July 1, 1776

“It was hot and humid outside, and stifling in the chamber,” wrote historian William Hogeland in his book, Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-July 4, 1776. “At four in the afternoon, heat gave way to a two-hour thunderstorm. The rain would play a strange part in the memories of the men in the room and in the recounting of later

Mayor Slay and citizens lobbying to bring Syrians to St. Louis; a Senate hearing that exposes there is no way to know who these people are; a Presidential Memorandum and resulting task force; and the president telling immigrants they do not have to assimilate. How are these connected, and is there more to the story than what meets the eye? Should we Americans be concerned?

As the story of the Umpqua Community College shooting unfolded it became evident that the shooter Chris Harper Mercer intensely hated Christians yet loved violence and murder. How is it that we see more and more hatred resulting in destruction of human life? And more and more violence? Is this new?

The Jersey City Board of Education recently voted not to close schools for the Muslim holiday of Eld al-Adha. It has been reported that a Muslim woman in attendance made a veiled threat saying: “We’re going to be the majority soon.”

COURAGE AND CLOCKS

Several weeks ago, Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old from Irving, Texas, brought what looked like a crude explosive devise in a pencil box to school saying it was a clock.