Columns this week come from Scott Perry, Miles Layton, Keith and Pat Throckmorton.

On that note, if you want to submit a column, send it to mileslayton1969@gmail.com

The New Monroe Doctrine: Trump’s Strategic Vision for the Americas

BY SCOTT PERRY

In 1823, President James Monroe established one of the most enduring cornerstones of American foreign policy—the Monroe Doctrine. At its core, the doctrine declared that the Western Hemisphere was off-limits to further European colonization or interference. It was a message to the Old World: the Americas were now under the protective gaze of the United States. Monroe’s vision was not one of territorial expansion, but of hemispheric preservation. It was defensive, setting clear boundaries around the young republic and its neighbors to prevent the return of colonial rule. For decades, this doctrine would serve as a foundation for American diplomatic and military posture in the Western Hemisphere, reinforcing the idea that any foreign encroachment would be seen as a threat to U.S. sovereignty.

Fast forward nearly two centuries, and President Donald J. Trump’s early geopolitical moves appeared to signal a modernized version of Monroe’s vision—a kind of “New Monroe Doctrine” for the 21st century. Within his first 100 days, Trump launched a series of bold and unconventional gestures that hinted at a new strategic framework. For example, his administration’s interest in purchasing Greenland from Denmark was dismissed by critics as absurd. Still, the idea revealed a calculated interest in securing the Arctic as a strategic buffer against rising Russian and Chinese influence. Control over Greenland would enhance America’s military and surveillance capabilities in the north and establish a U.S. presence in an emerging global trade frontier.

Elsewhere, Trump’s renegotiation of NAFTA into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) altered the balance of power with America’s northern neighbor. Though Canada remains a sovereign nation, its economic dependence on the U.S. deepened under this agreement, and Trump’s blunt diplomacy made clear that Washington expected deference from Ottawa. In effect, Canada began to resemble a de facto U.S. state, not through annexation but policy control.

Similarly, Trump turned attention back to the Panama Canal, raising alarms about Chinese investment and the growing influence of Beijing in Latin America and echoing the concerns that animated Monroe’s original doctrine: foreign powers using economic leverage to gain a foothold in America’s backyard.

Trump also emphasized the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean as vital security and economic zones, portraying these areas as domestic front porches that must be protected. His immigration policies, border wall initiatives, and financial sanctions in Latin America were not just about migration or crime—they were part of a broader vision of insulation.

For Trump, keeping threats out meant expanding the protective bubble around the United States. Where Monroe aimed to prevent foreign meddling through diplomatic warning, Trump attempted to carve out strategic and economic buffers through direct engagement, deal-making, and dominance.

The contrast is clear: Monroe’s doctrine was reactive, rooted in 19th-century diplomacy and concern over European resurgence. Trump’s approach was proactive, transactional, and focused on reshaping the hemisphere to serve America’s economic and strategic interests in a multipolar world. Monroe drew a line around the hemisphere; Trump blurred the lines between influence and ownership, treating international relationships like real estate negotiations. While Monroe sought to protect sovereignty, Trump aimed to expand the space under America’s informal control—economically, politically, and territorially.

In this light, Trump’s first 100 days can be viewed as a period of erratic diplomacy and a coherent, if unconventional, reinterpretation of hemispheric strategy. The old Monroe Doctrine warned others to stay out; the new version under Trump seeks to expand the perimeter, building buffers, influencing neighbors, and redefining sovereignty in a globalized age. Whether this “New Monroe Doctrine” will endure is uncertain, but it marked a dramatic evolution in how American power views—and secures—its place in the hemisphere.

A longtime business owner and journalist, Scott Perry is a resident of Edenton.

Round-up: Pilgrimage, Parrish, Steinburg and West

BY MILES LAYTON

A round-up of things from God’s country…

First, Pilgrimage – very nice. I wish I could’ve gone to more homes, but sometimes, time gets away from me.  

From what I can tell, at least a thousand tickets were sold, so many, many people came to town, and the houses listed had many tours.  

Hayes Plantation – I hadn’t seen it yet from the inside, so this part of my column mentions that impressive manor house. I’ve walked or jogged past this historic home for years and wondered what it must look like inside. 

Mike and Mary Ervin, president of Edenton Woman’s Club, along with my wife Nicole, led my tour of the home. Nicole is writing a separate story about Pilgrimage.  

A few takeaways – not only was one of the original copies of the US Constitution discovered in the home, but the Declaration of Independence, too.

