Debra Rae's Past Articles

79 articles

Israel, The Little Nation that Could The Jewish Problem Examined, Part 1

published: March 17, 2013

A popular children’s story features a little locomotive put to the test in front of a great, heavy train. As it neared the top of the grade, it reduced speed, but kept saying, "I—t...

Transcendent Commitments as 2013 Unfolds

published: December 02, 2012

Four years ago, I published on line a commentary entitled “Obama Claus is Coming to Town.”[i] And come, he did. To countless many, Obama was viewed as “a messiah-like figure&rdquo...;

Forging Forward: “Flexible” Foreign Policy

published: November 28, 2012

It’s often said, “There’s no crystal ball to predict the future.” Filing documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission, even the Psychic Friends Network admitted: &l...;

New Social Contract; Old Strategy: Part 2

published: November 06, 2012

Enlightened, twenty-first century thought compels folks to rethink the nature of social relationships and interactions. What’s not to like about “a sustainable, equitable future for...

New Social Contract; Old Strategy: Part 1

published: November 06, 2012

Following the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil (Rio+20, June 2012), UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay commended its broad inclusion of human rights provisions—i.e., rights t...

Human Rights Council: Foxes in the Henhouse

published: October 21, 2012

Basic to American creed are inalienable rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In his Second Treatise of Government, John Locke outlined the law of nature and nature&r...;

Fiscal Cliff or Launch Pad? Part 2

published: October 21, 2012

In the boxer’s ring of election year partisan politics, biblical scholar, author, and referee Wayne Grudem studies the moves of gloved contestants, each vying for his own view of government&r...;

Fiscal Cliff or Launch Pad? Part 1

published: October 21, 2012

Particularly in an election year, every citizen’s mandate is to know the issues and become engaged in the political process, but where to start? Econ 101: Back to Basics Foundational wor...

Human Rights Council: Foxes in the Henhouse

published: October 15, 2012

Basic to American creed are inalienable rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In his Second Treatise of Government, John Locke outlined the law of nature and nature&r...;

Collectivist Mindset: Recipe for Revolution

published: September 02, 2012

The late Chuck Colson said it well: “The culture war is not just about abortion, homosexual rights, or decline of public education. These are only skirmishes. The real war is a cosmic struggl...

ABCs of ATT: Governmental Gun-trusion

published: July 26, 2012

Yet again, senseless gun violence left its unsuspecting victims bereaved, bloodied, stunned, and inconsolably shaken; some less fortunate moviegoers didn’t survive this month’s deadly a...

Jimmying Justice: Shaken Baby Shakedown

published: July 03, 2012

An amusing scene in the Oscar-winning movie, Chicago, is when attorney-turned-puppet-master Billy Flynn uses his client, Roxie, as a ventriloquist’s dummy, all the while he manipulates marion...

The Executive Order, “Stroke of the Pen, Law of the Land. Kinda’ Cool”

published: June 17, 2012

Paul Begala famously described an executive order as the law of the land executed by a mere stroke of the pen. To this, he added, “kinda’ cool.” [i] But not all Americans readily...

Historical Halftime Hullaballoo

published: March 06, 2012

Throughout the course of recorded history, every culture has glommed on to some sort of goddess figure—Venus and Isis (fertility goddesses) and Morrigan (goddess of war), to name but three. S...

When Issues Ignite Ire Part 2: Fallacies of Logic Do Not a Fair Fight Make

published: February 13, 2012

Especially throughout this season of campaigning for the highest office in the land, emotions run deep; and folks don’t always see eye to eye. Passionate exchanges are inevitable, even within...

When Issues Ignite Ire Part 1: Be Angry, but Sin Not

published: February 13, 2012

When Issues Ignite Ire Part 1: Be Angry, but Sin Not Whether self-described as “right” or “left,” “faith-based” or “secular,” “conservative,&r...;

Right to Free Exercise Part 2, Slippery Slope Politics

published: December 19, 2011

Part 1 Revisited Once again, a four-year legal fight in Washington State has landed in a federal courtroom. In the end, two individual pharmacists (Margo Thelen and Rhonda Mesler) and a family-own...

Right to Free Exercise Part 1, No Leeway for Conscience

published: December 19, 2011

Once again, a four-year legal fight in Washington State has landed in a federal courtroom. In the end, two individual pharmacists (Margo Thelen and Rhonda Mesler) and a family-owned pharmacy (Ralph...

The Economics of Megachurchianty Part 4: Entrepreneurial Leadership Network

published: October 02, 2011

As a child, I recall locking arms with classmates while singing a playful little ditty, “the more we get together, together, together; oh, the more we get together, the happier we'll be.&rdqu...;

The Economics of Megachurchianity Part 3: Language of the Communitarian Church

published: October 02, 2011

As social tools go, language is by far the most important. Certainly, it’s the most influential. The Proverbs makes this abundantly clear: To guard one’s tongue is to preserve life itse...

The Economics of Megachurchianity Part 2: Communitarian Church Growth Movement

published: October 02, 2011

When on track, the corporate world is likened to a well-oiled machine that is propelled by one integrative philosophy—namely, Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM ensures continual improvement...

Economics of Megachurchianity Part 1: Church Tradition, Transition, and Transformation

published: October 02, 2011

“Old timers” remember with fondness the community church of yesteryear, when both the church and grammar school operated out of a single building, likewise used as a gathering place for...

Islamo-phobic? Think Again Part 4: Political Lessons Learned by an American Man in Captivity Debra Rae

published: August 14, 2011

Our second year of teaching at the American School of Kuwait, I toured Iran while some of my colleagues spent Christmas vacation in Ethiopia. The cheapest, most expeditious route for their travels ...

Islamo-phobic? Think Again Part 3: Political Lessons Learned by an American Woman in Captivity Debra Rae

published: August 14, 2011

My second year of teaching at the American School of Kuwait, I toured Iran while colleagues spent Christmas vacation in Ethiopia. The cheapest route for their group was through Yemen; therefore, up...

Islamo-phobic? Think Again Part 2: Theological Lessons Learned from Girls of Riyadh and Kuwait Debra Rae

published: August 14, 2011

Not long ago, I read a fascinating book unlike any other. Translated into English from Arabic, the Girls of Riyadh compiles a series of emails written by a young Saudi Arabian woman who, at th...