Strengthen Democracy
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Those Who Sided With Viktor Orban Will Be Damned, Authoritarianism Is A Loser
I spent some time this afternoon upstairs looking for a column in a back issue of Foreign Affairs. I knew it contained the essence of what I wanted to stress in this column. That followed the most welcome news that Peter Magyar’s center-right Tisza party was projected to win Hungary’s parliamentary election, bringing an end… Continue reading
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COVID Shot Benefits Report Undermined By Robert Kennedy Jr., Propagandist With No Credibility
When I hear Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name, a basic thought instantly comes to mind about what he is doing as Secretary of Health and Human Services. He purposely sows disinformation, creating public confusion that then undermines evidence‑based policymaking. His long, ridiculous record of promoting lies about vaccines, outrageous claims repeatedly debunked by scientists, medical… Continue reading
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The Weight Of A President’s Words
Not for the first time, I strongly criticize the coarse language coming from Donald Trump, who sits in the Oval Office. Over the years, I have repeatedly stated there is an entire dictionary of words to use rather than the F word and other foul choices. In a deranged social media post on Easter Sunday… Continue reading
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Diversity Champions Hate Speech This Holiday Weekend
This holiday weekend, with Easter and Passover being celebrated and observed, I suspect most people are in an uplifting mood. In line with that thinking, a Chicago Tribune story caught my attention. After Assyrian families in Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove and Lincolnwood spent nearly a decade advocating for an Assyrian language program at Niles Township High School… Continue reading
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Donald Trump At Supreme Court vs. America
It was perhaps the ugliest scene yet from the second term of the Donald Trump administration. As the Supreme Court prepared to hear oral arguments in one of the most unconstitutional cases in many terms, the originator of the undermining of the 14th Amendment left the White House and sat in a front row seat,… 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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Chaos In The Republic: What President McKinley’s Assassination Revealed About A Fractured America
Eric Rauchway’s Murdering McKinley situates the assassination of President William McKinley within a nation deeply divided by the forces of industrial capitalism. I probably did not need to pull another book from the shelves this weekend, but I was in the mood for something different, so the slim volume of just over 200 pages fell… Continue reading
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When Critical Thinking Breaks Down, Democracy Feels the Strain
I overheard a conversation that made me aware (again) that we should not make an effort to overhear what others are saying. One person was trying to make the argument that the war Donald Trump started in Iran had to take place as it was brewing for 47 years. It was expressed that Trump had… Continue reading
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Islamophobia Embraced By Republican Party
When it comes to racism, bigotry, and prejudice in modern-day politics, the Republican Party holds the disdainful distinction of being the prime user of such slurs and actions. The 2024 GOP presidential campaign was riddled with derogatory remarks about Brown people, and the stoking of hatred for transgender Americans. It was stunning to witness. What… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 