Society
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The Musical Chord That Hits the Heart
I just concluded a long phone call with a friend who remains in California with her parents. Having traveled out for the holidays, she remains as the final closure of her mom’s eyes draws near. I always feel a need to lift the clouds, so I opened the call with “Is this Chinese takeout?” Laura… Continue reading
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Letter From Home: Heartstopper And Hancock 1/23/26
Last fall, at Barnes & Noble, thanks to a large display near an entrance to the bookstore, I first became aware of Alice Oseman, and the Heartstopper series. Several books of her work were prominently displayed, and I spent a few minutes reading a bit and exploring the overall tone and mission of them. Heartstopper… Continue reading
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Gender-Affirming Care For Minors Gutted By Trump Administration, Cruelty On Steroids Takes Its Place!
On New Year’s Eve at a large gathering, I was heartened that someone felt at ease to open up and converse about a gender issue within their family, the type of story that too often makes headlines. Sitting across the table from that mom, while we ate homemade holiday cookies, I was struck that this… Continue reading
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Impounding Cars After Reckless Driving Arrest Is Smart, Needed Law
A friend sent me a link to the Milwaukee Journal story last week about the impact of a new state law allowing for cars to be towed away due to reckless driving. Written from the perspective of the City of Milwaukee, the story stated the following. Within the first two months of a new state… Continue reading
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Why Parents Keep Their Kids Away From Trump Supporters In Family
I heard again over the Holidays why some parents will not allow their kids to be around family members who support Donald Trump. More evidence as to why they do not want the kids around the racist and toxic conservative came this week as Trump gestured like a drunk idiot as he made an impression… Continue reading
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Let This Be Our Path For 2026
There is a story I would like to retell as we start the New Year. The story resonates given what our nation witnessed in 2025. The growing revulsion with the overly broad, callous, and demeaning manner in which the Trump Administration has harmed untold numbers of Brown people and severely disrupted communities nationwide needs a… Continue reading
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Cruelty Masquerading As Policy: Trump’s Assault On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
There are bad ideas in politics, and then there are ideas so drenched in cruelty that they defy even the most cynical explanations. Donald Trump’s latest proposal to strip Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for minors is a calculated act of political theater that weaponizes children’s health for ideological gain.… Continue reading
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Saturday’s Mass Shooting: Moral Indictment Of Nation Unwilling To Protect Its Citizens
The mass shooting at Brown University today is a barbaric and unacceptable tragedy that once again exposes the nation’s inability to confront its epidemic of gun violence. Two lives were taken, and eight more were injured during what should have been an ordinary day of final exams, leaving students terrified and a community shattered. The… Continue reading
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In Cold Blood: Truman Capote’s Book Viewed 60 Years Later
The main news over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend was shameful. The collective retaliation by the Trump Administration against people from nations around the world who are now part of our national family, as he desires to halt all asylum decisions and remove millions who call this place home. It was chilling to learn that Defense… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 