North Carolina’s recently introduced House Joint Resolution 494 tells us that, “. . . each state is sovereign and may independently determine how the state may make laws respecting an establishment of religion . . . ,” and that, “. . . the North Carolina General Assembly does not recognize federal court rulings which prohibit… [read more]
A New American Award
Nanoarchaeum Equitans Virus The smallest known organism There are scientists who feel that viruses are not the smallest organisms because they lack a cellular structure. Others believe that this condition is not disqualifying and it is this group of scientists whose views are invoked for this noteworthy recognition, The Virus Trophy. Our nation has… [read more]
Steam Engines, Headnotes and 91%
The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1868 and Section 1 of that amendment begins this way: “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process… [read more]
An Island of Clarity
As a student of human behavior I have been trying to understand the craziness that is our social and political culture. So many blatantly false things have been said with great earnestness and an odd assumption of integrity. The absolutist behavior and mean spiritedness displayed for years has been confounding and dismaying. What’s going on?… [read more]
Conservatism Today
Conservatism can be defined in many ways, although dictionary definitions typically use the word itself as a descriptor: We should conserve the values and ideas of the past. Surely, there is some good sense in that. Another definition, the attribution to which I have not found, defines today’s conservatism this way: Conservatism has become the… [read more]
Other Than Your Mother
President Obama laid out offers to curb government spending two years ago by declaring that he is open to discussions around cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, much to the dismay of most Democrats and to left-of-center Americans of all colors. The programs have been on the table, yet Republicans have been complaining since then that… [read more]
Human Being 101 – No, Really
83% of Americans – including NRA members – want universal background checks before gun ownership changes. That means mandatory background checks before sales at retail stores, at gun shows, private sales and even when Grandpa tearfully hands his lovingly preserved hunting rifle to his grandchild. We want to ensure that the recipient of the firearm… [read more]
America in 2083
It is nearly unthinkable today that we legally enslaved people right here in America until just 150 years ago. It is similarly unthinkable that only wealthy, white landowners were allowed to vote for a very long time and that women gained that right just 93 years ago. It took over 50 years of focused struggle… [read more]
I Hope The President Fails
That’s what he said in mid-November, 2008. A colleague was expressing his fondest hope for the newly elected president. What is most significant about this is that he didn’t say that he disliked the president’s policies or that he fervently wished that they would not become law. He did not hope for a resolute senate… [read more]
Non-Option Number 1: Education
My friend and futurist David Houle writes an interesting blog about tomorrow. You know – that pesky day that keeps coming around? He wrote recently about one of the things that is coming tomorrow: the transformation of education. It has to transform, because the present model is based on a societal structure that has not… [read more]
