Are we looking the gift horse of American Democracy in the mouth? As much as I try to pretend that our Democracy (capital D intended) is not in jeopardy, the harder it is to ignore clear signs that the majority of the people in one of our two dominant political parties claim allegiance to a powerful cult of personality that won’t go away. Truth and facts no longer mean anything in what I feel is a dangerous [...] READ MORE
Cavemen unite! Who needs science and history? We were almost there, moving quite smoothly toward wholesale vaccinations leading to herd immunity, and then, once again, partisan politics reared its ugly head over an issue that shouldn’t have been political at all. It should have been about saving lives and getting back to normal, having learned lessons that may avert hundreds of thousands more from dying if another pandemic sweeps over our land. Now that the masks are [...] READ MORE
Waiting to be hauled away to Facebook Jail. The last few weeks of Wednesday blogs— actually the past month— I noticed that when I posted my blog on Facebook that an ominous message immediately declared: “Blacklisted.” Now I’ve heard of people being blacklisted or banned for spewing nasty, unfounded accusations or crazy conspiracy theories that could be perceived as treasonous or seditious. The latter has become a major issue since the storming of the Capitol building on [...] READ MORE
What starts with a big lie may have diabolical consequences. I understand there were a lot of decent people gathered in Washington Wednesday at the urging of the President with an assurance that things were sure to get “wild.” This was supposed to be a protest of the final congressional confirmation of Joe Biden as President and the formal passing of the presidential baton. This movement has been based on a big lie since even before the [...] READ MORE
Everyone seems to have an opinion, but we all can’t be right. The only sin we never forgive is a difference of opinion. — Ralph Waldo Emerson I prefer not to respond to comments about my blog on Facebook, favorable or otherwise, because I’ve made my point and others can say what they want. Maybe we’ll all learn something. Getting caught up in a debate with someone who seems to be living in an alternate universe is [...] READ MORE
As the charges of voter fraud run their course, some party loyalists have stood their ground. I can’t think of a time when so many people — people who regard themselves as patriots are as distrustful of our democracy as today. Having a president who fuels that mistrust to the extent where supporters view everything around them as a conspiracy is certainly a big part of it. The election has been portrayed as a massive fraud with [...] READ MORE
Hatred of any person, especially an entire race, can poison an otherwise healthy mind. Any dialogue about racism is good. My last blog wasn’t specifically about the president, but my references to him were primarily about his failure during this crazy campaign season to stand up against hate groups and white supremacist violence. For the record, my fact-checking confirms three distinct times he did behave presidentially in the aftermaths of two violent events that resulted in the [...] READ MORE
Brainstorming with his conspiracy theory consultant. So why is everyone so caught up in blaming conspiracies for everything from the wearing of face masks to the existence of a small group of very powerful men who are orchestrating the pandemic and will do the same with the upcoming presidential election? “Conspiracy theories contribute to an increasing pollution of the information environment, a distrust of expertise, scientists, and the very idea of truth,” says Peter Knight, a professor of [...] READ MORE
