“To meet the challenge of our times… we must first defeat the enemy within.” —Robert F. Kennedy While Kennedy was addressing corruption in labor unions, he could have spoken those words today, given the multiple challenges we face: — A massive virus; unemployment; a struggling economy; companies struggling with new protections for workers and protocols for conducting business; attacks against...

“We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” — Oprah Winfrey Confederate statues are coming down. Quaker Oats is dropping Aunt Jemima from its maple syrup. Even the new streaming service, HBO Max, has withdrawn, for the time being, the 1939 film, Gone with the Wind, due to its racist depictions. From appearances, the country...

During the times that try our souls, inspiring wisdom is needed more than ever. Perhaps it’s time to remind ourselves of those who, by their words, encourage us to live out of our better angels. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. “To sensible men, every day...

From New York to Atlanta; San Diego to DC. Nearly 40 cities are facing protests, many of them violent, that haven’t been seen for decades. Fire erupted in the basement of St. John’s Church in Washington as helicopters hovered over a city that has become a war zone. For a sixth straight day, the violence and vandalism has escalated —...

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence…” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Growing up in a Los Angeles suburb, I led a life safe from many of the troubles that took place only miles from where I lived. During the summer of ’65, those troubles exploded during a hot August night. Marquette Frye, a black, twenty-one-year old, was pulled over by...

With the 75th Anniversary of “the liberation of Auschwitz [on January 27, the occasion was] marked by events around the world, culminating in a solemn ceremony at the former death camp [that included] dozens of aging Holocaust survivors,” The New York Times reports (Jan. 25). “Piotr Cywinski, the director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, is worried. “ ‘More and more...

I’ve been fortunate enough to call Peace Studies scholar and teacher Colman McCarthy a friend for a number of years now. Last month, he wrote a commentary on singer, songwriter and activist Joan Baez. In the piece, Baez reflects on the fact that today, we are missing the “glue” that connects us to others with struggles similar to our own....

Thank God It’s Vacation time! While the media continues to give this President the attention he craves, I’m unplugging from it all. In the meantime, I’ve selected some of the most popular commentaries. From the Philippines to Saudi Arabia; from the Netherlands to the United States, all continue to receive strong interest. I’ll return after Labor Day. The Mueller Report,...

The actions taken by Kyle Kashuv, and the ubiquity of social media are troubling on several levels. Eighteen-year-old Kashuv was one of the survivors of the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida. However, unlike his fellow students who have spoken around the country about the need for more restrictive gun legislation, Kashuv has become a very vocal gun-rights advocate. While...

“No nation, no society has ever changed this much, this fast. Now, before you start calling anyone bigoted, consider – and be honest – how would you feel if that happened in your neighborhood? Doesn’t matter how nice the immigrants are, they probably are nice… That’s not the point. The point is, this is more change than human beings are...