Statues of slave owners, Confederate Army officers, and others considered heroes have been scattered around cities and towns in the United States for generations. The vast majority were white men of some distinction, seen positively at the time of the statues’ placement, but under scrutiny now for their dubious accomplishments and places in history. This scrutiny is, unfortunately, blind destruction, not a thoughtfully considered approach to history. Read more
I am moved to contribute my opinion as a Black American on what it will take to prevent these epic racial incidents over whites killing a Black—usually the cops, but not always—every few months. This latest execution by Derek Chauvin et al was a step-up in viciousness and callous disregard displayed by cops against a Black citizen. Read more
BOOK REVIEW
In our house, perhaps yours as well, our refrigerator door is decorated with a variety of things—daily calendar pages containing pictures of cats (Bekki’s favorite animal); photos of family members, past or current pets, or of places we’ve been that we particularly enjoyed; catchy or thought-provoking quotes. Bekki is the door decorator, not me. It’s not that she would object, it just seems not to be my thing. She uses small, magnetized, scrabble-like letters to write messages like 'The obstacle in your path is your path' or (after being self-quarantined a while) 'ain’t misbehavin’'. Even one time 'I love Neil'. I particularly liked that one. Read more
OPINION
As a veteran, I have found Donald Trump's fascination with the military to be bizarre, if not downright outlandish He has wanted military parades marching through Washington, D.C. fashioned like those in two-bit despotic countries to warn its population not to get out of hand. Now he has taken the next step and ordered the U.S. military to use force against American citizens. He has ordered attacks on peaceful protesters using their First Amendment right of assembly. He has violated separation of church and state by using an Episcopal and a Catholic Church as political props. Trump, a man with no perceptible morals, standing in front of a crucifix – a holy symbol I have knelt before all my life – repels me. Read more
A number of years ago I spent a number of years watching as rookie teachers and rookie police officers tried to figure out what people believed. For the most part, we can classify that as their attempt to determine the implicit or explicit bias of subjects with whom they had to deal as part of employment. Some of those explorations went smoothly and some were very, very rocky. Read more
Everyone has heard…
Well maybe not everyone, but at least enough of the public has heard that news for the last couple of election cycles has been effectively faked on available social media, including newspapers, that there appears to be a general mistrust of methods and sourcing that we have an approaching credibility crisis. Read more
In the last couple of days J.W. Verret, Associate Professor of Law at the Antonine Scalia Law School of George Mason University, has made major decisions and written several articles in major new sources. Verret, writing in the Atlantic, found the Mueller Report inescapable and labeled the Mueller Report as his "Tipping Point." Read more
The government system at the federal level has made a major change. One of the major reasons for the change has been a group called “Indivisible.” I am wondering how much we should expect the government change to extend down into the state, county and local levels is because of Indivisible and the excellent guidance provided by the experts from that organization, Move On and similar activist training organizations. Read more
How many times have we heard politicians use that term to refer to a particular U.S. state? It seems to be a required prefix, showing respect for the state’s heritage, culture, importance, and values. It’s similar to a member of Congress from one political party referring to a member of the other party as "my esteemed colleague", or "my friend from across the aisle".
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"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all." Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland. Read more
