A federal judge in Dallas declared a mistrial in the case of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) when a jury was unable to reach a verdict on 197 counts brought by the government that accused the Muslim charity of funding terrorism.

Here’s the oath of office administered to members of the House and Senate: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.” A similar oath is sworn to by the president and federal judges.

Pulling a few unrelated thoughts together here:

Although we’ve lived in Peachtree City for 36 years altogether, we’ve been in this house for 23 years now, the longest we’ve lived anywhere. Wouldn’t you think there would be no more surprises?

Normally I try to present my opinions and back them up with as much of a scientific basis as possible. But this time, the Peachtree City approach to planning the cart path to the bridge over Flat Creek defies description and understanding.

Standing outside the state Capitol on the morning of March 11, 2005, I knew there had been a tragedy. A cacophony of sirens, circling helicopters, police motorcycles roaring up sidewalks and people running in various stages of panic were some of the images seared into my memory. By the end of the day, I would find out that four decent, hard-working Georgians had been callously gunned down and killed by one man.

Storytellers, I often say, are those who find stories in the simplest occurrences. Sometimes, it’s just a phrase or a word that will stop me in my tracks and send me spiraling toward a new story.

Did you ever agree to do something before you realized how hard it would be? This is one of those times for me. During a planning meeting for our upcoming (Sat, Nov. 3) Perlieu Stew, one of the planners asked me to mention it in my column. I said, “Sure!” Now, as I sit to write the column, which is to be a religious column that I pray inspires people and draws them closer to Christ, I’m wondering how to make Perlieu Stew inspiring for the sake of the Gospel. Other than being a fund raiser for the Christian mission, there’s not too much about it that could qualify as “religious.”

An employee who works harder than his colleagues, produces more and generally excels at his job should be paid more than one who is mediocre, or worse, a downright failure, right? Most employers reward good workers with promotions, bonuses and higher pay in order to keep them. But in the one profession you’d think that excellence should be rewarded — namely, teaching — it’s often difficult to do so.

This time, Cleveland.

A 14-year-old suspended high school student entered Cleveland’s Success Tech Academy, a gun in each hand, and opened fire, wounding four. Later, we learn that the shooter’s past included violent confrontations, mental problems and at least one previous suspension. A month earlier he told a friend that he intended to shoot up the school. But no one, apparently, took his behavior seriously enough to notify authorities.

While rockers Bruce Springsteen and David Crosby continue to run around the country spouting the preposterous assertion that America is doing evil in Iraq, the tide is quietly turning against the real bad guys: terrorists who kill innocent civilians in the name of Allah.

For years I have been concluding our church services by giving a blessing which includes the words, “God is not mad at you.” I say this because of the scripture in 2 Cor. 5:19 which states, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting men’s sins against them.” He HAS forgiven us, he DOES love us, and he will NEVER leave us or forsake us.

Memo to the president’s foes: It helps sometimes to have a president you hate. Think of the bad choices he can save you from, including those you urge on him. Consider the present guttural outcry — HOW DARE THIS CHILD-HATER VETO THE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE BILL?

WASHINGTON — Would the Democratic-controlled Senate approve a $1 million earmark to celebrate Woodstock-era baby boomers, carved out of a bill funding health care and education? It would because it is sponsored by New York’s influential senators, Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer. It would because they promote the pet project of a big-time Democratic campaign contributor.

With Hillary Clinton surging in the polls and Democrats knifing Bush’s foreign policy and praising Bill Clinton’s, it’s time for a reality check on a supposed triumph: Team Clinton oversimplified a complex situation in Bosnia and ended up aiding and abetting Muslim extremists.

I was sitting down at the computer yesterday, fresh out of ideas for a column, but as faith would have it, the phone rang. On the other end of the line, Big Brother James said, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea.” A cold shiver ran down my spine as I remembered another time he had said those very words.

