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Articles by DeWitt Clinton
New York City's all-time greatest high school basketball players
Trying to pick the 25 best high school basketball players to come out of the five boroughs of New York City is pretty daunting. There are several Hall-of-Famers worthy of the honor, but we have our list. Feel free to disagree. Listed in chronological order with graduation year as noted. 1 of 25 Dolph Schayes, DeWitt Clinton (Bronx), 1944 Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images The first true New York City high school basketball legend. Schayes was 6-foot-1 while still in grade school.
Top 10 Progressive Icons to Tear Down for Their Racism
It’s rare that the Left ever manages to be consistent in its application of its rules, especially those concerned with its favorite new pastime, canceling. But occasionally, it makes noises that sound like calls for consistency, like the time leftists canceled Woodrow Wilson . . . at Princeton, of all places.
Mayor Cadwallader D. Colden: Leading the city 200 years ago
We’re just months away from a new mayor in New York City so we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors! Become familiar with other men who’ve held the job, from the ultra-powerful to the political puppets, the most effective to the most useless leaders in New York City history. This longtime feature of this website is being rebooted with new articles and newly researched and refreshed earlier entries in this series. Check back every other week for a new installment. Read past articles here.
Top Ten Ideas for Red States to Combat Blue Policies
Federalism—our system of “50 laboratories of democracy”—is one of the great strengths of the American constitution. But we aren’t taking full advantage of it. Many states in the United States today have Republican majorities in their state legislatures, and even Republican governors, yet still have many left-wing policies on the books and people in their state governments enforcing them. What might be done in these red states to try to improve things? Herewith are ten suggestions.
Nice guys finish last
November fast approaches, and this time, we need to think carefully about criteria for choosing our leaders. This election is vital to America. Today's world scene contains some extremely vicious and predatory bad actors, making it necessary for us to have a hard, perceptive leader willing to take bold action to strengthen and protect America. He must be honest and God fearing, a leader who is strong in facing our enemies while simultaneously protecting our weak. America is slipping.
Riot and insurrection in the goose world
On almost any morning of the year, the goose compound is greeted with indifference. Gandalf, the gander, says to Mrs. Goose, pay him no mind, he is just chief cook and coop cleaner: the janitor who comes to open and clean our house in the morning and close at dusk. Consider him insignificant. He is a deplorable from Hillary's basket. (Geese are elitists, swaggering about, heads held high in disdain as they tell others what to.
Working together against a common foe
Most alarm clocks just sit there and buzz when it comes time for their intended victim to rise and face a new day, but not mine. Every morning at or about seven, whether or not I wish to end a pleasant dream and slide forth from the soothing embrace of warm covers, my alarm clock bounds across the bed and lands with all fours on my chest to deliver the seven o'clock wake-up call: WOOF! Thus my day begins as my warm feet encounter the shock of an icy floor. Some things never change.
Restoring society after COVID-19
Most folks might not know who Agur is because he is relatively obscure, a man self-described as brutish and lacking in common understanding. However, I have had several encounters with him, all of which were enlightening. You see, Agur is the author of the thirtieth chapter of Proverbs. His name in Hebrew means "gathered" -possibly a pseudonym describing his writings as bits of wisdom he had gathered throughout his life.
What will it take for Americans to be truly free?
Last night, I watched "Escape from Alcatraz" starring Clint Eastwood. Several scenes showed Eastwood in his cell, the size of which gave me the shivers. I do not think I could retain my sanity in such close quarters, given that I am somewhat claustrophobic. I am glad old "Dirty Harry" escaped.
Actions speak louder than words
Have you been listening to debates between Democrats and Republicans? Three topics arc currently conspicuous: the killing of an Iranian general, President Trump's impeachment, and the Democrat primary. If you have been listening, you surely have a myriad of questions. I suggest that clarity comes from "'listening" to actions, not words. President Trump recently ordered a missile strike which killed Qassem Soleimani. Let us meet him.
Santa Claus's Christmas quandary
"Mrs. Claus, are you awake?" "I am now," "Good, 'cause I've been lying here thinking about my naughty and nice list and I'm greatly perplexed-need your help." "What's the problem?" "Well. .. a few very important people are up to some dreadful, naughty shenanigans, and I'm afraid that if I put them on my naughty list this year, you and I might lose our Social Security, get audited by the IRS, or find ourselves the subject of a Justice Department investigation. Maybe all three at once.
Does the end really justify the means?
As I recall, never in the half-century of my professional years did I ever earn $50,000 or more in any given year. Since I preferred to work in a rural setting, salaries were correspondingly "rural." I am now retired, but I have stumbled upon a way of augmenting my retirement income-maybe. Lately, I have heard a lot about a man named Hunter who has earned millions for being on the board of directors of the Buresma Gas Company in Ukraine.
