DISCUSSING PUBLIC POLICY, POLITICS, CREATIVE WRITING AND LITERATURE
It is quite despicable when public officials engage in the practice of nepotism and hand out special privileges to party members and abuse their power, disregarding the integrity of a body such as the United States Congress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s action to relax the United States Senate’s dress code, to allow Senator John…
Donald Trump’s mugshot will help increase his popularity even further and may ensure his re-election, as many believe. Former President Donald Trump was processed at and released from Fulton County Jail on Thursday, August 24, 2023. Soon afterwards, his mugshot was released. The image started circulating on social media. Many left-wing politicians thought that a…
The first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle is scheduled to take place tonight in Milwaukee., Wisconsin. As the GOP presidential candidates get ready to debate, they must remember that Americans want a leader who can find policy solutions for the numerous challenges that our country is facing. The Republican field of primary…
We know President Joe Biden is running for re-election. We do not know who the Republican presidential nominee will be, yet. And then, there may be candidates running as independents. The November 2024 presidential election is full of uncertainties. Political surprises and shocks are possible, and quite likely, as we head towards next year’s presidential…
To have the seeds of envy in one’s heart is the greatest of all curses. To be envious of someone else is to rebel against the will of God. Envy only leads to pain. Humans are not perfect, but it is perfection that we must seek. We are in this world with a purpose. We…
A short story is a reminder that while human life is finite, our thoughts can still traverse the universe in a few moments or less. The greatest challenge a writer faces is the limitation of time. A writer is a thousand or million-year-old being, held captive in a young body that is subject to gravity….
The human mind is infinitely complex. And the human heart, glorified by lovers and poets, can be as complex as it is delicate. Whether we think with our minds or with our hearts, we seem to have a strong craving for the past. The present is perpetually becoming the past. The moments we live in…
Some people write words on crisp, clean pages–forming a journal. Every day, perhaps at dawn or right around sunset, or maybe before retiring to bed or at any opportune moment in the schedule, they write down an account of the activities of the day and the lessons learned from the progression of life. I never…
The world throws at us, every day, a multitude of reasons to make us excited, angry, worried, or sad. There are reasons to be happy as well. The most important thing to remember is that we must try to remain calm, regardless of what challenges and opportunities we encounter. The calmness of mind is what…
One of the most important things in life is to appreciate all that God has granted us. We must be grateful. In the haste and hurry of life, it is easy to forget the blessings that fill our lives. The days present many needs and wants, and people work towards pursuing those desires and fulfilling…
We are never alone because we are always with our mother. Mothers give birth and bring us to life, and to Mother Earth we return. Because mothers are the reason why we exist, we should celebrate mothers every day. And yet, society compels us to choose a date for the exchange of gifts, cards, flowers…
This week, I received notification from my podcast publishing platform that I have reached a milestone. That milestone is the release of the 100th episode of my podcast—Explore and Engage with Anam! I started podcasting in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. As many people were staying inside their homes that year and in-person interactions were…
It was shocking to learn, from the information released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, that history scores of American students have dropped over the course of the coronavirus pandemic. Without learning about the past, it is not possible to have a successful future. Therefore, students must have a strong focus on history. There…
The sun rises and sets, but the prices of goods and services in this economy only keep rising. Since the start of the Biden administration, people have experienced inflation. Initially, some called the inflation transitory, suggesting that prices would soon fall and things would go back to normal. But that has not happened. All the…
When I was a young boy, my mother told me the stories of Gulliver. Now, after all these years, I am revisiting the stories of Gulliver. I am reading Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels again. As a young reader, I spent time turning pages and reading abridged versions of many famous novels–Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Robinson…
At a time when people want peace and harmony, the world is seeing a rising number of conflicts. Literature is the way to heal the world and to restore stability. There are armed conflicts in various parts of the world. Even in countries that are not ravaged by war, social and political conflicts are leading…
Banning gas-powered engines and vehicles is an act of government overreach and must not be allowed. Wisconsin State Legislature must outlaw any state and local government ban on gas-powered engines. I want to applaud the Wisconsin State Assembly for passing bills that would outlaw local gas engine bans. In California, politicians approved a measure to…
People pursue happiness. They want to be happy. We all want to be happy. But is happiness truly what we must hope to get, or should we focus primarily on trying to achieve peace? Happiness means different things to different people. For some, happiness might be a new luxury vehicle. For others, happiness could be…
Freedom-loving Americans should be able to buy whatever kinds of vehicles they want. But the current administration is favoring electric vehicles and working to implement burdensome standards to push gas-powered vehicles out of the market. These standards will hurt the trucking industry. Consumers have the freedom to choose whether to drive electric vehicles or those…
