Deep Something

The Price of Political Playacting: Michael Owen’s Assault on Hillsborough Schools

July 9, 2026 B. John 225 Views 0 Comments Michael Owen, political overreach, Public Education, Hillsborough County, Culture Wars, Local Governance, school referendum, state preemption

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

Hillsborough County Public Schools, the seventh-largest district in the nation, is facing a top-down assault disguised as “local accountability.” State Representative Michael Owen’s House Bill 4027 calls for a referendum to eliminate our professionally appointed superintendent in favor of a partisan elected office. The schools are already governed by an elected board of education. This change is not about transparency; it is a calculated effort to force a toxic culture-war agenda into our local classrooms and strip our school system of seasoned, professional leadership.

The structural fallout of this power grab is devastatingly clear. Instead of an experienced educational administrator focused on student performance, our district risks being handed over to a political partisan. Under an elected model, policy decisions on curriculum, budgeting, and student safety will inevitably bow to the need for campaign survival, turning every fourth year into a multi-million-dollar reelection spectacle. This essay shows how Owen’s legislative overreach, paired with his habit of distorting local facts for political points, threatens the shared institutions our children rely on.

Constitution Culture Featured Politics

The Second Declaration

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026 B. John 258 Views 0 Comments John Lewis, Civic Engagement, American History, Constitution, Declaration of Independence, America250, Thomas Jefferson, Historical Fiction, Democracy

This entry is in the series The 250th 4th

This is the 4th in a series related to this 250th Fourth of July

Imagine, for just a moment, that one of America’s Founders could return on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and quietly walk among us. What would he see? More importantly, what would he think?

In this work of historical fiction, I explore that question through the eyes of an aging observer who discovers a nation that has exceeded the dreams of 1776 in remarkable ways while, at the same time, placing many of its founding ideals in jeopardy. His journey takes him from Independence Hall to Monticello, Gettysburg, Selma, and Washington as he confronts both America’s greatest achievements and its deepest contradictions.
The result is not a history lesson or a political speech. It is a meditation on liberty, citizenship, and the unfinished work of the American experiment. Along the way, familiar figures from our past take on new meaning, old promises are reconsidered, and one unforgettable question is left for every generation to answer.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read The Second Declaration. I suspect it may stay with you long after you’ve reached the final sentence.

Featured Politics Congress Constitution Election Religion Society Culture

What Are We Going to Do Now?

July 5, 2026July 9, 2026 B. John 286 Views 0 Comments American Values, Political Participation, 250th Anniversary, Democracy, Civic Engagement, Social Justice, American Democracy, Citizenship, We the People

This entry is in the series The 250th 4th

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.

Featured Politics Deep Thoughts

The Unfinished Work

July 4, 2026July 15, 2026 B. John 337 Views 1 Comment Civic Engagement, American Democracy, American History, progress, We the People, Civil Rights, Social Justice, Patriotism

This entry is in the series The 250th 4th

Essay 2 of a series examining where we are at 250 years

For much of my lifetime, I believed that America, despite all its flaws and failures, was moving steadily toward becoming a more inclusive and just nation. Progress was never perfect. It was never guaranteed. Yet generation after generation expanded the promise of “We the People,” extending rights, opportunity, and dignity to more Americans than the generations before them.

Today, that confidence has been shaken. In this essay, I reflect on the long arc of America’s progress, the forces that have widened our democracy, and why I believe we are experiencing an unprecedented period of democratic and civil rights retrenchment. More importantly, I argue that progress has never been inevitable. It has always depended on ordinary citizens choosing to continue the unfinished work of building a more perfect Union.

This is not simply an essay about politics. It is an essay about stewardship, citizenship, and the enduring question that has defined America since its founding: Who counts?

Culture Featured Places Kings Mountain Politics

The Promise and the Pain of 250 Years

July 2, 2026July 9, 2026 B. John 392 Views 1 Comment Fourth of July, Constitution, American Democracy, Declaration of Independence, American History, Civil Rights, More Perfect Union, Patriotism, John Lewis

This entry is in the series The 250th 4th

Essay 1 of a series examining where we are at 250 years

For many Americans, the Fourth of July is a celebration filled with fireworks, flags, and patriotic pride. But as our nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I find myself looking back to the optimism of the 1976 Bicentennial and wondering what became of the country I believed we were becoming. This is not a rejection of America, but a lament for a promise that feels increasingly out of reach.

The Declaration was never meant to be proof that America had achieved liberty and equality. It was an invitation for every generation to continue the work of building a more perfect Union. As constitutional norms erode and our politics become more divided, I struggle to celebrate, but I also remember John Lewis’ reminder never to surrender to despair. Patriotism, perhaps, is not blind celebration, but the willingness to keep defending the ideals that first gave birth to this nation.