Selected Writing Samples – John J. Skelly
from Viewpoint online (www.websitesammy.com)
Politics
Oh Grow Up! (The practiced art of leaping to conclusions)
Don't your feet get cold in the wintertime? The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine (Thoughts on bi-partisanship and telling the truth)
Journalism/Media
But where are the snows of yesteryear? (Getting the story straight)
Having a Bad Hair Day? Try Bashing Some Republicans (Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but not their own set of facts)
The Economy
Small Business – the Job Creation Engine? (A realistic look at employment and job growth statistics)
The Skary Skelly '08 Halloween Album (Reflections on the financial meltdown)
American Scene
"If I could go back in time, I know somehow you’d still be mine" (Summer of 1969: Moonwalk, Chappaquiddick, Manson and Woodstock all in 30 days)
Queen's Cup Steeplechase: A Little Jewel in Charlotte's Crown (Steeplechase racing out in the field amid linen, candelabra, broad brimmed hats, plunging necklines and yards of searsucker)
Bridges to the Past (New construction and the dismantling of our pasts)
The Road East (Driving cross-country with a dog in your lap and your possessions on the roof for at least part of the way)
American History
Civil War, Cradle to Grave, All in One Day (Bull Run to Appomattox in under three hours.)
On This Day in History, Colonial Charlotte Stood Up for Liberty, Maybe (Musings on the Declaration of Independence and its origins, maybe)
Flags Stolen from Our Fathers, or the Spoils of War (War profiteering in Colonial times)
Spring Has Sprung (Joshua Tree: a nice place to visit but ….)
New Year’s Traditions
Happy New
Year! But please! Not so loud. (Curing the hangover)
New Year's
Day: Be It Firmly Resolved (New Year’s Resolutions)
Times Square
New Year's Eve (100th anniversary of the Times Square ball drop)
Fast away
the old year passes ... Hail the new, ye lads and lasses! (The origins of
celebrating the New Year)
We’ll take a
cup of kindness yet … (The singing of Auld Lang Syne)
The Holidays
The
Nativity through the Ages in Art, Music and Literature
You're
Dreaming of a White Christmas? What Are the Odds?
Musings on
the True Meaning of Christmas