James M. Redwine

Religion

If a columnist is arguing for religion to believers or against religion to skeptics, such a columnist need fear only boredom. Should a writer seek passionate reactions, however, advancing theism to atheists or atheism to acolytes are best bets for a column to end up lining the bottom of a trash can, after cries of heresy or ignorance are voiced. Oh sure, one could write about politics or sex and receive some interest from readers. But people already know their own positions on politics are gospel and they either cringe at or deny their prurient inner thoughts re procreation. Therefore, most columnists cautiously approach politics and skirt stories about immorality unless persons whom they … [Read More...] about Religion

Fireworks Forever

On the Fourth of July my wife Peg, and our son Jim, along with his wife Gina and our granddaughter Elyse spent the long daylight hours anticipating the nighttime fireworks extravaganzas to be exploded by generous patriotic citizens. I have been amazed since I was a boy at how much effort, time and money ordinary Americans expend to celebrate our Independence. Whereas we boys spent our lawn-mowing money on cherry bombs and Roman candles, municipalities and businesses light up the heavens with spectacular displays of bursting pyrotechnics. We younger celebrants might spend scant time ruminating on the glories of America’s military history, but we did join in by dueling with imaginative ways … [Read More...] about Fireworks Forever

Redemption

America was born from the hope for a world where every person was of equal worth. In 1776 we had already realized this ideal was not reality. Our Founders sought freedom of choice for themselves while being fully aware they had long denied such equality to countless others. But the dream, and the struggle for it, has always been equal rights for all. Our nation’s recognition that Indigenous Peoples, slaves, women, minors, minorities and the poor struggled without freedom in the Land of the Free, never extinguished our country’s core values upon which we were anchored. As all sinners, we have backslid and faltered on our 250-year crusade to enhance freedom and welfare for all. However, in … [Read More...] about Redemption

Chance Favors the Prepared

Roman soldiers cast lots, gambled, on which soldier would take Jesus’ tunic/robe (See John 19:22-29). The New Testament refers to this shameful activity to help portray the crucifixion as even more humiliating. Each of the Gospels mentions this story that helps set forth the evil of the event and how Jesus was demeaned. In other words, gambling is not an admired activity, at least when it comes to stealing the clothes of Jesus. Indiana University had no knowledge of Brendan Sorsby’s gambling addiction while he played quarterback for IU his red-shirt freshman year of 2022. The NCAA informed Indiana University after Sorsby’s illness came to light while he played at Texas Tech; he had also … [Read More...] about Chance Favors the Prepared

Natural Law, Morality and Democracy

Our homo sapiens species has been around about two to three hundred thousand years. We probably began biologically in Africa with what we assert is our Western culture becoming ascendant in southern Europe about twenty-five hundred years ago. The Greeks and the Romans laid the foundation for our civilization and we still rely upon their theories of what a civilized society should be, especially in regard to morality and law. History is replete with rising and falling societies that have gone from collectively agreed upon legal systems to usurpation of power by elites that caused the society to fall upon its own sword. While there are many reasons why each “eternal” nation collapsed, as … [Read More...] about Natural Law, Morality and Democracy

Not the Valkyries

Peg and I returned to our log cabin on our ranch and saw three large vultures just outside our front door vying over the carcass of a massive armadillo. They were so intent on rendering their share of the bounty they did not fly away until I got of our vehicle. My first impression was of President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu and some Ayatollah gnawing at the remains of Iran. Armadillos are about as ugly a creature as nature has produced. They remind one of what a Congressional Committee might have produced had some generous pork producer asked their favorite House Member lackey to come up with a substitute for a hog to sell to the government for C-Rations. An armadillo is without any … [Read More...] about Not the Valkyries

A Re-Birth of Independence

July 04, 1776 was the birth of the United States of America. Our Birth Certificate is the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure those rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Were the men who signed this document naïve? Did they not recognize that these words would ring hollow to slaves, indigenous peoples, women and minorities? Of course not! Our Founders are called founders not because they established the … [Read More...] about A Re-Birth of Independence

Living Law of a Democratic Society

President Trump promises to annihilate a nation of 92 million people if his unconditional terms of capitulation are not met by the autocratic leaders of Iran. Pope Leo XIV calls for world-wide peace. President Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have twice ordered surprise bombings of Iran during peace negotiations to end a war started and maintained by Israel and the United States. President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu criticize the Pope for not joining with them in their demands. The Pope continues to call for peace. President Trump is weaponizing his self-appointed and individually controlled Department of Justice to punish and eliminate from government many … [Read More...] about Living Law of a Democratic Society

A Way Forward

Israel and Iran have been at odds since 1967. The United States and Iran have been at odds since 1979. Israel and Iran used to be allies and trading partners as did Iran and America. There are countless reasons for the current state of belligerence between Israel and Iran and Iran and the U.S.A. These grievances could be delineated, explained and sometimes justified. Such an analysis, if done objectively, might help lead to a return to equanimity and better lives for the citizens of all three nations and, perhaps, other countries that are now receiving collateral damage from the aggression of America, Israel and Iran. On the other hand, such an analysis requires virtually global input and … [Read More...] about A Way Forward

Of Snakes And Crows

In the Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-3, God, perhaps in a mood to overcome His boredom once He had created earth and its creatures, set Eve and all future women to be at odds with snakes. First, God created Adam then, when Adam had nothing to do but enjoy life, God created Eve to tempt him; I suppose for God’s own amusement. To tempt Eve, God created the serpent whose main purpose appears to have been to set up Eve’s biblical day-time talk show episode of learning about good versus evil by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Of course, Eve brought Adam along. Even though both Eve and the serpent knew to eat of the Tree of Knowledge had been forbidden by God, as Eve explained her great sin, the … [Read More...] about Of Snakes And Crows

Drone On

All organized militaries play war games to practice for real war. No blood from the losers or booty to the winners. No buildings destroyed or state treasuries depleted. In essence, war games are the best wars. Mankind has sought such a resolution of conflicts since we progressed from living in caves to coveting the caves of our neighbors. However, a major problem has often been we had to destroy our neighbor’s cave to take it over and often we had to kill our neighbors first. But, voila; along has come our ability to wage war without incurring any of its messier elements. We can now just dispatch unmanned drones instead. Just this past week Ukraine captured several Russian soldiers using … [Read More...] about Drone On

Unanimous for Murder

Live on Amazon.com and Kindle eBooks!

Unanimous for Murder picks up where JUDGE LYNCH! left off. A gripping story of small town murder and judicial shenanigans on the western frontier when the western frontier was east of the Mississippi.

Echoes of Our Ancestors: The Secret Game

Jim’s new novel tells the exciting story of a long hidden but important football game that occurred between representatives of Haskell Indian Institute (now the Haskell Indian Nations University) and professionals from the then Kansas City Cowboys in 1924 at a secret location on the Osage Indian Nation near Pawhuska, Oklahoma - where Jim was born.

Novelist, Columnist, Distinguished Jurist

Gavel Gamut

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