THESE are [once again] times that try men's souls (Thomas Paine). All known governments have a rise and a fall. Is this the United States' time to stall, trip and fall? It certainly can seem that way, with all the disruptions surfacing these days, and growing, polarized dissension replacing compromise. There seems to be a craziness bubbling up, as if the simmering pot called America were approaching a boiling point. But is this true? 

It certainly is a reflection of the times in which we live,...

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Well, not really. It's just that I've been away in Japan for several weeks, and among other things, completing my research for my new taiga-drama-style historically based novel, "The Sword of Kamehameha." It's been several years in research, as 1260's A. D. feudal Japan was a tumultous time about which much is said but little recorded as history. Started in Tokyo (ancient Edo), passed by Kyoto (the center of the ancient imperial court), stopped in Osaka (the center of trade of ancient Japan, ...
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