Recent Respect Commentaries

Trump and the First Amendment – Conclusion
Trump has been banned from all social media. That’s good news, right? Embed from Getty Images Gone is the misinformation, false conspiracy theories, lies, bigotry and personal attacks. Perhaps, more importantly, gone is the media’s Fugitive-like obsession, (well, not completely), in covering every tweet, twitch and tongue lashing coming from his chubby fingers. But… …what about Trump’s First Amendment rights...
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March 22, 2021
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Fantasy v. Reality
“Ignorance and fanaticism is ever busy and needs feeding. Always it is feeding and gloating for more.” – Clarence Darrow The moon landing was faked. The Holocaust never happened. Mass shootings were staged by the government. All have been disproved, but despite the evidence, too many see it all as “fake” news. While Donald Trump has been the grand purveyor...
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March 15, 2021
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The Good, The Bad of Last Year
Looking back over the past year we have faced the challenges of a lifetime. During that past year, Pew Research has been asking American’s their views and reactions to the COVID-19 virus. How the virus has affected their lives. The results show a mix of the depressed, fortunate, money-savers, readers, angry, happy and more… Here is just a small sampling...
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March 12, 2021
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It’s Time
“…to live with integrity, it is sometimes necessary to take that difficult step – to get involved – to fight openly for what one believes to be true and right and good, even when there is risk to oneself.” – Stephen Carter, Integrity Republican Representatives Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse unquestionably meet that standard. This is...
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February 10, 2021
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Rep. StrangeGreene
“It’s incredibly obvious, isn’t it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual, certainly without any choice. That’s the way your hard-core Commie works.” – Gen. Jack D. Ripper, explaining why he ordered B-52 bombers to attack Russia in Dr. Strangelove. (Updates at bottom) When I first watched Dr. Strangelove – a...
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February 1, 2021
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What Lies Ahead
I was all set to post Monday’s commentary Sunday night when I realized that it was another piece reacting to the chaos, and rage surrounding Washington. It was about the country living with a cancer of hate and division that has not been seen in decades. It was about facing the greatest health crisis in 100 years and many individuals...
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January 19, 2021
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This is Not Us as a Democracy – Conclusion
In his weekly column in the Washington Post, Nicholas Kristof writes that despite Trump’s clear call for insurrection last week, “…a new poll finds that 75 percent of Republican voters continue to approve of Trump’s presidency. “As I was writing my column,” Kristof says, “I had a call with a childhood friend who told me about his ‘inside information’ that...
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January 15, 2021
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Pursuit of Excellence
While Americans continue to struggle with a deadly virus and financial starvation, excellence in national leadership has been reduced to a group of toxic enablers that appeal to an insular “base” that promotes our worst impulses instead of our best. The ’60s suffered its own challenges. Civil rights. Vietnam. The assassination of three political leaders. But then something stunning happened....
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January 4, 2021
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A New Hope
In 1620, a small band of pilgrims came to this country to escape religious intolerance. They were also looking for freedom from political turmoil, warfare, poverty, famine and disease. They were looking for a new beginning, a new hope in a new land. While they endured unimaginable hardships, their courage, determination, and hard work made them stronger because they were...
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December 24, 2020
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Right Call
At the end of the 2021 season, the Cleveland Indians baseball team will drop “Indians” from their name. In a statement, owner Paul Dolan said, “Hearing firsthand the stories and experiences of Native American people, we gained a deep understanding of how tribal communities feel about the team name and the detrimental effects it has on them.” National Congress of...
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December 18, 2020