“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” – Abraham Lincoln (quote on the home page of Rolling Thunder's website) The Rolling Thunder “Ride for Freedom” will ride through D.C. one last time on Sunday, May 26. After 31 straight years Artie Muller, founder and executive director of the … [Read more...] about Rolling Thunder’s Last Ride
Feature
George Mitchell: A Keystone of the Good Friday Agreement
COMETH the hour, cometh the man. Philosophers have argued for a long time over the importance of the individual in history. Some say the forces of change, though seemingly blind, always produce that crucial man or woman who will be their instrument and cutting edge. Others argue that unless a person with the right qualifies, attributes and vision takes the driving seat, the … [Read more...] about George Mitchell: A Keystone of the Good Friday Agreement
Puddle Jumping
By Frank McCourt
The English Catholic martyr, St. Edmund Campion, lived in Dublin for a while in 1569 and here is what he wrote about the Irish: "The people are thus inclined: religious, franke, amorous, irefull, sufferable of paines infinite, very glorious, many sorcerers, excellent horsemen, delighted with warres, great almes-givers, passing in hospitalitie: the lewder sort both clarkes and … [Read more...] about Puddle Jumping
The Acting President
Martin Sheen, the star of The West Wing, is a complicated, ebullient tangle of philosophy, Catholicism, politics, altruism, and homespun wisdom.It's a disconcerting sight: The leader of the free world is, uh, combing his eyelashes with a small mascara applicator... Okay, so it's the make-believe leader of the free world. And it's not such a far-fetched notion that Martin Sheen … [Read more...] about The Acting President
Two Grandfathers
William Kennedy on his unsung origins.My grandfathers, George Kennedy and Peter McDonald, died before I was born. I came to know something of them through talks with my parents and other relatives, a few artifacts, death certificates and obituaries, and two photographs that defined them for me forever. Both photos are working-class portraits.The portrait of George Kennedy is … [Read more...] about Two Grandfathers