Columns

When was the last time you intentionally participated in something that would add joy to your life? When did you shun negativity in favor of the positive? Or do you see such conscious decisions as weird things weird people do? I invite you to take the challenges that were issued to me last week...

Since I was a child, watching my mother make the traditional meals of Sicily, I knew I wanted to build a life around cooking. But after years of working in hotels and restaurants around the world, I wanted greater opportunity. I wanted my own restaurant, a place that -- like my mother's kitchen -- would not only showcase Italian cooking but embody the warmth and inclusiveness of the hospitality I grew up with...

Missouri Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley may be the strongest defender of conservatism to appear on the statewide ballot. The 38-year-old Constitutional lawyer represented Hobby Lobby at the Supreme Court when the Christian, family owned company objected to Obamacare's mandate that health insurance plans cover abortifacients...

Nicknames can be amusing. Or not. President Trump, among his many other accomplishments, has established himself as the chief name caller. One of his targets is a U.S. senator from Massachusetts. Elizabeth Warren is no wallflower. The Democrat uses some of the over-the-top techniques favored by our president. The two have clashed on just about every issue imaginable...

Dr. Doris Kearns Goodwin is a historian, professor at Harvard, and an award-winning author. Her writings have, for the most part, been biographical about several presidents. Perhaps the most famous of her books is "A Team of Rivals" about Lincoln and his cabinet. ...

Started 30 years ago with services at a movie theater in the mall, La Croix Church celebrated its anniversary earlier this month. Pastor Ron Watts shared how as a young man he felt called to start a new church -- but in his hometown of St. Louis. God, however, kept directing him to Cape. Thank you, Ron and wife Linda, for following that call...

I suspect we're all guilty of clinging to things long past their expiration date. A shirt in the closet that no longer fits and is woefully out of style. Well worn shoes that may well conjure past memories but should have been relegated to the trash heap long ago...

Clean Missouri will be on the Nov. 6 ballot as Amendment 1. With a name like that you would think it would be a bipartisan bill with pure intentions. But, what we have is a Wolf in Sheep's clothing. Clean Missouri is being promoted as ethics reform and includes changes to the state's laws relating to lobbyists and campaign contribution limits. This part of Amendment 1 I agree with. However, it's what is in the weeds that has to be spotlighted...

"Hurting people hurt people." I first heard this years ago in the church. It was true then, and it is no less true today. I've seen it play out often, and the political upheaval we see today highlights it. Unless you are completely disengaged from what is going on in the nation (and if you were, you wouldn't be reading this right now), you see the ongoing shenanigans surrounding the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. ...

It's easy to focus on results, particularly in sports. It's not to say winning isn't important, because it is. We root for our favorite team to score the most points or make a big defensive play. But winning is the result, not the driver. Last week the Southeast Missouri State football team faced conference foe Tennessee Tech and scored a school record 70 points in their lopsided win. ...

(This week's column was dictated by Missy Kitty, who is plenty smart but can't type worth a whit.) Sometimes it's hard to figure out what makes humans tick. Take my humans, for example. They're smart enough to keep my food bowl full with ample sides of no-fat milk. But why would they spend hours and hours watching something called a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that went on and on and on?...

Back in 1998 I had a dream of implementing an organized and sustainable youth mentoring organization in our community. There were many mentoring programs and groups in our community at that time all with a purpose of helping our youth succeed. But that was the problem. They were all programs. Programs have a beginning and an end. We needed a better way of doing things...

On Sunday, Sept. 16, the River City Rodders, in conjunction with Old Town Cape, hosted their 41st Annual Car Show. This was the 12th year for our show to be located in downtown Cape, and the feedback that we continue to receive, from both participants and spectators, regarding the downtown location is very positive. ...

When President Lincoln and Congress decided to draft young men for military service during the Civil War the public reaction produced riots in several cities. Despite public opposition, the need for men to replace those killed or wounded meant that conscription would last as long as combat continued. The military draft ended when the Civil War ended...

My wife hasn't been a runner since high school, which makes it remarkable that this fall she became a middle and junior high school cross-country coach. Impressively, like all that she does, she poured herself into her responsibilities with gusto: searching online for best practices and coaching tips, and querying friends who competitively race for their insights. ...

Why do Democrats resort to mob rule? In the wake of the national disgrace following the confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice, that seems a legitimate question to ask. Those gathering in protest, be it Ferguson, Planned Parenthood, immigration or a Supreme Court nominee, are not just exercising their First Amendment rights...

