history
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Alexander Butterfield: The Quiet Man Who Changed The Course Of American History
I was not your typical kid growing up. That is a very understated way to write it. I was in a rural environment where my grandparents, along with an aunt, were my neighbors, with not another boy my age for miles around. There was no television in our home until I was in the 6th… Continue reading
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Violent Rhetoric, Like Dan O’Donnell On WISN, Undermines Democracy
The political climate in the United States is reaching a level of volatility that should alarm every citizen who values democratic stability. This past week, Milwaukee radio host Dan O’Donnell of WISN‑AM demonstrated just how dangerous reckless rhetoric can be. In a now‑deleted post reacting to U.S. military action abroad, O’Donnell wrote: “Now take out… Continue reading
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Another Legal Defeat For Trump’s Attack On Voice Of America
I firmly believe in the relentless legal process to bring order to the chaos that has resulted from Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office. This home, like many others across the nation, has sent money to organizations that do the work with court cases and legal procedures to ensure our democracy does not… Continue reading
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The United States Should Try Catching Up To Iran
Today, while watching the Saturday Night Live skit at the Defense Department, I had to laugh at the American swagger. I was not aware Colin Jost got up that early on a weekday. If one listened to the current Defense Secretary, one might conclude there has been little time for reading between swigs of whiskey.… Continue reading
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Iran Fiasco Is Proof Why VOA Matters
The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the joint U.S.–Israeli strikes this weekend marks one of the most consequential geopolitical ruptures in decades, and it underscores—more starkly than ever—why a fully empowered Voice of America is not a luxury but a strategic necessity. The breaking of international law by Donald Trump and his administration, along… Continue reading
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Black History Vital To Understanding The American Story
I read the following segment in Empire of Liberty by David Reynolds and took a photo of a few paragraphs. It is a telling reminder of what our past looked like, felt like, and was like. This account follows the outbreak of World War II. I had copied that historical nugget and kept it in… Continue reading
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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
Caffeinated Politics 