By NANCY PATRICK Now that we have cast our ballots for our president for the next four years, approximately half our population feels devastated. Regardless of the ballot I cast, I understand that it appalled another person who voted for the other candidate. As I write this, I do not know the outcome, but I believe my thoughts and feelings
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Lots of people have cast negative ballots, said tacky things and made disparaging gestures about the year 2020 in general. The unanimous verdict indicated that, as one West Texan put it, “Ain’t what we signed up for.” A pessimist claims that if he attempted to cross an intersection– even if he looked every direction two
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By LORETTA FULTON I had never met or even heard of Randy Gressett before March 2020 when I was asked by Hendrick Home for Children to write an article about him for the Home’s Facebook page. As a freelancer writer, I write for various news outlets and organizations, including Hendrick Home for Children. The first impression Randy made was a
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON This past week I made a mistake. It represented one of those mistakes that brought tears into my eyes. It made my heart ache, and the more I continued, the more it hurt. I was researching some things for this article when I came across a TARE or Texas Adoption Research Exchange page. I clicked on the
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Election Day is finally here. With a record number of early votes cast in Taylor County, and elsewhere, it’s likely you already have voted. But if you haven’t, please do so today. Taylor County voters can cast their ballot at any of the 22 voting places in the county. A complete list of voting locations is available at the Taylor
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury When my aged Uncle Mort called the other day, I figured he wanted me to hear his election rants. Instead, he told me his TV has been “muted” since political ads took over most channels several weeks ago. “So far, Maude and I are making it fine, particularly if we remember to wear blinders atop
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS Everyone acknowledges that children are full of questions. In many ways, they are starting life knowing little of anything and they learn by asking questions as well as observation and, perhaps, imitation. They ask questions seeking answers; as adults, we also seek answers, but adult questions include some deeper possibilities. For those of us trying to follow
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By DAN STIVER In September, the Pew Research Center published a report of their study of U.S. teenagers and their religious identity (https://www.brookings.edu/research/a-time-to-heal-a-time-to-build/?preview_id=1072489&fbclid=IwAR0TsM2ZTK1f3a7WpYkm9APCsMvgkUEWpcDLqy3dmt3OPh1VouplA9KbuUs). Among other things, they found that teenagers share the religious affiliation of their families; it is higher among evangelicals and Catholics, about 80 percent, than in mainline denominations, at 55 percent. The pattern holds even more for
Read moreThe Pew Research Center posted a roundup of recent findings that break down the 2020 electorate politically, demographically and religiously. To read the entire report, click here. An excerpt follows. “The United States holds a presidential election every four years, but it’s not just the candidates and issues that change from one campaign cycle to the next. The electorate itself
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