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Rights, privileges can lead to nonsense

Judging from recent commentary, it seems the definitions of rights and privileges have been conflated in our political discourse. To start: A legal right is an action that an individual can take that cannot be legally infringed by other people or by the government. Natural rights for American citizens are defined in the second sentence of the Declaration, and are constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights. Logically, one person’s rights cannot contradict another person’s Rights; else they cannot be considered rights. A privilege always requires infringement of one ...

View from Hickory Heights: Little things make big differences

It is strange, but sometimes little things make a big difference. I recently found a recipe for Sourdough Bread that sounded interesting. I have a recipe but the starter needs to be fed regularly. To be honest that makes it too difficult to keep going. This new recipe makes two batches of starter. Then you are done. I read through the recipe and decided to try it. I knew quite a bit about sourdough bread but of course not everything there is to know. I knew that you used glass or ceramic bowls. I also did not chance using anything but my wooden spoon to mix with. That being said, I ...

The heart is a good companion

Last Friday I received a pacemaker. I’m still not over the shock that I needed one. I was skeptical because surgeons want to do their job. You know, they’re trained to cut. Same as my hairdresser. But the cardiac surgeons at St. Vincent’s in Erie were convincing. Long story short, my heart did beat normally most of the time, but when it chose to go on a whoopee spree – into atrial fibrillation – the low heartbeats were much too low. Solution? Kick them back into normal gear by giving this lady a pacemaker. I’ve been told by people who have one – all men so far – ...

Dems quick to forget Clinton, Obama acts

There is no way to concisely define the hypocrisy of Democrat party ideology and policy other than explain it as Trump Derangement Syndrome. I submit the following as evidence of TDS. Let’s briefly review past Democrat administration’s policies regarding oversight of U.S. Government fraud and illegal immigration. This information is readily available with simple Google and AI tools. Bill Clinton and Al Gore launched the National Partnership for Reinventing Government in March 1993; an initiative aimed at cutting wasteful spending and streamlining federal operations. They presented ...

View from Hickory Heights: Celebrating moms

When my mother-in-law died in 2003, I got a book back that my husband and I had given her in 2000. It was “Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul”. I only remember the year we gifted it because she wrote the date inside of the book. I know that she appreciated it and read it from cover to cover. I decided I would read it again this year. I had read it before, but as things go you forget some of the stories. I found a quote written by Ruth Bell Graham, Billy Graham’s wife. She wrote, “As a mother, my job is to take care of what is possible and trust God with the ...

Life is a ‘Special Occasion’

I get a bang out of advertisements for “Special Occasions.” Restaurants, wedding venues, florists, greeting cards – each market their goods to help us celebrate. We all have birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, and other special days in our lives tugging at our heartstrings. But at my age? Every day is a special occasion. My BFF in New York City and I have been friends since 1963. Every year, we celebrate our special occasion: our graduation date from the American Airlines Stewardess College on April 10th. Most years it’s just a phone call, but we don’t forget. That day is ...