Oakland, California, continues to suffer the high crime rate, and especially the high murder rate, which has long afflicted that city. Judging by a recent speech by its current mayor, long-time leftist Ron Dellums, it can look forward to a future all too much like its past.

Today we have a “local lad makes good” story.

If you take National Geographic Magazine, you may have read about his recent adventure on the Strait of Malacca or heard him interviewed on NPR, but didn’t recognize his name.

The average taxpayer and parents who foot the bill know little about the rot on many college campuses. “Indoctrinate U” is a recently released documentary, written and directed by Evan Coyne Maloney, that captures the tip of a disgusting iceberg. The trailer for “Indoctrinate U” can be seen at www.onthefencefilms.com/movies.html.

The subject of healing in the Bible is one that many have quarreled over for centuries. It’s always amazed me how people will fight and argue to stay sick.

Many of the questions and arguments have arisen as a result of people failing to receive healing from God. If God wanted people healed, wouldn’t He just heal them? If it were God’s will to heal everyone, then why do good Christian people die of sickness? Doesn’t God sometimes use sickness to get our attention and teach us valuable lessons? One thing is for sure, there are answers to all of these questions, and the answer is always found in the Word of God.

I missed the recent Dragon Boat race in Peachtree City, but having two Chinese daughters has led me to learn some of the roots of the Dragon Boat race tradition. If you’re game for a story from a different culture, read on.

This is a two-part column. Part one is what you might expect from a politically conservative person who believes “global warming” is a secular religion and that Al Gore deserved the Nobel Peace Prize as much as Yasser Arafat, Le Duc Tho and a myriad of other low-wattage lights, which is to say not at all. The second part may surprise my liberal friends.

Stevie, my long-time chum, has no better friend than me. This honor I bestowed on myself after I took off, chasing Pulitzer-prize winning author Harper Lee. All for Stevie’s sake.

It would be hard to think of anyone whose portrayal in the media differs more radically from the reality than that of Justice Clarence Thomas. His recent appearances on “60 Minutes,” the Rush Limbaugh program, and other media outlets provide the general public with their first in-depth look at the real Clarence Thomas.

The major news media no longer have the monopoly they once enjoyed. The way millions of Americans get their news and news analysis is through talk radio. The Rush Limbaugh Show stands at the very top of talk radio, carried on more than 650 radio stations and listened to by an estimated 20 million people each week. As an occasional fill-in for Rush, and being a professor, I see the show as being my big classroom, but I learn a lot as well.

In days (long) gone by, the tradition was that gentlemen engaged in media work do not disparage other gentlemen engaged in media work. The protocol was blatantly violated from time to time. How, in the age of Drew Pearson, could one have got through a year without squawking, reviling, protesting — perhaps dwelling on the case for the repeal of the First Amendment?

It seems that I am soon to be made a bishop. It is a position which I have not sought, for which I have not campaigned, and, in all truth — at least for the past few years — have not desired.

A few weeks ago, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid lured two young children to the public spotlight to help him pass a massive expansion of government health insurance. Gemma and Graeme Frost, 9 and 12 years old respectively, were severely injured in a car accident three years ago. Their parents obtained government health care through the non-means-tested Children’s Health Insurance Program in Maryland. President Bush’s veto doesn’t change that — and there’s the rub.

Vamos a ver, as we say down at Bo’s Hardware Store. According to an ABC News “Good Morning America” poll, two thirds of Americans don’t mind hearing Spanish spoken as a matter of course right here in the United States.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Back on their heels in a defensive posture all year while majority Democrats in Congress offered liberal initiatives, reform-minded conservative Republicans this week introduce the most sweeping tax plan since Jack Kemp’s three decades ago. It would establish a radically simplified, flatter tax for an estimated 90 percent to 95 percent of all income tax filers.

It’s fall once again in Georgia. Gone are the high temperatures and humidity of the long Dog Days of August and September. They are replaced with cool, romantic moonlit evenings and even cooler mornings.