A particular “idea” of America is imbedded deeply in my soul. That “idea” is of a nation founded on the principles of justice, freedom and equality; a nation of people who are tough enough to make hard decisions, yet are deeply compassionate and always willing to give their neighbors a hand up when they fall; a nation that, when faced with peril, sees its citizens drop ideological boundaries and work together for consensus solutions that serve the common good. During my 68 years of life [...]

I woke up on Thursday to an email from my daughter Suzanne. She had attached a paper that Hunter, my 13-year old granddaughter, wrote for her middle school. After reading it I skipped out into the world with a heart lightened by hope for the future. It is with a granddaddy’s pride that I share Hunter’s words below. For readers who are not from North Carolina, the “Amendment One” that Hunter refers to is a proposed amendment to the state’s Constitution that would limit marriage [...]

My imagination caught fire in 1963 when I read John Steinbeck’s book Travels with Charlie In Search of America.  The idea of roaming across the country, meeting Americans from all walks of life, and chronicling my encounters with both people and places, became imbedded in my psyche. Now, 49 years later, I am about to embark on that journey. Like Steinbeck, I will travel in a self-contained vehicle accompanied by my dog, Amos. Also like Steinbeck, my wife will fly out to join me for [...]

When I launched this book/blog project in 2007 I titled it Memo to the President Elect: A Peoples Vision from Home and Abroad. My intent was to travel across the United States (following the path John Steinbeck chronicled in his 1962 book Travels With Charlie In Search of America) and have politically thoughtful conversations with Americans I’d meet along the way. I wanted to hear and gather the opinions of this random sample of Americans about their country, our Constitution, and the extent to which [...]

The actions and non-actions of America send ripples around the world. The nation is at once a model to be emulated and one to be avoided. In Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation, co-editors Peter Schuck and James Wilson claim “the people of other nations see America only from a distance”. Most see the United Sates as a superpower, but many “suppose that it is one managed by some strange combination of vulgar, popular culture and intolerant religious revival, a bullying military establishment, [...]