A  barnstorm tour of Texas on a soggy week in May deposited me at a treasured place: a particular tennis court, opposite a particular racquet-bearing friend. It’s where we had gathered weekly for years, the essence of effort being the sweat and not the score. And so we perspired once more, though mo...

By John Young “This is the year of jubilee/Send them angels down/The Lord has come to set us free.” The words of the Negro spiritual are celebratory, but the truth of them is in the title: “My Way’s Cloudy.” A long struggle was ahead. Many who sang it would never know freedom. Emancipation launched ...

Y ou’ve got to give it to Southern Baptists. When they do implosions . . . Two, count ‘em, two spectacular demolitions visited Baylor University mere days apart. First – boom, boom, boom – the 66-year-old pillars under stoic but still highly functional Floyd Casey Stadium took lethal injection by dy...

B efore discussing a sensitive subject, let us recite the Rotary Four-Way Test: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” I’m not a Rotarian. I just like the Rotary Test for conduct. If our actions met that test, t...

E ver since his rise from political obscurity in Texas, observers have used words for Ted Cruz like “smart” and “shrewd.” Watching him on the campaign trail, I’m thinking, “Not so much.” Here’s how smart Ted Cruz is. His “New York values” snideness in the pre-Iowa debate, which helped him win a whol...

T he current Texas Monthly is a special issue – a .38 Special, if you will. It’s about guns. Page after page, see and hear about Texans and their rods. A cover shot and photo gallery show people and their beloved rifles, carbines and sidearms. See former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson pose ...

A t the onset of this soapbox derby, one outcome seemed scariest of all for the GOP: that Donald would go third-party. Well, brethren, that outcome has come. Don’t let the ballot confuse you. How else to explain the following headline on CBS.com? “Inside Republicans’ failed attempts at blocking Trum...

T he first day after the end of the NFL regular season has come to be called Black Monday – when many a team with a losing record generally fires its coach. This suits the urges of the owner who has promised a winner to the fans, though he didn’t produce players who can win. Blame the coach. Don’t b...

T hey are so profuse as to encircle the globe, so lethal that even mutual enemies agree they must be monitored and limited. If you are thinking the “they” refers to firearms, you aren’t thinking the way some policymakers are. No, we speak of a threat that draws undivided attention: the matter of orb...

W ar is the biggest big-government endeavor. So riddle me this: Why is it that the politicians quickest to salute the power of war tend to be the most anti-government? That’s right. Those most prone to swear by government in war say our government can’t possibly facilitate, say, health coverage for ...