Commentaries Archive


Plenty of Ways to Give This Holiday Season

Posted December 13, 2022 By Triad Today
Hand offering holiday gift to charity

As we celebrate this holiday season, let’s not forget that there are people beyond our immediate circle of family and friends who are suffering, and could benefit from our love and generosity. Over the past decade, I’ve been able to showcase scores of community organizations on my Triad Today television show, and in the process, […]


Celebrity Friends Who Passed Away in 2022

Posted December 6, 2022 By Triad Today
Blurry photo of candles in the dark with the words "in memoriam"

Over the past year, I had the unenviable task of writing a number of obituary columns about celebrity friends of mine who had passed away. Now, during this season of celebration, it is only fitting that we celebrate their remarkable lives and careers. What follows are excerpts from those columns.     Peter Bogdanovich It […]


My Personal Pet Peeves

Posted November 29, 2022 By Triad Today
two cars parked too close to each other in a parking lot

My wife Pam says that I complain all the time about a host of random things. I tell her that I’m not complaining, rather, I’m just reporting to her what I observe. She then usually tells me what I can do with my observations. And so, after spending the past week telling everyone what I’m […]


JFK and the First Thanksgiving

Posted November 22, 2022 By Triad Today
President John F. Kennedy

Presidents are only human, so they make mistakes. No, I’m not talking about Bill Clinton hooking up with Monica Lewinski, or Joe Biden introducing Kamala Harris as “the President”. I’m talking about John Kennedy, and how he misread history, unintentionally insulted the Commonwealth of Virginia, and was compelled to make amends. The story begins on […]


Lack of Blacks in Baseball

Posted November 15, 2022 By Triad Today
Hall of Fame San Francisco Giants baseball player Willie McCovey in 1961

The state of Georgia is in the spotlight these days because neither Senate candidate garnered enough votes to avoid a run-off, which will take place next month. No matter who wins, though, the contest itself has been significant because both candidates are Black. In a sense it is a victory for diversity in the very […]


Animal Cruelty Deserves Severe Punishment

Posted November 8, 2022 By Triad Today
An injured dog receiving veterinary care

As an animal lover, I am still trying to wrap my brain around the ludicrous sentence handed down to Caleb Dewald last month. Dewald, as you might recall, was found guilty of 10 counts of felony animal cruelty, then got off with a slap on the wrist. I’ll go into more detail about sentencing in […]


Pets Suffer from Vet Shortage

Posted November 1, 2022 By Triad Today
An injured dog receiving veterinary care

Once upon a time, we could always count on nurses, firefighters, policemen, and doctors showing up for work, no matter what. That’s because they are life-savers, and life-savers are supposed to be there for us 24/7. Alas, though, times have changed. The pandemic has created shortages among the ranks of these brave and vitally important […]


Beasley and Budd to Appear on Triad Today

Posted October 25, 2022 By Triad Today
Triad Today logo

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neillt used to say, “All politics is local”, which, in a broad sense, refers to the fact that every decision made in Washington affects every community, and that decisions made locally can affect what goes on nationally. In just under two weeks, that philosophy will be put to the […]


Remembering Dame Angela Lansbury

Posted October 18, 2022 By Triad Today
Angela Lansbury in 2006

Eight years ago, Queen Elizabeth bestowed upon Angela Lansbury the title of Dame Commander, the equivalent of Knighthood for men. Accordingly, from that time forward, I included Angela’s new title on the envelope of every Christmas card I mailed to her. Of course, I knew Angela before she was a Dame, and back then there was […]


The Hypocrisy of Hurricane Reporting

Posted October 11, 2022 By Triad Today
Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore being struck by a tree branch while covering Hurricane Ian

You may not have heard of him, but John Selden made a lot of very profound statements. Selden was an English scholar who lived from 1584 until 1654, and among his many sayings is, “Ignorance of the law excuses no man.” Over the centuries, highway patrolmen, judges, and others in positions of power have popularized the phrase […]

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