Category Archives: Social Issues

The Al Franken Dilemma.

I love Al Franken. I have always loved Al Franken. One of my favorite lectures ever was the talk he gave on his fight against Fox News. (Hunt down The First Amendment Project; one of their episodes contains part of … Continue reading

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An open letter to Lawrence O’Donnell.

Dear Mr. O’Donnell: I have waited a few days before writing this letter, hoping that I would become more eloquent or the words you spoke on Tuesday less upsetting. Neither has happened. Although I do not watch your show all … Continue reading

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Affirmative action for whom?

The Trump administration believes that white men have been disadvantaged in college admissions. The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, in a development that would be amusingly hypocritical if it were not a sickening subversion of everything the division … Continue reading

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Ohio.

May 4th has come to be referenced in popular culture as Star Wars Day. (“May the Fourth be with you.”) The day holds a deeper, darker, and more important significance, though. On May 4th, 1970, twenty-nine members of the Ohio … Continue reading

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Logic, schmogic.

An open letter to the privileged Texas Senator I heard on NPR today. You are not very bright, sir. The NPR story was about a Texas county sheriff who has taken the position that she won’t turn anyone over to ICE … Continue reading

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QOTD.

Tim Fouts of the country a cappella group Home Free, about the Westboro Baptist Church: “I personally prefer ladies, but I’d kiss a dude to piss them off.” (He also said, “I’m not celebrating those misguided idiots, I’m just happy … Continue reading

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Movies: facing the past.

On Tuesday, I saw Hidden Figures, about three African-American women who fought bigotry and misogyny to become important figures at NASA. It’s a great movie, and a story that needs to be told. And, like Selma, I found it difficult … Continue reading

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Naivete.

In my friend Jane’s Facebook page a extremely conservative college classmate of hers stated, in regard to voter ID laws, “Why would someone refuse to show ID unless they were going to cheat?” Why, indeed? Maybe because… They are an elderly … Continue reading

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Jim Wright, one of my go-to bloggers for intelligent analysis, writes, with bitter sarcasm, that we “won” after 9/11.  But for people for whom sarcasm is not a native language… We didn’t win. When the first soldiers were deployed to Iraq, … Continue reading

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Sheesh.

Dear Mainstream Media (and today I am looking at you, Steve Karnacki): For Pete’s sake, whenever Donald Trump or his surrogates talk about how Obama has let immigration enforcement go to hell in a hand-basket, CALL THEIR BLUFF!!!!! Do not … Continue reading

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Sheesh. Another anti-vaccination horror story.

This time it’s chickenpox. A mom in Texas was reported to Child Protective Services for holding chickenpox-exposure parties. She was turned in by a pro-vaccination group overseas. Hopefully this will stop these idiots. Apparently this mom thinks “natural immunization” is … Continue reading

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Thoughts on Flint.

Bernie Sanders was right: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder should resign. (Or be impeached.) Rachel Maddow was right: contrary to what Snyder said in his State of the State address, local government — elected local government, that is, not the emergency … Continue reading

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Twelve.

Tamir Rice was twelve. Twelve. He was playing with a pellet gun. My kids have played with toy guns: not pellet guns, but water pistols and Nerf guns. They are  brightly colored, but at least a few of them are shaped like … Continue reading

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The golden leaves drift from the ginkgo tree in the median of the street outside the window. The sky is a shade lighter than its normal cornflower blue, streaked with wisps of clouds in the south shading to blankets in … Continue reading

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The sound of breaking glass.

Perhaps I am naive, but I don’t worry too much about our country indulging in mass killings of Muslims by the the government. We are not Nazi Germany. I could be wrong, of course: if you had told me fifteen … Continue reading

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