Don Davis

Each spring, for several years after our family moved to North Carolina, we tried to raise a vegetable garden in our backyard. But the seeds fed the birds, nursery plants fattened the local deer, and the fertilizer produced the most beautiful crop of weeds in the county!

"We are obviously watching the dollar very carefully," Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee on February 29, 2008. Yes, Bernanke's Fed is watching, as is the rest of the world, while the once-mighty American dollar sinks to the status of third-world currency! Since August 2007, the U.S. government has spent nearly $1 trillion bailing out financial institutions and to shore up the ailing US economy.

Around the world, many large nations are under pressure from ethnic or tribal minorities within their borders. Kosovo recently declared independence from Serbia. Kenya is torn by tribal rivalries over disputed election results. Chechnya desires freedom from Russian control. The Basque people of Spain want to be separate from Madrid's oversight.

But will any of these peoples truly be happier and better off going their own way? Will they be able to provide themselves a better government and a better life than what they are leaving behind?

The Star-Spangled Banner calls the United States, "the home of the brave." Past generations were moved by the bravery and self-sacrifice of American soldiers during World War II.

"Temptations come, as a general rule, when they are sought." Those words from nineteenth century Scottish novelist Margaret Oliphant reveal a marvelous understanding of human nature – an understanding few today seem to possess.