This is a question that has been asked for centuries and I’m not sure if it can actually be answered with certainty. There are several different lunar charts that will predict daily/hourly game activity based on the moon’s position in the sky. But there’s one that I have come to trust and seems to be fairly accurate, the iSolunar Chart (yes, that is the correct spelling).

From an angler’s perspective, I’ll have to admit that there have been days where this chart was spot on in terms of predicting game or fish activity. After a fishing trip with Lake Fork guide, Johnny Guice, I became a believer. 

While on this fishing trip with Johnny, and after a slow start that morning, he made the comment that the major feeding time was not supposed to occur until around 10:15 that morning. Well, to say I was skeptical would be an understatement. 

Then at 10:15, his cell phone alarm went off and he made the comment, “Get ready boys, they should start biting pretty quick.” Again, me being a doubting Thomas, I chuckled in silence. But five minutes later all three of the guys on this boat started catching fish!

The bite was on, and we began to put fish in the boat faster than we could take them off the hook! I was amazed at the timing and accuracy of the iSolunar Chart as I thought to myself, maybe there’s some truth to this chart. 

From that day on, I’ve been using this chart to make sure I’m in my best area on the lake where I have found fish in practice. This chart basically predicts where the moon will be in the sky at any certain time of day.

Your best feeding periods most of the time will be when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot (the other side of the Earth). Turns out there is a correlation between the position of the moon in the sky with fish and wildlife activity. 

I cannot tell you how many times I have used this chart just to give me an idea as to what time of day I can expect the major bite (feeding period) to occur. But it can also have its drawbacks if you’re expecting the major feeding period to kick in at a specific time and it doesn’t.

This can have a mental effect on you as an angler if you’re counting on this chart to be correct. There are weather conditions that can also alter things, like an approaching cold front or major weather change. 

While this chart can help you in many ways, don’t rely on it totally. Again, game and fish activity can be influenced by many other factors. This chart is simply a tool that may or may not help you to be successful. 

So, whether you’re a hunter, fisherman or a bird watcher, check the iSolunar Chart the next time you’re planning your next hunting or fishing trip. You too might be surprised just how accurate this chart can be.

You can add this app to your phone for easy access by going to your app store and searching, iSolunar Hunt & Fish Times. ‘Til next time, good luck on all your hunting and fishing adventures.

It has been 20 years since Chief Justice John Roberts was not only confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court but was also named chief justice by President George W. Bush.  As such, it is useful to look back at some of the major decisions that have been handed down in that time period. 

As Justice Jackson pointed out, maybe more rhetorically than actually, the Court isn’t final because it is infallible.  It is ‘infallible’ only because it is the final judicial decider.  Well, infallible or not, I’m happy to report that the Roberts Court has been right far more than it has been wrong.

I must say that except for what I consider to be a handful of glaringly erroneous decisions, including most prominently the decision upholding ObamaCare, there have been some amazing decisions.  In fact, as much as the decisions themselves, I think the Roberts Court reflects the triumph of the originalist and textualist method of legal reasoning championed by the late, great Justice Antonin Scalia.

It would be difficult to point to a weightier decision than the Dobbs decision that withdrew the federal courts and the Constitution from the abortion issue, appropriately relegating it to the states to be decided.  But what the Dobbs Court missed is that the Constitution does contain a ‘right to life, liberty and property …”

And in the 21st century, it is scientifically irrefutable that the unborn are human beings from the moment of conception and that they possess the key indicia of life—a unique genetic code, the ability to direct their own growth, with hearts that begin to beat at 18 days after conception and with brain waves measurable at 45 days after conception. 

Next, the Loper Bright decision (2024) overturned the Chevron deference doctrine, according to which regulatory agencies had wide latitude in interpreting vague statutes so long as that interpretation could be deemed a “permissible construction of the statute.”  Fortunately, after Loper, partisans on one side or the other of agency policy decisions have to actually engage in the political process to make the changes they seek.  This heightened scrutiny by the courts of (often arbitrary) agency decisions is absolutely necessary!

