Harry Truman’s Defense of Liberal Principles

Yesterday, I discovered this remarkable campaign speech, delivered by Harry S. Truman in 1948. What fascinates me is that what Truman said nearly seventy years ago could be said today without changing a word. To whit: Today the forces of liberalism face a crisis. The people of the United States must make a choice betweenContinue reading “Harry Truman’s Defense of Liberal Principles”

Why I Didn’t Stand for “God Bless America”

Yesterday morning, I attended the Cubs/Nationals game at Nationals Park. It was a lovely day for baseball — not too hot, not especially humid, sunny and bright, a stiff breeze blowing in from the direction of centerfield toward the Anacostia. The Cubs won, 7-2. Being July 4th, the game had a particular patriotic flavor, withContinue reading “Why I Didn’t Stand for “God Bless America””

On Gun Manufacturers and Criminal Prosecution

The story of the 2 year-old girl in Kentucky, who was shot and killed by her 5 year-old brother with a rifle he was given as a present, has been preying on my mind much of the week.  I think about the little girl, I imagine that just a few days ago she was aContinue reading “On Gun Manufacturers and Criminal Prosecution”

On Student Loan Relief and the Potential for the American Economy

This morning, while checking some of the news and pundit websites I follow, I found a link to a chart at Mother Jones on student loan debt. To describe the charts in words, over the last decade, student loan debt in the United States has quintupled. Americans now owe more in student loans than theyContinue reading “On Student Loan Relief and the Potential for the American Economy”

On Why Slate Gets Atheism Wrong

Slate today asks a provocative question — Which is worse for evangelicals like Rick Perry — being an atheist or a Muslim? Writer Brian Palmer answers “atheism.” And while I agree with his answer, I disagree with his reasoning. Writes Palmer: “The ancient and medieval Christians wouldn’t have had much to say about pure atheism,Continue reading “On Why Slate Gets Atheism Wrong”

On Civ-Builders and Authoritarianism

Yesterday, Andrew Sullivan‘s blog at The Atlantic linked to an essay at The American Prospect by Monica Potts on how civ-building computer games don’t really allow for liberal-progressive solutions to life’s problems. Games like The Sims and Civilization model a rightward ideology, if not by design then certainly by practice. There are many ways toContinue reading “On Civ-Builders and Authoritarianism”

On Metrifying the United States

I had an interesting thought this morning — and it’s probably because I haven’t yet had my first cup of coffee. The metric system. We don’t use it here in the United States. There was some effort in the 1970s to metricify the United States and join the rest of the world in solidarity, butContinue reading “On Metrifying the United States”

On Writing Political Tracts

Recently, I’ve been thinking of writing a book on politics. I go in the bookstores, and I see lots of books in the politics/current affairs section on being a libertarian or being a conservative, and how the future is with the Republican Party and its conservative/libertarianism. I see fewer books from the other side ofContinue reading “On Writing Political Tracts”

On Republican Policies and their Impacts

Like millions of Americans, I paid some attention last night to the State of the Union address and the two Republican responses, one from Paul Ryan of Wisconsin (who, much to my chagrin, did not mention the Fantastic Four at all), the other from Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. Abler commentators than I have parsed andContinue reading “On Republican Policies and their Impacts”

On the Repeal of Health Care Reform

Today, the House of Representatives will be voting on the “Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law Act.” This bill, written by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was passed by the last Congress, and, despite some requests that, in the wake of the Tuscon shootingsContinue reading “On the Repeal of Health Care Reform”