the view from the balcony – The Local Voice

The View From The Balcony: “Trump’s Shoes Matter”

The View From The Balcony: “Trump’s Shoes Matter”

Randy Weeks July 25, 2024

I was eight years old and in the third grade when, on November 22, 1963, President John...

The View From The Balcony: “Monkey Business on the Square”

The View From The Balcony: “Monkey Business on the Square”

Randy Weeks July 23, 2024

Once upon a day so cheerywhile I spoke with friends held dearlyo’er libations cold and beerypond’ring strange...

The View From The Balcony: “If Jesus was a Cowboy (from the pen of the Sundown Cowboy)”

The View From The Balcony: “If Jesus was a Cowboy (from the pen of the Sundown Cowboy)”

Randy Weeks June 19, 2024

If Jesus was a cowboyHe’d wear a crumpled hatan’ jeans an’ boots an’ sometimesa worn-out pair of...

The View From The Balcony: “Interview with a PRIDE Flag”

The View From The Balcony: “Interview with a PRIDE Flag”

Randy Weeks May 30, 2024

It was a dark and windy night. Because of the very real threat of tornados and the...

The View From The Balcony: “Another Journey through Grief”

The View From The Balcony: “Another Journey through Grief”

Randy Weeks May 16, 2024

When I learned that my big brother Rodney took his life on January 27, 2017, I sat...

The View From The Balcony: “Some Things I’ve Learned So Far”

The View From The Balcony: “Some Things I’ve Learned So Far”

Randy Weeks April 18, 2024

Nothing is permanent.Bad times and good times are the same in that they both pass away.Gratitude is...

The View From The Balcony: “Poems from the Pen of the Sundown Cowboy, Poet Lariat of The Balcony”

Randy Weeks April 4, 2024

Delusions I needn’t ever let myselfslip into the delusionthat I know you.Every time I slide down that...

The View From The Balcony: “Tragedy and the Threat of Totalitarianism”

The View From The Balcony: “Tragedy and the Threat of Totalitarianism”

Randy Weeks April 1, 2024

On March 14, 2024, Good Morning America aired a segment about Sloan Mattingly, a seven-year-old child who...

The View From The Balcony: “Voyagers Are We All”

The View From The Balcony: “Voyagers Are We All”

Randy Weeks March 7, 2024

In 1977 NASA launched the aptly named space probe Voyager 1 to study the farthest reaches of...

The View From The Balcony: Clash of the Geriatric Titans

The View From The Balcony: Clash of the Geriatric Titans

Randy Weeks February 28, 2024

A pea soup fog blanketed The Square last Saturday night, swallowing most sounds and making the streetlights...

The View From The Balcony: “What Dreams May Come”

The View From The Balcony: “What Dreams May Come”

Randy Weeks February 8, 2024

by Randy Weeks Once upon a dream I was the quiet American, taking a sentimental journey through...

The View From The Balcony: “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It … NOOOOOO!”

The View From The Balcony: “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It … NOOOOOO!”

Randy Weeks January 25, 2024

It happened last week—three to five inches of snow and the most frigid temperatures I’ve ever seen...

The View From The Balcony: “Responding to Sir Anthony Hopkins (I think!)”

The View From The Balcony: “Responding to Sir Anthony Hopkins (I think!)”

Randy Weeks January 11, 2024

Last week a post, attributed to Sir Anthony Hopkins, one of the most revered actors of our...

The View From The Balcony: “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All?

The View From The Balcony: “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All?

Randy Weeks December 14, 2023

The Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) is fighting to eradicate Israel and her people. Many...

The View From The Balcony: The Mass Proliferation of Holidays, Part Two

The View From The Balcony: The Mass Proliferation of Holidays, Part Two

Randy Weeks November 30, 2023

How many holidays between Thanksgiving Day and New Years’ Day can you count? There are more than...

The View From The Balcony: “The Mass Proliferation of Holidays”

The View From The Balcony: “The Mass Proliferation of Holidays”

Randy Weeks November 22, 2023

The holidays are upon us and they are legion. We know about the biggies, but there are...

The View From The Balcony: “Closure”

The View From The Balcony: “Closure”

Randy Weeks November 9, 2023

Over the last twenty or so years there’s been a lot of talk about something called “closure”....

The View From The Balcony: “Who Put the Terror in Terrorism?”

The View From The Balcony: “Who Put the Terror in Terrorism?”

Randy Weeks October 19, 2023

War, huh, yeah,What is it good for?Absolutely nothing.Say it again, y’all.1 Terrorism as defined by Britannica is...

The View From The Balcony: “Notes in My Phone VI and a Few Other Things”

The View From The Balcony: “Notes in My Phone VI and a Few Other Things”

Randy Weeks October 5, 2023

Rejected music group names: Randy Weeks is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Shamanic Life Coach, an...

The View From The Balcony: “Danelo Cavalcante: Animal or Human?”

The View From The Balcony: “Danelo Cavalcante: Animal or Human?”

Randy Weeks September 21, 2023

Danelo Cavalcante is the convicted murderer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison recently and evaded capture for...