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Can the government cut off personal liberty?

Last week, the Governor of New Mexico confronted what she claimed was a health crisis, and her solution was to deny law-abiding folks the right to bear arms. The health crisis she identified was an uptick in the murder rate in the city of Albuquerque. And her solution was to turn off the personal liberty of all persons there. She purported to do this by issuing an executive decree that prescribed the penalties for doing what was perfectly lawful the day before the decree -- openly carrying a registered handgun. She did this notwithstanding the expressly guaranteed right in the U.S. ...

By whatever name, forest is a gem

There is a movement to rename the Wayne National Forest to something a little less controversial. I for one, think it is a good idea. The Wayne National Forest consists of three large tracts of land in southern and southeastern Ohio. The Marietta unit is east of town and stretches from the Ohio River north into Noble and Monroe counties. The Wayne National Forest is a patchwork of publicly owned land surrounded in some instances by privately owned land. The forest offers nearly a quarter million acres of publicly owned land open to hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. ...

First Germans assist pioneers

People of German heritage were among the earliest white settlers of Ohio. The German states in Europe were experiencing famines and political struggles, and people were eager to come to the land of plenty where citizens were allowed to participate in local government. Many migrated to the ...

The disciples weren’t having a good day; Jesus made their day worse

Herod’s execution of John the Baptist brought the disciples scurrying back to Jesus. Exhausted by their preaching tour, the disciples may have worried that Jesus would become Herod’s next high-profile target. Did they even fear for their own safety and believe that if they were with Jesus, they could better assess the danger and take steps to protect Jesus and themselves? Jesus recognized their fear and exhaustion and “…because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and ...

Not quite hypnotized by “Silver Nitrate”

When the occult, Nazis, hypnotism, magic and film come together, you get the elements of “Silver Nitrate” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I nearly gave up on this book until about halfway through because it was such a slow build but I’m glad I persevered because it paid off. Mexico City ...

What’s in a name?

Shakespeare’s Juliet asked Romeo, “What’s in a name?” Late local historian Jerry Devol researched that question regarding the names of Washington County post offices. Heading out Route 26 from Marietta, you’ll find rural Lawrence township begins just before the Lane Family ...