Further, freedom of speech has been stoutly maintained and defended by the Court, including allowing corporate and union political speech (Citizens United, 2010); prohibited public union dues being extracted from workers who opposed what those unions were doing with those dues (Janus, 2018); and other cases in which free exercise of religion was allowed to flourish and Establishment Clause prohibitions of religion, to subside. 

This includes the Court holding that states may not exclude religious schools when providing for K-12 scholarship money (Espinoza, 2020), and that religious business owners can’t be coerced by ObamaCare to provide insurance coverage for abortifacients (Hobby Lobby, 2014). The Court also defended the religious liberty of the Little Sisters of the Poor and a Colorado cake baker against hostile municipal governments.

Regarding the 2^nd Amendment, the Court held that it includes an individual right to bear arms, not simply a collective one limited to law enforcement and the military. (Heller, 2008). The individual right to keep and bear arms was included in the Bill of Rights to guarantee Americans the ability to protect themselves from a corrupt, unconstitutional, and tyrannical federal government.  In this way, the Second Amendment protects all the other citizen-rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

We must also acknowledge the lead of Chief Justice Roberts in the effort to end racial discrimination. He simply but brilliantly captured his view of racial preferences in law this way. “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”  He later also wrote in a 2006 case involving the issue of race in legislative redistricting, “it is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race.”  

I also think there is a better than 50/50 chance that the Supreme Court also overrules the Obergefell decision that “created” a federal constitutional right to gay marriage.  Like the abortion issue, the issue of gay marriage should be handled by the states.

In short, what we have seen from the Roberts Court these past 20 years is really nothing less than constitutional revitalization in accord with the Framers’ view of the Republic they intended to create.  It’s nothing less than the return of ‘Government by the Consent of the Governed.’  That is very much something to celebrate! 

On September 30, 1955, 23-year-old Donald Gene “Don” Turnupseed was returning to his home in Tulare, California, from California Polytechnic College in San Luis Obispo, California.  Don was a freshman at the college; in April of 1955, he had completed a four-year stint in the Navy and had enrolled at the college soon thereafter.  Don was driving east on Highway 466 (now Highway 46) in his five-year-old Ford Tudor on a trip that normally took about two and a half hours.  It was Friday evening, and Don was looking forward to spending a stress-free weekend with Barbara, his wife of five years.  Don could not imagine how stressful his life would soon become.    

At about 5:30, just before sunset on that Friday evening, Don had been driving almost an hour when he approached the intersection at Highway 41.  Don had to turn left to continue his trip to Tulare.  He was familiar with this drive and knew he only had to decrease his speed slightly because turning onto Highway 41 was more like veering than an actual turn.  Don could see about three miles in the distance on the long straight stretch, and the road seemed to disappear into the low mountains in the background.  Don saw no approaching vehicles, turned his steering wheel slightly to the left, and began to veer onto Highway 41.  Don was unable to see the low, sleek, silver-gray convertible sports car driving towards him in the opposite lane until it was too late.  The two cars struck almost head-on.   

Don, in the bigger, heavier car received only minor bruises and a cut on his nose.  The two people in the sports car were not so lucky.  The driver of the sports car was unconscious and trapped in the crushed car.  His passenger received numerous injuries when he was thrown from the sports car.  People who stopped to help found him lying unconscious on the side of the road.  It took an ambulance about half an hour to reach the site of the crash.  Ambulance driver Paul Moreno noted that both the driver and passenger of the sports car were alive when taken from the site of the accident, but the driver died during the 24-mile drive back to War Memorial Hospital in Paso Robles.  His passenger eventually recovered.  Don told the California Highway Patrolman on the scene, “I looked but didn’t see him coming.”  A driver who was just behind Don at the time of the crash said he also failed to see the approaching car.  Don was eventually released by the highway patrolman and told that he could “probably catch a ride home.”  Don flagged down a passing car and arrived at the hospital in Tulare six and a half hours after the accident.  It was there that he learned that the driver of the other car had not survived.  

