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Transgender Suicide: There Are Not Two Sides To Every Issue, That Is A Conservative Ploy
The news this week of the suicide of 21-year-old Lia Smith, a transgender Middlebury College student, was perhaps the saddest story that did not come from Washington, D.C. She soon was to graduate and was known to be intelligent and proved herself to be a former student-athlete. My husband, James, was a graduate of Middlebury,… Continue reading
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National Security Presidential Memorandum Threatening Your Rights To Dissent
“I am completely astounded that England, which is a very tiny bit of Europe, is dominant. One might reply that it is a fact; I must concur; but as it is impossible, I shall continue to hope that what is incomprehensible will not be eternal.” –Duc de Choiseul, Louis XV’s foreign minister in 1767. I… Continue reading
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Destruction Of White House East Wing Proves Donald Trump Doesn’t Care For Our Values
When people say they despise Donald Trump there are multiple reasons for such a sentiment. This week the country looks aghast at the complete destruction of the East Wing of the White House and wonders exactly how a low IQ person with no sense of history or any awareness of our values as a nation… Continue reading
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Rampant Racism In Trump Administration: Look Who Is Elevated Or Fired
There is no way to consume this news without severe indigestion. In recent days we have read and heard about Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Paul Ingrassia to serve as special counsel of the United States, a role charged in part with safeguarding federal whistleblowers from retaliation. We also know that as Trump elevates confirmed… Continue reading
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Local Newspapers Need Our Support
There are a few constant themes that resonate in my writings about politics and society. Strongly encouraging process-driven governing, advocating gun control, standing alongside the Fourth Estate, promoting democracy, and pressing for newspapers to remain a part of a citizens daily routine. It is that last point that I wish to deal with today. This… 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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Saturday’s No Kings Protests Were Acts Of Patriotism In Its Purest Form
Saturday was one of those days when the ideals of the nation were forefront from coast to coast. From Bangor, Maine (not far from Corinth where my husband James grew up) to Berkeley, California, Americans gathered not in anger, but in absolute resolve to fight against authoritarianism and fascism. In Madison, like every other place… Continue reading
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Robert Caro Still Working On Final Volume Of Lyndon Baines Johnson Series
Robert Caro is a name often bantered about in our home, especially when victors walk through our rooms with bookcases. The volumes of his work about Lyndon Baines Johnson are noted as they underscore the joy found in the past by an author, incredible researcher and powerful storyteller. He is what many book lovers and… Continue reading
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Children’s Public School Lunches Should Be Free
I stumbled upon a news story from WFHR, Wisconsin Rapids. (A radio station that was often heard in our home during my growing up years.) On one hand, it is an uplifting story of humanity reaching out to assist others. On the other hand, it underscores why there is a need for a statewide policy… Continue reading
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Todd Eugene Wilson Leaves Us With Reasons To Smile
“What’s up, Captain?” That was Todd Eugene Wilson’s signature greeting whenever he called me. Over the years, it never changed. The first time we spoke—about 24 years ago—I was struck by the unmistakable Maine accent that colored every syllable. Even after living in Florida for a time and then settling in Tennessee, Todd never lost… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 