Exploring Cemeteries in Edgecombe County

In 2012, I took a vacation. A brief one, just two days. I went to New York City to see the Lewis Chessmen. (Due to some poor planning on my part, I did not see them then; I had to go back over the weekend. Story of my life.) That was, sadly, my last vacationContinue reading “Exploring Cemeteries in Edgecombe County”

A Church Excursion

My sister asked me if I was interested in going to church, since it was Palm Sunday. “Well, I’m not going to burst into flame when I walk through the doors,” I replied It was a “contemporary” service, which I was unfamiliar with and was deeply strange to me. No familiar hymns, not much inContinue reading “A Church Excursion”

On the Death of a Friend

It was a strange weekend. A colleague of mine at the office, Lance Woods, did an autographing of his first novel, Heroic Park, at a bookstore about ten minutes from the house, so Saturday afternoon I drove up to Reisterstown. There was a nice group of people crowded into the bookstore, all people I knewContinue reading “On the Death of a Friend”

On Final Thoughts on North Carolina’s Amendment One

Some final thoughts on North Carolina and Amendment One. (Previous comments here and here.) I know that many of the people who voted in favor of Amendment One did so on religious grounds. They feel that homosexuality is incompatible with their religious beliefs because it is condemned in the text of the Bible. But IContinue reading “On Final Thoughts on North Carolina’s Amendment One”

On My Instant Reaction to Amendment One

This morning I wrote about Amendment One, a Constitutional amendment in North Carolina that was up for a vote on election day that would outlaw same-sex marriage and any heterosexual arrangement that wasn’t marriage. I implored people to vote against its passage, and I won’t recap what I said there; just read it for yourselfContinue reading “On My Instant Reaction to Amendment One”

On North Carolina’s Amendment One

Many states are going to the polls today. Dick Lugar’s career is likely to end today in Indiana as the crazy wing of the Republican Party turns him out in a primary. And North Carolina votes on Amendment One. Yesterday, I was invited to an after-election party in Raleigh by one of the anti-Amendment OneContinue reading “On North Carolina’s Amendment One”

On Liddy Dole’s Bigotry

A week and a half ago I wrote about anti-atheist bigotry in the North Carolina Senate race. A group had cut an attack ad tying Democratic challenger Kay Hagan to a political action committe, the Godless Americans PAC. Senator Elizabeth Dole cut her own ad, “Promises.” It’s harsh. The closing moments, of Kay Hagan’s faceContinue reading “On Liddy Dole’s Bigotry”

On Senatorial Races

Rumor has it that former Virginia governor Mark Warner will be announcing his candidacy for the Virginia Senate race this week. I’ve written about Warner before, when he announced that he would not be seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination, and I believe that Warner would be a formidable Senatorial candidate in Virginia against any RepublicanContinue reading “On Senatorial Races”