Don was distraught and avoided speaking about the tragic accident.  He gave just a single interview, which was on the day after the accident, but reminders of the tragedy were everywhere.  Photos of the driver who died in the accident appeared on coffee mugs, plates, t-shirts, book and magazine covers, statuettes, and a plethora of other items.  He became a pop culture icon.  On July 13, 1995, almost 40 years after the accident, Don died from lung cancer.  He was finally at peace.  The intersection where the accident occurred is now a memorial junction named after the driver of the sports car who died in the accident.  That intersection is called the James Dean Memorial Junction.

Sources:

1. Tulare Advance-Register, October 1, 1955, p.1.
2. “Donald Gene Turnupseed,” Findagrave.com, accessed October 12, 2025, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10990655/donald-gene-turnupseed.

Last week, after demonstrating great patience with the conflict, President Trump offered a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza and informed Hamas it has 72 hours to either accept his offer or be destroyed by Israel. He further made clear that if Hamas doesn’t accept the plan or the plan simply unwinds that “Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying Hamas” as he stood next to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at the White House. That’s a strong statement. And, as of this moment, Hamas has reportedly agreed to return the remaining hostages. We’ll see.

For many months Trump has demanded that Hamas release all of the remaining hostages, including the remains of dead hostages, or face the full wrath of Israel. Trump’s plan for that region includes him serving as the chair of a “Board of Peace” to oversee the interim governance of Gaza. The plan also includes sending aid into the area with an Arab-led stabilization force that would quickly establish order. The plan now puts great pressure on Hamas to release all of the hostages and disarm.

This is a really important opportunity for not only Israel and Gaza, but for the whole Middle East.

Generally, the Trump deal, as outlined by the Wall Street Journal, is “better understood as a way to move the region past the Gaza War and shift pressure onto Hamas.” Then “after a modest Israeli withdrawal, the deal requires Hamas to free all 48 Israeli hostages, dead or alive, within 72 hours of acceptance.” (WSJ, 9-30-2025). In exchange, Israel will swallow very hard and itself release 1,700 Gazans detained since the beginning of the war as well as 250 terrorists serving life sentences for killing Israelis. If this does not demonstrate great, good faith and tremendous sacrifice by Israel to achieve this peace, I can’t imagine what would.

The Plan further requires that “Gaza undergoes de-radicalization … with all Gazans being allowed to leave, stay or return later. Hamas members who disarm could be granted amnesty or leave Gaza, with Hamas having no role in governance.” (WSJ, Id.). I also note that we have heard for years about the need for a “two state solution” such that there would end up being a Palestinian state. I have never believed that was right or just given both the danger that a permanent proximity to Israel a Palestinian state would pose, and because the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israel would be rewarded by the creation of a Palestinian state. I’m also suspicious of the two-state idea given that Palestinian leadership back at least to Yassar Arafat had many opportunities to reach peace and create the possibility of a Palestinian state but chose war and barbarism against Israel every time, instead.

There is no question where we are.

The day after meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House Trump clarified on Fox News exactly what he meant:

“President Trump issued a blistering public warning to Hamas on Friday, saying the “ruthless” terrorist group will be “hunted down, and killed” unless they release the remaining Israeli hostages and reach an agreement by Sunday evening.”

“They will be given one last chance,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS!” “We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop,” Trump added. “RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time.”

In short, this peace deal would bring the October 7 hostages home, guarantee Israel’s security, and get rid of the threat of Hamas. Again, they can either disarm and lead a better life or leave with safe passage to other countries, without making the creation of a Palestinian state a prerequisite. Or they will be annihilated.

