Alien Enemies Act

Every day in my American Civ class I begin the morning asking if anyone has any questions, not just about what we studied the day before, but about what is going on in the world. I believe the purpose of this class is to study the past to explain the present. Some classes are better … Continue reading Alien Enemies Act →

Reviewing Tony Horwitz’s ‘Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War’

From Southwest Ledger Possibly the most misunderstood and controversial character of the Civil War is John Brown. As a child growing up in Virginia, I was taught that Brown was the enemy; a religious fanatic who was bent on violence to stop Virginia’s way of life by any means necessary. It was almost the same … Continue reading Reviewing Tony Horwitz’s ‘Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War’ →

Will America’s Foreign Policy Remain Cyclical Under Trump 2.0?

From Southwest Ledger Possibly the biggest story of the past week is our involvement with Ukraine. Most Americans’ opinion of President Trump’s handling of the situation probably has as much to do with their opinion of foreign assistance as it does with the way Trump handled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In weighing in on this … Continue reading Will America’s Foreign Policy Remain Cyclical Under Trump 2.0? →

Remembering Gene Hackman

With the sad and tragic story emerging of how Gene Hackman died, it is worth taking a moment to remember the joy he brought the world. To make one or two really good movies is rare, but to make as many as Hackman did is special especially when one of them is so iconic. Of … Continue reading Remembering Gene Hackman →

Constitution 101: Senate Leadership Clauses

From Southwest Ledger Have you ever considered what the vice president does all day? My guess is probably not, but the framers of Constitution did. When they got to the point where they considered a vice president, his only role was as a backup president — a spare, so to speak.Originally, he had no actual … Continue reading Constitution 101: Senate Leadership Clauses →

DOGE Underscores Gradual Power Shift Between Legislative, Executive Branches

From Southwest Ledger This may be the most difficult column I have ever written. When it comes to the Department of Government Efficiency, I really have no idea what’s going on. How is that for an opener? What makes me feel better is I don’t think anyone else really has an idea of what is … Continue reading DOGE Underscores Gradual Power Shift Between Legislative, Executive Branches →

Controversy over Cabinet Secretary Choices is Nothing New in American History

From Southwest Ledger Amongst the many perceived controversies of Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president are some of his choices for cabinet secretaries. Of the 15 secretary positions, so far 11 have been confirmed by the Senate including controversial nominees like Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and Robert Kennedy Jr. for Health and … Continue reading Controversy over Cabinet Secretary Choices is Nothing New in American History →

Pardoning Proves Power of Presidency

From Southwest Ledger December 2024 and January 2025 may possibly go down in history as one of the most politically significant moments in recent history. In December then-President Joe Biden broke a record by issuing pardons or commuted sentences of more than 1,500 people. Several of his pardons were preemptive ones for family members and … Continue reading Pardoning Proves Power of Presidency →

Constitution 101: Senate Qualifications Clause

From Southwest Ledger As our Founding Fathers were discussing the creation of the Senate, or upper house in Congress, they had to consider qualifications for members to hold such important positions. What they determined constitutes Article I, Section III, Clause III, of the Constitution or what is known as the Senate Qualification Clause. This clause … Continue reading Constitution 101: Senate Qualifications Clause →

Birthright citizenship among barrage of challenging executive orders

From Southwest Ledger I have spent more class time discussing the barrage of executive orders and pardons from both the outgoing and incoming presidents this week. As a federal judge has blocked President Trump’s executive order to change birthright citizenship, that topic seems to be the best place to begin. I should mention that I … Continue reading Birthright citizenship among barrage of challenging executive orders →