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Articles by Ron Smith
Does the UK’s defence investment plan deliver?
The UK’s defence investment plan (DIP), and the process that led up to it, ooze indecision. The DIP, published on 30 June 2026, was supposed to implement the strategic defence review (SDR), published over a year earlier on 2 June 2025, and provide costed answers to a set of hard questions that defence will face over the next ten years. But it did not answer those questions, it only provided numbers for the next four years, and it failed to deliver on the promises of the SDR.
For Sue I Saw Dancing in the White Sun Dress
by Ron Clinton Smith (June 2026) Strolling along the Seashore (Joaquín Sorolla, 1909) – \ – For Sue I Saw Dancing in the White Sun Dress – I am that boy you saw grinning toward you through the crowd You are that girl I saw dancing in the light I thought I could cherish, knowing nothing about you But a vision, a gift, my broken heart healed in your smile And told you, knew you, claimed you and arrested you To be mine without reason or explanation For what is given us as love like the promise...
CEOs of the classroom: why principals are the key to the AI era
For two decades, I walked school halls as an educator in the Oakland Unified School District – first as a teacher, then as a principal, and eventually, as a superintendent leading my district. I mostly worked in middle schools. During this time, it became glaringly clear to me that there is a “missing middle” in education. Educators and administrators are working tirelessly to support middle schoolers, and they’re doing it largely without external support.
A model for securing the Hormuz
A photo dated April 21 shows a mural showing Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz in Tehran, Iran. The New York Times The disruption of shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted the structural fragility of the global energy system. With roughly one-quarter of the world's seaborne oil passing through the narrow waterway, any closure has immediate and far-reaching economic consequences.
Such as the Unveiling Sleep Voice & My Brother
by Ron Clinton Smith (March 2026) Bride of the Wind (Oskar Kokoschka, 1914) – \ – Such as the Unveiling Sleep Voice – Before the world flew apart I thought I heard you moaning, in your sleep = I heard you retracing every step the Universe spoke, before the clouds – Were loaned to the sun and sucked Inside the shadows of the moon – I heard you calling the name of the Most high, asking for the answers – We must receive with prayer Because faith is carrying us like – Leaves on the wind and I...
The Kingdom of the Living
by Ron Clinton Smith (February 2026) The Sea Father = 1 Fathers are born in these places.
Can researchers predict conflicts and their consequences?
Conflicts are consequential, but their consequences are often unpredictable. Major wars are often seen as turning points that bookend specific historical periods with distinctive geopolitical and technological contexts. So, it is natural to look ahead and try to identify the coming seismic shifts. One of the lessons of history is that effective description does not lead to accurate prediction.
4-H Discovery Days
Flint Hills District 4-Hers as well as members from across the state gathered in Manhattan , Ks for the annual Discovery Days conference. Members attended small group team building, spark sessions, Clifton Strengths Training as well as some fun nights of magic, games and dancing. In addition, they were able to attend a K-State Career Exploration and visit faculty and staff from all areas of majors then sit in on a career discussion panel featuring invited guests.
Our campus is trying to clarify the distinction between antisemitism and legitimate debate about the state of Israel
Last month, the faculty at Bucknell University voted to endorse the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, a significant act in defense of the right to free expression on campus. The Jerusalem Declaration clarifies the distinction between antisemitism and legitimate critique of the actions of the state of Israel.
Trump’s Mass Deportations Are Not the First.
Kansas overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump for president. Voters in these parts liked his proposals, especially removing 11 million undocumented immigrants let into our country during Biden’s Administration. Trump’s new border czar, Tom Homan, wants to first deport those who have been committing crimes. Over a thousand undocumented charged with crimes were rounded up in the three first days. The first military flight with these criminals left for central America on January 24th.
Increasing money for schools needs accountability first
On August 21, the Bulletin published an editorial on Oregon K-12 education funding. The editors encouraged us to read a primer by James Scherzinger, which I found very accurate and insightful.
Victorious over spiritual warfare
As a Christian, there are times in our lives when we go through strong trials and face uncertain circumstances. In these times, we may endure a sickness that may affect our physical body for many days or weeks. We may experience anxiety or fear while facing what we believe to be overwhelming odds. Finally, we may experience depression that seems to build with very little hope for a quick turnaround. Yes, we have all felt this way and for some this may be a natural way of life.
AI in Education is Here: How to Make it Equitable
Education has always been an uneven playing field. Under-resourced school systems have had to make do with limited classroom supplies and older materials while their well-heeled counterparts often benefited from the latest resources. Now as schools become increasingly digital, these inequities are at risk of widening. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest innovation to enter the classroom.
Vote no on the Bend-La Pine Schools levy
It is with some regret that I urge a "no" vote on the Bend-La Pine Schools proposed local option levy, Measure 9-167. The regret comes from a 30+ year career in public education including a turn as a school district chief financial officer. I've seen and lived with the effects of funding instability in Oregon. It can be disheartening, but this is not one of those instances. Here are the reasons I recommend a "no" vote. The first reason for a "no" vote is cost.