If Hamas does not participate or continues to fight and terrorize Israel, Israel will crush Hamas. No country can expect to tolerate the atrocities of the kind that have been inflicted on Israel, most certainly including the slaughter of Oct. 7th. If this succeeds it could bolster peace throughout the Middle East and strengthen and expand the Abraham Accords.

All Americans and citizens of the world should pray that this result is achieved.

Let’s talk about forgiveness. Not the kind where you say “It’s fine” while secretly plotting revenge via passive-aggressive casserole. I mean the real deal—the Christian commandment to forgive, even when it feels like hugging a cactus.

Jesus lays it out in Luke 17:3–4: “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times comes back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Seven times a day? That’s not just a bad roommate—that’s a full-time job.

Let’s break this down. If someone wrongs you seven times in one day, that’s once every 3.4 hours. Assuming you sleep eight hours (which you don’t, because you’re still mad), that’s a sin every two hours. At that rate, you’re basically running a forgiveness factory.

But Jesus isn’t joking. He’s not saying “forgive when it’s convenient” or “forgive when they bring cookies.” He’s saying forgive every time. Even if the apology sounds like “Oops, my bad” and they’re already halfway out the door.

Forgiveness is like spiritual cardio. It’s hard, it’s sweaty, and you’ll probably cry a little. But it strengthens your heart. Holding onto bitterness is like carrying around a backpack full of bricks labeled “Petty.” You think it’s protecting you, but really, it’s just ruining your posture and your peace.

Jesus knew this. That’s why He didn’t say, “Forgive when you feel like it.” He said, “You must forgive.” It’s not a suggestion—it’s a commandment. Like “Don’t steal” or “Don’t eat shrimp off someone else’s plate.”

I thought about these practical tips:

Say it out loud, “I forgive you.” Even if your voice cracks like a teenager at prom. Saying it helps your brain catch up to your heart.

You are not the scorekeeper. If you’re keeping a sin spreadsheet, you’re missing the point. Forgiveness isn’t about tallying offenses—it’s about releasing them.

Remember that you are also a sin expert. You’ve messed up too. Probably today. Maybe while reading this. God forgives you without a dramatic monologue. Extend that grace.

Learn to pray for the person. “Lord, bless them… with wisdom… and maybe a little common sense.” It’s okay to start petty. God can work with that.

Forgiveness does not mean you must help fools be fools. Forgiveness doesn’t mean letting someone borrow your car after they drove it into a lake. You can forgive and still say, “No thanks.”

Forgiveness is funny because it’s so human to resist it. We want justice, closure, and maybe a dramatic courtroom scene. But Jesus offers something better: peace. Not the kind you get from noise-canceling headphones, but the kind that lets you sleep at night without rehearsing arguments in your head.

So the next time someone sins against you—again—remember Luke 17. Forgive them. Even if it’s the seventh time. Even if they still owe you money. Even if they never say, “thank you.”

Because forgiveness isn’t just for them. It’s for you. It’s freedom. And it’s the kind of holy absurdity that makes following Jesus both challenging and beautiful.

Now go forth and forgive.

Once again, I’m going to venture off into the abyss and stray away from the bass fishing world. While aging and experiencing life for over 64 years of living in this great country, there are so many questions that I feel we just can’t find answers to. Today, with so much unrest in this country, let’s look at some of the issues we are dealing with and possible solutions. 

Why are we as a nation so divided? What has come between all of us that we can’t sit in the same room and listen to one another? Why can we no longer share our opinions without fear of repercussions?  Let’s start with the first question.

Why are we so divided? My first thought turns to the plain and simple fact: one political party hates the President! The hate runs so deep that it clouds their judgment as they refuse to acknowledge or accept anything he does good or bad. They just can’t overcome the hatred they have for this President!

How do we overcome the hate? We can start with the one thing that we as a nation need to face and correct. We need to get back to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! While some of you might stop reading at this point, I hope you’ll continue. 

