At a recent “get-out-the-vote” rally in Las Vegas, former first lady Michelle Obama declared that people don’t have to be informed in order to vote. All they need, she said, is to “be a citizen,” “have opinions,” and want “a say in what happens.” She emphasized, “I’ve been voting since I was 18 years old—and
READ MORENovember 1st is traditionally known as “All Saints’ Day” in the Western Christian calendar–a day to remember all of the faithful departed. The day (eve) before All Saints’ Day was “All Hallows’ (an older word for “saint) Eve.” Later, in a series of twists and turns (more reminiscent of the latest TV sitcom, rather than
READ MOREIt’s become familiar to the point of routine. After a shooting, a bombing, a national crisis of any sort, partisans on both sides fling fact-free, post-truth conspiracy narratives at each other. Within minutes of any tragedy, there’s talk of setups, crisis actors, government patsies, and alternative plot lines so outrageous they would make a fiction
READ MOREIn 2015, blogger Amanda Russo posted a humorous piece “Why Halloween Is Actually A Pretty Weird Holiday.” As Russo says, on Halloween we encourage our kids to take candy from strangers. We threaten our neighbors with “Trick or Treat.” We spend a chunk of change buying and giving away sugary treats, often to people we
READ MOREAmericans tend to see Sweden as a democratic socialist utopia, although the nation changed course decisively two decades ago. A White House report, “The Opportunity Costs of Socialism,” debunked the notion of enduring Nordic socialism, and now PBS has aired a documentary produced by a Swedish free-market leader intended to dispel popular American falsehoods about
READ MOREIt is with a heavy heart that we mourn the passing of a revolutionary educator, John Taylor Gatto. Gatto spent nearly 30 years as a teacher in the infamously rough New York City public school system. He was awarded New York City Teacher of the Year three consecutive years while also being recognized as New
READ MOREOne vexing current problem centers on who becomes the citizen of a given country, since citizenship confers voting rights. The Anglo-American model, in which every baby born in the country’s land area automatically becomes a citizen, clearly invites welfare immigration by expectant parents. In the U.S., for example, a current problem is illegal immigrants whose
READ MOREI don’t make my kids share their toys. I arrived at this decision after careful consideration. Unfortunately, that decision isn’t an easy one to discuss with other parents, mostly because it appears that my stance endorses selfishness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Like many other parents, I think it’s very important to teach
READ MORELove, affirmation, and acceptance seem to be the name of the game these days, especially when it comes to anything concerning gender identity. Such a view is taking hold not only in the political world, but in the scientific and research world as well. This fact is underscored by a recent policy statement from the
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