Identity Politics
Typically, diatribes against so-called identity politics are aimed at “woke” folks advocating for the civic equality of marginalized groups, presumably to the detriment of the common good. I want to...
View ArticleTrust
Back in 2009, I wrote a book titled “Distrust, American Style: Diversity and the Crisis of Public Confidence.” It was intended as a rebuttal to then-emerging arguments that America’s low levels of...
View ArticleFollowing The Money
It was never about improving education. I’ve posted several times about the World’s Worst Legislature’s continuing assault on public education–an assault defended on grounds that research has soundly...
View ArticleThink Tanks? Or Propaganda Mills?
For the past couple of years, I’ve had occasional exchanges of emails with a former government official who has gone by the name of Peter the Citizen, in order to protect his identity.I don’t know why...
View ArticleIt Isn’t Just In MAGA-World
Let’s be honest: believing the people who tell you what you want to hear is a trait shared by all humans–Left, Right and Center. There’s a reason researchers study confirmation bias–the current...
View ArticleAbout That Bubble…
Humans have always occupied bubbles–after all, as sociologists and philosophers tell us, we are inevitably embedded in the particular cultures into which we’re born and raised. But our ability to...
View ArticleNow Alito
There’s a lot to unpack about the ongoing disclosures about Supreme Court Justices, beginning with the old adage that power corrupts. Digging a bit deeper, it’s interesting to note just who has been...
View ArticleIt’s All About Race
I have previously shared my youngest son’s analysis of the 2016 presidential election–an analysis with which I have come to agree, and which subsequent academic research has confirmed. As he put it,...
View ArticleMoms For White Nationalism
Maybe we should call the wildly mis-named “Moms for Liberty” “Moms for White Nationalism.” Or “Proud Girls,” in recognition of their cozy relationship with the Neo-Nazi “Proud Boys.” Heather Cox...
View ArticleSome Reflections
Travel is always educational–a way to challenge the “givens” of our own daily surroundings and routines by engaging with different cultures and environments. As our recent, extended trip has concluded,...
View ArticleDon’t Know Much About History…
Before my stint as Executive Director of Indiana’s ACLU, I had never heard of David Barton. When that job required me to engage in discussions with people who refused to believe in the separation of...
View ArticleHow To Save The Country–My New Year’s Resolution
Of course I don’t really know how to save the country–but I do know that an effort to change the direction of our politics requires not just a “what,” but a “how.” (Forgive the digression, but when I...
View ArticleSome Soothing Figures
Among the Substack newsletters I regularly receive are those from Heather Cox Richardson–whom I often quote– and Robert Hubbell. One of Hubbell’s recent missives contained some very welcome information...
View ArticleMy Cousin’s Intriguing Comparison
I periodically post about insights shared with me by one of my cousins, who recently forwarded a recent blog post of his own, containing an intriguing comparison between America’s battle over...
View ArticleAbout That Plan…
An increasing number of media outlets are reporting on Project 2025–a plan by the Heritage Foundation together with other right-wing organizations intended to be a road map for a second Trump...
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