Recent Commentaries

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Why We Are All So Mad
Social division, racial division, political division, economic division, lies, rage, violence. After another mass shooting, California Governor Gavin Newson said, “What the hell is going on in the United States of America? What the hell is wrong with us?” Before all this rage and violence exploded, too many were living lives of quiet desperation – desperate to be heard, desperate...
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May 28, 2021
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What We Need Right Now
Last Friday, Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony. “I’m incredibly proud,” President Biden said, “to give Col. Ralph Puckett’s act of valor the full recognition that he always deserved. Colonel, I’m humbled to have you here today.” The White House statement reads, in part: “Then-First Lieutenant Ralph Puckett, Jr. distinguished himself...
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May 26, 2021
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When Will This Madness End?
“…every scientific and medical report shows that whenever you have a re-opening—whether you want to call it a re-opening of businesses or of just a re-opening of society—in the aftermath of something like this, it actually will lead to an increase and spread.” That statement acknowledged what medical experts were telling state officials during the long months of COVID-19. But...
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May 23, 2021
Trump’s First Amendment Rights
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. – adopted December 15, 1791 Embed from Getty Images I believe in the First Amendment....
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May 21, 2021
Trump, Social Media and The First Amendment
Embed from Getty Images Apologies for the delay in Wednesday’s commentary. Taxes. Returning Friday. On January 6, the day the 2020 presidential election was set for certification by the Congress, Donald Trump gave a speech in front of the White House that became a drumbeat of rebellion built on lies, and conspiracies. It was a speech that whipped-up thousands of...
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May 17, 2021
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Real Problem, One Real Solution
In the ’70s film, The Graduate, young Benjamin Braddock is attending a celebratory party arranged by his parents when he is pulled to the side by a business friend of the family. The older man puts his arm around Ben, then lowers his voice before distilling his business wisdom into one word: Plastics. Plastics may have been the best career...
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May 14, 2021
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Moment of Principle
In my 2004 book, What Do You Stand For? I asked a cross-section of more than 100 individuals to answer a questionnaire: What do you stand for, what principles have you lived by? Describe a “moment of principle” in which your convictions were tested or a story in which you were inspired by another. Last night, on the floor of...
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May 12, 2021
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That Extra Mile
This story ran last March, but it’s worth another look to show that there are police officers who, with patience and compassion, take a closer look before using any force. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her own apartment one year ago. George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Dreck Chauvin when the officer held his...
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May 10, 2021
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Profile in Courage; Profiles in Cowardice
“In a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘holds office’; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or...
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May 6, 2021
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Ship of Fools
This remake of the classic 1965 Stanley Kramer film is filled with everything you’ve come to expect from a memorable masterpiece of scandal and treachery. Based on the incredible playbook by Donald Trump with a cast ripped from the halls of Washington. Starring Senator Josh Hawley, the ignoble mate who put out a fund-raising message telling supporters of his planned...
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May 3, 2021