politics
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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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The First Amendment Doesn’t Need Donald Trump As A Babysitter
This is what I read today, and then noticed a couple of friends on my email list were as irritated as I was over this latest example of fascist actions taking hold in Washington, D.C. Why Stephen Colbert needed to tape an opener for last night’s “Late Show” is simply galling. The FCC ordered CBS… 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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“Most Blatant Press Freedom Violation Of This Century.”
A society that claims to value freedom cannot selectively punish those who exercise it. A rather simple Civics 101 understanding. Yet that is precisely what the case of Rumeysa Ozturk illustrates—a young woman facing deportation because she wrote an op‑ed in a student newspaper. An immigration judge this week terminated removal proceedings against Tufts University doctoral… 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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Conservative Outrage Over Bad Bunny: “The Lady Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks”
I think it is most telling and rather entertaining to follow the statements and mental gymnastics that occur in the far-right when it comes to their obsession with attacking gay rights. Republican Congressman Brian Babin, while attending the Family Research Council’s National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance on February 4th, during a prayer, thanked God… 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
Caffeinated Politics 