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Columnists

BOB BROWN: The American Flag

All my life, I’ve loved the American flag. I was taught there is something special about our flag, that it is never trampled upon in war or peace, and...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: There Is No Need For A U.S. Ground War In Venezuela

The easiest way to overthrow Nicolás Maduro, the narco-terrorist dictator of Venezuela, is to finance an insurgency....

SCOTT DREYER: Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving today, and along with Canadians in October, are the only people on...

DAWN CUSTALOW: Pocahontas Reframed and Thanksgiving

I just returned from the 9th annual Pocahontas Reframed film festival 2025 in Richmond, VA,...

SCOTT DREYER: “Forgive Me When I Whine”

This poem, of unclear authorship, reportedly comes from the dark Great Depression days of the...

‘Tis the Season to Be . . .

Everyone knows the next word:  Jolly.  After decking the halls with boughs of holly, that’s what we’re to be.  But suppose your halls...

“The Misplaced Magi”

This year are you celebrating Christmas or the holidays?  If you look around it seems to be getting more and more difficult to...

A Shepherd’s Tale by Gary Robbins

If a reporter had invited one of the shepherds to share his story the day after Jesus’ birth, maybe, just maybe, it would...

Consider All the Pampered, Ungrateful Professional Athletes You Know – And Then There’s This Guy

He joined the Cleveland Indians in 1936 for the bargain price of .  He immediately proved himself to be one of the hardest-throwing...

Public Speaking Requires Divine Intervention

Perhaps the most common phobia shared by people of all ages is the fear of speaking in public.  Clearly, the thought of standing before...

Making the Most of Christmas Eve

Years ago churches in Roanoke would have double, even triple their normal attendance on Easter Sunday as the unchurched and nominally churched came...