Isaiah 2:4–5 (NKJV) . . . They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. — Isaiah 2:4 I used to read The New York Times Sunday Opinion section pretty thoroughly, but in the past ...
PROLOGUE I wrote the blog below late last week and didn’t submit it for editing until April 6 because of Holy Week and Easter. It explains why I think Trump felt free to attack Iran almost 6 weeks ago. Over the weekend, we saw an alarming escalation of war mongering by Trump — not ...
Donald Trump was well into his second term when I realized — belatedly — how effectively he and his puppet masters have used a strategy they devised to fool us. They called it flooding the zone; I call it political trickery. Trump crony Steve Bannon is widely credited with inventing it to advance the goals ...
Late in January, we learned that the National Park Service had begun to dismantle exhibits at the President’s House in Philadelphia. The exhibits honored nine enslaved people kept at the house by George Washington while he was president. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Trump and his lackey, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, had ordered all displays ...
There’s ample evidence that a majority of Americans are horrified by the twin killings — excuse me, murders — in Minneapolis. I heard about it at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in New Orleans as I stood outside after Mass and talked to another deacon and our priest. I admitted that witnessing what has gone on ...
When the history of this era is written, I wonder what historians will say about Donald Trump’s presidency. Will they say he smashed the norms of governance? Will they say he harnessed our propensity to hold grudges? Will they say he was our country’s most successful populist politician? Time will tell. But I think ...
When I tuned in to an NFL game last night, the pre-game ritual that attends every big sports event was underway. Someone sang the Star Spangled Banner, a huge flag was unfurled, fans stood with hands over their hearts. I don’t remember if jet fighters flew over the stadium. To most, it’s a show of ...
You may have noticed my lengthy silence. I hope it didn’t go unnoticed. I stepped back several weeks ago because I felt that writing about anything other than the elephant in the room — MAGA’s unrelenting attacks on any semblance of government for the common good — would have come off as trivial. Furthermore, continuing ...
I have often lamented the solid support that so many right-wing Christians give to the Trump/MAGA government. Not only lamented, but I’ve also puzzled over how they reconcile their fervor for Trump with their professed belief in the teachings of Jesus. It doesn’t add up. It recently occurred to me that the stage was ...
My editor and old friend emailed me this morning about Trump’s latest outrages.You may have missed them given the dizzying pace of authoritarian bombast from the White House — executive orders, threats, insults, boasts, firings and lies — lobbed almost hourly. On Aug. 25 Trump signed an executive order to eliminate “cashless bail” in ...
