Estrella

In this time in this country, we have seen an uptick in loneliness, depression and youth delinquency that have been unprecedented. What can be done to battle such upheavals in Ferguson, Boston during the Boston Marathon, school shootings in Connecticut and other shootings elsewhere? Is America to only decay into a violent society where it picks itself apart to the soundtrack and script of a Chris Nolan film? I believe that we have the power as Americans and residents in this country to resolve these issues and reclaim the former power, unity and peace of this spirited nation. With God as our guide, we have the power to reclaim the village. The Village versus Community Some may ask why I use the term “village” rather than “community”. They are both similar terms, but one has a deeper responsibility to a brother’s keeper than the other while the former term “village” carries with it some of the connotations of shunning, exile, social exclusion and moral puni...

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend.  The great American flag was flying high in nearly everyone’s front yard and, of course, regularly at the banks, McDonald’s, and other places.  I returned from Jordan to find that a flag of my country was not on everyone’s license plate or in his or her car, or how a picture of the beloved ruler was in everyone’s car or business establishment.  In Jordan, there were copies of the Jordanian flag or HRM King Abdullah II everywhere in sight.  Yet, I noticed that if any Missourian had a flag, it wasn’t necessarily Missouri’s flag or the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, which has become a symbol of the Tea Party, but the U.S. flag.  State rights are important, but what has united us all – Americans – was our right to citizenship.  Yet, that struggle for citizenship continues for many immigrants to the U.S., some who have worked, studied and lived in the U.S. for most of their lives. What does it mean to be a...