Phil Harris works as a software engineer in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has been working in the computer industry for more than twenty-three years; designing software for medical offices and electronic document and report management systems. A wide range of other work experience provides insight into many corners. He has been a radio disk jockey, uniformed security officer, loss prevention specialist, bank teller, car salesman, carpenter, and a retail computer storeowner. He also built and operated a recording studio for several years, producing vinyl record albums for local artists. Phil and Mary, his wife of twenty-six years, have shared the joy of raising three boys and the grief of losing an infant daughter. These life and work experiences have given Phil a common sense view of the world. He shares this wisdom through his website called Citizen Phil, where he offers commentary about politics and politicians, liberals and liberalism, as well as society and social values. Occasionally, he will write about his Christian faith or just some off-the-wall story from his past. Phil also enjoys writing fiction. One book, "Cry for the Shadows" is available through his publishing company, CyberPersonics. Another manuscript, "Natural Consequences" is finished, and a sequel to "Cry for the Shadows" is underway called "Lucifer's Snowstorm". These two books tell engaging stories while examining pro-life themes. There is a tendency for people to seek out experts on various subjects as they hope to develop informed opinions about current events in society and government, war and peace, or any number of subjects. Often times, expert opinions are as varied as the flakes in a snowstorm. In the end, sometimes, ya just gotta know what Phil thinks. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2012 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:12:52 GMT Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:12:52 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ The popular advice for dealing with the future has been to keep the chin up, face directly into the wind, and place one foot after the other. To look back is folly because what is done is done and there is no good to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2010/01/04/backs_to_the_future 87b818ea-a8fc-45fa-bfcd-18304ca49680 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:12:52 GMT "Please Grandpa," pleaded Max, "tell me some more about the old days." John peered over his notepad to see the face of his curly-haired Grandson, "Okay little man," his eyes quickly scanned the room before he... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2009/02/28/grandpa,_what_were_churches_like d63411ce-9a0e-444b-8378-8b711b97bbe1 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT Through the years of childhood and for some time as a young adult, when asked if I were conservative or liberal the answer was automatic and without hesitation. I replied that I was liberal. Of course, the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2009/02/21/my_son,_my_son._what_have_you_done 4adee782-70ed-4fe7-992d-bcfa3baf1714 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:34:07 GMT Throughout the ages, a single question hangs on the face of mankind like a hairy wart on the end of the nose. Each of us will live our lives, raise our children, and then lay down to die with this question asked, but... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2009/01/24/atheism_-_a_godless_delusion e856b820-b787-4a12-a67f-60fe5a0ccf93 Sun, 25 Jan 2009 01:04:23 GMT The Sirens were three seductresses living on an island that was surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Seamen who sailed too near were tricked by the Sirens' enchanting music and voices to come near for a better life. The poor... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/11/02/barack's_siren's_song_-_the_seduction_of_a_nation 68638c41-38cf-43d6-97be-a013b3d24185 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:51:30 GMT Each Christmas season in America, some traditional programs are sure to appear on television. Several versions of "A Christmas Carol" can be watched. A battle is waged at the North Pole by "Frosty the Snowman" against... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/10/18/wall_street_-_land_of_the_screaming_meemies 4b6ac515-c0fb-4044-85cb-49595b5921cb Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:00:11 GMT There is a paradox at work in this election. Maybe it can be chalked up to a lack of wisdom, or a disregard for wisdom amongst newly minted adults, (a.k.a.) the youth vote. When polled about who they trust (by... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/10/12/america_needs_a_trustworthy_president_-_not_a_lawyer 1716bca2-6b49-4435-8743-7b3c39ad67e5 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:48:04 GMT Tip O'Neil hangs in history like the rest of the good ole days. His was a time that marked the end; a time when there was partisanship, but plenty of rolled up sleeves intent on accomplishing business for the good of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/09/29/speaker_of_the_house_-_a_snotty_brat 5c1db9b1-c5ab-4001-a00e-cca3da9732fa Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:36:08 GMT The article has been making the rounds through email inboxes, and had I not found the story myself, I was tempted to chalk it up to conspiracy theories gone wild. It is an opinion piece written by Amir Taheri at... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/09/27/barack_obama_-_the_face_of_congressional_arrogance b754cd16-aa58-4223-b27c-95da836dc580 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT If we examine the current state of affairs in the credit industry through the lens of common sense, it is not difficult to overcome the insane tendency to ascribe Solomonesque wisdom where it doesn't belong. The simple... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/09/20/the_credit_industry_-_death_of_the_pie f9842f1d-1be5-44cb-a559-bd317e3311c3 Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT This is a stunning election season that is ablaze with drama. Regardless of what happens in November, we will either have the First Black President or the First Woman Vice President. It is also a stunning season of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/09/14/the_first_ladies_-_a_life_or_death_decision 0a27be45-6343-4319-9c98-567992ce5604 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:57:48 GMT She spoke directly to the hearts and minds of everyday Americans, sick of self-perpetuating, self-aggrandizing elitists. The fly-over folk have lost patience, not only with a paralyzed and inept Congress, but also those... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/09/04/pundits_perplexed_by_peoples_palin_passion e39b7c9b-cb32-4af0-9ab2-51be8cfb7df5 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:44:39 GMT Okay now. take a deep breath, retract the sharp utensils and let the crimson veil subside. I have a few things to say and it would be best to let me live long enough to make my point. When I heard of Senator McCain's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/09/02/i_am_woman,_see_my_boney_head 0c8dda51-5fcc-4f71-b571-dcd41b8dc865 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:53:48 GMT My generation has witnessed a change during our lifetime. It is has crept up on American families, like some kind of toe fungus; climbing almost imperceptibly up our collective legs over the course of many years.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/08/30/americas_presidential_choice_real_or_veneer 54391664-0354-4b5a-832d-21ff9c2ab45f Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:32:29 GMT We all have a picture in mind of how life ought to be. Perhaps it is not so much a picture; but rather, a strong inkling of what life in America should feel like if all was well and things were running along smoothly.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/08/16/the_constipation_of_the_united_states_of_america c206c589-44a1-4db1-92af-bf220f4304f4 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:00:07 GMT Standing near the doorway of a local skateboard shop, waiting for my son and his friend to obtain autographs from a bevy of "awesome" professional skateboarders inside, I experienced a rather surreal moment. There were... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/08/09/obama_and_cocaine_this_is_your_brain 4cbff6c4-e9d4-45ee-89f1-c168bef590d5 Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT If you live under the false premise that doomsday will never come, some basic laws of nature (concerning energy) may be appropriate for you to note. Roughly speaking, since I am no physicist and neither are most of you,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/07/28/alternative_energy,_alternative_doomsday 1443fff8-0fdf-470b-b90a-4dca56631b15 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:00:55 GMT Zeus and Thor are sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck near the top of Mount Olympus. Thor is flinging bolts of lightning at hapless humans, who scurry frantically in all directions, looking for cover. Thor... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/07/22/the_hand_of_man_and_delusions_of_grandeur af31ea5a-c866-4f02-b63d-d551e475129c Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:50:32 GMT Two groups will find this discussion to be unpalatable, despite the fact that they are otherwise diametrically opposed to each other. Perhaps, if this sliver of insight gets under some of the hard scabs that have... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/07/16/immoral_indignation_and_log-infested_eyes 2dfb09e4-0e6d-44b2-8059-485379ad3f4b Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:31:39 GMT No doubt, the written world will be filled with tributes to Tony Snow. Most will come from people who knew Tony personally as a friend or colleague, and of course, they will be most qualified to write of the man. I am... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/07/14/tony_snow_the_redeemer 1b3f076e-c753-455e-a7e6-b4c375230f7f Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:43:22 GMT Liberals get their shorts tied into a knot very quickly when it is suggested that their faith is somehow diminished by the ideology they keep. Unfortunately, the ideology that gives liberals delusions of harmony has... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/07/07/the_liberals_agenda_-_antichrist_or_just_anti-christ af9b72cc-d92c-4e12-8db6-55317b5c9f1c Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:00:14 GMT This country is going to hell in a hand basket. That is a recently expressed perspective from an elder gentleman I respect. He was talking about the price of gasoline at the time, but I am inclined to add further... