I had a tough time writing this week’s column. You see, next week is the four-year anniversary of my dad’s sudden passing.

I find it interesting how Gordon Meriwether viewed intimidation in his column Aug. 20 (“Intimidation taking the place of civil discourse in health care debate”).

Death is such a strange companion, but a constant companion of life. Just as life and the joy of living lift us, then comes death and the agony of loss.

Athletes and celebrities have a unique opportunity to be role models, to be heroes.

Until the Revolution, the Church of England was Virginia’s “established” church, and everyone in Virginia was required by the General Assembly to attend Anglican church services at least once every four weeks.

While Americans might always remember John Edwards for his $400 haircut or his infidelity to his ailing wife, the message of his presidential campaigns has long been forgotten: that 37 million of our neighbors shouldn’t be living in poverty in the richest country in the world.

The government printing presses continue to pump out currency with the backing of the Federal Reserve and, as a result, a bottomless pit is being created for all of us.

Having lived in the area for 18 years now, I can’t tell you how excited I was when I heard about Martin’s coming to Culpeper.

Saying that someone deserves to be killed certainly gets anyone’s attention.

And kids left in cars? Here’s a gem for you that I found on MSNBC.com this week: “Man leaves kids in car while visiting strip club.” Yes, Culpeper, these people are reproducing.

This Saturday marks the 42nd anniversary of what was perhaps the biggest Culpeper news story of the past century.

Local heroes can come in many forms

Cumberland George began preaching in 1817, and he was ordained by the Baptist Church in Fredericksburg on March 12, 1819. From that time until his death on Aug. 25, 1863, he pastored at least 10 churches in Virginia’s Piedmont region.

Let’s look at health care reform, “Jeopardy” style.

Hello, reader! I am excited by the prospect of sharing my thoughts with you each week, regardless of how disturbing they might be.

Six years ago, on June 30, 2003, State Senator Obama spoke to the Illinois AFL-CIO saying: “I happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal health care program. ….

On their 10th anniversary last week, my sister and brother-in-law finally had their wedding.

Battle lines are being drawn in Texas for a protracted fight over what gets taught in the state’s social studies classrooms.

When the poetic line “Oh what a tangled web we weave” was penned a few centuries ago, Sir Walter Scott had no idea what irony those words might have when applied to the 21st century’s world of blogs, tweets, Web sites and free expression.

With respect to the state funding support, I believe that for this state and this nation to remain competitive with much of the rest of the world, we must expand the educational opportunities available to those young people desiring to increase their abilities.

We, as a nation, have to expand educational opportunities

Columnist answers burning questions on health care

“In 1887, The Rev. Myron W. Reed, Msgr. William J. O’Ryan, Dean H. Martyn Hart and Rabbi William S. Friedman put their heads together to plan the first united campaign for ten health and welfare agencies. They created an organization to serve as an agent to collect funds for local charities, as well as to coordinate relief services, counsel and refer clients to cooperating agencies, and make emergency assistance grants in cases which could not be referred.”
— liveunited.org

What we read in history books is invariably massaged and edited from what really happened.

Interesting. Fun. Rewarding. Those three words are sufficient to describe my journey since January 2008.

Even though malpractice litigation has been growing 10 percent each year and now costs $30 billion annually, the 1,000-plus page health-care bill, H.R. 3200, only mentions the word “malpractice” once, and then only as part of a formula for Medicare payments to doctors.

It’s the health care scenario many Americans fear:

Did you see the recent story of the misfortunes of a family out in the Midwest?

Although governmental budgets are normally larger and more complicated than your family’s, they really have a lot in common.

A long time ago, back when morals and character mattered, people were taught that there is no free lunch and that one would be required to work for what he received.