THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury He didn’t see it as a turning point at the time–this budding vocal artist who was belting out country songs at the Burger Box in Arlington. Craig Murphy, then age 40, might have been flipping burgers instead, trying to find a road that led somewhere instead of dead-end trails he’d followed for a

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Inherent with insistence to dig ever deeper–rarely satisfied with merely getting to the bottom of things–are the risks of learning more than we want to know. There are ever so many places to dig, with ever-growing types of tools with which to excavate. Years ago, the late German Emperor Otto von Bismarck warned that laws–like sausages–are far

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Come on, now. Things could be worse. You could be working in public relations at Southwest Airlines. For decades the envy of other U.S. airlines, SWA might understandably change its corporate colors to black and blue, what with the pummeling it endured during the “Christmas crush” of 2022. That’s when more than a

This is a “catch all” column of items intended for publication during 2022, but somehow didn’t make the cut. They are offered now, with few breaths remaining in the old year. So, here goes: The late Charles Uxer, longtime school superintendent and for several years director of the El Paso Educational Service Center, enjoyed visiting elementary classrooms. That’s where he

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Less is heard about trains these days, particularly since the homegoing of Johnny Cash. He always loved train songs. Accounts of a single railroad car are even rarer, despite the jump start provided in 1930 by “The Little Engine That Could,” a children’s book. This piece about Christmas centers on a single 1950-model

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The intent of this piece is to provide comfort to folks who are hearing more than they want to hear. There is much noise in the world, some of it pushing Christmas carols–and other worthwhile sounds–to the side of the road. In spouses’ conversations–whether interest in what the other is saying is sincere or

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Not until his later years did Rev. Jerry Neill have the time needed to hone his woodcarving skills, but when he did, he was relentless, turning out small art objects that soon cluttered his workshop. For about six decades, he and his wife, Judy, were immersed in Christian service, him centering primary efforts on

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My ancient Uncle Mort–with razor-sharp memory of the long ago but dullard-like on yesterday–has a mind recently clouded with “what if’s” concerning the World Cup. This is surprising, since he doesn’t know a soccer ball from Cinderella’s ball. He barely knows that World Cup has “kicked off” in Qatar. He’s apologetic for “punning along”

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Spinning tops flung long ago finally stopped, they were like the season’s final flailing of turkeys soon to be main courses on Thanksgiving tables. For some journalists, however, minds continue to spin–conjuring, probing, marveling and expressing–thoughts about life, sometimes exceeding sublime or falling short of ridiculous. Such is the mind of my friend Glenn