Society
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Morning Joe: Stop Using Elvis Presley As A Political Metaphor
It is time for my place on the internet highway to get serious and dive into an issue of great weight and urgency. I will get back to saving democracy tomorrow. Every few months on Morning Joe, a program I watch and much enjoy each weekday morning, Joe Scarborough compares Donald Trump to Elvis Presley… Continue reading
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Silence Wasn’t An Option In McFarland With Ken Boyd’s Overt Bigorty
America’s political discourse has become rancid, noxious, and revolting. Every day brings another outburst, another insult, another attempt to demean people because of their faith, sexual identity, or race. Too often, people shrug and move on. They tell themselves it is just our toxic partisan politics today. Less educated people will try to claim it… Continue reading
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Memories From WDOR During The Brewers’ 1982 World Series Run
I worked on this column over the past week, and with the World Series underway, I’m releasing it today. The Milwaukee Brewers’ run to the 1982 World Series arrived at the start of my broadcasting years at WDOR AM-FM in Sturgeon Bay. Seven weeks earlier, I had landed my radio job. I was still getting… Continue reading
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Tom Tiffany’s View Of Wisconsin Isn’t What Every Young Black Man Sees
At the close of the Wisconsin gubernatorial debate, Republican candidate Tom Tiffany painted an uplifting picture of Wisconsin. He said he saw the best of Wisconsin when his plane crashed, and help arrived. He said he wants others to see that side of the state, too. I liked his summation, as it had a different… Continue reading
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Sometimes Happiness Still Costs $1.95
There is something special about accidentally rediscovering a memory that holds a cherished place in our lives. We spend much of our lives seeking new things and new experiences, and that is a grand way to live. But on the flip side, some of the greatest pleasures wait quietly for us to find them. Again.… Continue reading
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Lynching Is Not A Metaphor For Madison City Council Firmness
History demands that we choose our words more carefully than our passions would prefer. After a 12-hour Madison City Council meeting where tempers flared and emotions ran free of reason as 140 members of the community spoke, and after the lopsided 14-6 vote that fired the city’s interim police monitor, Aeiramique “Meeka” Glass, we were… Continue reading
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The Real Danger Isn’t Mark Twain’s Language. It’s Not Reading Mark Twain
An early-20s couple passed our home while James and I raked leaves. Always chatty with passersby, I asked if they knew how fun raking leaves was. They smiled, and I said their reluctance must be because they’d read Tom Sawyer. Both admitted they hadn’t read the book, and I got the strong impression they weren’t… Continue reading
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Sirens For Dead School Kids From Gun Violence, But Then What?
Another mass shooting. Three children, aged 5, 8, and 11, and one teacher were killed when a 16-year-old Bend, Oregon resident entered Silver Rail Elementary School and started shooting. The shooter is dead as well. Now, as always, the nation enters the most predictable phase of the tragedy with trite statements, condolences, flags lowered to… Continue reading
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Tom Tiffany’s Campaign Is Testing How Low Wisconsin Will Tolerate
“Wisconsin deserves better than political campaigns built around fear, racial division and millions of dollars from wealthy … donors,” said state Rep. Christine Sinicki. “This is 2026, we should not be seeing political advertising that relies on images and language that critics have described as racial dog whistles. We’ve seen this playbook before.” You can’t… Continue reading
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The Presidency Is Not A License To Degrade People
I am going to state a fact that proves I have lived through many decades and witnessed many elected administrations in Washington. You likely agree with what you have lived through and what you know of our national story. There was a time when Americans expected the president of the United States to elevate the… Continue reading
