Craig Tyson Adams

It is irrefutable that within the borders of our great country, we face complex and ongoing problems in need of a uniquely innovative solution. These issues have persisted for decades, reaching a stalemate whenever they fall under the purview of our domestic federal leadership. The individual states may have their own proposed answers, but they cannot seem to find any common ground. Each one has its own agenda, resulting in a disorganized and ineffective approach towards solving these pressing matters. At the forefront of national discussion are two highly contentious topics. What to do with a fetus and how to regulate gun ownership. At first glance, these seem as related as pineapples and plaid shirts. However, to effectively address them, we must adopt a new perspective and step outside the conventional lines of thinking. There is a belief among some individuals that a fetus is a person deserving of all the rights and protections granted by our United States Constitution. Similarly, ...

Pursuing the life of a pug. A boxer. The smell of sweat and deprivation matched the humidity and heat from the lights. There had to be a better way of making a living. That time has passed. Once the taste was acquired, it was all over. I could smell the leather before it hit me. The twist of the hide tore at the flesh, leaving it raw only to be hit again. My arms ache after weeks of repetition and work. The effort that lasted until there was nothing left, only to push it further. The dull feeling of energy quickly dissipating made the body wish it had not consumed so much fast food hidden against orders. The time that should’ve been used to do more roadwork, as the endurance and lung capacity are now being felt at maximum capacity.  A flash of bright light makes me realize I need to bob and weave and move my head as another flash, while I think, tells me to hurry. My calves scream, but my thighs and back are moving perfectly in unison.  A spray of blood surprises me but then ...

A few days ago, I was on Facebook, and someone posted a photograph of their family. The picture was of their grandparents and their children before they left for California during the Great Depression. The kids were grinning and having a good time posing for the picture. The adults looked weathered and grim-faced. They were obviously apprehensive about the journey. The family’s move to California was arduous, but turned out well. They grew and thrived. Living through those times made people stronger. It gave them a sense of character and responsibility, mostly. Being forward-thinking helped make society improve. For the last 90 years, our civilization has progressed at a rate unseen in human history. We have gone from a millennium where horses were the primary source of power to where we are today with a multitude of power sources. What seemed unfathomable to the family in the photograph is now commonplace. For example, we have taken it for granted that we now have medicines that can w...

Just when you think you've found a suitable restaurant, antisocial hospitality reveals itself. We went out to a restaurant recently. It’s momentous for us because, usually, it all turns out to be a disappointment. The food is usually lacking. It’s too salty or too dry. It’s overcooked to the point of being burnt or undercooked, to the point of being almost raw.  Sometimes, I like raw food. Sashimi is good. Steak Tartare, although it sounds wrong, is also a treat. But not if I bite into a chicken and it’s pink. That’s just not right. Steak can be pink and be perfect. Not chicken or pork.  The point to all of this is that going out to eat is always a gamble. When it has nothing to do with the food, it’s the presentation. And when I say presentation, I am talking about not only the look of the plate when it’s served, but the people that make up the restaurant staff.  Servers and waitresses have a demanding job. It’s way more difficult than it should be. Working with the pu...

Son, meet baseball . My old friend.  I was thinking back to the favorite sports conversation we had a few days ago, and I thought that spelling out my love for baseball would help you understand more than just telling it. When I was 8 years old, my grandfather called me into the house where he was watching a game. He sat me down and said, ‘I want you to watch this next hitter. His name is Willie Mays. He’s the greatest player I ever saw. I want you to tell your children that you saw him play.’ That was the beginning of my romance with baseball.  Baseball is unlike other sports for my generation because baseball is truly generational. My father took me to my first baseball game, just like his father took him.  I had the pleasure of attending a game with them both, which gave us a commonality, something of a reference that led to bonding unlike anything else. It was a shared experience that we could relate to.  I played baseball with my friends. The game would take pla...

There are a lot of  protesting  protesters these days. It seems that protesting has become the thing to do again. Protesting is more popular today than it has been since the late 1960’s and early 70’s.  On college campuses, the streets outside government buildings and in town halls, large cities and small communities have experienced Americans of all walks of life protesting and demonstrating against issues real, and, at times, imagined. “We’re protesting because we don’t like what is going on!” said one protester who was protesting at a protest. “There are so many injustices that there are almost too many to count!” exclaimed another protester at one other protest. “The only way that someone can get their voice heard is through demonstration, picketing and protesting!” yet another protester proclaimed at yet another protest. There is another side to all the protesting. “We’re here to exercise our right to protest all the protesters who are protesting!” expressed an anti-...

There is a video  of the Beatles circulating that is extraordinary. I haven’t seen anything like it before.  It’s a clip of Paul McCartney from Peter Jackson’s reconstruction of the ill-fated Beatles Get Back project now streaming on Disney+.  In it, McCartney shows up in the morning, along with bandmates George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they complain that John Lennon is late again. “We’ll have to get rid of him." McCartney jabs. It’s a harbinger of things to come as the Beatles broke up later that year. Then something extraordinary happens. It's The Beatles after all. McCartney sits down and starts to noodle around on his bass guitar. Randomly strumming and scatting a melody, and, in mere seconds, a tune starts to take shape.  A caption on the screen says, ‘Feeling pressure of their approaching deadline, Paul searches for new song ideas.’ After a few seconds the now familiar strains of the Beatles song Get Back starts to emerge.  He’s being open to motivation...

Of course, just when you think this society we have here in the United States couldn’t get any weirder, along comes a group that gathered in Dallas waiting for JFK Jr.. They’re followers of QAnon. A once upon a time fringe group that is no longer fringe. Some of it’s adherents almost seem downright lucid, except when they profess what they believe.  Now, don’t get me wrong. We’ve had our share of many well meaning weirdos before. Flat Earthers, Mayan calendar end of days believers, Y2K devotees, Apollo 11 moon landing deniers, Mormons and so on.  But, among QAnon beliefs, of which there are many , is the John F. Kennedy Jr. is going to emerge and proclaim that Donald Trump is still the President of the United States, and that he, JFK Jr., is now the Vice President. Together, QAnon supporters believe Trump and Kennedy Jr. will clean up the degenerates in Washington D.C. that stole the 2020 presidential election, amongst other charges .  They’ve been camped out in Dallas s...