Recent Commentaries

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If I Spoke to the House
If I were a member of the House of Representatives, here’s what I would’ve said to my colleagues last week. A member of this body recklessly posted an animated video that depicted them killing another member. We all know the difference between right and wrong. We all know what action we would take if any of our sons or daughters...
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November 22, 2021
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Three Stories, Same Message
Three stories this week are linked by a common thread: Defiance. “I’m telling you right now,” Trump ally Steve Bannon told reporters outside an FBI field office in Washington, “this is going to be the misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden.” We’re “going to go on the offense,” Bannon said even as he live-streamed a...
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November 19, 2021
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Aaron Rodgers
“If the vaccine is so great, how come people are still getting Covid and spreading Covid and unfortunately, dying from Covid?”— Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers Sports reporter Kurt Streeter writes, “Apparently, Rodgers missed the memo that while they are not foolproof, the vaccines are close to 90 percent effective and by far the best tools we...
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November 16, 2021
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The Poison We Live With
“Rot in hell.” “Traitor.” Washington has become ground zero for a poisonous virus fueled by Donald Trump. After 13 Republicans joined Democrats in a bipartisan bill on rebuilding America’s infrastructure—something most Americans need and want—they’re met with insults because the bill was part of a democratic president’s agenda. “One caller told Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska that they hoped he...
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November 12, 2021
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We Need More Heroes
“Courage shows up all the time in this world and often without any fanfare.”—Michael Keaton, in a 2018 speech honoring the centennial celebration of the founding of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission by Andrew Carnegie. On July 20, 2012 the horrific shooting an Aurora, Colorado movie theater left 12 dead, and 70 wounded. Heroism arrived on the scene when first...
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November 9, 2021
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America’s Character
Revisiting Jon Meacham’s book, The Soul of America, I was struck by a quote by historian and civil rights activist, W.E.B. Dubois. Writing in Black Reconstruction in America, Dubois observes, “Back of the writing, yelling, cruel-eyed demons who break, destroy, maim and lynch and burn at the stake, is a knot, large or small, of normal human beings, and these...
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November 5, 2021
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One Truth
Every Republican in Congress who has dismissed, downplayed, falsely labeled, remained silent, or criticized the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol should be required to watch Four Hours at The Capitol in its entirety. Except they won’t. Why? Because their personal interests take precedent over the people they were elected to represent and serve. Because...
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November 2, 2021
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Colin Powell on Leadership
Years ago, General Colin Powell was asked “How would you define the key characteristics of effective leadership that would allow you to be an advocate for good? Powell didn’t hesitate, “Trust.” “The longer I have been in public service, more people are asking about leadership over the years. Leadership? It ultimately comes down to creating conditions of trust within an organization....
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October 29, 2021
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“A Tower of Strength and Common Sense”
That’s what Harry Truman said of Gen. George C. Marshall–a characterization that easily applies to Gen. Colin L. Powell. You won’t find a picture of Colin Powell next to Leadership in the dictionary, but you should. You also won’t find him alongside Merriam-Webster’s definition of a Statesman, but no one can deny that Powell was “a wise, skillful, and respected...
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October 26, 2021
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How Do We Fix Facebook? – Part 2
Easier said than done. However, Frances Haugen, the former Facebook data scientist who came forward with thousands of internal documents to back up her claims that the engagement-based algorithms created by the tech giant are used to deepen “divides, destabilize democracies, and make young girls and women feel bad about their bodies,” has been in talks with the House Judiciary...
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October 22, 2021