Current Events
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Dangerous Lies-isons
How curious that both stories above the fold in todayās St. Petersburg Times are about delusional people trying to delude the public: Trump Won Florida, But Online and at Your Door, his Supporters Are Trying to Force an Audit: The goal is to sow doubt and discord to delegitimize the…
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The Freedom to Make Mistakes?
I recently heard someone say that having freedom means having the freedom to make mistakes.1 This was mentioned in the context of mask mandates during the current Covid-19 pandemic. This seemed like a reasonable opinion at first, but something about it gnawed at me. After some rumination, I think I…
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Let’s Cancel the Ill-Conceived Concept of “Cancel Culture”
There is no such thing as ācancel culture.ā Oh, sure, the phrase exists. And the alliteration makes it memorable. But Iām putting it in quotes because it describes a fictitious concept that is intellectually dishonest. āCancel cultureā is deceiving because it attempts to recast the villain in a situation as…
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Articles I Enjoyed About Yesterday’s News
Yesterday was a momentous day for the United States, and I’ve been reading all the news and analysis I can about it. Here are a few articles that stand out. Heather Cox Richardson: “Letters From an American: January 20, 2021” Richardson is an amazing and perceptive writer. Her daily emails…
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“When Day Comes, We Step out of the Shade Aflame and Unafraid”
I studied poetry as an undergrad, but I havenāt given it much thought since graduation.1 I think the last book of poetry I bought was by Walt Whitman at a museum in 2005. Itās probably yellowing now in storage next to books by Shakespeare and Sharon Olds. But, today, my…
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“Where Words Fail, Music Speaks.”
I’m struggling to find the words to describe how happy I am to be an American today. This passionate rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner reflects my newly restored pride. My mom texted me to say she loved Lady Gaga’s performance but “her dress was over the top.” My response: “What…
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Some Thoughts About Parler and Free Speech
You wonāt find many people more outspoken about free speech than me. And thatās why Iām going to call bullshit on everybody whoās crying foul over Parlerās removal from Google Play, the Apple App Store, and Amazon Web Services. The First Amendment is very specific. It says the government can…