Some of the things I write get quite a few comments. Most of the time, I just read them and let them be but sometimes I can’t help myself and I’ll join in the discussion. Sometimes, those comment threads lead to another article and that is the case with this one. The other day, I wrote an article that was partly about the national gun debate. In that article, I suggested that many on the far right are misrepresenting the... Read more
Dear Founders, I’m writing to you from 2018. You might be happy to know that the nation you gave birth to has lasted more than 230 years. The wonderful document you crafted as the blueprint for your grand experiment in government is still intact–in fact, in all those years it has only been amended 17 times since the Bill of Rights was added. After weeks of grinding debate and compromise, you emerged from that stuffy room in Philadelphia with a... Read more
The state of Tennessee is in the headlines this week for a piece of legislation that has passed. When the governor signs the bill, as he is expected to do, it will become law that all schools in the state “prominently” display the motto, In God We Trust, for all students to see. This really comes as no surprise. Wherever there is a Republican majority at work in government, there is a not-so-veiled attempt to push a Christian agenda into public... Read more
This week, I have had two different conservative Christian social media friends share memes that nearly floored me with their levels of what I can only deem willful ignorance. The memes were about different things, but their unmistakable messages were inextricably linked. Donald Trump, despite the enormous mountain of evidence to the contrary, appears to have that segment of Christianity farthest to the right on the political spectrum completely hoodwinked and believing that he is a representative of Christ’s message.... Read more
Like most people my age, I grew up with Mister Rogers. His show began right about the same time my life did. He was a steady and beloved presence in my home when I was a youngster. When I became a little older and “cooler” I started to think Mister Rogers was lame. I couldn’t believe how I could have once sat and watched that sappiness every day. In my teens and early 20s–when I thought I knew everything–whenever I... Read more
I’m going to try to put into words what’s been on my heart for a long time. It’s certainly not my first attempt to do so–I’ve written about this dozens of times to varying degrees of success–but I’ve never quite been able to put my finger on the issue in a way that totally satisfies me, so here I go again. I have a question for my more conservative Christian friends who still support Donald Trump. I’m going to ask... Read more
Propaganda is everywhere. Whenever we turn on our televisions we are confronted with propaganda in the form of commercials, and in the news. Facebook and Twitter have become little more than platforms for propaganda from the right and the left. Propaganda is coming from our seats of government on a daily basis. It’s even streaming from the pulpits of churches across the nation. Propaganda is simply information being spread with an agenda to sway opinions. But propaganda has become so... Read more
It’s no secret to anyone who’s read my writing in the past that I am no fan of President Trump. It’s also no secret that I am even more frustrated with the biggest portion of his remaining support base, the conservative, fundamentalist Christians. I am frustrated with them because they continue to believe that the president is a chosen instrument of God–that he is a Christian. Trump never talked about Christian values until he needed the votes of Christians to... Read more
Faith is a mysterious and fickle thing. Everyone on earth puts their faith in something. Many have faith in the God of Abraham and weave it into their religion, be they Jews or Muslims. Many others put their faith in that same God of Abraham with the additional spin of the trinity–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–and they further carve up that faith into sects of similarly-minded believers who practice their beliefs in like ways, be it Catholicism or one of... Read more
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Of Teacher Strikes, Income Inequality, and Mother Jones
As teachers in several states have been striking for better compensation and working conditions, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on our nation. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around some of our problems in a way that makes sense. I am going to try to tie together some of my scattered thoughts about it all here–bear with me. Before I begin, a disclaimer; I am not a socialist nor a communist. I am a... Read more