I always find it interesting how, when MAGA supporters are pressed on whether they think that Donald Trump’s actions represent a threat to democracy, they often retort, “The United States is a republic, not a democracy.” Not only are they missing the point and focusing on unimportant semantics while the larger threats to our freedoms … Continue reading
Filed under Cultural Commentary …
Remember When There Were Too Many People?
When I was a kid in the 1970s, I recall there being somewhat of a panic surrounding the idea that the world was becoming dangerously overcrowded. We were told that population growth threatened food supplies, natural resources, pollution, wildlife, and even world peace. “Zero Population Growth” wasn’t a fringe slogan—it was considered responsible citizenship. Fast-forward … Continue reading
Can (or Should?) a Christian Believe in America First?
One of my favorite online programs is a call-in show called The Line. Various hosts, most of whom identify themselves as atheists, take calls and engage in debates with believers from various faith traditions. The discussions are always interesting, although I often find myself amazed at the seemingly nonsensical things that some callers believe and … Continue reading
Why Do Conservatives Think This Way? Reflections on Piers Morgan’s Surrounded Debate
It seems that I’ve exchanged my television viewing habits for online programming. About six months ago I caught an episode of an online debate program called Surrounded. If you have never seen this program, it consists of one person with a particular point of view facing off against twenty or so other people with an … Continue reading
Who Are We Really Protecting?
I remember standing outside the men’s restroom, trying to look calm. My son was small—too young for me to feel comfortable sending him in alone, but too old to bring into the women’s room without hesitation. I stood there, pretending not to worry, listening for any sign that he might need me. Every second stretched … Continue reading
That’s the Spirit!
On a whim I decided to look up my childhood church online. Much to my surprise, the St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Terre Haute, Indiana has a Facebook page. St. John was and still appears to be a small congregation in a lower middle class neighborhood and while I haven’t attended a service there … Continue reading
What the Cold War Taught Me – And What It Got Wrong
What the Cold War Taught Me—and What It Got Wrong 1972 was an interesting year to be a third grader in the United States. Although it didn’t occur to me at the time, it now seems as if our class spent an awful lot of time watching television. It started with the 1972 Winter Olympic … Continue reading
Where Can I Buy a “Race Card?”
I love a good card game! My dad taught me to play Solitaire (with real cards, not on the computer, because…well…I’m on the elderly side of Generation X) when I was about 7 years old. In high school, we’d play Hearts and Uno in the school cafeteria at lunch time. When I got to college, … Continue reading
Who’s at the Bottom?
Between 1910 and 1970, it is estimated that more than five million African Americans migrated from the rural American South to northern cities. Perhaps, not so surprisingly, I didn’t learn about The Great Migration, until I took Black American History 200 during my sophomore year in college in 1982. Ironically, it was this same year … Continue reading
Pain Without a Name
After the shockingly horrendous outcome of the 2024 United States’ Presidential election, my husband and I made the decision to relocate to Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. While there are many challenges associated with beginning life anew in a country that is not our own, I have found that, so far, the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences. … Continue reading
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