In some ways Dallas has become the quintessential “Texas” city. Its name evokes images of cowboys, oil barons, football, southern socialites, Indians, the old west, and the sun belt all converging in one highway crossed hodgepodge where the post oaks meet the plains in the middle of North Texas. Comparatively, Houston is its own city. … More Deep Dallas
Excerpt from Dr. Victoria Vermaak’s “The Founding Of An Empire”, University of Serrano Press, 2010. While the Treaty of Paris finally gave the United States peace, and its official independence, it did not settle many of the issues still facing the new country. The governmental structures were in serious doubt. Thousands of loyalists remained in … More Empire of Liberty: A Rocky Start
Excerpt from Douglas Oswald’s “Annotated History of the American Revolution”, University of Michigan Press, 1932. The surrender of General Howe in New York and the alliance between the French, Spanish and the Americans forced a shift in British war policy. The Admiralty and Ministry of War made the decision as early as October of 1778 … More Empire of Liberty: The Lion Is Humbled
Tuesday marked the official start of the 56th Oklahoma Legislature with a half day known as “organizational day”. This constitutionally provided meeting begins at noon and will be the first legislative action for roughly 45 new representatives and senators. This meeting occurs a month before the official opening of a new legislative session every other year … More Let the (Legislative) Games Begin
Late Monday night the House Rules Committee voted to absorb the independent Office of Congressional Ethics into the House Committee on Ethics, effectively eliminating the Office’s independent status. The move came about when the Rules Committee voted in favor of an amendment by Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte to the larger Rules bill that is typically … More Let’s Get Ethical
As the year draws to a close the news cycle continues to be dominated by the transition of power to Donald Trump. While intense questions surround his social media accounts, cabinet picks and the general tone of his supporters, the big question now is this: “what will the national tone look like coming out of … More Trump 2017: What To Expect From An Unexpected President
Excerpt from Douglas Oswald’s “Annotated History of the American Revolution”, University of Michigan Press, 1932. The twin victories at Brandywine and Hartford provided the Americans with more than just a simple morale boost. When news of the victories reached Europe, the rumor mills in royal courts from Madrid to Munich began to spin. It was … More Empire of Liberty: The World At War
Excerpt from Douglas Oswald’s “Annotated History of the American Revolution”, University of Michigan Press, 1932. At the onset of the revolution, the legal status of much of the British Caribbean was suddenly thrown into considerable doubt. Before the war the British Caribbean was a hodgepodge of tropical outposts designed to gather resources (normally sugar but … More Empire of Liberty: The American Caribbean
Excerpt from Thomas Paine’s “The American Crisis”, Federalistpapers.org, 2016. “These are the time’s that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not … More Empire of Liberty: The Times That Try Men’s Souls
The National Park Service celebrated its one hundredth birthday this year. While celebrations were focused on parks and national monuments across the country, ranging from Gettysburg to Yellowstone, one site on the National Register of Historic Places was quietly celebrating on the other side of the world. The Moroccan city of Tangier sits on … More A Not-So-National National Historic Site
