J. Davy Crockett III

On nightly news programs, there is often someone of note being “frog-marched” in manacles into or out of the Courthouse or Justice Building as photographers capture all the action. Within minutes, “Breaking News!” flashes across the screen, blasting the images around the world. Those shackled are mortified, totally humiliated as their reputation is tarnished and their life ruined.

No one wants to be labeled a fool, sluggard, or liar, yet there is ample evidence that those fitting these negative labels cause much of modern society’s conflicts and confusion. As pandemic restrictions wane and folks resume normal activities, it seems that troublesome problems in homes, businesses, and academia have worsened dramatically.

When is a fact not a fact? Can reality be set aside or ignored? Abraham Lincoln, who was known for using homespun anecdotes to make effective points, is said to have once asked a critic, “How many legs does a dog have if you count his tail as a leg?” “Well,” the man said, “In that case, five legs.” “No,” Lincoln replied, “Only four! Saying that a dog’s tail is a leg does not make it a leg.” Such simple yet profound wisdom seems lost on much of society today.

There is a malevolent spirit that is responsible for the cascade of evil in neighborhoods and nations—and it is always recruiting. Any doubt of this fact was shattered recently when an evening news report showed men dressed as women in bizarre, clown-like costumes, cavorting in front of young children at a school function with many parents present. These deviant individuals were prancing about with lewd sexual gyrations while singing or mouthing bawdy lyrics and sexual innuendos in a setting with music and laughter in front of children younger than ten years old!