I wasn’t going to write any more about it; but I changed my mind after listening to Bill Maher’s latest tirade against religion in general and the Pope specifically. But, Maher’s pontification wasn’t the only one that set me ...   more »

Speaking of religion—and I don’t advise doing so—hordes of incessant TV and radio talking heads have analyzed the Holy Father’s visit to death, whether any of them knew what they were talking about or not. So, I’m not going ...   more »

This past Monday, I received word that the 78-year-old mother of a friend of mine had died. It wasn’t a surprise; she had been terminally ill for some time. I stopped by their house to see if I could help ...   more »

“Look, I’m old enough to remember when gas was seventy-five cents a gallon, dude.” Yes, that’s what the man said. I don’t know how the subject of gas prices came up; it just did. Someone else blurted out, “But, those ...   more »

I stopped at a Wendy’s^® restaurant last night. I was third in a line of 5-customers. The customer being waited on was a woman in her mid-to-late-40s. She had just ordered a “TRIPLE” classic hamburger with cheese and ...   more »

In case you have not noticed, it has become rather testy nowadays just trying to have an intelligent conversation, especially if it involves politics in the presence of one or two visceral-minded Neanderthals.

I have stopped watching ALL cable ...   more »

I have not heard people comparing the Iraq War to the Viet Nam “War” for almost two years, now. I’ve used quotes relative to Viet Nam because Congress never declared Viet Nam a war.

Nevertheless, when the body counts ...   more »

In case you haven’t heard, about forty-percent of this year’s flu shots have not worked. We’ve simply failed to revamp the vaccines to keep pace with the ever-changing, never-ceasing onslaught of flu strains. Anyway, I received a flu shot and ...   more »

A few years ago, I wrote a column about competitive guilt. It concerned the seemingly perpetual competition between Catholics and Jews for the ever-coveted “Most Adept at Dispensing Guilt” award.

While I intended it as a tongue-in-cheek parody on the ...   more »

During an average week following the publication of this column, I receive around 360-emails plus another 10- to 15-letters or post cards through the United States Postal Service. These numbers jump considerably, to about 1,100 emails and 100-letters if I ...   more »

I’ve listened to many speakers throughout my life; a few were absolutely terrible; most have been OK; a few more have been downright good; and two have been positively inspiring. This column is about one of the two in the ...   more »

About two weeks ago, I found myself on the receiving end of a bit of a lecture involving the Patriot Act. The speaker, Mr. Harold Gerson, was extolling the virtues of the Act and how “patriotic” Americans need to ...   more »

Last week’s article had a definite political theme. Judging by the large number of responses—5,419 emails over a 6-day period—it hit some sensitive nerves. While I try to keep political writings to a minimum, I’m going to stay with ...   more »

Getting into matters economic for this week’s topic was not even a blip on my radar. Then something happened and that all changed. Let me explain.

Each Sunday morning at 11 AM I sit in front of my computer, ...   more »

In the true spirit of an election year, I thought I’d try to clear up some of the terms that politicians like to throw around. Keep in mind, though, that it isn’t just the politicians who do this. The media, ...   more »

Let me cut right to the chase here, God. Running THE universe—and for all we know, any number of parallel universes—has to be a tiring job of monumental proportions. Although… I have to say that the folks who claim ...   more »

By Joseph Walther

God-believing candidates are seemingly multiplying like rabbits, nowadays. Most of them have been locked in a virtual over-drive to let us know that they are believers. We voters demand it is what the media reporters and pundits ...   more »

Here’s some good news and some bad news. Americans’ average life expectancy is currently around 78.0 years. It’s higher for women but lower for men. The bad news is that, according to www.NationMaster.com, we’re 44^th on a list ...   more »