A feeling of dissatisfaction, combined with a deep sense of gratitude, is a gift that serves a person well. Without a lack of satisfaction, determination is impossible. Without a sense of gratitude, achievement would be beyond one’s reach. No matter who we are and what our background may be, we always lack something that we…
As I woke up this morning, before sunrise, I decided to write down the first thing that came to mind. I thought about time–the passage of time. During an awards ceremony, several years ago. I stood on stage and said that twenty-four hours in a day are not enough for me to do everything that…
I was asked to describe a positive change in my life. And so, I will try to describe a change I made that I believe has improved my daily life. Life is all about continuous improvement. Every day, we must try to find ways to make our lives better by making our own selves more…
There is nothing that improves a community more than recognizing the power of truth. Truth is what helps communities, and in fact civilization, become stronger. Truth and falsehood will always be opposing forces. Lies can try to stop the spread of truth, while truth tries to uproot lies. However, truth will always be the strongest…
The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes to people’s lives all over the world. The viral outbreak, and all the things that happened as a result of it, brought changes to my life as well. Sadly, many people died as a result of the pandemic. But it wasn’t just the virus that hurt people. Government policies, since…
Wisconsinites are at a crossroads. The outcome of the spring election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court will determine whether the rule of law will prevail in the state, or not. Voting for judicial candidate Janet Protasiewicz will result in the installation of a liberal-backed activist judge to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Electing Daniel Kelly—a former…
Small things often help us understand big things. Let me explain. Yesterday, I had dinner outside. It was fish fry Friday. Before departing the restaurant, I ordered two pieces of fried cod to be put in a box for me to take home. In spite of having had a nice dinner at the restaurant, I…
Some say humans are prisoners of time. Time is something we cannot control. But we can try to make the best use of time. It appears, however, that a lot of our time is being wasted in the prison of social media. Getting up in the morning, many people feel compelled to check their social…
Daniel Kelly was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by Governor Scott Walker, years ago. That’s when I first met Justice Kelly. This spring, Daniel Kelly is on the ballot in Wisconsin. He is running in the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This spring, I will vote for Justice Daniel Kelly. The judicial branch…
Podcasting is fun. That’s a very simple way of describing what many podcasters feel. It is quite easy to start podcasting, with little investment in equipment and setup. But it can be just as easy to end a podcast. That is, if a podcaster runs out of ideas for episodes, or simply does not want…
Writing a letter to 100-year-old self is one of the most difficult tasks that one could embark on. For me, it is quite difficult because I am a man in my thirties. As much mature and wise I may consider myself to be, I perhaps do not have the maturity of a 100-year-old. Being old,…
Voice is powerful. But how do we define voice? Is voice the sound that is produced in our larynx–the sound that comes out of our mouth? Or is it an opinion that one expresses–whether in the form of sound or as words on paper? There are many ways of looking at the meaning of “voice.”…
I was asked what the opening sentence of my autobiography would be. As I stated in a previous blog post, at some point in my life I would like to write an autobiography. Obviously, the autobiography would have to have an opening sentence. What would that be? “A life, although finite, has endless possibilities.” The…
I was asked what the three things are that I couldn’t live without. My answer is: pen, paper, and a source of light. As a writer, I rely on pen and paper to express my thoughts. The paper is the canvas on which my words form colors. As someone who finds freedom through words, I…
I came across a question: what experiences in life helped you grow the most? The answer is not a short one. One must first understand what growth is. Growth is maturity. To grow is to gradually attain wisdom. Simply passing time and becoming older do not necessarily lead to growth. For growth, one must walk…
I was asked if I could be someone else for a day, who would that be? The answer is: no one. I do not want to be anyone else. To want to be someone else for a day is to reject the will of God. To wish to be a different person, other than one’s…
If I could sit down with my teenage self, and provide some advice, I would ask my teenage self to exercise patience. Patience is a virtue. Lack of patience is a flaw that many humans have. Lack of patience, or impatience, is something that we must combat. Not all people are born with a high…
Will I ever write an autobiography? I hope so. At some point in my life, I plan to write an autobiography. When that would be, I do not know yet. If I write an autobiography, what would be the title of the manuscript? Writing an autobiography is no easy task. It requires self-reflection and a…
Attention friends. At an early age, I started to write poems. I compiled those and after I came to the United States, I decided to self-publish. Accordingly, I published two books of poems – the first one named SHE HAS SURRENDERED TO SLUMBER and the second one is NEPTUNE’S DUSK. Eventually I became very busy…
St. Augustine said, “It is only in the face of death that man’s self is born.” Over the last few years, the world faced the fear of death in a way that has resulted in a complete transformation of how we view life. The viral outbreak of COVID-19, the illegal use of substances such as…
Each time I sit down to write fiction, I embark on a voyage out in the ocean. A voyage is full of uncertainties. When a writer starts to craft a story, the journey to the last sentence of the manuscript is also full of uncertainties. On some days, the weather is bright and sunny, and…