1977's Statehouse ‘brawl’ shocked Kansas legislators
In my few years on the periphery of Kansas political life, I had the opportunity to work on a governor’s staff, to be a legislative assistant to the speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives and to lobby for a major professional organization. As a political groupie of the old days, like Slim Pickens in “Dr. Strangelove,” I’ll probably ride the bomb to oblivion. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the three branches of our government, at all levels — federal, state, even local.
On this day in 1977, we all learned a lesson in Sunflower State political collegiality Original
In my few years on the periphery of Kansas political life, I had the opportunity to work on a governor’s staff, to be a legislative assistant to the speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives and to lobby for a major professional organization. As a political groupie of the old days, like Slim Pickens in “Dr. Strangelove,” I’ll probably ride the bomb to oblivion. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the three branches of our government, at all levels — federal, state, even local.
I took an AR-15 to school once -- to teach gun safety
By Ron Smith / Albuquerque When I was a senior in high school, I took an AR-15 to school. I took it as a training aide to teach my fellow classmates about the rifle. Knowing the nomenclature and proper handling of a firearm is what "gun safety" is. During the time my AR-15 visited the school, it committed no violence, simply because inanimate objects cannot commit crimes. The school year was 1973-74.
These 10 incisive opinion columns fired up Kansas Reflector readers in 2023
by Clay Wirestone, Kansas Reflector December 29, 2023 Every morning, without fail, Kansas Reflector publishes an opinion column. If you happen to be awake at 3:33 a.m., that’s when the piece pops up. I write that column two to three times a week. For all those other days, we rely on a cadre of contributors, almost all from Kansas and writing about issues that matter to them. What does that all add up to? A lot of op-eds from a lot of people who want to make our state a better place.
We welcomed an abandoned dog into our family. But dog dumping harms animals and people alike.
In early October, I went outside the house to check on an outbuilding shed door. The Kansas wind had been howling and the door had blown open. Something that looked like a white sheet of plastic had blown up against the fence by our gate. I walked out to the gate and about 10 feet from it, a large dog head popped up. The look on his face said, “Where you been?” I opened the gate and moved outside gingerly. This dog didn’t know me, and I didn’t know he/she/it. The dog was large, at least 90 pounds.
OPIINION: From Marion to Vietnam, governments don’t like secrets exposed
This commentary originally appeared in the Kansas Reflector. Kansas newspapers and media have been falling all over themselves to cover the efforts by the Marion police, assisted by a search warrant signed by a magistrate judge, to confiscate files and computers and other stuff of the Marion County Record. This was a small town newspaper and most small towns have their own unique politics, and it still isn’t clear exactly why police seized reporters’ property.
From Marion to Vietnam, governments don’t like secrets exposed
by Ron Smith, Colorado Newsline September 29, 2023 This commentary originally appeared in the Kansas Reflector. Kansas newspapers and media have been falling all over themselves to cover the efforts by the Marion police, assisted by a search warrant signed by a magistrate judge, to confiscate files and computers and other stuff of the Marion County Record.
From Marion to Vietnam, governments don’t like secrets exposed
Kansas newspapers and media have been falling all over themselves to cover the efforts by the Marion police, assisted by a search warrant signed by a magistrate judge, to confiscate files and computers and other stuff of the Marion County Record. This was a small town newspaper and most small towns have their own unique politics, and it still isn’t clear exactly why police seized reporters’ property. Further, there is no immediate remedy for the principals involved.
Words from a legendary columnist offer political wisdom for Kansas, United States
by Ron Smith, Kansas Reflector June 27, 2023 I hereby declare Erma Bombeck our National Humorist Emerita après la mort, clothed in an ermine-ringed Balenciaga and holding a gold-plated soup ladle as her bâton de maréchal. The award cannot be given, of course. Erma died in 1996, having “used up every bit of talent (God) gave me.” However, during her life, her writings made awfully good horse sense.
The planets and our calendar
The origin of the word planet goes back to ancient Greece. Planet means wanderer. Compared to the stars that remain fixed in position with respect to each other, the planets were the "stars" that changed position, or wandered through the sky. We have five planets that can easily be seen with the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Add these to the other moving objects — the sun and the moon — and we have seven wanderers. Our days of the week are named after the wandering objects.
The planets and our calendar
The origin of the word planet goes back to ancient Greece. Planet means wanderer. Compared to the stars that remain fixed in position with respect to each other, the planets were the “stars” that changed position, or wandered through the sky. We have five planets that can easily be seen with the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Add these to the other moving objects — the sun and the moon — and we have seven wanderers.
That Beauty in the Trees
Preparing your PDF for download... There was a problem with your download, please contact the server administrator. Poems 116 Pages / 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.28 in Paperback / 9780807177983 / Published: April 2023 eBook / 9780807179871 / Published: April 2023 Description Praise Press Kit Moving effortlessly from Virginia to Italy and beyond, Ron Smith’s new volume responds with a range of emotions from humor to horror and with a variety of forms from the sonnet to visually expressive organic shapes.
