Author: Randy Patrick
-
He got the wrong guy
Nov. 22, 1963 was the day of the most significant murder of the 20th century, and every anniversary of that fateful day in Dallas brings another round of Camelot nostalgia and renewed interest in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. With this month marking the 60th year since the young statesman was killed as…
-
Me and Paul
I’m not Paul. And my apologies to Paul if anyone thinks he’s me. It’s a persistent case of mistaken identity. One day recently, I was sitting near the entrance of Gaunce’s Deli & Café having a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese sandwich when a woman who was leaving with her friends or family…
-
My declaration of independence
Come all ye conservatives and liberals who want to conserve the good things and be free The words above are from Wendell Berry’s The Mad Farmer, Flying the Flag of Rough Branch, Secedes from the Union. Originally part of Entries in 1997, it was also included in The Mad Farmer Poems, a 2013 collection of…
-
In the time of the tiger lily
There is much about summer that is beautiful: Blackberries right for picking. Billowing clouds. Great blue herons in flight. Fireworks on the Fourth of July. Old Farmalls and ’57 Chevys on display. Red, ripe tomatoes at the farmers’ market. Oil and acrylics, ceramics and sculpture at art shows. Glorious sunsets. The sounds of summer are…
-
McEldowney Building restoration nearing completion
Downtown Winchester is experiencing something of a renaissance with the opening of new restaurants, boutique shops, a microbrewery, and even a distillery. Largely overlooked, however, is one of its biggest restoration projects, the McEldowney Building. The tallest commercial building in the heart of downtown had seen better days when two young investors, Adam Kidd, and…
-
Love’s the higher law – Bono’s faith journey
Paul David Hewson had the brightest spotlight on the planet, and he was going to use it for good. As 86 million people watched the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show, the singer, known as Bono of U2, gave a joyful rendition of “Beautiful Day.” Then, as the sweet lament of “MLK” flowed into the opening…
-
Jimmy Carter, reconsidered
Carter has often been described as a failed president who went on to become one of our best ex-presidents because of all he achieved after the White House. But I think that is an unfair assessment. Carter’s presidency was actually marked by significant achievements. He brokered a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that remains…
-
Use 14th Amendment to bar Trump from office
During the first 2020 debate between President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump whether he would tell the Proud Boys to “stand down.” Trump directed his answer to the right-wing militia: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.”
-
Reading about the presidents
One of my favorite winter pastimes is to pour myself a steaming mug of coffee or tea and spend an hour or so turning the pages of a good book. My niece, when she’s home from college, sometimes joins me in the sunroom of my parents’ country home and reads ancient and medieval philosophy or…
-
‘The Steal’ recounts 2020 election scandal
It’s true there was a plot to steal the 2020 presidential election. But it didn’t happen the way millions of Americans think it did. As early as 2016, when he ran against Hillary Clinton, Republican candidate Donald Trump began sowing suspicion in voters’ minds about the integrity of the electoral process, calling it “rigged” and…