politics
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The Great American Grovel-Off During Cabinet Meetings
Today I read these lines by Yuval Noah Harari in Homo Deus. The greatest scientific discovery was the discovery of ignorance. Once humans realized how little they knew about the world, they suddenly had a very good reason to seek new knowledge. If only…. I later read online that the Trump cabinet had a meeting… Continue reading
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Sanity Reigns, Fluoride Back In DeForest Water Supply
Every community has its characters, but DeForest’s brief flirtation with anti‑fluoride fervor was a master class in what happens when logic takes a sabbatical and leaves the keys under the mat. For a stretch of time, the village’s drinking water policy was effectively held hostage by people who believed that decades of public‑health science could… Continue reading
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Lies From The Oval Office Are Creating A Threat To Democracy
When we start to rebuild and address the myriad problems Donald Trump created, fostered, and nurtured during his terms in the White House, it will be essential that we begin with his default position of telling lies, seemingly with every breath. Regaining honesty in the Oval Office might seem like a low bar to achieve,… Continue reading
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Madison TV News Story About Grocery Prices Was Seriously Tone Deaf
If one were looking to report on the impact of high grocery prices on the wallets of Madisonians, it might be assumed a reporter would head to Hy-Vee, Metcalfe Market, or a Woodman’s store. But when the WKOW news team chose the story, they went to Whole Foods. Or, as it is comically referred to,… Continue reading
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Republicans Are In A Pickle, A Very Sour One
One fact struck me this weekend as the No Kings rallies garnered huge turnouts nationwide. Not only were the rallies aimed at underscoring the need to strengthen democratic institutions, rejecting authoritarianism, and denouncing the Iran War, but they happened everywhere. They were held in all 50 states. They were held in every congressional district, including… Continue reading
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Trump Supporters Are Even More Stupid After Watching FOX News
If you only watch Fox News, you simply are not an informed citizen. For many years, I have stated that Fox News frequently distorts information in ways that leave conservative viewers with an incomplete and highly misleading understanding of current events. Over time, I have commented on the patterns in which their commentary is presented… Continue reading
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It’s Absurd That We Even ‘Need’ a Court Ruling on Birthright Citizenship
There are moments in a nation’s political life that reveal not just disagreement, but decay. On the first day of Donald Trump’s second term, he signed an executive order on birthright citizenship declaring that some children whose parents are here illegally or temporarily, such as certain visa holders, are not American citizens. This is not a legally… Continue reading
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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
Caffeinated Politics 