The image above is the most famous work of art depicting Manifest Destiny. The John Gast painting shows an angel leading the way west across the vast plains of America. Behind her lie the industrialized eastern cities. Before her lie the great Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Indians and bison are shown, quite appropriately, fleeing in fear. The angel is leading the way for new technologies with a train nipping at her heels and a length of telegraph wire... Read more
It’s been said that we live in a post-truth nation wherein emotion trumps logic and facts. Just this week, I was reminded of that when I came upon a Facebook post asking me to solve this seemingly simple equation…6÷2(1+2). Perhaps you’ve seen this controversial viral post, which has apparently been making the rounds for some time now and leaving some pretty heated debate in its wake. I’m not a fan of algebra–never was–but I do love to study the human... Read more
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. For better or worse, if I’m honest, I’d have to admit that I am addicted to it. Like many Americans these days, I check my Facebook and Twitter feeds several times a day–ok, several times an hour. On the positive side, I’ve never been as tuned into what’s going on in the world. Social media has become the place to stay up to the minute on breaking news–this is true about local,... Read more
Politics is a chess game–a cold-blooded, high-stakes, winner-takes-all game. For the past few years, the far-right has dominated the game. They have done so by slowly but surely making moves that have built a rock solid voter base that clings to their platform with religious–literally religious–fervor. You’ve got to hand it to them, they have played a marvelously effective game. They have managed to hide their true leadership, the mega-wealthy and shamelessly greedy corporate heads–people like the Koch Brothers–behind the... Read more
This was never supposed to happen. Our founding fathers didn’t want political parties. They consistently warned against them. They saw the damage and division political parties had caused in other parts of the world and they didnt want to see it happen here. But, despite the fears of our framers, political parties began to form right under their noses in George Washington’s cabinet. Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton were polar opposites in just about... Read more
A friend recently sent me a link to an article in a Philadelphia-based website–ironic that the article was based out of Philadelphia, the historical ground zero of radical freedom of thought and expression in America–by David Horowitz and Mark Tapson. The op ed piece was titled To restore balance in schools, a teacher code of ethics is needed. One look at the title and I realized that my friend, a fellow history teacher, had sent this little gem to me... Read more
Most merciful God, I confess that I am by nature sinful and unclean. I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone… That is a portion of the liturgical confession that I recite nearly every Sunday. Most Sundays, if I’m being honest, the words roll off my tongue without me giving them as much thought as I probably should–but not today. Today I was struck by the... Read more
The other day, a friend posted an article on Facebook about how some Republicans in Congress have been investing in big insurance companies, even as their proposed health care plan threatens to take coverage away from millions of Americans. I took one look at that article and red flags began flying everywhere. The term “insider trading” screamed out at me. How can our elected officials be allowed to trade on the futures of the very industry that they are in charge... Read more
Salt is one of the most versatile things in the world. Two elements, sodium and chloride, bind together to form a compound that can sustain life or snuff it out. Salt makes up nearly half of percent of our bodies. We, like all mammals, crave salt–we need to take it in to maintain our health. Without the proper amount of it, we can’t transmit nerve impulses, contract and relax our muscles, or maintain a proper balance of bodily fluids. Yet, we only need... Read more
Empathy Mining
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Sure, the N.R.A. is a joke, but guns don’t kill people, lack of empathy does
There are things about me that don’t fit the mold of someone you’d expect to write for the Patheos Blue channel. But then again, molds are boring. I’m not a far left guy–I tend to side with the left about quite a few things, but there are other issues that pull me to the right and keep me closer to the center. One of those things is the 2nd Amendment. You see, I was once a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association. I... Read more