdom when it was most needed are the ones who stand out most in my mind.

But now I have found a hero and from now forward whenever anyone asks that question, I will immediately reply, “Sandy Mary Thompson.” Read More»

What is it about a secret that makes you want to tell everyone, even a complete stranger? Ever notice the repercussions for telling a secret grows proportionately as we do? Until we get to be adults, that is, but that’s where this story ends.

The beginning is first grade. There all you had to do to keep a secret was pinky swear. It was simple and worked for everyone, except for Ryan. He was born with only one pinky. So he could only pinky swear half as much as the rest of us. For the most part, though, pinky swearing worked just fine in the first grade. Read More»

SAN DIEGO — A nation that does not see in law a right to life for its unborn children and a court that allows more than 50 million of them to be killed claiming a nonexistent “penumbra” in the Constitution is not about to acquire a moral — much less a constitutional — backbone when it comes to same-sex “marriage.” Read More»

The drumbeat for more public transportation by planners and policy-makers rises in inverse proportion to the public’s enthusiasm. The reality of the steady decline in Americans’ use of public transportation fades into the background, overwhelmed by transit-oriented hype.

It started with “smart growth” and “new urbanism.” Now this elitist focus on public transit as the solution to congestion now has a frightening hold on the U.S. Department of Transportation. Read More»