Most Sundays, and in many contexts around the world on weekdays as well, Christian worshipers read, sing or chant portions of a Psalm, an entire Psalm or even several Psalms during a service. The standard collection of Psalms, the Psalter, found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) portion of the Bible, is “an anthology of […]
Present
Blog posts relating to the present such as social justice issues
The New Democratic Progressive Caucus
One of the most significant results of the 2022 midterms was the election, across the country, of the “most progressive Democratic Caucus in decades.” With wins of almost all of the 18 candidates supported by the Democratic Progressive Caucus (DPC), the DPC will now have 103 members in the 118th Congress (Senator Bernie Sanders [VT] […]
Post-Election Musings
Election Day 2022 – the midterms – is now history, although many votes are still being counted. Fortunately, casting ballots across our country generally appears to have gone quite smoothly (although some voters did experience intimidation in some areas). Given the fact that the Georgia Senate election will go into a runoff and the long […]
Index to the Seventh Year
Thank you for your interest in these blog posts! Here is a listing by topic for posts since October 2021. (Some topics overlap.) Social and Racial Justice, Diversity Honoring the Wampanoags Today and Moving Toward a More Perfect Union, November 26, 2021 Suggested Readings for Black History Month: The Self-Education of White Americans, February […]
Family Values and the Future of Our Nation
The issue of family values has been a theme of American conservatism and the Republican Party since at least the 1970s. Generally speaking, those values as articulated by the right have come in the form of attacks on LGBTQ rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, sex education in schools, abortion rights, certain government programs, supposed “socialist” […]
America’s Continuing Low Democracy Score and the Urgency to Improve It
Americans should know about the Democracy Index if we do not know about it already. In the latest report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU), the US is described as a “flawed democracy” – for the fifth straight year, and lower than the 2020 score. The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU) is a […]
Let Us Count the Ways: Reasons to Support Democrats in November
Every national election is important, but the 2022 midterm elections may be among the most consequential in our nation’s history. As President Joe Biden stated in a prime-time address on September 1, the “extreme ideology” of Donald Trump and his adherents “threatens the very foundation of our republic.” Democrats in general often do not seem […]
What is the CCIA? A Study in Misleading Political Ads
If you’ve been seeing television ads sponsored by a group called CCIA lately, do not be deceived! The “Squeezed” ad from the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), third in a series of Don’t Break What Works television ads, begins, “You feel it at the pump, at the check-out counter, and at the end of […]
Going After Trump Legally: Arguments for Taking the Risk
In an article for US News and World Report written a few days prior to the stunning testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson before the January 6th Committee, writer Susan Milligan examined the pros and cons of the Department of Justice charging former President Donald Trump with a crime (or several). It is […]
SPLC on the January 6 Hearings: Suggestions for Citizens and Lawmakers
On June 14, 2022, Margaret Huang, President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, sent an email to supporters about the hearings of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. Here are some of the important take-aways from that notice as to what we citizens of the US must do in light […]