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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Of all the disparaging adjectives one could pick to describe the Trump administration, the one most under-used is cruel. Neither the media nor our political leaders are calling out the spectacular cruelty of the Trump/Musk cabal forcefully enough or often enough. Yes, we hear about their unconstitutional actions, but the public is ...
About 50 years ago as a Latin American Studies major at Tulane University, I learned about a political system that has plagued Latin America for centuries: the cult of the caudillo and its accompanying ideology, machismo. Rolled into one, the words describe a leader, or caudillo, who embodies extreme manliness, or machismo. Caudillos typically ...
Like many of you, I suspect, a great weariness came over me after the events of Nov. 5. I sought nothing but distraction from a crushing defeat. Seeking refuge in books, sporting events, and somewhat mindless television, I was able to rest from the great disappointment of the election. No TV news was a great ...
The United States’ shameful treatment of Haiti, the world’s oldest Black republic, took another cruel turn this week and we have the MAGA crowd and its leader to thank. Haiti has been our punching bag for more than 160 years. We were the last country to recognize it as a nation, by decades; ...
Pardonnez-moi, s’il vous plaît! In my last blog, Elections Everywhere, I suggested we might learn a few things from elections in other countries. Unfortunately, my survey of elections elsewhere didn’t include stunning election news in France. French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved his country’s parliament and called for “snap” elections — “snap” because voting begins ...
Perhaps you didn’t notice, but I’ve been silent for two months. That’s right, no blogs since April 8 yet no one’s asked why. The thought that you didn’t miss me dinged my ego a bit. I’ll get over it, but let me go ahead and answer the unasked question. It’s an alliterative answer: myriad ...
