Recent Commentaries

Featured image for “What Would Mister Rogers Say?”
What Would Mister Rogers Say?
In less than seven days we have seen: what has now grown to 15 pipe bombs delivered to top Democrats, actor Robert DeNiro and cable news network CNN by vocal Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc; a school shooting near Charlotte, North Carolina; white racist Gregory Bush shot two black shoppers at a Kentucky grocery store; and earlier that same day –...
Read More
October 30, 2018
Featured image for “#This I Pledge”
#This I Pledge
The political poison that has infected the electorate can no longer be ignored. Each incident – from the shooting of congressional Republicans on a baseball field last year, to the venomous Senate hearings last month – raises the threat toward greater violence. Given the most recent act of terror involving multiple pipe bombs sent to former and current politicians, an...
Read More
October 25, 2018
Featured image for “Credibility”
Credibility
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful. It is as simple as that.” ~ Edward R. Murrow, 20th century journalist in testimony before a Congressional Committee, May 1963 Let’s face it, credibility is not that simple anymore. It has less to do with facts and more...
Read More
October 22, 2018
Featured image for “A Country in Search of its Soul, Again”
A Country in Search of its Soul, Again
Historian Jon Meacham has become a reliable storyteller of past presidents. They come alive in his pages through the many stories that illustrate who they were and what they stood for. However, in The Soul of America – the Battle for Our Better Angels, Meacham is concerned with more than historical biography. Alarmed by the man who inhabits the White...
Read More
October 17, 2018
Featured image for “<em>Who?</em>”
Who?
Taylor Swift is a most unlikely political firebrand, and yet the 28-year old pop singer is stirring up voters in her adopted home state of Tennessee like no one else. In an Instagram post to 112 million of her followers (yes, that’s right, one-third of the country!), Swift writes movingly about who she is voting for and why. “In the...
Read More
October 15, 2018
Featured image for “Act Now or We’re Cooked”
Act Now or We’re Cooked
The evidence doesn’t get any clearer than this. “Do what science demands before it is too late.” That’s United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in a direct warning to world leaders. In a press release issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) two days ago paints a climate picture far more urgent than we thought. “ ‘With more...
Read More
October 12, 2018
Featured image for “I Stand with This Man”
I Stand with This Man
Eighteenth century French philosopher Voltaire once observed, “Common sense is not so common.” In Washington, it’s virtually extinct. But if you travel Northwest to Columbus, Ohio, you will find one man who reflects the kind of practical intelligence we need right now. In case anyone forgot, among the hodgepodge of hopefuls trying to overtake The Trump Reality show in 2016,...
Read More
October 10, 2018
Featured image for “Epilogue”
Epilogue
After two weeks of turmoil and rage, what more could possibly happen? We’ve given up the common ground for my ground. We’ve gone from dissent to disrespect; from disrespect to hatred. Before we face the next bitter Division Du Jour, perhaps it’s time for us to consider what we stand for? I believe Judge Brett Kavanaugh is, fundamentally, a good...
Read More
October 8, 2018
Featured image for “At Any Cost”
At Any Cost
With Two Updates — Last night, before the close of the Senate’s business, before reading the FBI report that is scheduled to be available to Senators as early as 8:00 am this morning, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “I am filing cloture (closure) on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination this evening, so the process can move forward, as I indicated...
Read More
October 4, 2018
Featured image for “The Reckoning”
The Reckoning
Alex Jones – the radio/internet hate host and false conspiracy theorist – has been banned from most social media platforms… finally! “iTunes, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube all removed his audio and video material from their platforms, saying Jones violated their policies on hate speech,” NPR reported. He’s also been removed from MailChimp,  » Read more about: The Reckoning  »...
Read More
October 3, 2018