Within the last 20 years, we have allowed the far left to convince us that God has no place in our schools or athletic events. We have literally caved into a small minority group and turned our backs on the ONE who has kept generations on the right path. 

Somewhere along the way during our country’s 250-year journey, SOMEONE decided to take God out of our schools and prayer out of our athletic/public events!  For this, “WE” have no one to blame but ourselves and the officials “WE” elected to represent “US” — the people. 

This issue has a simple solution; replace the people we elected with those who will truly represent our needs and wants. It’s time to reset our moral compass! Instead of making decisions with our best interests at heart, most of our representatives (law makers) today are not interested in doing what’s right, they’re looking for personal and financial gain. They have forgotten the reason they are in such positions of power- to represent their constituents.

Next, we as a nation have become too tolerant to the concept of new ideas, knowing there will be consequences for generations to come, all because neither side can come to a mutual agreement that works for both. We don’t want to dismiss the other’s opinion even though we know it’s not right, so we tolerate it. 

Why can we no longer sit in the same room and work out our issues? The problem is that it doesn’t matter what side you’re on, everyone feels THEY are right no matter what evidence or reason is put before them that says otherwise. In reality, we are at the point where no one truly wants to hear what the other side has to say and I’m not sure how we can overcome this obstacle. 

It’s simply human nature that we all feel the need to be right, and no one wants to admit when they are wrong on any issue. In today’s America, everyone thinks their way is the only way and if you don’t agree with them, then YOU’RE not only the problem, but the enemy as well!

So how do we move forward and get past all these issues? I personally feel it’s going to take a major incident like 9/11 where our country is attacked and our way of life is threatened or worse, taken away. We’re desperately in search for a reason to come together and reunite.  

Another thing that must change — fix the divorce rate in this country and bring back the family dynamics. Wedding vows should mean something! Bring back the idea of families and couples staying together! Now there’s a great concept! So many of today’s young people have mental issues mainly due to coming from broken homes, the breakdown of family structure, and of course, SOCIAL MEDIA! 

We must recognize and eliminate social media as the biggest issue we have in our country today! While initially it was a great idea, other countries are now using it to manipulate our thoughts and turn us against one another with fake posts that have bad intentions. 

Bottom line is this, whether you agree or disagree, America made a statement last November on how unsatisfied the people are at this point by electing a person who they feel will try and bring America back to its powerful place in the world. Everyone knew from the start that he (the President) has and will continue to ruffle a few feathers, but they elected him anyway.

To use a sports analogy, every Saturday college football coaches make decisions they feel are in the best interest of their teams. Each and every single one of them are looking and searching for one thing — victory. But not everyone agrees or likes the play or plays that are called, especially when they lose. 

Politics is no different. Both parties think they have all the answers and know what actions are needed to bring America back. But all I know is this —  if we continue to try and do this without God, we will never be able to bring this country back to a point where we can all get along. 

To wrap this up, here’s some food for thought: sometimes we must lose what we have in order to appreciate what we had. While this could be hard for some to handle, it might be the only way we can bring our country back to where it used to be … SANE!

On the night of October 8, 1871, the city of Chicago became an inferno. Flames tore through wooden buildings, leapt across streets, and devoured entire neighborhoods. By the time the fire burned itself out, more than 17,000 structures were gone, 100,000 people were left homeless, and at least 300 lives had been lost. The Great Chicago Fire remains one of the most infamous disasters in American history—but the story behind it is almost as legendary as the flames themselves.

The official cause was never determined. Popular legend blames Catherine O’Leary’s cow, said to have kicked over a lantern in a barn on DeKoven Street. The tale, fueled by anti-Irish prejudice, stuck in the public imagination, even though O’Leary and her family were likely innocent. Later, historians traced the story to an embellishment by a newspaper reporter who later admitted he had made it up. Still, the image of a cow sparking the blaze became part of Chicago folklore.

