Opinion

A close encounter with wolves and fear

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This summer, three of us were hiking in Alaska’s western Brooks Range when we encountered a pack of eight wolves. We were far from any help when they moved toward us, paused, and then disappeared behind a low ridge.

Letter to the editor

Rally ‘round the flag, boys, rally once again, shouting the battle cry of freedom...

Tribulations of opening a new business

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We have been in the retail/food service business now for two and a half months, and many readers have asked how that is going? The answer to that is very well after the first couple days. The first couple days were not our brightest shining moments I can tell you.

Afghanistan: A legacy of terror and hypocrisy

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It was the defining historical event of my life, and it amounted to nothing.

Letters to the Editor: What do masks protect?

Masks protect the freedom of non-expression. Masks protect the criminal identity. Masks protect anti free market enterprise. Masks protect the crescendo of a fear based behavioral modification instruction, especially with our precious school children. When did masks transform from a symbol of oppression to a symbol of protection? Does mask wearing in the classroom really protect our children? Ireland, through extensive study, now deems masking of elementary children as child abuse. I agree. Is now, right now, the time to prohibit forced mask wearing in public schools? Doesn’t it feel like free-market American society is being attacked? Wouldn’t most agree that the following classroom instructions have been removed from our public schools: being sovereign under God almighty, ideals of free-market enterprise, the importance of property rights and the pursuit of happiness? Perhaps a solution is to invoke our individual power and participate at our local decision-making public school board meetings and demand a prohibition against forced mask wearing. The ultimate question, do we as Americans possess the innate courage, the depth of faith, to go as far as is needed to save our children, America’s future?

To Max: A horse, a dude -- an unsung hero

Every year when we wrapped up our ranch vacation season and turned the “dude” horses out to pasture, I marveled at how they were the key to the success of our operation. These old ranch horses endure a lot of greenhorn mistakes, but they bring their riders safely back to the corral every single trip. Sure they get pretty smart about tricking their riders into letting them drop their heads for some bites of grass now and then or brush a little too close to some overhanging tree branches, but for the most part they are saints on hooves. Probably the most frequently requested column I have ever written was this tribute to one of those great “dude” horses that I wrote back in 2007.

When wildfire keeps coming back

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Poor Butte County, California, again on fire, its smoke choking the air of states miles away.

Letter to the editor

Editor’s Note: This article is in response to a column run last week.

School supplies, solutions -- and squash

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School is about to start, which means teachers are having back to school dreams, kids are buying supplies and clothes, and parents are celebrating the fact that they made it through summer vacation.

The selfish surrender of essential liberty

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Truly, I find it quite confusing that so many people are so possessed by a powerful sense of selfishness, of undeserved self-importance, that they, to this moment and at this very time, continue to make decisions that put the lives and liberties of the whole of the nation at risk. These selfish people are convinced only that they are righteous, they are enlightened and they are doing what they must to earn their freedom in a time of crisis.