America has always harbored an underbelly of grievance. One might argue that grievance is at the heart of our founding. The Declaration of Independence, after all, is nothing if not a list of grievances. Luckily for America, it wasn’t just that. The founders cloaked their grievance in the elevated language of the Enlightenment, staking outContinue reading “Win or Lose, Trump is History”
Tag Archives: Culley Holderfield
Reckoning with the Wreckage
“Not in another hundred years, could a disaster happen to the Bat Cave region, no matter how heavy the rains.” —W.S. Fallis, chief engineer of the state highway commission, 1916 In the Bat Cave area, locals have long referenced the Great Flood with trepidation. In 1916, it devastated the region, triggered landslides, destroyed nearly everyContinue reading “Reckoning with the Wreckage”
What I’m reading: Five Books in Which Nature is a Teacher
I recently had the opportunity to write about five of my favorite books for Shepherd.com centered around a theme. I chose the theme of books in which nature is a teacher, though I suppose there are other themes that might equally tie these five books together. Strong female voices. The presence of non-human voices inContinue reading “What I’m reading: Five Books in Which Nature is a Teacher”
Institutionalizing the Insurrection
It is 1868 in North Carolina. Imbued with the right to vote bestowed by the 14th amendment and enthusiasm exploding from the rush of new freedom, African-Americans participate in the state constitutional convention, run for and hold public office, and turn out in droves to vote. Many white citizens refuse to accept the outcome ofContinue reading “Institutionalizing the Insurrection”
People and Profits
The word “unprecedented” is tossed about a lot these days. Very little in the world is actually unprecedented, including global pandemics. We’ve had them before in 1957, 1968, & 2009. The one we hear the most about is the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed at least 50 million people worldwide. This novel coronavirus is similarContinue reading “People and Profits”
A New Moonshot?
I just watched First Man. It’s the story of Neil Armstrong, astronaut, father, and husband. It’s a gripping movie, evocatively filmed, quietly and compassionately told, as much about the man and his grief as it is about the technical accomplishment of getting to the moon. It filled me with nostalgia for a time when AmericaContinue reading “A New Moonshot?”
Winning the Lottery?
Somewhere out there this morning a person’s life has been profoundly changed overnight. There is a single owner of a winning ticket worth $1.6 billion. It’s not me. I wasn’t in the running only because I forgot to stop and buy a Mega-Millions ticket yesterday. The odds were never in my favor. The odds areContinue reading “Winning the Lottery?”