Christian Trump supporter, have you seen the budget that President Trump is proposing? Do you support and defend it? If so, I wonder how you square it with the teachings of Jesus. It was revealed this week that Trump’s new budget proposal calls for cutting more than $8 billion from education. I want to repeat that number because it doesn’t seem real–$8 billion. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven... Read more
I must admit, as I sit down to write this, I’m not exactly sure where it’s going to go and how I’m going to tie it all together–but that’s not all that unusual for me and my writing process. All I know is there have been a few things on my mind the last few days regarding Donald Trump and the coming election that I want to put into words. I don’t think Donald Trump is physically well. Most presidents... Read more
It’s becoming clearer by the day that the Trump’s biggest remaining support base–right wing, fundamentalist Christians–is blind to their own sins. Oh, they don’t mind pointing out the sins of others, but they are missing a big one of their own, it’s one of the 10 Commandments, after all. In fact, it’s the very FIRST commandment. Thou shall have no other god before me. Exodus 20:2 I’m guilty of that sin all the time. I get way too caught up... Read more
The Fox He gets by on his cunning deceit Truth would only slow him down He has to be fast on his feet To strike quick and escape in a bound Most know he’s the ultimate trickster To trust him would be a fool’s errand But fools are not rare in this mixture So his victims are strewn ‘cross the land He gets them to buy what he’s selling They gobble it up with delight They go around... Read more
This tranquil little town glimmers in the magic hour of dusk Like a postcard or a Rockwell painting Happy people get in last minute shopping The fading light makes their skin sparkle and glow As they nod politely at passers-by Before the shopkeeps head home for the night Everyone seems to know everyone A community bonded by familiarity and similarity Friendly, shiny, happy neighbors sit down to dinner As the lights from their homes pierce through the advancing... Read more
Most everyone is familiar with the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. In that story, the main character comes to feel like a failure and is contemplating suicide. A guardian angel comes down to show him how different things would be if he didn’t exist. I want to borrow that theme and apply it to the topic of Social Justice Warriors. Many far right conservatives use the term Social Justice Warrior (SJW) as a pejorative label. Somewhere along the line, SJW... Read more
Some of the pieces I write get considerable attention and stimulate a lot of debate in the comments readers leave. Sometimes, between the comments posted directly to my articles or in some of the big social media pages on which they get shared, they’ll add up to many hundreds or even into the thousands. When that happens, I rarely try to read them, it’s just too much to keep up with. Plus, some of it starts to get pretty negative... Read more
I want to tell you about my dream. I’m not going to tell you who I am. Let’s just say that I am a teacher. I’ve got a story to tell. It’s a fictional story that might have an ounce or two of truth in it, for all you know. This story came to me in a dream—a dream I badly wanted to come true but, when I woke, the dream was gone. Every night I go to sleep hoping... Read more
I was at work during the Michael Cohen testimony, so I didn’t get to watch it. However, I did spend my lunch listening to live coverage on NPR. I listened to about an hour and got enough of a feel for things to come away with a few observations. 1. Sometimes it takes a sleazy creep to take down a sleazy creep Frankly, Michael Cohen doesn’t come off as a person of great integrity. I guess that’s why he... Read more
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Empathy Mining’s Top 10 Most Popular Articles
From time to time, I like to dig back through the Empathy Mining archives and gather data on how my articles have been received over the years. Doing so often puts some wind in my sails and motivates me to keep pushing forward. That said, I want to thank all of you who’ve taken the time to read and share my thoughts. This endeavor has been more successful than I could have ever dreamed when I first started my little... Read more