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 ...
Most of us who grew up in the mid-20th century are accustomed to talking about political issues as if they only amounted to differences on policy. Consider the issue of the minimum wage. Republicans and Libertarians would argue for a low or nonexistent minimum wage and refer to Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” metaphor to ...
It will take some time, perhaps years, until we know what role our government played in Israel’s decision to attack Iran on June 12. Did Israel simply give us a heads-up about its plans, then go ahead without our encouragement? Did we “green light” its operation in advance? Did we encourage Israel? Did ...
It just doesn’t stop. Day in, day out since the Mad Hatter-in-Chief reclaimed the White House, he’s buffeted our country with non-stop recklessness and cruelty. The despair I feel today, only one-tenth of the way into his second term, is as acute as my dread about what lies ahead. It’s a safe bet that ...
After Hamas’s horrific attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman offered some prescient advice to Israel: Don’t make the same mistake the U.S. made after Al-Qaeda attacked us on 9/11. (See author’s note below) Instead, react in a measured, proportional way. Striking back at Hamas with overwhelming military ...
