By W.H. Lamb

Published: 15 October 2018

A long time ago (actually in 1956, my second year in university), I took a public speaking class.  I really enjoyed that semester, and I’ve done a fair amount of public speaking since those days, an activity that I do enjoy.  One of the class assignments was to come up with a “proposal” to accomplish something unusual or difficult, or both.  Searching for a suitable topic, I suddenly came up with a “eureka--I have found it” moment.  I had recently been reading, for my very first time, about the loss of the passenger liner, Titanic.  What better “unusual” topic could there be, in those halcyon days of 1956, then to come up with a proposal to “RAISE THE TITANIC,” which became my talk’s title? 

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 08 October 2018

The first two lines of James Lowell’s (1819-1891) epic poem, “The Present Crisis”, remind us that: “When a deed is done for Freedom, through the broad earth’s aching breast, Runs a thrill of joy prophetic, trembling on from east to west.”

Various people throughout the world may have a different perception of “freedom” -- i.e. what it means to them – how they define it.  The Oxford Dictionary includes what I consider to be pertinent definitions:

• The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants;
• The absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government;
• The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 01 October 2018

I wrote a version of this column in the printed version of The Times Examiner back in 2013.  The “historical” part was written by someone named “Robert”—and I still don’t know his last name.  Considering that it deals with our 2^nd Amendment, and considering the degree of hatred and derision being directed against this great freedom by people who should be rejoicing that we have it, and considering that if we lose our 2^nd Amendment sometime in the future, then much or all of our Constitution will go down with it, a “decent respect” for the opinions of my fellow Americans impels me to share these thoughts with you once again. 

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 24 September 2018

A couple of years ago, for the old print version of The Times Examiner, I wrote a version of this article.  I read it again recently and it gave me a few chuckles.  In this time of stress and demands for “societal change”, perhaps you’ll get a few much needed laughs to brighten your day, if only for an instant or two.  Many of us recall, with lots of nostalgia and fondness, that great musical film, “The Sound of Music.”  We saw it in Charlotte, N.C. for the very first time in 1966, and I confess we were delighted by the wonderful music and songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the interesting script, based only VERY loosely on the real history of the Von Trapp Family Singers of Austria, prior to WW11. 

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 18 September 2018

ALLAH THE “MERCIFUL”

SUCH MILD MANNERED MEN THESE MUSLIMS BE—

“PEACE AND LOVE” FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

THEY LOVE THEIR “BOOK,” SO THEIR MULLAHS PREACH,

BUT ALL THE WHILE OTHER FAITHS THEY BREACH!

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 10 September 2018

“No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.”  Luke 16:13.

Back in the “ancient times,” in February of 2001, I wrote an article for the print version of The Times Examiner titled: “The Growing Curse of Hyphenated Americans.”  I felt strongly about this problem of “divided loyalty” among Americans then, and I haven’t changed my opinion one bit since. If anything, I’m more disturbed over the “curse” of hyphenated Americans today than I was then, when it was an irritating problem, rather than the impending catastrophe it has become. 

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 05 September 2018

We’ve all heard the word, “fascist,” quite a lot lately. Every so-called “main stream media” outlet is proclaiming that fascists are evil racists (they are both), noxious “right wing extremists” (nope) who are in league with President Trump (not true) and his “bad, bad, bad” conservative/populist allies in the ranks of “The Basket of Deplorables,” as Comrade Hillary Clinton labeled them. (A few months ago, no less an authority than Rush Limbaugh said that Hillary was a COMMUNIST, so I’m just using her appropriate title).

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 29 August 2018

A few months ago my wife and I rewatched that glorious old 1951 film, QUO VADIS, which starred Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, and the venerable patriot, Robert Taylor.  You may recall that QV was a love story that revolved around the clash between the corrupted Roman culture, based on the veneration of a “Supreme Leader,” and the new Christian faith, based upon the worship of a “Supreme Savior.”  One scene impressed me, because while it wasn’t Biblically accurate, it did illustrate the film’s message of duty to God before duty to country. 

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 20 August 2018

Many years ago, the famous Russian author, the late Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, in one of his speeches:  “More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that have befallen Russia:  They said ‘men have forgotten God’…” 

Solzhenitsyn’s understanding of the underlying cause of most of the problems of the 20^th century (and up to this very moment) is accurate, because without any doubt, much of mankind (whether  it’s the ‘majority’ or not, I can’t say with certainty) seem to either have forgotten our Heavenly Father, the Creator of everything (including us) or at least seem to be well down the road to putting Him out of their lives.  We are well into the first quarter of the 21^st century, and the disturbing facts are that many in the so-called “Christian Church” seem to have forgotten Him as well, or at the very least have declared to God that we, his created ones, no longer are disposed to read and study His “instruction manual for successful living and eternal life”, otherwise known as God’s Word, our Bible!

