Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

The Eagles Soar

The Eagles Soar
bald eagle above brown frield
Photo by Richard Lee on Unsplash

Nearly every American can identify the bald eagle as our country’s national symbol, purveyor of our proud heritage. Formerly declared endangered and facing extinction, in just the last fifteen years, the eagle population has quadrupled. Eagles are now spotted in areas it was feared they would never soar again: the Mississippi river bluffs, the plains of the Midwest, the east coast, the west, literally from sea to shining sea.

The Great Seal of the United States of America, adopted in 1782, features a bald eagle with a banner in its beak reading “E pluribus unum”—"out of many, one.” The seal represents strength, freedom, and independence and is a symbol of our nation's sovereignty. It is used to authenticate official documents.


It has been used a great many times in the Oval Office since January 20th.

At the latest attraction in Las Vegas, The Sphere, the ’70s rock group, The Eagles, has been thrilling their sold-out audiences. Billed as “The Long Goodbye Tour,” Don Henley and Deacon Fry (Glenn Fry’s son, who sounds just like him, Glenn died in 2016), Joe Walsh, and Vince Gill deliver, as always, phenomenally. The Sphere’s visuals enhance this magical musical tour, and the entire journey reminds us of all we had and all we have.

After spotting an eagle soaring above them, Don Henley came up with the band's name when they were photographed for their debut album at Joshua Tree National Park. The Eagles went on to captivate fans worldwide, and “Eagles—Their Greatest Hits” was the best-selling record of the 20th Century.

Not only was the group’s music astronomically popular then, but it is still popular today. Teenagers, as well as great-grandparents, know the lyrics to “Hotel California” and “Desperado,” the melody to “Tequila Sunrise” or “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” The Eagles’ hit songs are the soundtrack of our last fifty years.

There is a malady spreading across our country and our world. There is a sense that things are moving too fast, ideals and principles are running helter-skelter, fears abound, and even resignation. Many seem to be enveloped in quiet despair.

But if we embrace the idea that “the true greatness of nations is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual” (Charles Sumner), we realize how important it is to remain hopeful.

The Eagles are not oracles; the lyrics of their songs were likely written to collaborate melodies, not make social statements. Yet they captured a hopeful and heady time in America, and the words of their music ring with deep and universal truths:

“We are all prisoners here, of our own device…” (“Hotel California”)

Indeed. Too often, we forget that we have the most freedom and the best circumstances of any person ever born, at any time, in any place, right now. Unless disputing historical facts, we think we don’t.

“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” (“Hotel California”)

True. If we “check out” the issues, we will still remain.

Or “I’m going back in time and it’s a sweet dream…I would be all right, if I could just go on sleeping…” (“Best of My Love”)

But we can’t just go on sleeping. We’re alive to be alive. We can sleep when we’re dead. The Eagles did not play funeral dirges.

So, what advice might we give this “Tic-Tock-around-the-clock” younger generation? And what advice might we offer ourselves?

Perhaps this: that we each have a crucial part to play, not only in the course of our own lives, but in the direction of our country. And that there is always hope. Evidence enough in the bald eagle returning from the brink of extinction to soar our skies. And with The Eagles, inspiring us fifty years ago and continuing to inspire us now.

So, take heart. “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” After all, “we may lose, or we may win, but we’ll never be here again.” (“Take It Easy”)

Let’s make the most of it.

Amy Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."

Read More

It’s Time for a New American Agenda
blue and white star print textile

It’s Time for a New American Agenda

America is once again gripped by multiple political and societal crises. Most days in our local communities and in our wider public lives it can feel like we’re living through dizzying confusion, chaos, and division.

Acrimonious partisanship only deepens in Washington, DC, and our state capitols. Renewed calls for a third party are heating up, while Democrats plan to spend tens of millions of dollars to understand voters better, as if they had just discovered some new civilization. It’s like we’re collectively stuck in the Tower of Babel, unable to understand one another and what we share in common.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hope, Champagne, and the Courage To Celebrate in Turbulent Times
Getty Images, wilatlak villette

Hope, Champagne, and the Courage To Celebrate in Turbulent Times

“There is hope, a way forward, however unpredictable. We can dance around the petulant games of powerful men. But, as ever, we are at the mercy of the seasons.” - Widow Clicquot

“Widow Clicquot,” adapted from a book by Tilar J. Mazzeo, is the story of Barbe Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, widowed in 1805 at the age of 27, who inherited her husband’s debt-ridden vineyards. Against all odds, particularly as women had virtually no economic “value” or power in the early 19th century, she, and her vineyards, eventually prospered. It was she who created the Veuve Clicquot champagne dynasty.

Keep ReadingShow less
Defining The Democracy Movement: Ben Bain
- YouTube

Defining The Democracy Movement: Ben Bain

The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's interview series engages diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. This initiative is the start of focused collaborations and dialogue led by The Bridge Alliance and The Fulcrum teams to help the movement find a path forward.

The latest interview in this series features Ben Bain, Director of State Capacity at the Niskanen Institute and Volunteer Coordinator in Washington, DC, for More Perfect Union, a bridging organization—where we originally met.

Keep ReadingShow less

Angelica Salas’s Journey From Undocumented Immigrant to Community Leader at CHIRLA

Angelica Salas has long been a leading advocate for immigrant rights in Los Angeles. Since becoming Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) in 1999, she has transformed the organization into one of the most powerful immigrant-led advocacy groups in the country. Her leadership has redefined what grassroots organizing can look like, mobilizing communities around issues ranging from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to voter outreach and legal services.

Salas’s journey into activism is deeply personal. Born in Durango, Mexico, she arrived in the United States at the age of five, undocumented, to reunite with her parents who had migrated for work. Growing up in Pasadena, California, her family lived in the shadows of deportation until they were able to legalize their status. In 2008, Salas became a U.S. citizen, adding a powerful chapter to a story she shares with many of the people CHIRLA serves. Her own experience navigating the U.S. immigration system informs her commitment to building dignity, not dependency, in the immigrant rights movement. After graduating from Occidental College with a degree in history and sociology, Salas joined CHIRLA in 1995 and became its executive director just four years later.

Keep ReadingShow less