The future does not belong to those who are content with today; apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to those who can blend passion, reason, and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals and great enterprises of American society. It will belong to those who see that wisdom can only emerge from the clash of contending views, the passionate expression of deep and hostile beliefs. Plato said: "A life without criticism is not worth living."

For it is not enough to allow dissent. We must demand it. For there is much to dissent from.

Robert F. Kennedy

Though I usually focus on writing fiction, I enjoy reading news and nonfiction, so I'm constantly coming across things I want to write essays about, too. Here you'll find the results.

At the end of each piece is a link to a form with which you can add your own opinion. (You can choose whether you'd like me to post your comment or want to share it only with me.) I love hearing people's thoughts, even if they disagree with me. (I do hope those who do so will be polite about it, though.) Some of these essays are controversial within my circle of friends and acquaintances—that's often why I choose a topic in the first place—so I can't promise these won't offend any of you, but if they do and you wish to share why, I absolutely will consider your perspective. That doesn't mean I won't ever be defensive, but I will listen and reconsider. If I don't, as I see it, I can't very well improve my own ways of thinking. I really believe in the quote that I stuck at the top of this page, and that's the spirit in which I write these. So thanks for stopping by and reading them.

There figurative stacks and stacks beyond these cluttering up my brain, but there's rarely enough time to write them all down. Still, as I find a few hours here and there, I'll add to this list. You may also be interested in reading a little about my political views.

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