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/06/09/biting_and_eating_hands_that_feed_you 3da7f9a9-e476-40e2-b8e1-e481c0d0c439 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:26:19 GMT To vomit, or not to vomit: That is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to dispose of one's supper, or to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous equivocation, and take arms against a sea of fellows and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/02/17/delusional_democrats_the_warm_fuzzies_of_infanticide ad81df49-a901-4c9d-9cb2-68e91c589859 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:00:01 GMT So much of media/pundit lip flapping over the past few election cycles has been devoted to the "Evangelical" vote. The term has been loosely defined at best, if not entirely mischaracterized or downright adulterated... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2008/01/19/test_candidate_words_with_the_sword 167ed8fc-5250-4254-b555-61afdf37401d Sat, 19 Jan 2008 05:00:00 GMT It is a relentless quest, under no man's control. Every tick of the clock marks a step forward on the roadway that mankind knows as time. In the grand scheme of eternity, this human experience is but a piece of thread,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/12/30/dust_in_the_wind_and_the_fullness_of_time bbebb428-616a-41c0-80a4-5ed3bef8a974 Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:00:25 GMT If the Republican primaries were a game of musical chairs, it would seem that there are six seats and seven players ready for the game to begin. Ambassador Alan Keyes would make it an even field of eight vying for seven... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/12/26/alan_keyes_or_mchuckaduncaromthompauliani_for_president 002c2993-6a42-46f5-9c12-bc17db356e0a Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:52:47 GMT The boogeyman is coming, and he is going to get someone next year, no doubt about it. Yes sir, the boogeyman is going to decide this upcoming presidential election and nothing can stop him. The only question left to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/12/21/election_2008_-_who_is_your_boogeyman 50875b0f-de27-4d0d-84f1-0f0d56d1849e Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:01:00 GMT My next statement is one-hundred percent correct. Not one person who saw my headline thought to himself or herself, "Jesus Christ. who is that?" Perhaps some of you thought I was swearing. Others, no doubt, are offended... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/12/05/jesus_christ 7b514d9b-5f9e-4ea5-bc45-5bcadfade95a Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:28:32 GMT I am thankful for my constitutional scholar hat, which I am wearing at this very moment. It is a magic hat, of course, because I am not a constitutional scholar. To make it work, I sprinkle a bit of common sense powder... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/11/22/abortion_and_the_us_constitution 76cc459c-119f-4a20-bae1-21c4f08c4d5c Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:18:07 GMT For some, it is a feeling in the gut, while others call it common sense. Give it whatever name you wish, but it is that God given inner voice that whispers advice whether we want it or not. The louder the little voice... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/11/19/memo_to_fred_-_infanticide_is_not_a_states_right 523e9049-fc7c-473a-a5b2-846bacca1b6d Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:00:01 GMT It is wonderful that we have a special day to commemorate our Veterans. It is fantastic to honor those who have passed on and those who are still with us. In fact, it may be better to have a Veteran's day every month,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/11/12/veterans_day_after aee5dcee-7db4-4ebe-902b-250821ce6f17 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:52:42 GMT What exactly is a Liberal anyway? He is the bleeding heart; the champion for the underdog, who is ever concerned about "the man" having too much authority over individuals. That definition must then contrast with the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/11/08/the_liberal_conscience 15b14995-cd82-4e18-bb73-f4437a25e353 Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:29:51 GMT Each of us wears a costume, so to speak, which we alter throughout life. It is what helps us cope with those around us in a civilized intelligent manner. It sets us apart and binds us together at the same time.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/11/02/abortion_and_robot_meat 1681919f-f84f-4452-a194-e103493a5430 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:33:39 GMT Body Integrity Identity Disorder is an extremely odd state of mind, in which individuals desire to have one or more limbs amputated for no medical reason. Another less scientific label used to describe these people.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/10/27/castration_by_proxy_-_a_congressional_affliction f04fbb38-1500-49f6-8f87-9f14d4bed63b Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:01:00 GMT There is a growing attitude about war and the defense of our nation, stoked by men such as Ron Paul, which proclaims that we have no business doing what we are doing. The claim is that our Constitution and the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/10/23/ron_pauls_prescription_for_disaster d15e8d91-754a-445b-a4a0-92ea5dc10512 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:43:34 GMT A group composed of a few friends and family members embarked on a bizarre adventure the other day. It was one of those moments in time, when one's life teeters precariously on a fence. One side represents the expected... