Here’s how it went down: When extramarital rumors became investigations of Bill Clinton the right wing dug in and coined themselves as the “Party of Family Values” with no tolerance for a president who betrayed those values. It became clear that Clinton was denying the truth and that many of the accusations were, indeed, true. …
Progressive American Gothic
“Progress is impossible without change. And those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw The other day I was asked a question by a conservative friend with whom I often have dialogues. “Gary, what does it mean to be a progressive?” That appears as a simple question, but I knew…
Who Put the Free in Enterprise?
A lot is being said about the free market, a business’ right to enforce rules, private enterprise, the NFL as a business, players as employees, the right to protest, or quell protest, and the right to discriminate as an expression of free speech. These are not simple topics and I think a way to distill…
The Meaning Of Life
Pretty bold title, I know. And the following text is neither as funny or insightful as Monty Python’s epic satire. Yet, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about the meaning of life. I say “inordinate” because any time thinking can be contrary to the act of living. Living is activity, not the cognition…
What is a Trump Patriot?
Here’s my dilemma: I preach civil discourse, peaceful protest, open minded thinking, and egalitarianism. I believe that we can attack policies without castigating people, but I also believe silence is compliance and that we have an obligation in a free society to address (and redress) grievances. The wave of nationalism that President Trump rode into…
Ass Grabbing 101
Here are a few disclaimers right off the top: First of all, grabbing anyone’s ass outside of a consensual relationship is not okay. Albeit, an ass is a rather funny protruding mass of fat that contributes little to overall personal aesthetics, but (pun intended) it is, after all, one’s own and of a personal nature. …
Popular Grief
We seem to be a nation in mourning quite often these days. Is it because we have learned to be more sensitive? Or are we programmed to experience more pain? Or…could it be that we feel less pain nowadays and need the circumstances of mourning to feel again in a de-sensitized world? When I was…
Our National Pastime
I wish the FBI had followed up on the warnings that were sent about the young Florida shooter. Those innocent people would be alive today. But that preemptive action doesn’t solve the problem at the root of epidemic gun violence. Of course we should be talking about mental illness and doing more to understand and…
We Love Our Guns!
Executive Vice President of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, stated that government should not interfere with our right to possess guns to defend our homes and protect our children. It’s such an appealing statement. The “right to defend our homes and protect our children.” It makes us feel like warrior-kings protecting our domain with bravery and nobility. It…
Once Upon a Time in America
I watched the President’s State of the Union address with great interest. Not because I had an expectation one way or the other of what it might include, but the conversations that always follow a SOTU reveal what the talking points will be moving forward. I heard several pundits talk about “American Exceptionalism” and the…