The Senate confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday. What a process it was, though. Sexual assault, gang rape and perjury allegations were all part of a process that resembled something of a soap opera, rather than a call to serve on the highest court of the land. ...

Julian Watkins did what he thought he should do after college. The Cairo, Illinois native went to law school and started his career in corporate law. This path, paved with expectations of success and financial enrichment, failed to fulfill him. He later took a job as a janitor, opened up his own legal practice, coached basketball and then became a prosecutor...

If you find yourself in a situation where conversation comes to an awkward standstill, what do you do? More than likely you will, at some point, talk about the weather. "The weather" is a universal icebreaker. I can't say for sure, but I bet it's the same just about everywhere, even if you're in another part of the world...

While most people think of the upcoming holiday season in terms of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, I have another term for it! This "holiday" time for me is otherwise known as the Marketplace Health Insurance Open Enrollment period through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). ...

I have written before about the number of medics/corpsmen who have been awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery "above and beyond" what would be considered their duty. Battlefield medics brave enemy fire to get to the wounded. Obviously, their goal is to provide medical care to the wounded, but they have a secondary mission to protect the wounded from enemy fire. ...

I shared my column this week in advance with Michael McIntosh, the talented university professor who directed "Jesus Christ Superstar" on the River Campus. As explained in an email to him, "I just have a lot of respect for you and everyone at the River Campus. And, I prefer to stop in on folks if I'm writing about something negative -- particularly, to understand if I'm missing or haven't considered something pertinent...

I was saddened to read the obituary of Dr. John Koch in Monday's newspaper. Koch served as the veterinarian for several of my pets over the years. He was a top professional in the field, always caring and accessible. He explained the complex in straight-forward terms...

I wrote last week that there was no current evidence to believe Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. After her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday, my position has not changed. I still have no respect for the idea that one person is entitled to belief when that means another person is entitled to disbelief without proof. ...

There's a reverent and humble tone to David Limbaugh's voice when he talks about his faith. He's not a preacher and doesn't plan to be one. But he has a brilliant legal mind, zeal for sharing the Gospel and, maybe most importantly, he's willing to use his platform to talk about faith in Jesus Christ...

You know the definition of "basement"? A basement is a space, often underground, where stuff you forgot you owned cohabitates with stuff you vaguely remember and produces stuff you don't recollect at all. The last house we lived in for 18 years had a basement, so I am relying on personal experience here. ...

As time passes and those who served in the military pass away, the national memory of every war fades. Future generations will no longer remember the names of places nor will they know how or where Americans fought and died. The veterans of these past wars are the living reminders of the costs of wars in blood and silver. As these veterans die, the facts about their wars fade into the past and are recorded in history books...

An alarm is sounding in this country like never before in our history. The alarm is an alert to a sea change of social, political and economic upheaval that is just over the horizon. All is not lost. But all is in danger. We remain a nation of laws and of rules. But increasingly, we are seeing that both the laws and the rules don't apply equally...

I've been listening to the "Jesus Christ Superstar" soundtrack my whole life. Written originally as a concept album, it is one of the original rock operas, forever changing musicals in America and around the world. It helped propel its creators, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, to the highest of heights. ...

If I had my druthers, you would be looking at a blank space. Instead of reading these words, you would have found nothing under the headline "Current Reasons to Believe Kavanaugh's Accuser." Just a big empty space. Why? Because there are no reasons to believe Christine Blasey Ford -- not yet anyway. ...

As someone involved in Girl Scouting for over 50 years, I understand the mixed feelings many have since Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland's Board of Directors made its announcement to close Cherokee Ridge Program Center. Like most women who were Girl Scouts in their youth, I recall fondly the friendships made and outdoor adventures I've had. ...

The Kansas City Star said Attorney General Josh Hawley was shilling for votes when he was recorded at a Family Research Council event saying the Johnson Amendment is "absolutely unconstitutional." The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, "The Johnson Amendment has endured for more than six decades ... to keep the tax man's hand out of the church's coffers, in exchange for keeping religion out of our politics -- both of which are constitutionally valid and laudable goals."...

This is animal week. No, it's not one of those made-up national holidays. It is a made-up-for-the-purposes-of-writing-a-column holidays. If everyone else can make up holiday, so can I. For some reason this past week has had more than its share of animal-related incidents and coincidences. Here are a few:...

