Denial tells the story of American Holocaust studies professor Deborah Lipstadt who is sued for libel by David Irving when she declares in lectures and writings that he’s a fervent Holocaust denier. The film takes a turn when Lipstadt discovers that in the UK the accused has the burden of proof, meaning that Lipstadt’s legal team must prove that Irving...

Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.  —Robert Kennedy Before a campaign appearance in Indianapolis, Indiana, Sen. Robert Kennedy had just learned of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.. The crowd he was planning to address had not yet...

“Terror is nothing other than prompt, severe, inflexible justice.” – Robespierre While the French revolutionary’s words ignited an uprising that ultimately overturned the despotic empire of Louis XVI and opened France to new age, his words resonate today, but not in the way he originally intended. Today, we have our own King Louis who is supposed to be in former...

That’s what a New York tabloid headline read in the romantic comedy, “It Could Happen to You.” The Bridget Fonda, Nicolas Cage movie is about a cop who, short of cash for a tip in a restaurant, makes a deal with the waitress. “I’ll come back tomorrow with double the tip, or we’ll split the lottery ticket I’m holding.” Of...

Entitlement is the new justification where people behave badly believing they can pretty much do whatever they want by claiming… “It’s my right to (fill in the blank).” They feel entitled to refuse to wear masks and social distance (even though federal guidelines are intended to protect themselves and others). They feel entitled to punch anyone in the face who...

“Man is free at the instant he wants to be.” – Voltaire Looking up at the nation’s Capitol, two small children, a boy and girl, were standing at the bottom of the steps looking up, awed by the size and brilliance of the white building. Each began climbing the 365 steps to reach the top. When one had trouble, the...

…it’s about us. It’s about those who support him, those who mimic, tweet, or Facebook his outrage and lies, and those who remain silent. He’s no longer president. He no longer has direct control of our lives. There’s nothing left but the clown show of rallies where he reiterates the same tired lies and conspiracies to supporters who feed his...

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...

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...

Normally, I’m against passing any legislation that forces a health decision on anyone. But we are not living in normal times. We continue to live with a contagious virus that affects the entire world – a pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, more than 3 million have died worldwide. As of Wednesday, deaths in the United States have...