A recurring question on the political landscape at this point is, “What is the message of the Democrats following the November election?” There is a call for Dems to craft a single, coherent message that will help them win House and Senate seats in the 2018 midterm elections and to defeat Trump (or whomever might […]
Blog
A Physician’s Support for “Medicare for All”
We are fortunate in southern Vermont and southern New Hampshire to have access to the free Business Journal, published monthly and full of interesting and helpful articles about many business topics, especially small local businesses. In the July/August 2017 issue, the first page as one opened the magazine prominently featured a Letter to the Editor […]
Fact-Checking the Trump-Sessions DACA Statement
It probably should not come as a surprise that the Trump Administration’s statement on DACA is full of inaccuracies. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has provided us with an annotated version of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ statement on Trump’s decision to halt President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, showing at least 26 examples […]
Medjugorje: Exploring the Science of the Afterlife
Many modern Westerners tend to be leery of the possibility of an afterlife, even of the existence of a soul. In a Post-Enlightenment age, we are surrounded by science, technology, evidence and proofs. Climate change denial notwithstanding, we tend to believe only what we can observe with our five senses. The physical is real; the […]
Beware of Seductive Ads
You may have seen some recent ads on TV with a focus on tax reform, jobs, and supporting the so-called American Health Care Act (AHCA) of the Republicans. These ads promote middle-class growth, support companies being “unfettered” from government regulation, and laud supposed “choice” and freedom when it comes to health care. These stated goals […]
Resources to Combat the “Alt-Right:” Constructive Advice from the SPLC
In the wake of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, recently – not only the gathering of Neo-Nazi and other white supremacist groups, but also the murder of an innocent woman, President Trump’s various comments on the situation, the memorial service for Heather Heyer, and candlelight vigils and rallies for peace around the nation – it […]
Democrats Running – for Office
One good thing has been birthed by the Trump Presidency: droves of Americans have been moved to “resistant” action in the form of running for office. The Daily Kos reports that Democrats have filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run in 385 House districts out of 435 total nationwide. Furthermore, “of the 241 […]
Congressional Movement to Repair the ACA
Now that the Republicans’ attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have gone down in flames (as long as other attempts are not somehow resurrected …), it is important that our elected officials work seriously to improve this health care system, which is, after all, the law of the land. Two Representatives from the […]
The Wheat and the Weeds: The Law of Cause and Effect and Christian Judgmentalism
Traditional Christian judgmentalism – the notion that only those who believe in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior will go to heaven when they die – originates in part from the New (Christian) Testament lesson that was read in many churches on Sunday, July 23, 2017. The lesson is from the Gospel of Matthew, […]
Exploring the Influence of Salome in Early Christianity
Once in awhile, it’s an interesting exercise to explore the more obscure characters in early Christian literature. For moderns, an obscure character in an ancient religious document might seem far from important; she or he might well be the figment of someone’s imagination and the surrounding story a complete work of meaningless fiction. Here I […]