Yet, could it be that Putin really represents Russia? I found myself thinking in Rome. Could it be that Russians in general could care less about Ukraine? Just maybe, I found myself thinking. Is Putin the true champion of a Russia anathema to our Western view of civilization?
Category: Human Rights
“Secular Humanists with Jewish Last Names”
The title of this article is a recent quote from Steven Crowder, an immensely popular conservative YouTuber with almost six million subscribers. “He’s not wrong about everything,” Crowder quipped about Kanye West’s recent and obviously anti-Semitic remarks.
Old as the Hills
Age is a moveable number determined by our internal joie de vivre quotient, or so we are often told. According to this premise, we are just as old as we feel. Our true age may be 75 or 85, but we might still prefer to be 50 or 60 in our mind’s eye.
Back in the USSR
In 1959, Chuck Berry had a hit with a song called Back in the USA, a rock ‘n roll propelled love anthem to America.
Why A “Civil War” Would Be So Hard for Progressives to “Win”
In the wake of the January 6, 2021 insurrection and other rebellious acts from the right, there is increasing talk of a new American civil war. What shape it might take is open to all kinds of interpretation.
Republicans are destroying our founders’ Federalism
Federalism was a brilliant idea that our founders conceived. It helps us determine publicly beneficial answers to a myriad of questions about “Who Decides.” But it is based on good will among citizens of different political persuasions. We will never recover from the damage of Donald Trump and his legions until they recognize the importance of governing by the rules that have provided us with a large measure of stability for most of the past two and a half centuries.
Limiting guns vs. limiting abortions: The right wing wins again
Yes, the absurdity is very clear to progressives; not at all to conservatives. This is why conservatives are winning so many of the battles these days. They get to use firearms as their weapon of choice; progressives use a basic right on human reproduction. If you can’t see a power imbalance in this conundrum, look again.
Progressives need to move beyond their fear of talking about abortion
The alternative is for progressives to discuss abortion and sex at the same time and describe how abortion policy without a realization that “sex happens” will never reflect reality, empathy, and respect for basic civil liberties. Come on progressives. News organizations now let us use the ‘F’ word as an expletive; why can’t we talk about it for what it really means. It will greatly help the whole country better come to terms with the abortion issue and make more logical and empathetic decisions.
Politically Divergent Friendships, When They’re Fine vs. When They’re Not
Ellen DeGeneres was pictured palling around with former President George W. Bush at a Dallas Cowboys game and a lot of people were outraged. Ellen was unmoved and in fact she was indignant about their outrage.
Reflections on the Lynching Memorial and Legacy Museum
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice made me cry. And that, I’m sure, is not a unique experience. I can’t speak for the