THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury In the course of human history, there’ve rarely been days like current ones when bottom lines on price tags have been so convoluted, confusing, confounding and–in some cases–perhaps even conspiratorial. There may be a few more “con” words that apply, but these seem adequate to describe runaway prices, some of which are indeed “con

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My aged Uncle Mort is accustomed to numerous cat calls–as well as some from yelping dogs–when he expresses opinions that fly in the face of contrary views.  He lined up on the women’s side when their liberation movement started almost a half-century ago. During a mock referendum in the 1960s, Mort joined the bunch

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury What a downer this piece will be for those who might mistakenly expect exposure to views of leftist politics and/or liberal leanings. It’s none of those. Instead, I spotlight a group long surrendered to “dim lights,” largely because we are greatly outnumbered. Unlike the brave Ukrainians, we give in to the world’s “right-handers,” 88

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It’s a reach, of course, to recall a melody popular with the free world in 1942. Somehow, I do, and “Googling” the title revealed lyrics tucked away in a five-year-old’s memory rekindled 80 years later. World War II was in its early years. Adults were understandably concerned that atrocities might reach our shores. Bravery,

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Dr. Jimmie L. Nelson, a minister long-known for being about his Father’s business, still preaches and teaches at every opportunity–even as the years stack up. The seasoned theologian and long-time faculty member at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth observed his 94th birthday on February 11. Church friends held a luncheon in his

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The former Shelley Cockes–who turned down a “Coke date” offer as a college freshman from the same guy she married a few days after graduation–could not have imagined the “roller coaster” experiences to come during the next three decades. Now, she’s counting the days before leaving a camper trailer where she and her husband,

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury John and Mary Smith had ordinary names, but their extraordinary 60-year marriage was anything but that, ending with her death one year ago. It had to be a marriage made in heaven, because they hardly had any planning time during a six-week courtship between their initial blind date and wedding in 1961. They defied

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Sand lines have been drawn by many of us, indicating that we know as much as we care to about certain topics. Faced with repeated barrages, we either ignore them or strike back with unambiguous “we’ve-had-enough” gestures. Granted, such scenarios are played out largely by “geezers” and “geezerettes,” mostly because there’s so much “new

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My aged Uncle Mort is bristling with disgust about the Dallas Cowboys. He cut his frustrations loose after the National Football League teams were trimmed to four, thus excluding Dallas. “If I have ulcers, they’re bleeding badly, but Maude thinks that whether or not I have ulcers, I’m doubtless a carrier,” he jokes. Anyways,