But what makes the event especially eerie is its timing. On the very same night, October 8, massive fires also erupted in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan. The Peshtigo Fire was far deadlier, killing an estimated 1,500–2,000 people—yet it was overshadowed by the destruction in Chicago.

This strange coincidence led some scientists to propose an unusual theory: that fragments of Biela’s Comet, which broke apart in the 1840s, may have showered Earth with flaming debris, igniting the Midwest. Others dismiss this, noting that comet fragments don’t behave that way in the atmosphere. But for those who enjoy the supernatural edge to history, the idea of a cosmic spark remains haunting.

The aftermath of the fire was equally dramatic. Chicago rebuilt with brick and steel instead of wood, launching the era of skyscrapers and transforming the city into a hub of modern architecture. Yet the ghost stories linger. Residents have long claimed that DeKoven Street, where the O’Leary barn once stood, feels unsettled. In the ruins after the fire, some survivors even swore they saw faces in the flames, as if the city itself was screaming.

Whether sparked by a cow, a careless match, or falling stars from the heavens, the Great Chicago Fire turned October 8 into a date forever marked by destruction, myth, and mystery.

Most safety equipment on vehicles originated because of accidents.  Underride bars, the safety device attached to the backs of semi-trucks and trailers, were the result of one such accident.  

At around 1 a.m. on June 29, 1967, 40-year-old attorney Samuel “Sam” Brody; 20-year-old pre-law student Ronnie Harrison; 34-year-old Vera Jayne Palmer; three of Vera’s children: three-year-old Marie, six-year-old Zoltan, and eight-year-old Mickey Jr., along with their four dogs, left Biloxi, Mississippi, and began the 100-mile trip along US-90 to New Orleans.  The three adults and two chihuahuas rode on front seat of the gray 1966 Buick Electra sedan, and the three children and two more chihuahuas slept in the back seat.  At about 2:25 a.m., Ronnie drove the car along an extended straight stretch of the Chef Menteur Highway through the marsh which separated Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico. Mosquitos have always plagued the marsh during the summertime, and New Orleans city employees sprayed insecticide fog from city trucks in the never-ending battle for control.  These workers sprayed insecticide fog during the night to avoid the heavy daytime traffic because they had to travel at slow speeds along the two-lane highway.  

Forty three-year-old Richard Rambo was driving an 18-wheeler in the same direction on Chef Menteur Highway some distance ahead of the gray Buick when he saw a white cloud emanating from the slow-driving fogging truck.  Rather than depressing the brake pedal which would have illuminated the brake lights, Richard removed his foot from the accelerator pedal and the “jake brake” slowed the truck and trailer to about 30 miles per hour.  In the car, which was traveling about 70 miles per hour, Ronnie failed to notice that the truck and trailer had slowed significantly.  He never hit the brakes.  The car drove under the rear of the trailer with such a tremendous impact that it peeled the top off of the sedan.  The car stopped when its front end struck the back tires of the trailer.  Ronnie, Sam, Vera, and the two chihuahuas in the front seat were killed instantly.  Vera’s children and the two chihuahuas in the back seat were injured but ultimately survived.  

In 1968, the year after the deadly crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made it mandatory that all commercial trailers be equipped with large metal guards to prevent cars from driving under the rear of semi-trucks and trailers.  Although technically called underride bars, the safety bars were nicknamed after Vera Jayne Palmer.  You see, Vera Jayne Palmer was a famous actress, Playboy Playmate, and sex symbol of the 1950s and 60s.  The world knows her by her married name, Jayne Mansfield. Because of the car crash that claimed her life, underride bars are commonly referred to as “Mansfield Bars.”      

Sources:

1.     The Shreveport Times, June 30, 1967, p.18.  

2.     Scott Armstrong, “The Dangers of Underride Truck Accidents, AKA Mansfield Bars,” February 14, 2025, https://albtriallawyers.com/the-dangers-of-underride-truck-accidents-aka-mansfield-bars/.