Franke: Baseball 2026
by Mark Frank At risk of irritating my wife . . . again . . . it is time for my annual baseball column. Major League Baseball is well underway and the TinCaps have opened their home season. I have moved my “baseball” TV out of winter storage to the back porch where my baseball Read the full article…
The Outstater
Politics From the Pews POLITICS IS SOMETHING we don’t talk about in my church — “verboten” my Lutheran grandmother would say. That has never made sense to me. I understand why a pastor may not want to politicize from the pulpit, but Christianity is so entwined with Western Civilization that it would seem a good idea to Read the full article…
Franke: Consent of the Governed
Consent of the Governed “The United States Government faces growing difficulty in fulfilling its purpose because at least some of its powers are no longer derived from the consent of the governed.” This was the topic taken on by my Socratic discussion group in March and it proved a difficult one. We never completely resolved Read the full article…
The Outstater
The Democratic Illusion “NO KINGS” RALLIES are gearing up in Indiana for this weekend. It’s a big deal. Forty events are scheduled. Ten Indiana newspapers have signed on with promotional advertisements. It is a good time to review the state of democracy. It’s in bad shape, obviously. We can’t agree on even whether or not elections should be Read the full article…
The Outstater
The Political Distraction of Youth THERE IS SOMETHING about the middle-aged mind that imagines it can transmit seamlessly to the next generation the observations, wisdom and judgment of a lifetime. The reality, for better or for worse, is that each generation makes up its own mind in its own time. Nonetheless, we continue to launch grand projects in Read the full article…
Varvel: John Maynard Keynes
by GARY VARVEL The First Commandment is clear: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Obedience to this principle is the foundation of a stable society; conversely, replacing God with any earthly power is a form of idolatry doomed to ultimate failure. While the first five men in this series rejected the God Read the full article…
