politics
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Nation Cannot Survive At Shallow End Of Swimming Pool
Somewhere between rereading The Imperial Presidency by Arthur Schlesinger and the daily newspapers, I have been trying to place the lessons of the past into the constant absurdity and irrationality of the present. I am not sure I am making headway in my thinking, but I want to share where I am as of today. Continue reading
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DeForest Village Board: Example Of Democracy Working
In the midst of so much awful news and absurd happenings, there was a news story that lifted the sails this week. The DeForest Village Board voted 5–2 to begin reintroducing fluoride into the water system. If you are asking yourself why ‘reintroduce’ this scientifically evaluated mineral to the water supply, you would be correct Continue reading
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Americans Cannot Bend To Threats Of Insurrection Act — Not in Minneapolis, Not Anywhere
It does not take a news junkie to realize that something is dreadfully wrong in our nation. Someone with severe macular degeneration can witness the absurd overreach and absolute lack of humanity after an ICE employee murdered a woman by shooting her in the face multiple times. Following that, numerous law enforcement and military veterans, Continue reading
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Divorced Males And Donald Trump
Why do a significant portion of divorced white males support Donald Trump? Could we flippantly ask how they ever got married? This week on Facebook, a male who graduated from Tri-County Schools in Plainfield, Wisconsin (as I did) blamed the woman who was murdered in Minneapolis. I was simply aghast. I had known this person Continue reading
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Donald Trump Fails To Understand ‘It’s The Economy, Stupid’
It is not unusual for a president to seek out foreign policy when the stubborn and often embarrassing issues at home make for unrelenting headlines. With the economy not producing lower grocery prices, or more optimism for people wishing to be new homeowners, or when new Jeffrey Epstein documents show a troubling linkage with a Continue reading
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Americans Need A National Anchor Like Molly Ivins
Saturday during the highly energetic No Kings Rally in Madison, I looked about at the scores of people and considered what made all of them similar. One of the themes worthy of consideration over the past decade of deep political divisions and ever-increasing cultural rancor is what commonalities still link Americans regardless of where we Continue reading
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Witnessing A Betrayal Of American Ideals With Trump’s Military On City Streets
One of my favorite reads, The Glory And The Dream by William Manchester, was first read when in high school. (The two-volume treasured hardcover set is on bookshelves above where I now type this column.) The first 20 pages tells the gripping story of President Herbert Hoover ordering the U.S. Army, led by General Douglas MacArthur, to Continue reading
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Cruelty Is The Purpose In Trump White House
A Bluesky posting from Adam Kinzinger caught my attention this week. The thing that bothers me so much is not the “we have to enforce our borders and laws.” We do. It’s the giddy joy and celebration they have at the misery of people far less fortunate. Always punching down Since Inauguration Day, there has Continue reading
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Evangelicals Accept Donald Trump’s Behavior
In the fall of 1976, Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter’s interview in Playboy created a rush of news stories and political commentary. There were many in the conservative religious wing of the Republican Party who were truly upset that a presidential nominee would give an interview to a publication that was viewed as pornography. President Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 