For all intents and purposes, the first-ever virtual Democratic National Convention, held August 17 to 20, was a great success (at least according to many pundits). Among the comments heard in the aftermath included kudos for holding two-hour sessions during prime time, the wide diversity of speakers, the creative manner in which delegates’ votes were […]
Donald Trump
Refuting the Homogeneity Argument: The Evidence is In
Often when the issue of European social safety net practices is broached among Americans the argument eventually turns to the question of our racial and ethnic diversity and our large size versus other countries’ relative homogeneity and small size. The argument asserts that the US cannot (and should not) implement European social practices because our […]
Two Powerful Messages for Our Times
From The Council of the Society of Biblical Literature and Executive Staff of the Society of Biblical Literature A Statement on Black Lives Matter, Right to Protest, and Bible as Prop The Council of the Society of Biblical Literature and Executive Staff of SBL issue the following statement: We are appalled at the murder of […]
The Voting Conundrum: More Impacts from the Coronavirus Pandemic
Shortly after the 2016 election, we discussed voting in the US and in our sister nations around the world. We noted the many initiatives being taken in the US to improve the way we vote in this country. We pointed out that other countries have much better turnout rates, in part because they offer different ways […]
Some Levity and Diversions in the Age of Coronavirus
In case you missed these, here are some offerings pertinent to our current situation. (Several are decidedly critical of the Trump Administration.) Enjoy! Quilted Northern Rustic Weave | Artisanal Toilet Paper Trump impressionist J-L Cauvin in late March on opening for Easter (April 12) Donald Goes to Rome (origin unknown): “I met with Pope […]
Staying Sane in an Insane Time Through Collective Action
For progressives, it is probably not a stretch to say that things in the US have become even scarier, more stressful and more unbelievable than they already were in the Age of Trump. The President, since the release of the Mueller Report, his impeachment, and his acquittal, combined with the undying support he has from […]
Inspiring and Courageous Quotes from Our Country’s Latest Impeachment Chapter
Time will tell how bad the fallout will be for several senators who voted to convict President Trump of one or both of the two Articles of Impeachment on February 5, 2020. We can already see, as early as the next day, how cruel Trump, his family members and his cronies could be toward Utah […]
Trump and Project Blitz: Beware False Attempts to Promote Religious Literacy
In previous posts (Religious Literacy Guidelines for College Students and HarvardX: Online Course on Religious Literacy), we have discussed the necessity among Americans (including journalists) to become more literate about religion, including the Bible (upon which, like it or not, Western civilization is largely dependent). President Donald Trump has announced that his “Department of Education […]
Buyer’s Remorse and Self-Forgiveness: Humble Suggestions for Trump Voters Reconsidering
The majority of the blog posts on this website are addressed to progressives and those on the political left. This is a departure. Here we will offer some thoughts to citizens who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, who may be reconsidering, and who may be reluctant to admit – to themselves and/or […]
Updates on Issues Previously Raised
We have commented on a number of issues in the past which we can now update. First, we noted in “Hillary and Helen: Women ‘Deleted’ by the Texas Board of Education,” posted on September 21, 2018, that the Texas Board of Education had voted preliminarily in September 2018 to delete several significant figures from the […]