Ron DeYoung
Articles by Ron DeYoung
June 23, 2007
Politics and politicians baffle me!
Don't get me wrong, I do understand many things about the political process, but the people that are asking us to vote for them, never cease to confuse my little mind by talking in circles, lying to the public and twisting the universe into their own sense of...
June 15, 2007
Recently, while doing some yard work and spring clean up around my house, I found out that I am one of the up to 85 percent of all people that is allergic to something called urushiol. Urushiol is the oil from poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac that causes people to have a reaction.
Interes...
June 15, 2007
When I recently was introduced to the agony caused by poison ivy, the reaction began as one simple bump that I initially mistook for a bug bite of some kind. Within the next 24 hours the reaction my body experienced convinced me this was obviously not a bug bite. That one little bump had multiplied ...
May 11, 2007
As I peruse this never ending novel of society as we know it, the Internet, I frequently come across entries written by people who are totally different, yet eerily similar to me. On occasion the entries they contribute attempt to explain the reasons for the very existence of those entries. And so w...
March 31, 2007
I am among the last of the Baby Boomers or the first of Generation X. According to some statisticians, The Baby Boomers are those who were born between 1946 and 1964 -- the period of time between the end of World War II and the beginning of Viet Nam. As I approach middle age I wonder what happened t...
March 29, 2007
I am among the last of the Baby Boomers. That's right. As I approach middle age, I wonder what happened to Generation X, the generation that follows mine. The Baby Boomers are those who were born between 1946 and 1964, the period of time between the end of World War II and the beginning of Viet Nam....
March 29, 2007
Other than being able to fly your own plane, driving is probably one of the most liberating physical activities known to man. Before we graduate from high school most of us have experienced the exhilaration of the freedom that comes with our first driver's license and our first vehicle. If you were ...
February 14, 2007
For most of my life my words have been the bread and butter of my income. Whether spoken or written, the words that originate in my head have managed to keep food on my table most days of the week. I think that qualifies me as a writer.
Like many writers, I have certain rituals and habits that t...
February 13, 2007
It doesn't matter if you're a water buffalo, canary, house pet or person, chances are favorable that you are aware of the use of statistics in our lives. Whether you're being born, voting, living, or dying you are personally involved with statistics. I was forced to take (and pass) a Statistics cl...
July 01, 2006
“There are no whole truths: All truths are half-truths. It is trying to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil.”
--Alfred North Whitehead
The fictional, mythical, strangely mystical, Land of Partial Honesty is where it appears many politicians reside. History shows it to be a strange ...
February 18, 2006
Being the optimistic individual that I am, always seeing the beer bottle as half full rather than half empty, it?s difficult to admit that at times I feel like we are all doomed. Perhaps everyone should just give up and blindly follow the members of our society who wear the nicest clothes, or have ...
February 08, 2006
Suggested Prior Readings:
Exploring the Grand Jury – Part I: Is This Justice?
Exploring the Grand Jury – Part II: Results of Secrecy
Exploring the Grand Jury – Part III: A True Story
Over the past week, I’ve had quite the inner struggle about how to approach this final article detai...
February 08, 2006
So far in this series of articles, I’ve tried to give the readers a very brief look at the 900 year history of the Grand Jury and how it came to be used in The United States. I’ve tried to explain how a Grand Jury is formed, some of the procedures that are common in today’s Grand Jury, the rules a...
February 08, 2006
Once I start researching a subject I’m writing about, I often find it difficult to stop. The entire Grand Jury concept is quite perplexing and while I try to put everything into perspective, production slows. This is Part II of a planned 4 part series on Grand Juries and how they function in the j...
February 08, 2006
I’ve always been a fan of the NBC Television show Law & Order. As the police bring information and a suspect to the New York City District Attorney’s office one can almost count on someone questioning the validity or strength of the evidence provided. Was it obtained legally? Is it damning enough...
January 08, 2006
I apologize for the tardiness of this review. Unlike many of my neighbors, I had to wait until I watched The Book of Daniel before offering my analysis and opinion of the new NBC program which premiered last Friday. Upon watching, I promptly returned to my keyboard to record my thoughts. It was w...
December 19, 2005
Is anyone else sick and tired of the President of the United States getting on national television, looking at the camera and flat out lying to America? Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s hilarious to watch the weasel trying to ad-lib answers to the press, stuttering, while not appearing to be waitin...
December 05, 2005
According to the big, green book I refer to on an almost daily basis to clarify, dispute or define what is really meant by a word, ?sexy? is not ?vulgar.? Vulgar is the word that Spring Hill, Tennessee Mayor Danny Leverette used to explain why the word sexy had to be removed from a sign advertising...
November 13, 2005
As I recently struggled to put thoughts into words, a close acquaintance of mine mentioned that he thought I possess some very strong opinions. Perhaps a little too strong, he suggested. I responded to his observation by simply saying that I think something’s broken in the system. I went on to sa...
November 01, 2005
I crashed my computer about three days ago because I was doing things I shouldn’t have, trying to repair a problem. The more I tried to fix my problem, the deeper in the hole I went. I know that I don’t know anything about computer programming and I had no business trying to diagnose and repair a ...
