Author Archive

Steven Hutson

I remember Michael.  Not the manufactured media creation we laid to rest last year.  Not the arrested adolescent that lived in an amusement park.  And not the plastic surgeon’s ever-changing experiment-gone-wrong.  That wasn’t the Michael we met over 40 years ago.

No, I remember the young boy from Indiana who was perfectly at ease when performing on stage with his brothers, yet pathologically ill at ease with the trappings of fame.  The kid who dribbled a basketball on the set of his short-lived variety show on CBS.  The one who had to be physically lifted out of a mob of screaming young girls.  The one who still had his own nose and hair.  That was the Michael we all fell in love with.

Demon, or victim? Hmmm...

Unfortunately, that young man died a slow and painful death sometime back in the 1980s.  But no one mourned him at the time, because we adored him so zealously that we came to accept – even admire – any and every crazy thing he might say or do.  But with his marvelous moonwalk and fabulous falsetto he continued to fascinate and entertain.
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Steven Hutson

Greetings, all:

I’m the newest columnist here at North Star, and I hope you’ve enjoyed my columns for the past few months.  It’s my small way of trying to change the world, 800 words at a time.  What you might not know about me is that when I’m not knee-deep in political debate, I write books on spiritual themes.  I have one book in print, and my agent is currently shopping around two others.  And in my limited free time I also edit books and mentor aspiring new writers.

This year will mark the fifth outing for the Antelope Valley Christian Writers’ Conference (near Los Angeles), where I serve as the director.  This springtime event (May 14-15) is a labor of love for me, because I know how hard it is for a struggling writer to carve out a place  in this fiercely competitive business.  It is our goal to become the area’s leading resource for writers to learn about the industry and network with others who can help them advance their writing careers.

If a joshua tree doesn't inspire you, nothing will.

We have assembled a distinguished faculty of experienced writers and editors, and they love to teach and help others succeed.  You can bring a sample of your writing, and receive a valuable critique from one of our experts.  Attend workshops in a variety of helpful topics.  Enter a writing contest.  Bring your laptop computer and take advantage of our wireless

internet connection.  A small number partial or full scholarships will be available.  Together we can help you take your writing to the next level, the best it can be.

Have we piqued your interest?  Come and join us for a time of refreshing in the desert.  Check out our website, at www.avwriters.com

Steven Hutson

Yesterday our president visited the town of Elyira, Ohio, as the backdrop for a major economic address.  This area has been hard-hit by the recession, with many jobs lost and throngs of citizens desperate for relief.  As usual he was received as a rock star, interrupted by enthusiastic applause, it seemed, every few seconds.

Listen. Really listen.

Clearly they are true believers.  But did they really listen to what he said?  It’s hard to say, because much of it was misleading, slanted or just plain false.  A few notable excerpts:

#1: “The banks caused this mess.”

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Steven Hutson

At various times in our history, the federal government has experimented with something called an excess profits tax.  During the Civil War the Confederate Congress flirted with the concept, as a means to fund the war effort.  Subsequent levies served a dual purpose: they both financed war-waging and discouraged profiteering by private contractors who might take unfair advantage of a national crisis.  Most economists will argue that this is a short-sighted fettering of industry, but sometimes

My savings account number was 3117-033291-22

desperate times call for desperate measures. The good news is that we won the wars, even if the contractors were denied a fair return on their investment.  American industries are resilient; the capital markets supplied them with fresh investments; life goes on.

But just how much profit is “excess?”  Exactly who gets to determine how much is too much, and by what formula?  Should we do away with free markets and set prices by government mandate, as they did in the Soviet Union?   We all know how that one turned out, don’t we?  You see, there’s this wall in Germany, or rather there isn’t one, that silently testifies to the wisdom of that strategy.  Joshua himself could scarcely have done any better. Read the rest of this entry »

Steven Hutson

The handsome, charismatic Barack Obama came upon the national scene a few years ago, breathlessly touted in Ebony magazine and on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He had served in the U.S. Senate for only a short time, when the news media began to talk him up as a credible candidate for the presidency.  And at every turn, the enthusiastic correspondents and commentators pointed out something that I never would have figured out on my own:

Truth teller. Who knew?

