Blog

An Excellent Application of the 14th Amendment

| Present

“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of […]

Undaunted Courage in the Face of Disparagement and Racism: Five Examples

| Present

In our divided, contentious and often violent country, many of us yearn for examples of courage and resilience. We can feel surrounded – not only by social media and news feeds but even in our own neighborhoods – by demoralizing examples of vengeance, fear-mongering, lawlessness, and cruelty. The most egregious, visible, powerful and omnipresent source, […]

Being Alert and Strategic about the Dangers of Moms for Liberty

| Present

The radical right-wing – which includes some of our fellow citizens, even our neighbors – has recently taken up more questionable causes that affect millions of Americans. Whatever their motives, many on the right are spreading very dangerous, anti-democratic disinformation cloaked in innocuous-sounding groups, movements and rhetoric. Moms for Liberty, despite its positive name, is […]

Biden-Harris Rail Improvements in Red States

| Present

Thirty-two states will soon benefit from 63 rail projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in late 2021 by the Biden-Harris Administration. According to a press release by the Department of Transportation (DOT), the “Law includes the first-ever dedicated grant program to help communities eliminate points where railroad tracks intersect with roads, which have […]

Mary, Isis, and the Goddesses of the Via Egnatia

| Past

The Via Egnatia, which ran from Constantinople in the east to Dyrrachium, Albania, in the west, was one portion of the more than 50,000 miles of well-built roads of the Roman Empire. It was along the Via Egnatia, in part, that St. Paul and his companions spread the Christian message, visiting friends and family, preaching […]

Where Are We with Abolishing the Electoral College?

| Present

After the 2016 presidential election, when candidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Donald Trump became President because of the Electoral College (EC), the issue of the EC was thrust again into the forefront. Recent polls show that 63-65 percent of American adults want the EC abolished. As we have noted before, no other […]

The World Happiness and “Shorter Lives” Reports: Important Warnings to Americans

| Present

We have commented earlier on the World Happiness Reports, published since 2012 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. In the 2022 report, the US ranks 15th, just ahead of Germany and behind eight European Union nations, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand, and Switzerland. In March 2023, NPR reported that life expectancy in the US […]

Science Meets Religion: NASA’s Community Anchor Program and a New Orleans Church

| Present

The notion that religion and science do not mix is belied in our day by the Informal Education Community Anchor award through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. The Anchor designation, located within the NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) competitive funding program, was created in 2021 “in recognition that local institutions […]