When my jaw dropped in shock, someone, perhaps a Yankee, told me that I looked “addled” with my mouth open. I held my tongue, though I wish my younger son Joseph had been with me — he has no filter and a sharp wit that he doesn’t hesitate to use at times, for better or for worse. Still, it was best to hold my tongue rather than insult a visitor to our town.

Back to Pilgrimage — I saw the library where the Constitution was discovered a few years ago. That must have been an impressive place to study. Founding Father Samuel Johnston led the Continental Congress and could have chosen to be the nation’s first president, but he decided instead to pass on that job because he wanted to return to Edenton to manage his farm and for health reasons.

Antique furniture – dark wood – conjured up many memories from my past. Before furniture was considered disposable, families passed it down from generation to generation, the same with china and silverware. Remember polishing silverware? 

That china had a blue color and pattern that I haven’t seen in at least 40 years. Portraits that hung on the wall were painted, not photographs. Personally, I like portraits better than modern photographs because there is a difference between camera-controlled reality and filtered reality portrayed through a painter’s eyes.

In other news, only one side of the Confederate Memorial debate engaged in Saturday’s standard protest – the Move the Monument crowd. I understand wanting to engage in protests on things you are passionate about — when I lived in a college town (Athens, Ohio), protesting might as well have been considered a form of church. However, I think there is also a time and place for everything. 

I don’t think Pilgrimage was the time or place for the Move the Monument crowd to hold their weekly protest/worship session. Your side wants to win hearts and minds to your cause of moving the monument, but when hundreds if not thousands of people visit our community during one of the biggest weekends of the year, you gave a middle finger to our town by holding a protest – another protest, I might add. Bless your heart.

Really, you’ve been protesting for years now, so maybe take a weekend off every now and then. Perhaps consider taking Easter weekend off. 

Craig Miller talked to me about Vernon Fueston’s column about the Confederate Memorial – I haven’t read it yet, but I will try to find one, that is if I can find a copy of that newspaper anywhere. Miller said Vernon wrote a pretty good column on the matter.

Per Vernon, I’ll say it again: my beef was never with the journalists working at local news outlets but instead with the corporate management that has run those papers into the ground. 

Anne Parrish called the other day – thanks goes to (former) Senator Steinburg for sharing my number with her. Though I was traveling, I spoke to Parrish about the passing of her son, Jim. I wish I could’ve offered her words of wisdom like a pastor can. That said, I did my best, and my wife sent her some stories that I had written in recent weeks. Thanks for your kind words, Anne.

Speaking of Steinburg, I had lunch with Harvey West Sr. when I was covering the First Congressional District Convention on Saturday in Williamstown. West spoke highly of Steinburg, who represented our region in the General Assembly a few years back. 

West talked about his family’s business that’s been in operation since 1937 in Washington County. We shared our views about how politics have changed over the years in Eastern NC.

West and I could recall a time when Democrats dominated political life in these parts, but these days, the Republicans are leading the charge.

Based on my conversation with West, we agreed that the person who does the work is the one who gets things done more than folks who want nothing more than a fancy title, regardless of political party or public office.   

Organizing and leading a political party is a LOT OF WORK. I’ve seen that at all levels over the years – it’s not just making pretty speeches – but getting folks energized to vote and inspired to carry the banner by running for public office. 

I remember when Republican Jim Martin was running for governor at a time when the GOP had no prayer of capturing the state’s top office. Republicans were so few and far between that Martin carried a shoebox filled with index cards listing their names/addresses as he drove his station wagon from town to town when campaigning across the state in 1984. Remember, though Jim Hunt, a Democrat, was term limited after two terms a governor, Democrats still called the shots in those days from Manteo to Murphy. Martin did the work and became the third Republican elected governor of North Carolina after Reconstruction and the second since the 1900.

Martin also reached out across the aisle to Lt. Gov. Jimmy Green, a Democrat from Eastern NC, who endorsed Martin for governor — but that’s a story for another day.

My point being — it’s not always the title that leads the charge, but the person willing to do the work, preach not just to the choir but talk to people no matter what their views, maybe go door to door so as to organize and energize a group of people who can change their communities for the better.

A longtime journalist, Albemarle Observer co-founder Miles Layton may be reached at mileslayton1969@gmail.com

Where did the Easter Bunny Come From?

BY KEITH THROCKMORTON

We know that Easter represents the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but where did the Easter Bunny come from and become a part of Easter? The Scriptures do not mention the Easter Bunny.

