history
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Court Rules Donald Trump Is Not a Tariff Vending Machine
I was wrong. I had predicted that the Supreme Court, while ruling that a president does not have the authority to hijack tariff-making policy through the executive branch, would hand down a 5-4 decision. I had Justice Gorsuch with the conservative minority on the bench. As we know, he joined with the majority, a decision… Continue reading
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Rev. Jesse Jackson Used State Representative Lary Swoboda’s Office For Coat Drop During 1988 Statehouse Campaign Rally
“ (George) Bush and I have one thing in common, and that is that we both came in second.” The laughter that filled the large room at the Monona Terrace in Madison in December 2007, following that comment by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, had a bittersweet sound as many in the crowd knew in their hearts that… Continue reading
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Trump Scandals Fit 150-Year Trend Of Republicans In White House
A woman walking in front of our home today stopped to chat about spring-like weather, and of course, the state of the nation. She had noticed several American flags flying upside down. I told her of many flags seen in a similar fashion across Madison over recent weeks. We agreed that what is playing out… Continue reading
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Federal Judge’s Ruling For Senator Mark Kelly, Against Pete Hegseth, Uses Exclamation Point!
My husband and I read court rulings in cases that land at the center of our national strife. Today, we remarked on not being able to recall when an exclamation point was used to make a federal judge’s words more impactful. What you will read below was a brilliant ruling for its legal reasoning and… Continue reading
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Living The Imperial Presidency In 2026
Arthur Schlesinger Jr.’s The Imperial Presidency was designed to be a warning flare fired across the bow of American democracy, but revisiting it as the new year started in light of Donald Trump’s actions gives it an even sharper edge. I first read this book when living in Sturgeon Bay, during President Reagan’s second term.… Continue reading
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Are We Still Uncertain Why Character And Leadership Matter In The Oval Office?
Last week, Donald Trump’s decision to amplify a grotesque and racist depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama was only the latest crude and offensive action taken by someone we are told to regard as the leader of the free world. Historians and social commentators will undoubtedly study this era for decades, trying to understand how… 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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What Must Be Done To Face Our Current Crisis In America?
While reading the newspapers today, I thought about a book I had read decades ago by Arthur Schlesinger. I read it in my 20s while in Door County, a decade after it was published. The Imperial Presidency was written following the twin debacles of Vietnam and Watergate, with an emphasis on what should be the… Continue reading
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Americans Cannot Bend To Threats Of Insurrection Act — Not in Minneapolis, Not Anywhere
It does not take a news junkie to realize that something is dreadfully wrong in our nation. Someone with severe macular degeneration can witness the absurd overreach and absolute lack of humanity after an ICE employee murdered a woman by shooting her in the face multiple times. Following that, numerous law enforcement and military veterans,… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 