Social Commentary
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May 1st Is A Teaching Moment Outside Of Madison’s School Classrooms
May 1st is International Workers’ Day and often referred to as a “Day Without Immigrants”, where immigrant rights groups, labor unions, and folks like you and me join forces to organize protests advocating for worker rights, protesting immigration policies, and demonstrating the economic impact of immigrant labor. Many school districts have chosen to close their… Continue reading
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Just Another Day In A Gun‑Soaked America At White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Some days it feels like this country is held together with duct tape and the hope that the next breaking‑news alert won’t be about another shooting. But then it happens again. Tonight, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, of all places. A night that’s supposed to be about jokes, journalism, and a little Washington glitz… Continue reading
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And Then, C. J. Sansom Came Into My Life
During my medical physical this week, I was given a series of questions about whether I was feeling moody, depressed, a lack of interest in eating, an inability to sleep, or thoughts of self-harm. While I feel for people who have those concerns, I fall far on the other side of the equation. The varying… Continue reading
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Eight Black Kids Are Murdered With A Gun, Nation Yawns
There’s a point in a nation’s decline when the extraordinary becomes ordinary, when the unthinkable becomes background noise. That line could have been written every day since Inauguration Day 2025. But I write to refer to this past Sunday. And I write regarding the way eight Black children were violently shot to death in Louisiana,… Continue reading
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Madison Comes Together In Severe Weather
James and I spent the tornado warning early this evening in Target on University Avenue. It was the same store we spent a few hours in during the amazing 15-inch rainstorm in 2018. No, that was not a typo. Then we watched from the high windows as cars floated on University Avenue. Today I grabbed… Continue reading
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Even Good News Carries The Weight Of Our Time
The news was welcomed, and from a legal perspective, not surprising. Still, it was all very troubling. To settle a lawsuit from LGBTQ+ and historic preservation groups, the Trump administration agreed on Monday to allow a rainbow Pride flag to continue flying at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City after removing it in… Continue reading
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Americans Suffer From Psychological Jolts Due To Donald Trump’s Outlandish Absurdity
James and I were relaxing during the rain on Sunday. Following the much-desired electoral ousting of Viktor Orban and the hoped-for renewal of ties with the EU, we watched The Murder at the Vicarage, Agatha Christie’s first Miss Marple detective story. We read books and drank coffee and tea. As such, we were separated from… Continue reading
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Gun Crime Suspect Sells Stolen Gun, Deadly University Shooting Follows, Obvious Gun Control Needed
The horrifying events at Old Dominion University this week didn’t happen in a vacuum. They were the predictable result of a system that treats gun access as an afterthought rather than a responsibility. A Virginia man, previously investigated for possible firearms crimes, sold a stolen handgun to the convicted ISIS supporter, who then used it… Continue reading
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Wisconsin Anti-Trans Bills: A Cruel and Unconscionable Onslaught
What we are witnessing in the Wisconsin State Legislature and across the United States is nothing short of a calculated and deeply injurious campaign against transgender people, particularly transgender youth, driven by Republican lawmakers who have chosen to weaponize identity for political gain. There is no better way to define it. This relentless barrage of… Continue reading
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Nation’s Nerves Have Been Scrapped Raw
Over the past two weeks, I have placed a few thoughts or phrases haphazardly into a Word document about an issue that is hard to headline, but one that, as a nation, as a people, we are not properly discussing. Every day, there is another jolting topic that borders on absurdity, unreasonableness, or outright illegality.… Continue reading
