Barb Woolard

One of the most baffling, perplexing, even maddening
questions of our time is how the “Christian right,” “the far right,” “the
evangelicals” have become such a powerful political force and how on earth that […]

Everyone is familiar with the words of that immortal philosopher Forrest Gump: “Stupid is as stupid does.” My mother had a similar saying which she used any time she felt we were placing too much emphasis on try […]

I grew up in the age of folksy sayings; there was a catchy aphorism for just about anything a child could think of. A couple of my mother’s favorites were “Pretty is as pretty does” and “God helps those who hel […]

Many years ago, home alone on a Saturday morning and in search of entertainment, I  came across a movie called Capricorn One, about an elaborate hoax to fake a Mars landing. Kidnapped flight crew, secret sound […]

Listening to the current national conversation, one might believe our only two options for managing a public health crisis are either to follow the advice of medical experts or to “pray about it.” Aside from the […]

I’ve been forced to ask myself this question in recent months because what I have assumed should be too glaringly obvious to require explanation is clearly not obvious to about 42 percent of my fellow citizens. T […]

I’ve done my share of grumbling about the postal service. There was the mail carrier at my long-time home in Florida who consistently put my mail in neighbors’ boxes and neighbors’ mail in my box or occas […]

Many years ago, home alone on a Saturday morning and in search of entertainment, I  came across a movie called Capricorn One, about an elaborate hoax to fake a Mars landing. Kidnapped flight crew, secret sound […]

Someone recently asked me why the United States leads the world in coronavirus infections and deaths yet comes in last for implementing effective measures to control and eliminate the virus and get our lives back […]

In case you may have been vacationing on Mars these last few months and haven’t quite caught up on the news here at home, we’re in the midst of a pandemic and the United States of America is losing badly in its […]

I grew up in the age of folksy sayings; there was a catchy aphorism for just about anything a child could think of. A couple of my mother’s favorites were “Pretty is as pretty does” and “God helps those who hel […]

Listening to the current national conversation, one might believe our only two options for managing a public health crisis are either to follow the advice of medical experts or to “pray about it.” Aside from the […]

Americans love to talk and sing about their freedom. Two days ago, we indulged in our annual orgy of wearing red-white-blue outfits, shooting off fireworks, and smugly proclaiming “’Merica!” Amid all of the hype, […]

I just read this quote from Maya Angelou: “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better I do better.”

Sometimes understanding a subject is a long process and requires experience beyond one’s own n […]

Did you ever have a monster living under your bed? Lots of people have had them. No one ever saw, heard, or smelled your monster; yet you were as convinced of its existence and the imminent danger it posed as if […]

What this country sorely lacks right now is moral absolutes. We’re long on opinions but short on facts, long on rants but short on reason, long on talk but short on action. Until we challenge the idea that e […]

On August 20, 1619–400 years ago tomorrow–a ship named the White Lion docked at Point Comfort, Virginia, and began selling its cargo to the some 700 settlers who then inhabited the British colony of Jamestown. […]

They were newlyweds, having just marked their first wedding anniversary. They had an almost six-year-old daughter, a one-year-old daughter, and a two-month-old son; they were just 23 and 24 years old. They […]

Everyone is familiar with the words of that immortal philosopher Forrest Gump: “Stupid is as stupid does.” My mother had a similar saying which she used any time she felt we were placing too much emphasis on try […]

One of the most baffling, perplexing, even maddening
questions of our time is how the “Christian right,” “the far right,” “the
evangelicals” have become such a powerful political force and how on earth that […]