Technological developments are often prompted by military needs during war or war planning. History shows that there have been instances where the U.S. has had to face adversaries who have made advances in the development of weapons, aircraft, naval forces, defensive measures and troop support...

The Southeast Missourian was recognized last weekend by the Missouri Press Association with 30 awards in its Better Newspaper Contest, including top honors in general excellence, investigative reporting, breaking news story, best overall design and best website. Of the 30, the newspaper won 13 first place awards...

All too often, really important news stories get lost in the headlines of even more important stories. While the focus understandably is on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this week, little notice is being given to the unseemly actions of former Secretary of State John Kerry...

Isn't it interesting just how brave people hiding behind their computers can be? I mean, there's just no cause they won't stand up for and no person they won't take down with their words -- as long as they have that screen to guard them and no one to challenge them. The problem for them is if you do challenge them, cowards turn tail and run...

The United States economy is running strong. Unemployment is at historic lows. The local economic picture is as strong or stronger. The regional unemployment rate is presently 3.5 percent. This is good news for businesses, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and the service industry. But the low unemployment is a two-edged sword. The number of open positions for employment has risen dramatically the last few years...

During the summer of 2014, Rachel and Trae Bertrand met with their physician regarding Rachel's pregnancy with Frank Charles Bertrand V. The news would forever shape their lives -- and the lives of many of families they had yet to meet. Baby Frank had a heart defect called tetralogy of fallot, a congenital condition where "oxygen-poor blood" flows from the heart to the rest of the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. ...

Recently I sent an email to the members of Cape Girardeau County Democrats, and it was released to conservative news media, generating a storm of emotions. I suggested that anyone interested could protest the now-canceled Trump rally by getting, but not using, tickets. ...

Buggy whips. VCRs. Cassettes. Fedoras. Hitching posts. The list of Things That Everyone Used to Use could go on and on and on. But today let's focus on the venerable check register. You still have a checking account, right? Then you must know what checks are. Otherwise, you would call it the money-waiting-to-be-spent account...

Below is the original column I wrote about President Trump's visit, now canceled because of the hurricane aimed at the East coast. I believe the president made the right decision. With so much at peril, his attention should not be on a political rally...

There are many facts about the American Civil War which have been overlooked or hidden from the common history most people have been taught. There have been several books that tell about those soldiers who are referred to as "galvanized." Galvanized normally refers to steel items which have been dipped in molten tin to resist rusting. Two examples are galvanized metal pails and metal fencing...

The preliminary agreement announced recently relating to the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S. and Mexico holds great promise for the oil and natural gas industry. Potentially, the modernization of NAFTA could result in an agreement with Canada as a trading partner, will strengthen U.S. ...

Today's column was written prior to Tuesday's cancellation of President Trump's visit to southeast Missouri. Though the rally was canceled, the message of the column remains true. Had the President been here this week, this is what I would have said...

President Donald Trump will visit Cape Girardeau in just two days to rally for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is running against Claire McCaskill for the U.S. Senate. No matter our political parties, I hope we can all agree having a sitting president grace our area is sort of a big deal...

Following is an abbreviated version of remarks made by Southeast Missourian publisher Jon K. Rust at the B Magazine Newsmakers Awards reception on Sept. 5 at First Midwest in Cape Girardeau. n It's a pleasure to be with you tonight to recognize several impressive individuals, who have made a significant impact through business engagement and success, and through community involvement and volunteering...

For Jamie Barnwell Phillips the Alzheimer's Association is more than a good cause. It's about educating those in the fight against dementia -- patients, family and caregivers -- about the resources available. Resources she wishes she and her father would have known more about years ago as their mother and wife battled the disease...

Day 1: No tweets from President Trump. The president holds an impromptu press conference in the White House Rose Garden, and apologizes for recent comments about illegal immigrants from Mexico. He agrees with some of his critics who have pointed out that legal aliens commit more crimes than undocumented immigrants. "I'm sorry if my previous comments have been out of order," the president said. "I will try to check my facts more closely in the future."...

Technological advances have made major and sometimes dramatic changes to warships and aircraft in recent years. The advances made for our ground forces have been less newsworthy but no less dramatic. Artillery is a critical element in ground warfare, and effective range and accurate targeting are two issues that are constantly being studied for improvements. ...