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/07/03/2008_-_a_year_to_focus_on_testicles 48ff234e-2bd5-4397-86cd-d446b18e7866 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT To tell you the truth, never once have I been tempted to boil a frog for any reason, but it would not surprise me if thousands delight in the practice. You know. those folks who like to bury cats up to the neck and then http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/05/26/boiling_frogs 4e959ac1-9e2d-471a-a7b3-7588c492b9bd Sat, 26 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT Freedom from religion is a delusional fantasy shared by atheists, liberals, and the varied collection of First Amendment interpreters, who see in it a prescription for religious sterility. Membership in one of these cam http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/05/19/the_church_of_secular_purity_-_more_religious_than_the_religious 5b0eeb0b-8cd8-4b55-8112-613fce6e6967 Sat, 19 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT Pompous political windbags have a distinct odor, speaking of which, reminds me of a story that you have likely heard from Uncle Dan or Grandpa Gus. There are families that avoid bathroom humor at all costs; however, if http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/05/12/cut_the_cheese_and_blame_the_other_guy_-_the_stench_of_washington_politics 46efe3e0-b49d-4e29-931c-bef534d525f7 Sat, 12 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT Christians are often confronted with a question that is hard to answer. It is a difficult question, not because it challenges our faith in Jesus Christ; that he sealed a new Covenant with God by taking on the sins of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/05/06/the_vast_left-wing_culture_of_death 58356f96-6c1d-41e5-a2b9-27e146745c48 Sun, 06 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT The analogy in my title may strike some as insensitive and/or offensive. Such a reaction is understandable; nevertheless, it describes Washington from my perspective with morbid precision. Some might compare my supposit http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/04/30/democrats_in_charge,_like_shooters_-_just_a_different_weapon b82e7046-af3a-49d4-b452-11a2233bcf1b Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:46:18 GMT Surely, you have received at least one forwarded email, which is a tribute to "The Americans." The text is a heart-pumping, pride-swelling rebuke to the world, which has been overly critical of America, and was purporte http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/04/27/the_americans,_in_review ee1ed495-4279-48ee-ab74-cd2e40c550c0 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 04:01:00 GMT Dear Mom, Well, it's been almost four weeks. Crazy how time flies, isn't it? You still don't know I'm in here yet. The angel told me you'd find out pretty soon, because you'll be missing something. She said that whil http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/04/20/letters_from_blob 4dbab724-5b5d-442b-8f1a-b6f8adf06a27 Fri, 20 Apr 2007 04:01:00 GMT I am writing this prior to having any clue about the perpetrator, or his motives in the Virginia Tech shooting horror, but for some odd reason I feel compelled to say something. Can we adequately express our condolences... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/04/16/monsters_in_america 63e5fbf9-0efa-4a43-a702-8f67359e6cde Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:19:11 GMT Never have I witnessed a more short-sighted bunch of spoiled brats in positions of leadership, or aspiring for leadership, than we have in the Democrats today. We have the first female Speaker of the House of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/04/13/bare-bottomed_democrats_on_display 4f0c7c4f-c57c-411d-a523-749ef36f0fb4 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:06:25 GMT Do you have a sense that the "other shoe" is about to drop; a sense of impending change; a quickening? The mind can play funny games, no doubt, but I have to admit that something in life seems different, somehow. If... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/04/08/old_men_are_dreaming_dreams e977d706-1f61-4ded-a79a-8bdc3b797daf Sun, 08 Apr 2007 11:46:27 GMT It might take a thousand Bookmobiles to transport all of the tomes that have been written on the subject of these military conflicts. Many, if not most, conclude in one way or another, that we entered those wars for... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/04/06/america_victorious_in_korea,_vietnam,_and_iraq b2e073f9-fea5-4eaf-81d5-c9df763d8ec3 Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:01:00 GMT I hate writing about Senator Hagel of Nebraska. This man is one-half of the State's voice in the U.S. Senate, and he cannot decide if he is a Republican or a Democrat on critical national issues. Does this mean that he... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/03/30/senator_hagel,_portrait_of_confusion 0e28e47b-b7e7-415e-aa35-373d036cd92b Fri, 30 Mar 2007 20:00:00 GMT Looking across the political landscape, I see a battlefield cratered and split by deep canyons. Past generations may recall times that were as contentious as our own, but the lingering effects could never have been so http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/03/28/abortion_a_case_of_missing_perceptions a7adcbaf-060e-410b-b9ca-7b5278b70d49 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:10:07 GMT Securely, I am wedged into the living-room pilot's seat. The remote control is glued firmly to the palm of my hand. An agile thumb hovers over the buttons, ready at a moment's notice to enter familiar cable coordinates.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhilHarris/2007/03/23/the_united_states_of_buffoonery eb15b1ee-e71a-4b2a-99ee-56bebbc8f092 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:01:00 GMT