The Numbers Don’t Lie – And They Don’t Tell the Whole Story

| Present

Much is being made in some circles of the supposed “mandate” that the convicted felon, President-Elect Donald Trump has won to do what he wants to do when he gets to the White House. The phrases being used include “an unprecedented and powerful mandate” (Trump in his victory speech); “a clear mandate to fix what […]

Post-Election Musings

| Present

Millions of us in the United States are deflated, demoralized and even scared after the 2024 presidential election has been called for Donald Trump. How do those of us who not only voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz but also may have supported them financially cope with this tremendous loss? How do we move […]

The Election Doesn’t End November 5: Additional Steps Leading to Inauguration

| Present

As we learned four years ago, the election process for President and Vice President of the United States is many-layered and extends over several months. Not only have candidates been campaigning for what seems to be years; the timeframe to vote, in various ways, has been greatly expanded by a number of states, which means […]

Index to the Ninth Year: October 2023-October 2024

| Present

Thank you for your interest in these blog posts! Here is a listing by topic for posts since October 2023. (Some posts appear in more than one category.) Social and Racial Justice, Diversity Resources for Women’s History Month, 3/8/2024 Reconnecting with African Ancestors: New Initiatives in Genetics and Genealogy, 2/23/2024 Moms for Liberty Again: Implications […]

Christian Leaders on Values and the Current Threat to Our Democratic System

| Present

As the November election looms, over 200 leaders in a number of Christian groups and denominations have issued a powerful statement linking our current “crisis of democracy” with values held by American Christians. The lengthy statement is comprehensive and argues, “Democracy stands embattled, facing new threats within our nation and new challenges around the globe… […]

Beware the Presidential Administration Academy

| Present

Over the past few years, we have alerted readers to organizations, initiatives and stances sponsored or promoted by the right-wing element in our political discourse that might sound good at first glance but which are in fact misleading and even dangerous (Project Blitz and right-wing attempts to legislate specific types of Bible classes in public […]

Some Positive Developments for the American People

| Present

Things sometimes change very quickly in politics! On Saturday, July 20, Joe Biden was still running for President. By early afternoon on Sunday, July 21, he was dropping out of his reelection campaign and endorsing VP Kamala Harris as his successor. Contrary to what some Republicans seem to be calling for, Biden has every intention […]

All the President’s People: The Vital Importance of the Leader’s Advisors

| Present

Yes, the person we elect as our President every four years is extremely important. Most of us hope against hope that he or she will have certain qualities for the job: competence, honesty, wide knowledge of the significant issues of the day, integrity, good mental and physical health, and others. In the complexity that is […]

Making Big Oil Pay: Vermont Takes the Lead

| Present

Tiny Vermont (population 647,000) has taken a big step: to use legislation to make giant oil companies accountable for a significant amount of damage that has been done to the earth’s environment by climate change. According to VTDigger, Republican Governor Phil Scott let the legislation, S.259, the “Climate Superfund Act,” go into effect without his […]