On December 16th we passed with little notice the 240th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. During the hours of 7 to 10 PM, 116 people boarded the ships of the East India Tea Company and destroyed 90,000 pounds (45 tons) of tea valued at 10,000 British pounds, in today's money about one million dollars.
Today, the RINO image has a new meaning. People like Senators Alexander and Corker, and Governor Haslam have become Republicans in name only. Let me introduce you to a word I just learned—atavistic.
I don't know who first said this, but I quoted it in an earlier book: "If you believe the 1960s was a good decade you are probably a Democrat; if you believe it was a bad decade you are probably a Republican."
Among the many scenes from Moore, Oklahoma there were two statements that provided learning moments for me. One of the teachers who risked her life to save young students seemed apologetic that she had prayed during the most intense moments of the tornado. She followed by saying, "I did something teachers are not supposed to do. I prayed. I prayed out loud."
Most of us who watch television and read newspapers develop strong opinions on politics and religion. The question arises—how long will liberals and Democrats defend President Obama in these scandals?
At the close of each Sunday morning sermon we extended the invitation to come forward to repent, confess, and be baptized.
In a letter from Eric Holder to Rand Paul it seemed clear that we have never used domestic drone attacks in America and have no intention to do so. However he did argue that the President had the authority to use drone strikes on an enemy combatant in national emergencies similar to attacks on Pearl Harbor or the World Trade Center buildings.
Tennessee enacted its first compulsory attendance law for public schools in 1905. The school year was adapted for traditional agricultural summer work schedules. With that also came an established curriculum of what children should learn at incremental age levels in grades one through twelve. Counties and cities established school districts governed by local elected or appointed school boards.
Among the many things I have not done is attend a prayer breakfast. People I have known who organize and convene prayer breakfasts seem to be all white males who promote business ventures and political agendas. They seem to be more conservative and more Republican than my circle of fellow Christians.
My high school senior class had twenty-three graduates. Attending college was the exception, not the norm. Our principal, Mr. Wallace called me into the office the day after I had been sick and absent from school for a day or two. He told me he had submitted my name for a scholarship to David Lipscomb College (now Lipscomb University). I don't know that I had seriously considered college. Lipscomb had a program of partial scholarships (one-third of tuition) available to students in small ru