Huffington Post 08/23/2012 By Michael Shank In pursuing politics in Washington, and as a former senior congressional staffer, I am the odd one out in my extended family: many, if not most, of my relatives are farmers, preachers or teachers. At family reunions, consequently, like the one I recently returned […]
Huffington Post 03/29/2012 By Michael Shank Lest we think the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida has little legal relevance for our Washington metro area, think again. All eyes should be on the state of Maryland. The U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision recently regarding concealed-carry permits means that Maryland […]
WASHINGTON TIMES 02/17/12 By Michael Shank By lifting the gun purchase limit, the state of Virginia can expect to see a lifting of its violence limits as well (“Va. Senate votes to repeal one-gun-a-month law,” Web, Feb. 6). Virginia already has one of the highest rates of availability of small […]
Politico 02/03/2012 By Michael Shank Most people have a very classic notion of what it takes to be a peacemaker. If surveyed, what likely comes to most people’s minds is someone on the front lines of violent conflict, poverty or extreme injustice, sparing no effort while enduring every trial and […]
Huffington Post 01/09/2012 By Michael Shank If my Amish-Mennonite forefathers could see me now, I wonder what they would say. If I sat down with America’s first Amish bishop (my 6th great-grandfather) or the first Mennonite bishop in Virginia (my 5th great-grandfather), how would they feel about my working in […]