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The World Needed Dolly Parton
Long before Dolly Parton became a superstar, I met her at a little outdoor music park near Kings Mountain. I am not even sure she was the headline act. It was a fleeting childhood encounter, but it connected me, however briefly, to a woman whose generosity would eventually touch millions of lives.
Dolly created jobs, helped students stay in school, supported families devastated by wildfires, funded research behind the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, provided free college education to thousands of workers, and delivered more than 332 million books to children. She also stood firmly with the LGBTQ community, even when doing so cost her support among some fans.
Dolly Parton wrote songs the world will always remember. But the most beautiful thing she created may have been the life she chose to live. Read my tribute to a woman who proved that success means far more when you use it to lift others.
Politics
All the hot-button topics about government, state, local, and federal the courts, and the election.
Mike Suarez Knows Insurance. That’s Why I Have Questions.
Mike Suarez says his 30 years in insurance make him the best candidate to tackle Florida’s insurance crisis. With what homeowners and drivers are paying, that sounds like valuable experience. But his campaign finance reports show something else voters should think about: insurance-related interests are also the largest industry group I identified among his contributors.
That doesn’t mean anyone bought Mike Suarez’s vote. But it does mean voters have every right to ask a tougher question. If you’ve worked in an industry for decades and people connected to it give a lot to your campaign, whose interests will matter most when insurers and policyholders want different things?
Suarez wants voters to see his insurance career as a reason to elect him. That’s fair. But his professional and financial ties to that same industry deserve scrutiny too. Florida families don’t need another explanation for high insurance costs. They need someone in Tallahassee who will tell them exactly how their homeowners and auto insurance bills will go down.
Science
This includes discussions on scientific topics that include the environment, weather, medicine, and space.
Society
We lump a lot under this category including crime, corruption, education and hate groups. This category runs the gamut.
Culture
Posts on cultural activities such as theater, art, holidays, and music.
Religion
This is our section for articles related to religion, especially Methodism, and the Evangelical movement.
What Are We Going to Do Now?
Essay 3 of a series examining where we are at 250 years
That question is easy to ask but far more difficult to answer. It is tempting to surrender to cynicism, retreat into anger, or simply conclude that one person’s voice no longer matters. Yet history tells a different story. Every major step toward a more just America began because ordinary people refused to believe that tomorrow had to look exactly like yesterday.
This concluding essay in my 250th Fourth of July trilogy is not about despair. It is about responsibility. It is a personal reflection on the kind of citizen I have decided to be, regardless of the political climate, and an invitation for each of us to consider the role we will play in writing America’s next chapter. Because history will move forward. The only question is whether we will help hold the pen.
Technology
Discussions on software, hardware, apps, and gadgets.
LGBT Issues
Here we discuss the politics of the LGBT movement, stories of events in the community, and anything else related to the LGBT community.
Fun Stuff
This is a bit of a collection of stories about family, food, friends, and travel.
The Economy
Here are topics on the economy, trade, and business.
When Justice Outruns Wisdom
“I told her I was ready to give up. I wasn’t. I was frustrated.”
What began as a communication bottleneck in a church office became a lesson in leadership. When drafts moved without review and a public link went live incorrectly, urgency surged. The concern was legitimate. The tone was not. Justice rose quickly. Wisdom lagged behind. Where has urgency outrun wisdom in your week?
In this new essay, I contemplate what the Stoics understood about anger, discipline, and leadership—and why the same dynamic I saw in myself is evident at the highest levels of national leadership. Anger is a signal. It is not a strategy. Wisdom must organize justice, or institutions begin to fray.
Read: When Justice Outruns Wisdom.
Steel-Toed Integrity
When something breaks in the real world, you don’t call a politician to give a speech; you call someone with a toolbox to fix it. That is the leadership Brian Nathan offers Senate District 14. A Navy veteran and IBEW electrician who chose Tampa as his home during the Great Recession, Brian brings a craftsman’s perspective to a political system that is deeply broken.
Read about Brian’s vision for “steel-toed integrity”—a philosophy born on the job site that prioritizes practical solutions for working families over political theater. He is running to fight for affordable housing, good-paying local jobs, and quality education.
The High Price of “Nice”: What Karen Gonzalez Pittman is Actually Costing South Tampa
Is your State Rep costing you money?
On paper, Representative Karen Gonzalez Pittman fits South Tampa perfectly. She’s polished, presentable, and active in the community. If you met her at a Palma Ceia mixer, you’d think, “Now, there’s a reasonable person.” But for the wealthy and aspirational residents of District 65, voting for Pittman has become an expensive illusion. You think you’re voting for stability, but you’re actually paying a premium for a representative who consistently prioritizes Tallahassee’s culture war performance art over your bank account.
The most glaring receipt is your property insurance bill. For years, the Republican supermajority, of which Pittman is a loyal member, has promised that if we protected insurance companies from lawsuits, rates would trickle down. Pittman voted for every one of those protections. Yet, while your premiums have doubled, she and her colleagues have spent the legislative session banning books and policing bathrooms rather than fixing the financial crisis that is actually threatening our property values.
There’s a high cost to the “anti-woke” agenda, and South Tampa homeowners are paying it. This is a clear example of Patrimonialism: the state is run for insiders, while regular people get worse service and pay more. It’s time to see what her “nice” image is really costing you.
MoviesView All
Articles related to places important to me or the places we visit.
Media
Covers things like the web, blogging, Radio and television, and print media.
Places
Here we talk about topics specific to Tampa, Kings Mountain, and other places I've lived or visited.
