To hug or not to hug, that is the question, 
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous television coverage
Or to take arms from around the offended
And fade into this good night. 

Apologies to William Shakespeare.

There was a time in my younger life, when I was more inclined to take things at face value, or superficial appearances, without actually delving into the reasons for or the aftermath of, the doing away, or at other times, the instituting of policies and programs.

I come from a long line of farmers and timber people, folks who made their living from what grew out of the ground. Men who had a great and abiding respect for the soil and water, who harvested the timber with an eye on selective cutting, for leaving seed trees to replenish the woodlands, for never leaving the dead trimmings next to a standing tree to keep the bugs who attack dead wood from going into a live tree and killing it.

The unadulterated darling of the media these days and the prototype of Democrat idealism is a slight, outspoken, would-be social engineer and international mover and shaker named Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a former barkeep from the Bronx in New York.

I remember World War II so well, the defeat of the Nazis and the belligerence of the Russians after they had invaded Eastern Europe and refused to move their occupation forces out, in essence, annexing East Berlin and eventually building the Berlin Wall, the line of demarcation between the Soviet powers and the Western Allies.

There is a most alarming thing going on in America, a slimy, poisonous lie that must hide in the darkness of misconceptions, the fog of deceit and misrepresentation to exist. It can never be exposed to the light of full disclosure and total truth or it would be suffocated by the knowledge of its history and catastrophic ramifications.

All it takes is a look at the U.S. Congress to see how seriously fractured our nation is.

Charlie is still working on a new book and is limiting himself to one new soapbox a week, but for today’s 50th Anniversary of Charlie performing on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline album, we thought we’d try something different instead of running a “rewind.” Here are three excerpts from Charlie’s memoir, “Never Look at the Empty Seats,” which highlight what was going on in Charlie’s career at the time, and his experiences recording with Dylan, touring with Leonard Cohen, and even jamming with Dylan and George Harrison, all thanks to Charlie’s friend and mentor, the late Bob Johnston. – TeamCDB/BW

The world is going to end in twelve years.

Is there some dire ancient prophecy, some newly discovered writing predicting the future 12-year period in which Planet Earth would just give up the ghost, all human and animal life would die from the greenhouse gas effect?

In the early stages of the Second World War, Hitler, intent on totally exterminating the Jews came up with a plan the Nazis codenamed the Final Solution.

John Steinbeck’s classic novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” depicts the plight of a people who were deceived and exploited, used to create an atmosphere favoring the rich and powerful and a credible analogy can be drawn between those times and a situation that exists today.

I love words. Fashioning words into sentences, phrases and lyrics has been a major part of my professional life for over six decades, and I take great joy in telling a story in song or prose and spend many hours pursuing the many word-generated projects that my God-given talent leads me into.

*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a timely rewind from 2017. - TeamCDB

One has only to do a little research to see the ravages of socialism. The latest notable example being Venezuela, and if you’ve paid any attention to the news the last couple of years, you’ve watched an oil-rich nation slide into an abyss of deprivation and near starvation.

The degree that the Schumer and Pelosi lead Democrats will go to prevent Donald Trump from having the promised wall is truly disgusting and appalling.

*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a rewind from 2017 which is still fairly relevant. - TeamCDB

Sen. Schumer, I don't live in your constituency but in the larger picture, you live in mine and every other legal, taxpaying American citizen who is affected by the power you hold in your political party, your blind allegiance to it and the obstructionist posture to anything that doesn't directly benefit it.

“And that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

We are all familiar with this excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, powerful words that sum up the proper governing philosophy for America in one simple phrase.

*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a rewind from 2014. - TeamCDB/BW

I have made one New Year's resolution and that is not to make any more New Year's resolutions. What is a New Year's resolution anyway except a promise to yourself and since you're the only person it involves you feel that you can break it with impunity.

As I sit here looking out at the magnificent, sunlit, snow-covered Rocky Mountains, it’s Sunday morning and we arrived here late yesterday afternoon after a long and arduous 1500-mile drive across almost half the continent.

When I was a little boy it seemed that Christmas would never get here, now it seems to come about every six months.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is old Bill Monroe bluegrass classic called "Christmas Time’s A-Comin'", a song that paints a picture of a rural observance of the Christmas season, a down to earth way of celebrating with the emphasis on spending time with family and friends and the simple joy of going home at Christmas to be with loved ones in nostalgic, familiar surroundings.

As one who I feel has at least a cursory knowledge of both sides of the gun control issue, I offer my humble opinion of the situation and the seemingly implacable positions that have been taken up by each.

*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a rewind from 2016. - TeamCDB

As I write this, it is December 7, 2016; the 75th anniversary of the Japanese sneak air attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in what was then the U.S. territory of Hawaii, before it had become our 50th state.

Just got home this morning from playing our last show of the year in Kansas City, a tour that started nine months, one hundred and eight shows and seventy-some thousand miles ago.

*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a rewind from 2009. - TeamCDB/BW

I got home off the road on a cold rainy Sunday morning to find our house all decorated for my favorite time of the year, the season we set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Son of Almighty God, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, The Way The Truth, The Life and Savior of mankind.

Our government is no longer august citadels of reason where the highest standards of patriotism and civilized decorum are practiced, where all energy is laser-focused on what is best for our nation’s security and fiscal health, where party affiliation is second to the needs of “We the People” and truth and honor abound.

*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a rewind from way back in 2003. - TeamCDB/BW

To you who have read this column for years this piece may seem a little redundant since I have written on this subject before. But it is such a frequently asked question that I feel I should revisit it from time 
to time.

There is an old saying that “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” Well, when it comes to elections all the fat lady can do is stand in the wings and wait until the votes are counted and that seems to depend on some pretty tenuous circumstances involving a cast of shady characters who have a tendency to balk when the vote tally doesn’t add up to suit them.

*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a soapbox rewind from 2009. - TeamCDB/BW

I guess it may be a sign of my advancing age or a healthy case of nostalgia in fond remembrance of a simpler time in my life, but sometimes I find my thoughts wandering back to a time and place in my young life when my responsibilities consisted making sure the wood box was full and keeping my grades above the passing line.

*NOTE* Here's a Soapbox Rewind from Charlie about Veterans Day - TeamCDB/BW

As we approach the day we set aside every year to honor those who have served our nation in our armed forces, my memory goes back to a blustery Sunday in 1941 - December 7 to be exact - when my family gathered around my grandparents big floor model radio to listen to a scratchy overseas broadcast informing us that Japanese warplanes had attacked our Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii doing massive damage to a major part of the Pacific Fleet that was moored there.