This is first of two essays in which I discuss the way forward for both Republican and Democratic Parties. Part 1. Recently one of my readers suggested that I discuss what I think both major parties should do to address racism and other problems facing the US. I’m not sure that is quite the right... Continue Reading →
Some Thoughts on Empathy and Imagination and a Poem for Palestine (Testing Day)
(Artwork: A Child's Nightmares in Gaza) We are in a time when we are charged with the task of resisting racism and injustice of all kinds. Before we can do that effectively, we need to better understand what it feels like to be over-policed, discriminated against, subjected to humiliation, and deprived of basic rights and... Continue Reading →
Trump’s Tulsa Travesty
It seems like a lifetime, but it was only two weeks ago that Trump conducted his travesty in Tulsa. In a recent post about “America’s Great Evasion” I pointed out that America’s “frontier experience” had helped create in our nation a tendency to: “view groups of people that we deemed ‘others’ as fair game for... Continue Reading →
History, Heritage, and the Holocaust
Currently there is a debate raging in the country about what to do with old monuments erected to celebrate the feats of the “heroes” of the Confederacy during the Civil War. I believe there is a civil solution. First, I find racism abhorrent, and I think the prominent display of these symbols of a regime... Continue Reading →
Observations on Racism (part 2)
Reverse Racism, Affirmative Action and “Partisanship” During the last week, an episode occurred that should help clarify some things I said about racism in part one of these “Observations on Racism.” That sad but revealing event was the noose found hanging in the garage of the only prominent black NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace. It... Continue Reading →
Some Observations about Racism (Part 1)
In the ongoing debate about racism in our country, there seems to be a lot of confusion about basic terms. This is often a serious obstacle to any real dialogue. With that in mind, I thought I would share a few thoughts and try to clarify things a bit. To my mind, this is not... Continue Reading →
The Absurd Fallacy that Both Sides are Really the Same
A few days ago, I posted a flyer on Facebook. It was a little spoof on the old dance craze “The Limbo.” In it I suggested that Trump’s supporters were constantly “lowering the bar” and that, as a result, we were all “dancing to the same tune” (i.e. reacting to Trump’s nonsense) and would all... Continue Reading →
Oxymorons: A Poem
When people speak from both sides of their mouth you get…. Oxymorons People who once liked the old segregationLater turned and became fans of deregulationThey boast of their love of our great constitutionBut still wave the flag of the confederate solutionThey boast that they’re patriots and wave high the flagBut simple “voting by mail” somehow... Continue Reading →
On Addressing the Problems of Systemic Racism and Brutal, Misguided Police Methods
Under Pressure We are currently seeing the country racked by demonstrations against racism. So far, the response of the Trump administration has been predictably medieval—and totally ineffective. While some people waste time and breath on arguing about who is causing the relatively scattered outbreaks of violence and looting, they overlook a very simple fact: instead... Continue Reading →
