Public schools have been a priority in Michigan from the earliest days. They hav aspired to high standards. As the state grew and our country advanced control of schools shifted from over 7,000 small local districts to 540 K-12 districts today. There are 54 intermediate school districts, which provi…
Blog posts
Best of times, worst of times
Charles Dickins began A Tale of Two Cities with, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This is a good way to describe our current political life in the United States. Democracy is alive and well in this ongoing experiment in self-government begun in 1776. Women are gathering in pr…
The youth rallies were awesome
I watched and listened with compassion the words of the young people at rallies across the country and around the world on Saturday March 24, 2018. They gave talks that were inspiring, thought provoking, emotional, and from the heart. I am proud of everyone of them.
Young people should not have …
Being Catholic Becoming Faithful
I have had a lifetime of faith … or what I thought was faith. Now that I am in my post-retirement years, I have concluded that I was being Catholic, but religion is not faith. It is something much deeper and personal. For me, my Catholic religion has neglected the development of my faith and focused…
School Safety is of Paramount Importance
School safety in my youth were mundane concerns compared to the safety issue today. School shootings occur far more frequently in the United States than anywhere else in the world. When combined with other mass shootings, eleven of the worst 50 mass shootings were in the United States. We have only…
Is Donald Trump fit to be President?
David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, wrote that Donald Trump is an affront to basic standards of honesty, virtue and citizenship.” I will explore in this column why Brooks made such a bold statement.
Words
Words are the building blocks of communication, whether in personal conve…
Gun violence must stop
Once again I am saddened by the massacre at a school in Florida. This is the 6th school shooting in 2018. What will it take to make Congress act?
Between the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012 and now, Congress has passed only one law regarding guns and gun violence. That was in February 2017 to …
History Lessons
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
George Santayana, American philosopher and author.
If you can’t remember history, then it is very important to study it. David McCulloch, Ron Chernow, and others make history come alive by telling the story of people: who they were, …
Guns and domestic terrorism
Some of our national leaders are so intent on spreading fear and hatred against Muslims in the name of security that they are blinded by the very real threat of domestic terrorism. They get all angry about the killing of eight people in New York but show no sign of anger about the shooting of 58 peo…
The Electoral College Must be Changed or Ended
The United States Constitution is an amazing document. We praise it and hold it in as high esteem as the Bible or Qu'ran or other sacred books. But just as the sacred books are interpreted in many ways and misunderstood in the process, so is the Constitution. It was created by men for the purpose o…
Is Hillary Clinton fit to be president?
Earlier this month I raised the question of Donald Trump’s fitness to be president of the United States. (See previous blog) It is only fair I ask the same question of Hillary Clinton. In Trump’s case, I based my comments on his self-serving use of words, his inability to focus on a subject for more…
Is Donald Trump fit to be President?
October 2, 2016
David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, wrote that Donald Trump is an affront to basic standards of honesty, virtue and citizenship.” I will explore in this column why Brooks made such a bold statement.
Words
Words are the building blocks of communication, …
It is time to reframe the gun debate
The meaning of the Second Amendment has been interpreted to mean that the private ownership of guns “shall not be infringed.” The right to life is also guaranteed in the Constitution. Clearly the right to life is a superior right to that of owning a gun.
After the massacre in Orlando, the…
Lessons from the Flint water crisis
The Flint water crisis can teach us several lessons if we are willing to pay attention to this debacle. The crisis was a tragic mistake that allowed the city to draw water from the Flint River for residential use without proper evaluation.
Common good
The common good is the sum total of the co…
Let there be peace on earth
At this time of year it is customary to share greetings of happiness and best wishes for the New Year. These greetings are based on the Christian tradition of celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. Peace and harmony are at the heart of all religions. Unfortunately these sentiments are often l…
Ferguson case raises many questions
In 2007 I published a book entitled, A Journey to Peace through Justice. I chose the word justice because of Pope Paul VI comment, “If you want peace, work for justice.” Today I would not use that word but rather compassion.
Justice is bound up with our legal system in this country and implie…
Religious Freedom Restoration Act is neither Freedom nor Religious
Twenty-one states have passed a state version of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. After the law was passed in Indiana and Arkansas, there was an immediate firestorm of protest by business leaders and others.
Background
In response to that backlash, Tim Wildmon, President of the…
Let us Celebrate our Independence
With our annual celebration of Independence Day on July 4th, it is good to reflect on our founding documents that led to our separation from England in the eighteenth century.
Founding documents
The primary document associated with Independence Day is, of course, the Declaration of Independenc…
Distorted property views are serious threat to democracy
In early October my wife and I visited the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. In anticipation of that I began reading Chesapeake by James Michener. It was fascinating to tour the area Michener described so well from several hundred years ago to today. In the midst of his accounts of waterm…
The NRA response to the Newtown massacre is shortsighted
On December 14,2012, there was a terrible massacre at Sandy Hook School in Newtown Connecticut. I was filled with sadness when I heard the news about this massacre and was filled with compassion for the surviving mothers, fathers, and siblings of those children and adults who were brutally gunned d…
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