Conservative Thinker

The Great Debate became The Great Debacle. As I listened to the debate on the radio driving home from work, I found myself utterly frustrated by the dismal performance of Donald Trump. I pictured myself on that stage debating Hillary Clinton and found myself effectively articulating a much more coherent argument from behind the wheel, than Mr. Trump did at Hofstra University. It was a night of lost opportunities. There were many listening and watching tonight for the first time. Unlike myself, most people aren't really tuned in and engaged in politics and foreign policy issues. Most Americans have other things that capture their time and attention. Tonight was an opportunity for both candidates to reach out to these folks. Unfortunately, what Mr. Trump failed miserably to grasp, is that which Ronald Reagan knew instinctively. You need to eloquently articulate a logical and realistic alternative to your opponent. Are you better off today than eight years ago, my friends? Is t...

As Monday night approaches, with the much anticipated first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, it is a perfect time to put it in perspective and offer a preview of what to look for as you watch. The idea of a televised presidential debate is a relatively new phenomenon. The first televised presidential debate took place in 1960 from Chicago and pitted a young John F. Kennedy against an aged Richard Nixon. To those that only listened to the debate on the radio, most felt Nixon won. Those Americans that watched it on television though, saw it very differently. Most saw a rather tan Kennedy beat a pale and disheveled Nixon. The images of that first debate most likely tipped the election in favor of JFK. Nearly six percent of the voters said that the debate decided their vote. Clearly, images make a lasting impression. That is the power of television. There are moments that can make or break a presidential candidate and set them up for victory or defeat in November. One ...

Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001. I remember that day vividly. It was surreal for me. I was in Rock Falls, IL that day and a mentor and trainer for Schwans Home Service. The day became less of a training day and more of a day of questions about what was happening. What was the reason for these attacks? Why would someone do this? Who is responsible for this kind of terrorist attack? Are there more attacks coming? All great questions that are just as applicable today as they were fifteen years ago. Have we forgotten the message that was sent to us that day? The message was quite clear and chilling to anyone perceptive enough to receive it. It was a devastating blow and a shot across the bow. We are in a war for the survival of Western and Christian civilization. The war has been going on for several hundreds of years now. We just failed to grasp that reality of history. Ignorance and apathy tend to be very good at blinding us fro...

       "It's not a police issue, it's a society issue," Johnson told reporters outside police          headquarters after a long weekend that saw 65 people shot, 13 of them fatally.   The long Labor Day weekend is normally a fun and joyous last hurrah to summer. But in Chicago, it was just a continuation of a long and deadly year. The weekend saw 65 people shot and 13 of them were killed. Tragic in any city in our nation, but doubly tragic in Chicago. Chicago has now had 500 homicides in 2016, and it is only early September. That breaks down to 63 homicides a month. That means every day in Chicago, there are two people killed. More appalling, Chicago's homicide count is more than New York City and Los Angeles combined. The numbers are staggering. The question is, do black lives really matter? The vast majority of the homicides in Chicago are black on black crime. Nearly 75% of the victims are black and 71% of the perpetrat...

As many people wind down from summer and head into the autumn season, most likely, the majority of Americans are not honed in on foreign policy issues. Let's face it, most people are interested in their own world and couldn't care less about what is happening elsewhere in the world. That is completely understandable. There are a plethora of domestic policy issues that truly do bring fear and serious concern to the average person. Health care costs continue to rise as Obamacare becomes more and more of a failure, the national debt is now at $20 trillion and growing, the economy is sluggish and in a state of uncertainty, and there is an important election coming up in November. All very important topics to focus on and draw folks away from the looming foreign policy crises. Those domestic policy issues can definitely lead us into serious problems and hurt us. However, the foreign policy decisions can kill us. The current path we are on, if we don't drastically change cours...