The Easter Bunny was created as a folklore figure during the medieval period (1066-1485 AD). The Easter Bunny sometimes wore clothes. Originating among German Lutherans, the Easter Bunny (“Easter Hare”) played the role of a judge, evaluating whether Children were good or disobedient during the start of the Easter season.

This custom was similar to the “naughty or nice” list made by Santa Claus at Christmas. As part of the Easter Bunny legend, the bunny carried colored eggs in its basket, and sometimes toys, to children’s homes. The custom of the Easter Bunny delivering eggs and toys on Easter morning was similar to Santa Claus bringing children toys on Christmas Eve.

In 1682, the tradition of the Easter Bunny was mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau’s De ovis Paschalibus (About Easter Eggs). This reference referred to a German practice of an Easter Rabbitt (Hare) bringing eggs for children. The rabbit (Hare) was popular in medieval church art. It was widely believed that the rabbit was a hermaphrodite (an organism having both male and female sex organs or other sexual characteristics). This characteristic produced a feeling the rabbit could create without losing its virginity, which led to an association with the Virgin Mary.

Rabbitts may have also been associated with the Holy Trinity, as in the
three Rabbitt motifs (a decorative design or pattern). The Rabbitts were also illuminated in manuscripts and Northern European paintings of the Virgin Mary and Christ-Child.

Eggs have been used as fertility symbols since before the Middle Ages. They became a Christian symbol associated with rebirth as early as the 1st century AD. The egg became associated with Easter in medieval Europe when eating it was prohibited during the fast of the Lenten season. A common practice in England then was for children to go from door to door begging for eggs on the Saturday before Lent began.

In addition, people handed out eggs as special treats for children before their period of Lent fasting. As a particular dish, eggs would probably have been decorated as part of the Easter celebrations. Many Christians of the Eastern Orthodox Church typically dye their Easter eggs red, the color of the blood, in
recognition of the blood shed by Jesus at his crucifixion and for the renewal of life in the spring. Some people also color their eggs green in honor of new foliage emerging from the winter months.

According to some sources, the Easter Bunny arrived in America sometime during the 1700s. The bunny came with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. Their children constructed nests where the Easter Bunny could lay its colored eggs. The custom subsequently spread across America. The Easter bunny’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other candy and gifts. Decorated Easter baskets replaced the historical nests. In addition, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all of his hopping.

The largest Easter egg ever made was over 25 feet high and weighed over 8,000 pounds. It was built out of chocolate and marshmallows and supported by an internal steel frame. The reason for Christmas is not about Santa Claus, nor is Easter about the Easter Bunny. The celebration of Easter is about the death and resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and arose on Easter morning.

Keith Throckmorton, Fairfax County Police (Retired) Perquimans County, NC

DEVOTION: Jesus’s Crucifixion and Resurrection

BY PAT THROCKMORTON

“Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision.  They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.”  Mark 15:1 NIV.

Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem during the Jewish Festival of Passover.  Betrayed by one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Jesus was handed over to the religious authorities who accused Him of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God.  Subsequently, He was brought before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, who despite finding no fault in Him, succumbed to the crowd’s demands for His execution.

Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion, a brutal method reserved for the most vicious of criminals.  So, the soldiers took charge of Jesus.  “Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).  Here they crucified him, and with him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”  John 19:17-18 NIV.

For many long hours, Jesus hung on the cross in intense, crushing suffering before ultimately dying.  “Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”  John 19:28-30 NIV.

The pain and suffering Jesus experienced have always caused me shock, anger, disbelief, and profound sadness.  I am unable to hold back the tears when reading and recounting this event.  It is unimaginable that He gave up His life to atone for my (and everyone’s) sins!  Oh, the agony!

Three days after His crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb was found empty.  “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.  The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly into Galilee.  There you will see him.’  Now I have told you.”  Matthew 28:1-7 NIV.

The resurrection is a cornerstone of the Christian faith.  It signifies Jesus’s victory over death and His divine nature.  Moreover, it offers believers the promise of eternal life.  The Apostle Paul said, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”  1 Corinthians 15:14 NIV.

Following His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples multiple times over forty days. These post-resurrection appearances strengthened His followers’ faith and convinced them to spread His teachings.  This faith continues to live in Believers today.  As Christians, we hold that just as Jesus was raised from the dead, we, too, will be granted eternal life.  To quote Paul again, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  Romans 6:5 NIV.

For Christians, these events embody the core message of the Gospel: redemption and hope. They show God’s profound love and mercy and serve as a testament to the triumph of life over death.  God is Love!

A retired nurse and published author, Pat Throckmorton is a resident of Hertford.