I just downloaded the late Howard Zinn’s masterful A People’s History of the United States. You might say I’m divesting myself of the whitewash of American history handed down to me by a white culture. As I write, Trump plans to visit Mt. Rushmore today, July 3, replete with flyover and fireworks, 7500 lottery selected attendees not observing social distancing, few wearing masks. It sits … Continue reading Unlearning Mt. Rushmore: Legacy of Injustice
Politics can be a mean way of life, filled with scurrilous attacks on opponents, replete with prevarication, and downright lying. I stay away from it, as much as possible. Case in point, just the other day former Vermont governor and one time seeker of the Oval Office, Howard Dean, took a shot at Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, commenting on MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “The issue is, … Continue reading Snobbery’s Menace
I’ve always liked a good speech. If you asked me to make a list of favorite speeches I’d be hard pressed. In fact, what I’d worry about most was leaving out some real gems simply because of memory lapse or not having been exposed to them. It’s complicated, too, because there are countless good speeches to be had across the years, even centuries, like Socrates’ … Continue reading My favorite speeches
I have always cared a great deal about animals. I don’t know where it comes from, but I remember as a child wanting to take in every stray dog. In 1996, I adopted a vegetarian diet to align my lifestyle with my conscience. I wish I had done so much earlier but, for too many years, I had simply subscribed unquestionably to a pervasive culture. … Continue reading Overthrowing the tyranny of custom
