Category: Society

Guns and Health Care: Touchstones or Third Rails?

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Yes, They Are

Some interesting currents are afoot as we approach a presidential election year. The Democrats have choices to make on two defining issues. Guns and health care are at once rewarding and dangerous for Democrats

Whether one agrees with her positions on these two issues, Elizabeth Warren has done an admirable job of defining the question. Will her party go bold or go home?

There are plenty of nuances at work, of course. But in general, there are two Democratic approaches. Some lean toward modest positions. They do so,

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Funny Thing About Church Services…

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People Come Together on Sunday (or Friday, or Saturday…) for Very Different Reasons

First, an acknowledgment. I am likely the least religious person you will ever encounter. Still, I maintain an active membership in the Unitarian Universalist community. I attend services and other activities with some measure of regularity. I support the organization with time, talent, and treasure in a conscious manner.

I attended a service this past Sunday (and a fine one it was). I reflected, as I often do during a service, on why I was there. What was it that made me decide that this was where I wished to be?

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Immigration, Refugees, & The Human Condition – Who Are “The Others?”

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We have Learned – or Relearned – Some Hard and Important Lessons

First, a Correction

A few days ago, I mentioned three areas in this subject domain that are especially egregious. One of these became known the day I published the blog. This was denying automatic citizenship to children born of US parents serving overseas.

Two days later, the policy was clarified. While still reprehensible and immoral, it is much more narrowly focused than originally thought. Read more about it here: https://www.npr.org/2019/08/29/755506286/what-do-new-citizenship-rules-for-kids-of-u-s-military-workers-abroad-mean  

Now, on to today’s discussion.

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It Has Come to This – And They Are Not Done Yet

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If What You Are About to Read Doesn’t Enrage You, Relook Who You Are

Immigration – Big Scale, Human Scale

We will be talking in the coming days about immigration writ large. Not just current issues, but the broader and deeper nature of this part of humanity and how we might think about it. That should be a conversation that is balanced and reflective.

But before we get to that, we need to call out the worst of what is going on now in our name. There is not a lot of room for balance and reason for what we will discuss today.

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Safe, Secure, Trustworthy Voting – It Is Here for the Taking

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Three States Show Us How It Is Done – Russians Be Damned!

We Know What Works

We have talked before about how Washington and Oregon have responsive, secure, and low-cost voting systems. This happened because Democrats and Republicans decided this was important. They worked together to make it happen. Voter turnout  is unimaginably higher than in other states. Stacey Abrams is continuing that effort in Georgia and nationwide, as are others.

Add to that list of states doing it right, Colorado, a state whose 2018 elections were models of effectiveness in every measurable area.

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And So, the Winnowing Begins in Earnest

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The Lists of Viable Candidates and Key Issues are Coming into Focus.

As expected, the list of those running for president is beginning to thin out. This is about on the timeline one would expect, although many were anxious for it to begin earlier. Most of us are eager for it to accelerate. Until we get a candidate (or a small handful of candidates), the issues and strategy will be ill-defined. So, let’s get on with it.

In recent days, we added a candidate (Steyer) and lost two (Swalwell and Hickenlooper).

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Words are Magic. Writers are Wizards

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Two Recent Events Remind of the Power and Universality of Great Writing


The title from this blog post comes from an anonymous source. Whoever first said these words has my undying gratitude. Truer words have rarely been spoken– or written. This phrase runs through my mind often. Partly as confirmation of a known truth, partly as a challenge to write better.

Two recent experiences underline this truism for me. I am thinking you can relate to both.

A Lesson Close to Home

The first is more local and personal. The community I live in has a small gathering once a month called Writers Read.

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Racism, White Nationalism, & Guns – We Know Where We Are.

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A Lot of Wise and Angry Words Have Flowed in Recent Days. They are Right.

 

You know those old movie scenes? The ones where you see a terrible crash coming in slow motion. Welcome to America, today. Racism and gun violence are not exactly new burdens for us as a country. But we have never, I would posit, been at a place like we find ourselves now.

Much of what follows is my attempt to cite some of the best I have seen written in recent days. I am glad to yield space to others who have spoken well for us all.

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Better Angels Brings An Interesting Challenge: Can We Talk?

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A Group Dedicated to the Proposition That We Should Actually Listen to Each Other


Are You Talking to Me? 

Last weekend I put in half a day or so with a group called Better Angels. This is a national group, although thin in many areas. The program I attended last Saturday was their first in the Western portion of my state.

Before I go any further, note that I will put a link to their website at the end of this post. You can see for yourself who they are and what they aspire to achieve.

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Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage Beast

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Music Is Surely One of The Most Unique and Ubiquitous Inventions of Our Species

The title of this blog post comes from the English playwright William Congreve. It is from Act I of his play “The Mourning Bride,” published in 1697. What was true then is no less true today. Indeed, it has always been so.

Different Music, Same Responses

I experienced a couple of really interesting reminders of this in recent weeks. A couple of weeks ago, I invested a week with the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York. Part of the program there is a large dose of music.

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