In August 2017, Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA) held its Second Annual Statewide Convention in Randolph, Vermont. VIA is “a faith-based, grassroots coalition of congregations that transforms ordinary people into empowered and engaged citizens. Our goal is to create the hope, power, knowledge, and political will needed to make compassion and social justice a reality for […]
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Stats from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: The Urgency of the 2018 Midterms
Here are some significant statistics from a recent DCCC mailing: 23 – the number of House seats Republicans are defending in districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. These Republicans are instantly vulnerable, and now they must go to their constituents and convince voters who cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton that two years of […]
A Close Analysis of the Sexual Harassment Epidemic and Ways to Combat It
With the accusations against Hollywood film producer and executive Harvey Weinstein coming fast and furious, we are once again confronted by the specter of sexual harassment and assault in the United States. Of course, the situation should not come as a surprise (although sometimes it seems to): within only the past few years, we have […]
Obama’s Bipartisan Deals: Exposing More Lies from the Trump White House
Several weeks ago, the Daily Kos published an article on “the growing ethical crimes of Sarah Huckabee Sanders.” It is indeed a sad day in America that the official voice of the executive branch of our government is most likely disseminating downright lies to the American people. (It goes without saying that it is a […]
Index to the Second Year
Thank you as always for checking in with WisdomWordsPPF! Here is a guide to the past year of blog posts (note that some posts appear in several categories). If you want a guide to the first year (October 2015-October 2016), you can find it here. Posts on Social Justice, Politics and Our Peer Nations The […]
The Vermont People’s Platform
A recurring question on the political landscape at this point is, “What is the message of the Democrats following the November election?” There is a call for Dems to craft a single, coherent message that will help them win House and Senate seats in the 2018 midterm elections and to defeat Trump (or whomever might […]
A Physician’s Support for “Medicare for All”
We are fortunate in southern Vermont and southern New Hampshire to have access to the free Business Journal, published monthly and full of interesting and helpful articles about many business topics, especially small local businesses. In the July/August 2017 issue, the first page as one opened the magazine prominently featured a Letter to the Editor […]
Fact-Checking the Trump-Sessions DACA Statement
It probably should not come as a surprise that the Trump Administration’s statement on DACA is full of inaccuracies. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has provided us with an annotated version of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ statement on Trump’s decision to halt President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, showing at least 26 examples […]
Medjugorje: Exploring the Science of the Afterlife
Many modern Westerners tend to be leery of the possibility of an afterlife, even of the existence of a soul. In a Post-Enlightenment age, we are surrounded by science, technology, evidence and proofs. Climate change denial notwithstanding, we tend to believe only what we can observe with our five senses. The physical is real; the […]
Beware of Seductive Ads
You may have seen some recent ads on TV with a focus on tax reform, jobs, and supporting the so-called American Health Care Act (AHCA) of the Republicans. These ads promote middle-class growth, support companies being “unfettered” from government regulation, and laud supposed “choice” and freedom when it comes to health care. These stated goals […]