The midterms are coming and this is a good time to think about the power of elections. Not as an expression of our power, because the wants of ordinary people have no influence over national policy, but of the power that elections hold over us. You would think that able citizenship starts and stops with voting. There is a war[Read More…]

We’re confronted with competing theories about the origin of this novel coronavirus and competing strategies for dealing with it, as well as gross uncertainties in the absolute number of infections and recoveries. The things that are easiest to track are the number of hospitalizations of the diagnosed, and those actually dying with the virus while hospitalized or in a secure[Read More…]

You’re seeking a job. Maybe your first job. One of the sentences you’re likely to read in the job ad description is, are you a team player? Since this is your first job, you may be wondering what type of personality they are trying to attract with this particular bit of inquiry. You may have learned of figures like Isaac[Read More…]

Patriotism, respect for law, and allegiance are demands placed upon the citizen by the state. Such awesome authority, being capable of misuse, should always have to justify itself. Does the state accept this small burden? The responsibility of the citizen is to insist upon it. But how? And through what medium? It is commonly suggested that power ultimately lies with[Read More…]

patriotism (noun): love for or devotion to one’s country — Merriam-Webster — Let’s go a little further with this and break it down. ism (noun): 1: a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory 2: an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or belief — Merriam-Webster — This opens things up — as a practice, who uses it, why and how is it[Read More…]

Merriam-Webster defines patriotism as: love for or devotion to one’s country. Sounds nice, as far as it goes. But it isn’t quite like being loving and devoted to family and friends, or even the smaller structure of your own town or city, county or state. You can’t be patriotic to them because they lack an armed force. That’s the difference.[Read More…]

Where Are We Now? Here’s a handy way to spot the division in our country. There are red states and blue states and we can’t name anything else. The purpose of this essay is to recognize this divide while turning it on its head, but before continuing it is necessary to distinguish this overarching political divide from a sub-divide that[Read More…]

 The mid-term election dust has settled here in the United States, so it’s a good time to look into a familiar bit of political reportage involving our two “official” parties. The vote went along party lines. The vote went along party lines. The vote went along party lines. You know you hear it all the time. Its repetitive nature suggests[Read More…]