Commentary

It was an especially hot summer day growing up in rural Tennessee! Relief from the heat was nowhere to be found—unless we disobeyed my mother’s direct command, “Do not go swimming in that nasty cow pond!” Boys will be boys, the saying goes, as five brothers formulated a resourceful and cunning plan to go swimming without getting caught.

It has come to my attention this week—September 21, specifically—is the 34th annual International Day of Peace, declared by the United Nations: a time to focus on "peacebuilding" and putting an end to war and conflict. A noble idea, to be sure. But in its celebration, will the essential ingredients to peace be discussed anywhere, by anyone?

A generation ago, audiences around the world were enthralled by the Star Wars Trilogy, an epic story about the struggle between good and evil. The colorful, memorable characters were either on the side of the "force" representing good or the "dark side" representing evil. One could envision a number of obvious analogies in this tale and it made for exciting...

Media bias is a common topic for discussion in the U.S. This problem is not confined to the U.S. however. Some years ago I visited a major journalism school in Bordeaux, France, and asked what the students were learning. Among other things, the Director said the school taught that there was "no such thing as objective reality." He said that since reporters could...