Dennis Grubaugh

By DENNIS GRUBAUGH Until it became a magnified political pawn, redistricting used to come around only once every 10 years. The decennial Census count would be conducted, and a group of state legislators or state commissioners would redraw their electoral boundaries to reflect changing population patterns. Congressional districts were apportioned to have equal numbers of people, balanced in terms of race and ethnicity. In theory, no district should have an unfair balance during elections.

By DENNIS GRUBAUGH Now that the simmering sauce pot in the corporate kitchen at Cracker Barrel has cooled down, it’s a good time to consider just what was learned in the branding brouhaha this summer. Did the company take its customers for granted? Did a political firestorm evolve out of basically nothing? Did a company known for down-home meals and throwback décor underestimate the power of social media? Yes, yes, and yes. Now what?

By DENNIS GRUBAUGH Most people tend to agree there is no privacy in public. Fewer agree whether we have any privacy in private. I’m afraid our so-called “right” is fading away, if a right ever really existed at all. People demand it, but privacy is not called for in the U.S. Constitution and certainly it’s not guaranteed in a digital society run amok. And, we’re at a time when the government is taking increasingly authoritarian measures to gain our personal information. Business, too, is complicit.