Recent Citizenship Commentaries

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Real Fake News
The lack of trust in institutions vital to our health, welfare and security continues to grow in the age of Trump. I have written about the serious threat to both children and communities when parents willingly deny vaccinations for their children. Nonetheless, the risk has grown more dangerous. The New York Times Editorial Board writes (Jan. 19) that “The World...
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January 23, 2019
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Found! Profiles in Character
But not where you think! As reported by CBS Evening News Anchor Jeff Glor. John Siciliano, a federal corrections officer in New Jersey, hasn’t received a paycheck since December 29, 2018 “and is about to miss a mortgage payment. The bank told him and his wife if they miss a second one, it will start foreclosure proceedings.” As reported in...
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January 11, 2019
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Another Word About Dorothy Day
Colman McCarthy is always a supportive friend but he’s much more. The former Washington Post columnist retired to start The Center for Teaching Peace, a radical little group that has the audacity to believe that “unless we teach our children peace, someone else will teach them violence.” Among his advisory board: former Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Hatfield, Arun Gandhi...
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January 7, 2019
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Show Some Integrity
As the partial shutdown of the federal government grinds on, we have learned that employees who have been furloughed will eventually be paid. That’s little consolation to those who literally live paycheck to paycheck with housing and other costs. “The shutdown is affecting parts of nine cabinet-level departments,” The New York Times writes (Jan. 1), “and as it drags on,...
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January 2, 2019
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“…to make ourselves better”
“Individual faults and fragilities are no excuse to give in, and no exemption from the common obligation to give of ourselves. Today, more than ever before, I believe that each of us as individuals must not only struggle to make a better world, but to make ourselves better, too….” – Senator Edward M. Kennedy, speech at JFK School of Government,...
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December 28, 2018
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Homeless but Not Helpless
In a time of domestic chaos and conflict, CBS On the Road correspondent Steve Hartman updates his yearly story about Secret Santa… with twist, (Dec. 14). “A lot of people ignore the homeless, but folks rushing past Moses Elder might regret their haste. This week, all people had to do was pay him some attention and he would pay them...
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December 21, 2018
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$2 Million, $100 at a Time
Repeated every year by CBS News’ reporter Steve Hartman, this is one story of character and compassion I never get tired of. One very wealthy and very grateful gentleman travels the country and hands out $100 to individuals in need. CBS News cameras capture the reaction on the recipients year after year. However, Hartman explains how it all began. “The...
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December 19, 2018
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On the Side of Hope
In 2017, the United Nations convened a conference which resulted in The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In 2017, the Nobel committee awarded The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons – better known as ICAN – its coveted Peace prize for their work leading to the U.N.’s goal. Who is ICAN? ICAN is a coalition of more than...
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December 14, 2018
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Is This A Good Time to Talk About Civility?
P.M. Forni, the early Italian Literature professor who asked all of us to choose civility, died earlier this month at his Maryland home. As a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, Forni help found The Civility Project whose aim was to examine the importance of civility in society, and promote its practice on college campuses and communities around the country....
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December 12, 2018
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The Alarm is Sounding
In 1982, Dr. David Krieger founded The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation to be a driving force in abolishing all nuclear weapons from the planet. When it comes to peace and disarmament, Krieger says, “the people must lead their leaders.” Recently, Krieger wrote a ten-point message aimed at the next caretakers of the planet. “Our generation has caused and witnessed a...
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December 10, 2018

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