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 13 August 2018

In the late summer of 480 B.C. an event occurred that shaped the spirit of resistance to tyranny from that time to this very day.  What motivates people, when faced with insurmountable odds and the virtual certainty of their own deaths, to nevertheless take a stand against the forces of evil that they see swiftly enveloping them?  Over untold centuries, men and women have fought and died for principles, for home and country, for the survival of their loved ones, for their faith, or simply because the alternative of giving up and surrendering to the Dark Forces was unthinkable.  These people realized the eternal truth that often, and perhaps always, death is better than life as a slave who is forced to serve the enemies of freedom.

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 06 August 2018

Alongside the road to Beaufort, S.C., near Yemassee, stand the still impressive ruins of Old Sheldon Church.  Originally built between 1745 and 1753, it was used by American patriots during our Revolutionary War to store arms; hence it was burned down by the British in 1779, and rebuilt in 1826.  Tradition has claimed that it was again burned and gutted by the marauding devils from General Sherman’s army of pillagers and despoilers; but recent evidence in a letter from an on site visitor in 1866 claims that Old Sheldon was NOT burned down in 1865 but was gutted by the locals after the War For Southern Independence, and its materials used all over Beaufort, S.C.  Be that as it may, the ruins presently stand in grand and haunting majesty, reminders of a time that once was, but is no more.

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 30 July 2018

Last time we discussed the several dictionary definitions of “civil war”, all of which agreed that it was an armed conflict between opposing groups of people living in the SAME country.  Which to my mind means that our Glorious American Revolution was a true civil war, by definition; and that our so-called “Civil War” of 1861-1865 was not a true civil war, because it was fought between opposing groups from two separate and independent countries—the U.S. Union and the Confederate States of America. 

We also began to quote from a summary of an excellent speech given by Daniel Greenfield at the South Carolina Tea Party Convention in January, 2018.  Following is the conclusion of Mr. Greenfield’s excellent but quite troubling thoughts:

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 23 July 2018

Before we get started pondering this troubling question, let’s define exactly what a “civil war” is and is not.  Following are some pertinent definitions:

• Webster’s Dictionary: A civil war is a war between opposing groups of citizens in the SAME country;
• Wikipedia: A civil war, also known as an ‘intrastate war’, is a war between organized groups within the SAME country;
• Collins English Dictionary: A civil war is a war which is fought between different groups of people who live in the SAME country.

Plainly, the determining factor is that violent, armed conflict must occur in the SAME country between the conflicting groups – the object of which is to wrest control (or maintain control) of the EXISTING government within ONE country.  Armed conflicts that occur between opposing groups in two SEPARATE countries are not then properly defined as a “civil war.” 

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 16 July 2018

We all have them – memories, that is. Though some may fade with the passing of time, many of our precious recollections of the past stay with us for a lifetime. This truth was emphasized to me several years ago when, on a local radio station, I listened to what I believe to be one of the most beautiful and haunting secular songs I’ve ever heard. It brought tears to my eyes then, not so much for any memories it stirred in me, sad to say, but for the depth of emotion projected by the man who was singing it. His name is John McDermott, and he was the founder of the famous singing group known as “The Irish Tenors.” I urge you to enter “John McDermott YouTube” on your search engine and click on the video of his performance of “The Old Man” (with lyrics), a beautiful song he sang in memory of his father. You will see, and hear, a truly special performance, I assure you. It still brings tears to my eyes whenever I watch it.

John was born in Scotland, but his family moved to Canada when he was ten, and he’s a citizen of that country. The words and music were written by Phil Coulter, and I trust it will affect you as it did me:

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By W.H. Lamb

Published: 09 July 2018

In part 1 of this foray into almost forgotten colonial history, we explored the tensions that had arisen over a period of several years over the hated Townshend Acts, laws enacted from the far away British Parliament which placed taxes, or increased tariffs, on many goods imported from Great Britain. Tax protests soon erupted throughout the British American colonies, none more intense than in and around Boston, in the British colony of Massachusetts. It was in one of these “angry mob” protests, on February 22, 1770, that 11-year-old Christopher Seider, who had involved himself (accidentally or on purpose—no one knows), lost his life and became to be considered by his countrymen as the first martyr for the cause of American freedom.

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