Recent Respect Commentaries

Featured image for “The Sword of Damocles”
The Sword of Damocles
Harvard University now stands at an ethical crossroads—not just for itself, but for every educational entity in the country. While I never attended Harvard, you don’t need a Harvard degree to see the deadly sword hanging over all of education. The moment universities start compromising their core values to appease an administration obsessed with control, they surrender more than autonomy—they...
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July 3, 2025
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When Principle Meets Prejudice
As President Donald Trump celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military, one soldier was under attack. At Fort Drum, New York, Maj. Erica Vandal glanced at her phone. A message from her mother: “Just heard about the Supreme Court ruling. That totally stinks! How are you doing?” The court had just allowed Trump’s ban on transgender troops to take...
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June 25, 2025
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The Moral Voice in a Cardigan
Though I was much older than the audience for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I did watch his testimony before a congressional subcommittee. I came away inspired by his plainspoken common sense, quiet reason, and the values he passed on—kindness, honesty, respect, and the importance of becoming a person of character. In a time when volume often substitutes for values, Fred Rogers...
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June 23, 2025
Featured image for “The Frog and The Boiling Point of Democracy”
The Frog and The Boiling Point of Democracy
It begins subtly. A shrug at a cruel remark. A laugh at behavior once considered beneath the dignity of the office. A dismissal of a fact, a bending of the truth. “It’s just rhetoric,” they say. “He’s just being himself.” Norms don’t break overnight. They erode—quietly, steadily—until what was once outrageous becomes routine. But the temperature keeps rising. In April,...
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June 19, 2025
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The Call That May Never Have Happened—But Still Matters
It’s a story that’s made its way through online forums, Reddit threads, and grief support pages. No news articles. No official confirmation. And maybe that’s the point. The story goes like this: In 2020, while filming News of the World, Tom Hanks received a folded note from his assistant. A man named James Mallory, a retired teacher from Ohio, was...
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June 12, 2025
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In Union There is Strength
Former Defense Secretary and retired Marine Corps General James Mattis has something to say. I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us...
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June 11, 2025
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The Shepherd in the Storm
I usually keep my focus on issues here at home—challenges that affect us as Americans. But with the world now turning its attention to the Catholic Church and the anticipation of a new Pope, I’ve been reading and reflecting on the legacy of Pope Francis—and what his message might mean for all of us, especially in this divided moment. Pope...
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May 7, 2025
Featured image for “The Mirror and The Storm”
The Mirror and The Storm
For all our progress as a nation, one obstacle remains stubbornly front and center: prejudice. Basketball star Blair Stevens—a trans athlete—is a reminder of how change still challenges us. I struggle to understand it, too. But when I saw it in the broader context of America’s long history of prejudice, my resistance to change…changed. Watching an old Charlie Chan movie...
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May 1, 2025
Featured image for “The Quiet Strength of Pope Francis”
The Quiet Strength of Pope Francis
I liked Francis—a lot. How could you not? He spoke plainly, with sincerity and purpose—and people listened. His words weren’t wrapped in rhetoric; they were rooted in truth. In a time when power is too often confused with principle, Pope Francis led with something far more enduring… character. From the start, Francis made it clear that his papacy would be...
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April 23, 2025
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Senator Booker’s Call to Conscience
In 1950, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine stood alone on the Senate floor and delivered what would become one of the most courageous speeches in American political history. At a time when fear and smear were the tools of the day, she called out the reckless accusations and bullying tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy. The Senate, she said, had...
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March 31, 2025