October 25, 2005
As a person who is inordinately interested in what's going on around the world, I admit to spending way too much time reading papers and surfing various web sites and blogs. Times when I should be studying, (so I can actually get that degree this Fall), are often misappropriated trying to find out i...
October 21, 2005
When I was a 16-year-old, cocky, little jack ass, thinking I had the world by the nuts because I was talking on the radio for a living and having my way with every girl that I met in the late 70's, a fellow DJ turned me on to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and the wonderfully twisted view of the w...
October 19, 2005
As I scanned the content offerings of The Washington Times online this morning, I felt a name from the past reach out and touch me. Peeking out at me from the roster of opinion columnists was a name I hadn’t seen in years! It said “Oliver North!” I immediately choked as my coffee went down the wi...
October 16, 2005
How Stupid Are We?
The other day President George W. Bush got to thinking how he could possibly make it look like he cares about the nearly 2,000 American who have died and the hundreds of thousand that he?s placed in harms way in Iraq. Since his support base is falling apart at home and it?s be...
October 16, 2005
Most of the years of my life, I’ve been a pretty carefree, happy individual; just taking things one day at a time. My mother ensures me that I was a happy baby, a rambunctious toddler, a “smart-assed” pre-teen and an ambitious, friendly teenager, who managed to get into my share of trouble. She’s ...
October 13, 2005
A friend of mine recently disclosed to me that when a Republican colleague of hers inquired as to my political leanings, she wasn’t sure what to say. The person who was asking only knew that I wrote, and he was interested in having me do some work on a project he was involved with. My friend, bein...
October 05, 2005
Once again, the people of the United States of America seem to be divided by their beliefs and convictions. There are huge differences in the ways Americans live, work, and play. There are passionate disagreements regarding the practice of religion, the breadth of the law, the actions of governmen...
September 26, 2005
Dear President Bush,
You don’t and probably never will know me, but I’m an American who would like to discuss a few things with you. Since you avoid anyone who disagrees with you, don’t read the newspapers and don’t really understand other forms of communication made possible by recent technolog...
September 16, 2005
General Colin Powell became a household name and an American hero during Operation Desert Storm. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army, he was courted by the media and political interests to run for President of the United States, but gracefully declined. I was disappointed when he chose agai...
August 30, 2005
Recently, I publicly declared my support for Jennifer Wilbanks, a.k.a The Runaway Bride, if she were to run for public office. Citing her wisdom, accountability, integrity and sense of humility, I continue to believe persons exhibiting these qualities are the kind of representatives we need in gove...
August 15, 2005
Some of the qualities I feel are essential in President of the United States are clearly absent in our current Commander in Chief. Qualities such as wisdom, accountability, humility and accepting responsibility for ones actions are at the top of the list. Honesty, compassion and a willingness to a...
August 09, 2005
Nearly everyone is doing it. Perhaps the first time someone does it is on prom night, and for many, the last time they do it is right before they die. Some people do it fast, others slow. There are many that do it very well, but unfortunately, there seem to be many more that are pretty bad at it...
August 04, 2005
People who know me might say I have a difficult time admitting I don’t know the answer. And they’d be right. I’ve been known to argue with Alex Trebek while watching Jeopardy. I stubbornly refuse to ask for directions when it’s clear to everyone but me I’m lost. I’ve even argued with a person wh...
July 22, 2005
When I first decided to pursue a degree in Public Relations, the first question I was asked by friends and family was “what will you do with that?” My flippant stand by answer was that I’d relate publicly. Disturbingly, that satisfied most queries. If pressed further, I would reply, “I’m going to...
July 22, 2005
Have you ever felt that you were being screwed over and just had to take it because you knew of no recourse? Have you had something to say to the world, but didn’t think anyone would listen? Have you ever let a wrong go uncorrected because you didn’t think it was a real big deal? Have you ever th...
July 11, 2005
Well, here we go, back into the future! It’s 2055 now and I’m over 90! 50 years ago, I would have never bet that I’d still be alive. But the quality of life isn’t what I would have thought it would be. Along with the medical advances that have kept me alive, came medical advances that are keepin...
July 08, 2005
Gadgets and gizmos, widgets and watchamacallits are making most of the people I know a little bit wacko. When we go to the store and purchase the latest technology that promises to enrich our lives, it’s usually an exhilarating event. We rush home, open the package, and spend an hour or so trying ...
July 08, 2005
As patriots and loyal Americans, it's our responsibility to pay attention and notice when things are not right with our society. With the recent Independence Day celebrations, I had to stop and ask myself, "what are people celebrating?
Sure, July 4th is the anniversary of the day that our foundin...
July 06, 2005
The United States of America and Japan have been in competition with one another since before December 7, 1941 in one way or another. Following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the surrender of Japanese forces aboard the Battleship USS Missouri in 1945, the humbled Japanese began their...
July 06, 2005
A tear escapes from the corner of my eye, as I swallow deeply and take a deep breath. This is the method I use to stifle the emotions that would trigger a flood if left to flow freely. The cause of my angst is that I just don’t understand, or possibly, that I understand way too much.
On the night...