Persistence versus flexibility
Fall has arrived once more and true to their habit, spiders of all shapes and sizes are at it again, building spider webs across every path and gate opening I utilize during morning chores. Every morning I spit, sputter, mumble, and rub, trying to remove the sticky strands from my face, arms, and clothes.
10 things you didn't know about Green-Wood Cemetery
Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr What do Jean-Michel Basquiat, F.A.O Schwarz, Horace Greeley, Samuel Morse, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Boss Tweed, Peter Cooper, Leonard Bernstein, and Susan Smith McKinney-Steward have in common?
Making America great again begins with getting right with God
Last night a little white cat sneaked into our yard. Our yard is large (nearly two acres) and almost all of the fence that surrounds it is covered by honey suckle vines which provide a haven for various varieties of God's little creatures. This must be why cats and rabbits sneak onto the grounds even though we have three dogs on patrol.
Please just give us the facts, ma'am
Last Sunday when I came in from my early morning chores, my cereal bowl was not on the counter where it usually is on Sunday mornings. (We do a few things on Saturday evening to facilitate getting ready for church on Sunday. Filling cereal bowls is one of those Saturday evening preps.) Assuming Ruth had forgotten the night before, I proceeded to pour my cereal. As I placed the bowl on the table, Ruth mentioned that she had already fixed my cereal.
Our elected officials need to drop the hummingbird mentality
Each spring, my wife and I wait with anticipation the arrival of Ruby-throated hummingbirds. FYI the ruby-throated species is the only hummer regularly seen in the Eastern U.S. Mid-spring, we expectantly hang our feeders from the front deck header like eager children placing milk and cookies to welcome Santa's arrival. We hang these feeders opposite our dining room table so we can watch their entertaining antics while we eat.
Fireflies are back and bombarded with misinformation
Fireflies are back. Each spring I wait for their return because they add just the right touch of charm to beautiful summer evenings. Even though the most brilliant lightning bugs are those of Asia, exhibitions staged by North America's miraculous flashing bugs are sufficiently dazzling to captivate and charm us on summer evenings. In fact, one evening last week I was so enchanted by the lightning bug performance, that I decided to do some research.
Perspective one more time
What is a lie? Well ... a lie is a deception such as Billy's denial he made the same afternoon that Mom filled the cookie jar: "No, Mommy, I did not eat any of the cookies from the cookie jar," said he, wiping cookie crumbs from his face. Other, more widely known, examples might be, "There was no classified material in the thousands of emails I erased," or "You can keep your doctor." But what if these people thought that they were telling the truth?
Perspective is everything in life and politics
Perspective. It is a strange animal. Two people can view the same automobile accident from different sides of the street, and because of their different locations, they might tell the police very different accounts of how the accident took place. In all facets of our lives, "where we are coming from" makes all the difference in our opinions.
Spring has sprung -- or has it?
As I write this, there are five days until the first day of spring arrives. The calendar, at least, promises a release from the dark, cold days of winter. Yesterday's temperature peaked above seventy. Today is almost as warm as yesterday, and even though the forecast calls for lower temperatures after today, these two warm days suggest that winter is beginning to lose its grip. Soon the forest will awaken and exchange its drab gray-brown winter pajamas for fresh, green summer work clothes.
Manners matter more than ever
"When I was a child, I spoke as a child," the Apostle Paul said in the thirteenth chapter of 1Corinthians. Using his own growth from childhood to adulthood as an example, he demonstrated to the church at Corinth that Christ's church would change some of its practices as it grew from infancy toward maturity. His comment to the Corinthians came to mind last Sunday at church when someone made an insensitive, and therefore, impolite, comment to me.
Only love and compassion can ignite the fires in paradise
Unfortunately, California has occupied a leading a place in the news lately. Wild fires nave sprung up all over southwestern California and in the eastern part of the state where Paradise is located, fire has devastated this unique and beautiful little town. I am not a native Californian, but I was stationed in Long Beach during my Navy days, went to California State University, Fullerton for a Master of Arts degree, a,u.l worked as a cabinet maker for several years in Mission Viejo.
'Robo-Rooster' mentality becoming blight across America
If you have read my past commentaries, you may recall that the window in front of my offjce desk overlooks a bird feeder situated just inside a stand of trees behind our house. The scene around this bird feeder is a ready source of amusement and information related to wild critters.At any given moment, neighborhood squirrels and birds of various varieties mingle there presenting a microcosm similar to an African waterhole.
Spider webs are like present-day politics
Apparently, there are over 35,000 species of spiders and related arachnid types. According to my wife, anything with eight eyes and eight legs should be eradicated from the face of the earth. Nevertheless, spiders are interesting in a variety of ways. For instance, their class name, Arachnida, they say, comes from the Greek mythological tale about a young maiden named Arachne who challenged the goddess Athene to a weaving contest.
