A Watchman in the Night : What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thomas, Cal.

Contributor:

Johnson, Tom.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Journalism--United States--History.

Journalism.

Political and social views.

Politics and government.

Social conditions.

United States--Social conditions--1945-.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--20th century.

United States--History--1969-.

Thomas, Cal--Political and social views.

Thomas, Cal.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (235 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Watchman in the Night

Place of Publication:

La Vergne : Humanix Books, 2023.

Summary:

In A Watchman in the Night, Cal Thomas takes the reader on a "road trip" through over fifty years of journalism and American life, serving as a "watchman" on culture and politics and seeking to conform it to a standard that never changes. A watchman "keeps guard over a building at night, to protect it from fire, vandals, or thieves." Thomas is a believer that certain values and principles never change and has critiqued misbehavior and wrong-headedness by people on "his side" from the start. "If values and Truth mean anything," Thomas says, "they must be applied equally. Hypocrisy and heresy cannot be ignored no matter the source." In the book, Thomas does not stigmatize labels, such as "conservative" and "religious," because Thomas says: "It allows people to define me and others by their perception of those labels. Ask me a question and I will give you my answer. For over fifty years in journalism, Thomas has offered incisive, humorous and often corrective commentary to our social, political, and religious conversations. An early commitment to addressing publicly what he sees has marked Thomas' entire career. Cal has always called both parties, both sides of the American political divide, to account, to take the high road and to honor our civic and religious ideals with compatible behavior to the very best of our ability. This increasingly "radical" approach to public life has won him many friends on both sides of the political aisle, hundreds of thousands of faithful readers of his columns, and a continuous barrage of accolades and "hate mail," much of it charming when it is not too foul to repeat. Cal came to the Christian faith while a young journalist at a dinner led by Dr. Richard Halverson, Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD, and later, Chaplain of the United States Senate. This experience informed the rest of Cal's life as he hosted his own private dinners for members of the press and members of Congress from both parties leading to deep friendships with Senator Ted Kennedy and many others, friendships which became a hallmark of Cal's life despite wide political differences. For over two decades, Cal has hosted the National Prayer Breakfast Media Dinner as a continuation of his commitment to the reality that a relationship with Jesus Christ can change a person's life and ultimately change a nation, and that things of such import are best discussed over dinner. The book includes tones about faith, but focuses on American social, cultural and political currents. A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America is a living history of our times, of who we were then and who we are now and who we might become (for better or worse) in the future, and a remarkable chronicle of modern American life.-- From Amazon.com.

Contents:

Intro

More Advance Praise for A Watchman in the Night

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Introduction by Tom Johnson

Preface

Epigraph

1984: The Year of a Landslide for Ronald Reagan

1985: The Year of Politics, Religion, and Education

1986: The Year of Historic and Tragic Events

1987: The Year of Better Late than Never

1988: The Year of Ethics and Morality

1989: The Year of Freedom to Do Good and Evil

1990: The Year of Heading into Peace and Prosperity

1991: The Year of the Gulf War and Rodney King

1992: The Year of the Election and Bible Misquotes

1993: The Year of Bill Clinton, the Branch Davidians, and Black Hawk Down

1994: The Year of Clinton Scandals and the Contract with America

1995: The Year of Domestic Terrorism and the Unabomber

1996: The Year of Character and Civility

1997: The Year of Farewell to Princess Diana and Mother Teresa

1998: The Year of Monica Lewinsky

1999: The Year of Columbine and Impeachment

2000: The Year of Y2K and a Contested Election

2001: The Year of 9/11

2002: The Year of Guantanamo Bay and Beltway Shootings

2003: The Year of the Iraq War

2004: The Year of Bush-Cheney Reelection

Photographs

2005: The Year of Hurricane Katrina

2006: The Year of Terrorists and Border Security

2007: The Year of Bitter Politics

2008: The Year of the Subprime Mortgage Crisis

2009: The Year of the Great Recession

2010: The Year of the Tea Party

2011: The Year of Occupy Wall Street

2012: The Year of Sandy Hook

2013: The Year of the Boston Marathon Bombings

2014: The Year of Michael Brown and Riots in Ferguson

2015: The Year of the Charlie Hebdo Attack

2016: The Year of Donald Trump's Election

2017: The Year of Jerusalem Becoming the Capital of Israel

2018: The Year of Government Shutdowns.

2019: The Year of the Trump Impeachment

2020: The Year of the Pandemic

2021: The Year of Joe Biden

2022: The Year of Ukraine

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Photography Credits

About Cal Thomas.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781630062385

1630062383

OCLC:

1347029384