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Columnists

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Is Phase Two Of Trump‘s Peace Plan In The Gaza Strip Doomed To Fail? – Part I

Phase one of Trump‘s twenty-point peace plan in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 9, called for a ceasefire, cessation of military operations, along with a hostage and prisoner...

FRED FIRST: Approaching the Longest Night

Yes, you’re right—if you’ve even noticed—that this space has been neglected for some weeks now,...

A Life Well-Lived: Shirley Padgett Lester (1947-2025)

Shirley Padgett Lester of Vinton went to her heavenly reward October 4. Below is the...

BOB BROWN: How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden “Presidency”

Permit me to think out loud as an old-fashioned person who respects authority, history, and...

JOHNNY ROBINSON: The Gratitude Perch

On the old road up Mill Mountain, part of Roanoke’s fabulous greenway system, there’s a...

FRED FIRST: FROM THE HIGH DESERT: Living Landscape

OVERVIEW: The 8 day trip I took to Ghost Ranch for a “conscious eldering” workshop in mid-September was a milestone. It will take me...

BOB BROWN: EVIL

Jack was 5 years old when his mother became ill. Her younger sister Rachel moved into their rural residence. She helped care for his...

JOHNNY ROBINSON: Notes on Low Grade Communication

I lived off the grid recently, for eight whole days. I was on a raft trip on a river in a remote place. There...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Communist China’s And Mexico’s Undeclared War Against The U.S. – Part II

I have bad news for President Trump. Xi Jinping is not your friend, and not even close to it. He is our military and...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Communist China’s And Mexico’s Undeclared War Against The U.S. – Part I

I read an article in the New York Post written by Jennie Taer on August 11 entitled, “This little-known synthetic opioid is up to 43...

BOB BROWN: VICIOUS ANGER VERSES FRIENDLY STRIFE

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1903. He became the commander of the 42nd...