In this month to contemplate the place of violence in our times, I want to reflect on a story that broke in July of this year.

Blaze Media reported that 22-year-old armed citizen, Elisjsha Dicken, neutralized a potential mass killing at an Indiana mall by shooting the perpetrator within just 15 seconds of his first shots. Dicken was carrying his gun under Indiana’s new constitutional carry law that went into effect less than three weeks earlier; so was the first victim, Victor Gomez (what good did it do him to be carrying a gun?)… and so was the perpetrator:

“Surveillance footage shows the killer entered the mall shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday evening. He was armed with multiple firearms and spent approximately one hour in a bathroom before he opened fire at patrons in the Greenwood Park mall food court. Police said he exited the bathroom at 5:56:48 and was…

If there is one message that seemed to surface through last month’s crucial meetings of the Communist Party of China it is continuity. The inference that might best be taken is no significant change from the path on which the party has led China in recent years should be expected.

That path, despite the oft-used slogan “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” has been a restructuring of the economy toward capitalism, albeit a gradual entry on Chinese terms and keeping the “commanding heights” of the economy in state hands. If we attempt to grasp the meaning of the communiqués and reports issued surrounding the party’s 20th National Congress, it would be better to observe through a holistic lens rather than fixating on personalities.

The Western corporate media obsessively dwelled on President Xi Jinping’s third term, as if nothing else was of note or as if President Xi is…

Image Credit: MasterTux

Something that limits one’s freedom or ability to do things is known as a “ball and chain.” Visuals of this are commonly seen around the ankles of prisoners or slaves.

Illiteracy is like walking around with a ball and chain around your ankles. In my book, “We Are Poetry: Lessons I Didn’t Learn in a Textbook,” I allude to illiteracy as an educational disease that shackles positive growth and opportunity, which I deem our nation’s Achilles’ Heel.

November is National Family Literacy Month. Parents play a vital role in the education of their children. This nationwide celebration seeks to spread awareness and foster family literacy by encouraging parents and caregivers to read to their children.

According to ThinkImpact.com,

Nationwide, on average, 79% of U.S. adults are literate in 2022.21% of adults in the U.S. are illiterate in 2022. 54% of adults have a literacy rate…