Salesforce invests $1m in Black-led non-profits to close the racial funding gap
an hour ago diginomica.com The lack of opportunities for Black people in technology is well-documented. In an effort to address the racial funding gap which exacerbates the situation, Salesforce is donating a further $1 million specifically to Black-led organizations. The investment is part of the Salesforce Catalyst Fund, which the company launched last June with an initial $2 million investment aimed at offering unrestricted capital to non-profits.
Salesforce Announces Unrestricted Grants to 10 Black-Led Nonprofits Empowering Youth
Salesforce Catalyst Fund invests in underrepresented leaders and traditionally underfunded nonprofits Nonprofits will leverage funds to advance racial equity through education and economic opportunity Today, in honor of Black History Month, we are announcing 10 new grantees of the Salesforce Catalyst Fund, which provides critical, unrestricted capital to nonprofits led by underrepresented leaders.
With Kansas election season winding down, consider the benefits of being a mugwump Original
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Ron Smith is a fifth-generation Kansan, a native of Manhattan, an attorney practicing in Larned, a grandfather several times over, a Vietnam veteran and a civil war historian. It is hard to become, and then remain, a bona fide political mugwump. A mugwump is someone who wants to remain aloof from party politics.
Frontier Kansas lawyers plied their trade 'on grounds of general intelligence'
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Ron Smith is a fifth-generation Kansan, a native of Manhattan, an attorney practicing in Larned, a grandfather several times over, a Vietnam veteran and a civil war historian. I am an aficionado of Western novels. I like the work of Elmer Kelton, Zane Grey, C. J. Box, Craig Johnson, that sort.
An absence of malice: Free speech precedent could be up for grabs in shifting media landscape
Editor’s note: Ron Smith is a Manhattan High School Class of 1965 alumnus. American watchers of the U.S. Supreme Court keep looking for the one phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of those who want courts to make law rather than leave it to the legislatures. That phrase is: “We should reconsider our jurisprudence in this area.” It’s a siren call to judicial review, where five members of the court signal they might hit the reset button on a new case that wipes out several old cases.
An absence of malice: Free speech precedent could be up for grabs in shifting media landscape
Free speech precedent could be up for grabs in shifting media landscape By Ron Smith, Kansas Reflector Posted 10/15/22 American watchers of the U.S. Supreme Court keep looking for the one phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of those who want courts to make law rather than leave it to the legislatures. That phrase is: “We should reconsider our jurisprudence in this area.” This item is available in full to subscribers. Attention subscribers We have recently launched a new website.
An absence of malice: Free speech precedent could be up for grabs in shifting media landscape Original
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Ron Smith is a fifth-generation Kansan, a native of Manhattan, an attorney practicing in Larned, a grandfather several times over, a Vietnam veteran and a civil war historian.
Why Salesforce Launched a Carbon Credit Marketplace
Today at Dreamforce ‘22, Salesforce announced Net Zero Marketplace, an open destination for people and companies looking for guidance and opportunities to collaborate as they engage in climate action. The marketplace will be live in October, and is launching with a diverse array of carbon credit offerings — sustainable, innovative solutions that can be applied immediately to help protect the climate.
Salesforce Announces First-of-Its-Kind Carbon Credit Marketplace, Empowering Any Organization to Take Climate Action on Their Journey to Net Zero
New Net Zero Marketplace connects buyers with ecopreneurs in a trusted, transparent carbon credit platform to scale climate-positive impact Carbon credit providers Climate Impact Partners, Cloverly, Lune, Pachama, Native, A Public Benefit Corporation, Respira International, and South Pole, third-party rating companies Calyx Global and Sylvera, and curated climate portfolio provider CO2.com join as inaugural partners Ushers in a new era of carbon credit market transparency by aggregating...
In electing lawmakers, Kansans might want to look past active-verb artists
▪ You must give Kansas Reflector credit, including https://kansasreflector.com and author. ▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Kansas Reflector. ▪ Stories may be edited for in-house style or to shorten. More substantial changes should be noted as additional and conducted by your publication. ▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credited to Kansas Reflector with the stories with which they originally appeared.
Want to find real election fraud? Look at the history of Kansas, United States in 1800s
▪ You must give Kansas Reflector credit, including https://kansasreflector.com and author. ▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Kansas Reflector. ▪ Stories may be edited for in-house style or to shorten. More substantial changes should be noted as additional and conducted by your publication. ▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credited to Kansas Reflector with the stories with which they originally appeared.
In supporting Ukrainians’ struggle, let’s not go crazy by canceling Russia’s rich culture
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Ron Smith is a fifth-generation Kansan, a native of Manhattan, an attorney practicing in Larned, a grandfather several times over, a Vietnam veteran and a civil war historian. In 1969-70, I was a Navy disc jockey at the American Forces Vietnam Network in Saigon.
Multijurisdictional Repositories: A Possible Solution for Nonconsent Towing Problems
cross the United States, more than 30,000 cars are relocated each day without the owner?s consent, in such situations as law enforcement or private-property tows, and are ultimately stored in public and private impound lots. Coupled with the reality that most metropolitan areas have multiple enforcement agencies residing in overlapping and adjacent jurisdictions, hundreds of … Continue reading Multijurisdictional Repositories: A Possible Solution for Nonconsent Towing Problems
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