“Look, he’s black!”

(In truth he’s equally Caucasian, and everyone knows it.  But that wouldn’t be newsworthy, and it wouldn’t give us much to talk about.)

Last week it came to light that Senator Harry Reid made an (allegedly) insensitive remark in a private conversation with a colleague during the 2008 campaign.

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Steven Hutson

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water.  Just when I assumed it was over, and I wouldn’t be assaulted with this nonsense again…here we go.

This month will mark the first birthday of Octo-mom Nadya Suleman’s children, and she’s enjoying her second Warholian fifteen minutes of fame.  Dr. Michael Kamrava, the miracle worker who masterfully implanted all those embryos, now faces the fight of his life.

Still scheming to make more babies?

On Monday, the California Medical Board formally accused Dr. Kamrava of three counts of gross negligence: transferring too many embryos, repeatedly transferring fresh embryos when frozen ones were available and failing to refer his patient for a mental health evaluation.  After all, what sane woman would ever ask for eight new children when she already has six?

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Steven Hutson

New Year’s Eve will arrive this week.  Each time we reboot the calendar it’s an occasion for much celebrating, much drinking, and many needless deaths.  And everywhere I look, I see yet another reminder: Don’t drink and drive.  X thousand people died on the highway last year; don’t let this happen to you!  Be a designated driver.  And so on.  By one account, about 148 million people have served as – or have been helped by – such a benevolent volunteer.    As I pondered these weighty matters today, a terrifying revelation came upon me:

I have become my grandmother.

Drinking, officer? Why no!

Yes, it’s true.  And my friend Tom, a decorated officer with the California Highway Patrol.  And my other friend Charlotte, a public health nurse for the County of Los Angeles.  And every intolerant self-righteous religious prude in town, for that matter, because for once in my life I actually find myself agreeing with all of them.

Yikes.  Go figure.
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Steven Hutson

A U.S. Army general in northern Iraq has issued a new directive to his troops: Don’t get pregnant – or don’t get someone else pregnant – or you could face a court-martial.  This new policy from Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo was announced to the troops in early November, and publicly revealed last week.

Intimate fraternization has been a problem within the armed forces for years, of course, and it’s particularly problematic in a war zone.  A pregnant woman, after all, is unfit for such demanding duty.  She becomes unable to do her job well, and the stress is harmful to her health and that of her unborn child.  Thus, she gets a free plane ride home.  The only new wrinkle here is the prospect of criminal prosecution.

The enforcer at work

The public reaction to this development has been swift and fierce.  Bloggers around the world have weighed in, both pro and con.  Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, complained to ABC News, “How dare any government say we’re going to impose any kind of punishment on women for getting pregnant!  This is not the 1800s.”

Oh, really?
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Steven Hutson

Holy humbug, Batman!

Just the other day I noticed an article in my local newspaper, courtesy of the Associated Press.  It reported that legions of atheists are fed up with the annual observances of Christmas.

And now, for the airing of grievances. I got a lotta problems with you people!

They feel socially isolated from their friends and colleagues, and they resent being surrounded by so many trappings of religion; television specials, carolers at the mall, a nativity scene in the town square.  They don’t believe in Jesus, they don’t go to church, and they have resolved to “eat, drink, and be wary” in spite of all the (perceived) hostility.

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Steven Hutson

“Good morning, Mr. Woods, this is Maxine from OnStar.  We’ve received a signal that your vehicle was involved in a collision.  Are you OK?”

These were probably the first words that Tiger Woods heard in the early morning hours of November 27, moments after plowing his Cadillac Escalade into a tree.  And thus began the worst week in the life of this young golfing phenom.

Can't buy his way out of this one

We met him at the age of two as he showed off his skills on the set of the Mike Douglas Show.  Even the great Bob Hope was impressed.  In the three decades since, he has risen to the highest ranks of his sport, winning game after game and the admiration of competitors twice his age.

He was the clean-cut kid, the humble man-child with an easy smile who blushed at the slightest hint of public praise.  He was the everyman, the one who formed a charitable foundation to give away his substantial earnings.  He married a supermodel, bought his dream house and became the personification of the American Dream.

…And now this.

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