The lost raccoon
Sometime last night, a beautiful raccoon lost its life in an unfortunate confrontation with a vehicle on Monarch's main thoroughfare leading out of town. As I made my way to church this morning, I saw him lying in the middle of the street. He looked as if he were simply taking a nap and would soon return to a waiting spouse and several black-masked babies.
Restraints on Liberty
I am sitting at my office desk looking through the window at a lovely wooded hillside ascending before me. On this beautiful day, sunlight struggles to penetrate through the trees creating haphazard patches of dancing radiance on the forest floor. At the near edge of this woods, barely twenty feet away, a giant maple stands guard dwarfing all the surrounding trees.Beside the maple rests our homemade bird feeder atop an old, rusty fifty-five-gallon oil drum.
Barnyard observations same as Trump, Kim Jung Un dynamic
Maggie comes to within two inches of the chicken wire fence and scrutinizes the geese. She stands unmoving, but alert, and although I cannot hear a word, I can visualize the mechanisms of her mind spinning in high gear as she studies the approaching fowl. I would really love to know what plans she is hatching. The geese, always vigilant, approach the fence to investigate this new threat to their territorial integrity; Sir Galahad, the gallant gander, leading his gaggle of three chattering geese.
Unintended consequences can do unintended harm
When the phone rings, most folks do not go to open the door, but reach for the phone.And when we answer the phone, we might hear someone respond, "Hi, it's me." The sound of a ringing phone and the voice of an unidentified friend or relative send us a message because we have learned to associate each sound with its origin.
Misconception can be lethal
There is much to learn by carefully observing the natural realm. For instance, "Misconception is lethal" Let me explain. Simply being the fastest cat in the jungle does not guarantee survival. Besides speed, predators must have superior senses to achieve a clear conception of their surroundings so they can locate their prey. Eagles on the wing can detect a mouse from great heights, and owls see well in the dark.
Republican party needs to plant acorns
We are precariously balanced on the edge of a precipice, teetering this way and that, ready to plunge headlong over the edge. No, I am not thinking about nuclear war with North Korea, although I could be. Nor am I writing about impeaching the president even though there are those who feverishly fantasize about kicking to the curb one of the few people in Washington who is not afraid to let us know what he is thinking. The balancing act I speak of is more related to the calendar than characters.
Country needs to give Donald Trump a chance
I find it fascinating to contemplate similarities and differences between animals and humans.For instance, my ducks, it seems, love to hear me sing. Every morning, I empty the duck’s swimming pool and fill it with fresh water. As the pool fills, I wash that morning’s duck eggs and sing or speak softly to the ducks which gather around to ensure that I am preparing their day’s essentials per their strict standards.
Empathy is a very important part of life
I was recently bitten by that bug – you know, the one masquerading as a big truck.So I have been sitting in my recliner looking out the window across the valley where the brown of the trees meets rolling gray clouds in a cold, angry sky.
Geese should be a model for humans to follow
While I was opening the chicken coup door one rainy morning last week, I heard overhead the lonely call of a single Canada Goose.The drizzling rain stung my face as I looked up to locate the odd sound of a solitary goose on the wing. Many times before, both fall and spring, I had heard the familiar sound of Canada Geese as their formations split the sky on the way to their winter or spring destinations, but as far as I could recall, never before had I heard a lone goose on the wing.
Actions speak louder than words at Christmas
"Christmas is coming and the turkey is getting fat. Please put a penny in the kettle.''Since we do not have half-pennies, I guess that is where I will stop with this comparison. Like this song that we all know, other familiar customs surrounding Christmas are legion.
Fall slowly but surely giving way to winter
Trees that were lately a cheerful green, then a glowing gold, are now naked, standing silent watch over leafy forest floors.The blue above has given way to gray, dreary clouds of winter and the robins are gone. Why am I still here? Perhaps I am foolish, but I am not alone in my foolishness. As if summer were a 12-month season; cardinals, black-capped chickadees, jays, nuthatches, titmice and mourning doves still frequent the bird feeder.
Waiting for the growl
For the first morning in several mornings, clouds have invaded our skies.An invigorating, comforting cool puff of 68-degree air wafts through the open window in front of my desk. All week long the weather has been hot, but because it is cool today, I am energized. The dogs are somewhat vivacious as well, sparring with each other instead of snoozing like they have all week at this time of day.The rooster is crowing more often than he has been.
Boston terror strikes again
Given the news lately, one might think that the title of this article refers to yet another atrocity, this time a massacre in Boston. No, not right. “Boston” is a reference to Maggie, the Boston Terrier that sits on my lap at this very moment. In fact, her chin is draped across my arm making it rather difficult to type.
The begonia pot incident
Shortly after dawn, the birds begin their daily band rehearsal.The crows gather in the north field and begin a base chorus of “caw,” “caw.” Somewhere from the top branch of a tree, a mocking bird chimes in with one or two of her many rhapsodies. A meadow lark’s song drifts over the pasture, or perhaps it is the lone voice of the redwing blackbird.
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