Justice is difficult, to the point that it appears unreachable—a mistrial. This week a judge declared a mistrial after the jury remained deadlocked in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy for killing her three children. Her defense is she was suffering from postpartum depression. Was this case, one of premedication or psychosis? When it comes to the justice of men—of witnesses, attorneys, judges, and jurors—men have spoken. But their word—the word mistrial—is not the final wo

Consider the mindset of service of three enlisted men: a seaman, a CEO and a Son. Doris Miller enlisted in the Navy to serve his country. The Navy assigned him to serve tables in the mess hall on the USS West Virginia during a time when these kinds of jobs were relegated to negros in a segregated military. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Miller swept aside the pots and pans, carried wounded sailors to safety, then manned an anti-aircraft gun, and without training, shot down

1Peter 2:9, John 10:11-15 As we bask in the afterglow our 250th year of national independence, we celebrate, in a way, our personal freedoms that derive from it. The irony of true independence—to be true to the higher, bigger picture of independence—is this: All independence is rooted in the strategic dependence on others, especially good leaders. The right leaders raise their heads, face—not stealthily hide—from the enemy. They emerge at the right time, in the right place no

Recently, AI (Artificial Intelligence) showed itself for what it is: a precipice of opportunity for both giant problems and enormous, fruitful, possibilities. OpenAI reported that its GPT-5.6 Sol and a more capable pre-release model escaped a restricted testing sandbox. Dooms-day alarmists are raising the question: As exciting as the benefits of AI are, can these algorithm-driven systems become capable of exploiting our safeguards in ways humans may not anticipate? In a word:

We wear it in our noses, belly buttons, toes, around our necks, and in our ears. If it can’t be pierced in, then it’s tattooed and glued on. We burn it out of hate. We kneel at altars to it out of love. From Madonna to Mother Teresa, Tupoc to 50 Cent, rock stars and religious “whose-who”, to the greatest-of-all-time athletes who sport it at press conferences and clinch it in their teeth as they run triumphantly down the World Cup football pitch—it’s a part of their wardrobe

This week, national attention has turned to a tiny island off the coast of Mississippi. Four young men—black and white, just north of teen age years, who many called unmistakable friends, launched out on a Fourth of July fling to that island for some last chance at fun before the rigors of college prep was due. Only three of the boys returned alive. One was found dead. A dark fog of controversary shrouds this tragedy, and raises many unanswered questions, foremost, in my mind

There is a current movement to stiffen voter identification requirements, requiring voters to present photo ID at polling places and provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering for federal elections. Acceptable documents include a passport, birth certificate, military ID, or government-issued ID showing birthplace. Wow, pretty stiff-- all for the sake of authenticity to the exclusion of many. Is this level of stringency necessary? That is debatable. But wha

I had a conversation with a librarian. In our conversation, she asked me, “Why don’t black men take care of their children?”—another surprising question from a librarian. You’d expect that a person that is a gatekeeper of books would know better than to ask that question. Olin Fregia, Sr. (Bubba) If she knew my story, she’d know that black men take care of their children. She’d know—if she knew my story—that my father—Olin Fregia—became a widower with six kids under his car

High school boys--one stabbed to death; one sentenced to 35 years--each mourned by as a loss to their community and families; West Bank Palestinians vs. Middle East Israel; “MAGA America” vs. “Blue America”; conservative church vs. liberal denominations—the landscape of humanity is populated with division. But there is always One crying out in the wilderness for unity. “Can’t we all just get along.” How does that unity look? I saw glimpse of it in a video of two toddlers runn

Summit High School Principal Jason Mutterer is an “in-ee”. His tradition is in a tradition that deserves a letter. Every year, he personally writes heartfelt letters to each graduating senior, to encourage and inspire them in their future. They were personal reflections highlighting the good he saw within each student. Turnabout is fair play. This week, 500 of his students, on graduation day, instead of just receiving their diplomas, surprised him with handwritten letters of

The CIA couldn’t. The agency whose purpose is to collect secrets of foreign countries to protect the country couldn’t weed out one of their agents with a briefcase full of double-dealing secrets, the stuff of which a James Bond movies are made. A former senior government officer lied about his credentials as a graduate of a prestigious engineering school; lied he was a navy pilot; and lied that he needed funds to do his job and received 300 gold bars worth $40 million that he

Have you ever lost something—like a ring, a phone or a watch? Depending on its value, you did what it took to find it like the man who lost his wallet at a party. So, he stood on a chair and shouted, “Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just lost my wallet with over $500 in cash in it. To the person that finds it, I will give $50.” Then, a voice emerged from the back, “I will give $75.” We don’t know if the wallet owner countered with a bigger reward, but what we do kno

Kids can be mean and unforgiving sometimes. “Johnny hit me.” “So, I hit him back.” A kindergarten teacher noticed this as she watched them on the playground at recess. So, she resolved that for the good of the class, they needed a lesson in kindness. She told each child to bring to class a plastic bag and potatoes. She instructed them: “Put the name of your class mate who has done something bad to you on a potato. Use as many potatoes as you need. Then put the potatoes with t

Margie Fregia, born July 27, 1933, died August 15, 1965. This video is an expression of what a mother means to me. Will the real mother, please stand up. (so we can salute you)? Today is Mother’s Day—the day we recognize mothers who come in all kinds of names, shapes, form and figures: Madear, “Big Mama”, mothers-in laws, sisters—whoever you recognize with those “motherly” qualities who make you feel like none other, people who Maya Angelo describes as, “people who you may

Every year the Nobel Peace Prize is given to the person who has done the most to promote world peace. Alfred Nobel—who amassed a fortune from his patent for nitroglycerin—in his will, stated that the prize should be awarded by a committee of five in the presence of the King of Norway. The Nobel winner receives a diploma, a medal and $1.2 million. Notable winners include the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa. Every year they give a prize for these kinds

It is not who you are. It’s what you do with your position. Zachariah 9:9 is the 700-year prediction of the Palm Sunday entry of an unusual leader into the city riding a beast of burden rather than a chariot of privilege with tinted windows and surrounded by bodyguards. This king will wear a towel to wash feet, feed the hungry, raise the dead and ultimately give up his life to save the rich and famous and the least among us. Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous

Today’s headlines bear witness that we are at war not just of weaponry, but words: “God does not bless any conflict." The Pope “The Pope…is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The President The Pope vs. the President, hawks vs. doves, partisan politics vs. peace—war is a battlefield of sides. There are no neutrals in a foxhole. So, the question is: Whose side are you on, better still, whose side is God’s side when it comes to war, not only its reality, but also i

"When I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us, who were created, you have this amazing place, this spaceship. You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth. But you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos," he added. Victor Glover, Artemis II Astronaut From spaceship Artemus II, during the 10-day journey around the moon and back, four astron

Travel with heartburn. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost This quote may be the most cited word on “roads.” I doubt the poet had “heart burn” in mind as a better route. Perhaps, the less traveled road is such a difference-maker because it is a more difficult one, requiring faith, born of failed expectation and emboldened inspiration. That road is often paved with disappointments. Re

An 80-year-old woman wanted to marry her fourth husband. Understandably, the pastor doing the required marriage counseling was compelled to asked about her husbands, past and future. “Tell me about them?” She took a long pause and replied, “My first husband was a banker, but we had financial problems. The second was an actor, but there was too much drama. The third was a preacher, but it was 24-7 church; and now, I want to marry a funeral director.” The pastor looked at he