Dr. Larry Burriss

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS) --  I remember reading in Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” trilogy about a man who fancied himself to be an archeologist.  But he thought all he had to do was read books to understand ancient history.  No digging in the dirt and musty old ruins for him.  Virtual archeology was good enough.  
   

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS)  --  Last week a Davidson County Chancery Court Judge ruled that the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has to open its records for public inspection. The particular records in question have to do with the files of children who have died either while in the care of DCS, or after having contact with the agency.
 

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS)  --  We know there is some kind of hoax involving Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, and we know the media are also involved, either as part of the hoax itself or as complicit for not checking for obvious flaws in the story. But you know what, there’s something to be said for a good media hoax.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS)  --  Here’s a little computer exercise for you to try: go to Google and search for the name “Emilie Parker.” The first entry includes pictures of young Emilie and President Obama. But the web site claims there is something odd about the photos: the pictures were supposedly taken after Emilie was shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
 

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS)  --  I remember back in high school I had to do a report about Julius Caesar, and for one of my references I used Shakespeare’s play. My teacher gently pointed out that Shakespeare was a poet, not an historian, and in the future I should limit my references to authoritative sources.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS)  --  It seems almost an article of business faith that as revenues shrink you make the product smaller in an effort to save money. And for years it seems that newspapers have followed that model: as advertising revenue has gone down, newspapers have gotten smaller and smaller, with fewer stories, fewer reporters and, as a result, fewer reasons to buy the paper in the first place.
 

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  (BURRISS)  --  We’ve heard a lot this past week about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, individual freedom and the rights of the states to set their own laws. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the constitution, were ratified on Dec. 15, 1791, and it is those amendments that protect our right to participate in the debates about gay marriage, the fiscal cliff, the war in Afghanistan, and the myriad of other issues facing our country.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS)  --  One of the great things about scandals is that we get to laugh at those in power and say, “How could they be so stupid? Even I know better than to try that.” So if the C-I-A director, and his biographer, and an F-B-I agent, and his girlfriend, plus another four-star general, can’t seem to keep their e-mail straight, what hope is there for the rest of us?

So let’s see if can figure out how all these high-powered people messed up so badly, and why, maybe, we aren’t so different after all.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BURRISS)  --  As the election winds down many people will be cheering the end of campaign ads, slogans, banners, posters and other election paraphernalia. But in two years it will be time for another round of Congressional elections and all that entails.

But you know what, maybe all of the time and money spent on election posturing isn’t so bad, especially compared with restrictions in place in China in the face of this week’s upcoming party congress.