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Lest we forget
The Spanish American philosopher George Santayana famously wrote that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” A group called “Republicans for Ukraine, a project of Defending Democracy Together — led by conservative writer Bill Kristol — has graded Republican members of Congress on their support for Ukraine. Tennessee U.S. Reps. Tim […]
Common sense and the Second Amendment
Modern Second Amendment history is stained with death, blood, and tears. Data from Pew Research Center from 2021 found 48,830 U.S. gun violence deaths, the most on record for a single year. Suicides accounted for 54% and homicides for 43% of these deaths. But gun deaths vary widely by state, and states with the highest […]
Blurred vision: The First Amendment and the American Taliban
\Religion has permeated human life for thousands of years and archeological evidence exists of religious practices associated with the earliest humans. After the establishment of more organized societies, religion commonly became integrated with government. A strong connection existed between government and religion in Roman society. In the European Middle Ages, the early Christian church dominated […]
Blurred vision: The First Amendment and the American Taliban
Religion has permeated human life for thousands of years and archeological evidence exists of religious practices associated with the earliest humans. After the establishment of more organized societies, religion commonly became integrated with government. A strong connection existed between government and religion in Roman society. In the European Middle Ages, the early Christian church dominated […]
Peddling poison: Donald Trump follows long line of demagogues
The recent Connecticut court damages verdict of almost $1 billion in the Alex Jones case involved Jones’ apparent efforts to monetize the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting deaths of 20 children and six educators in 2017. Jones’ claim that the shooting was a hoax is a reminder of the gullibility of a significant segment of […]
Economics and ice cream
When he was about 5 years old, my grandson Billy was attending a baseball game when he noticed a team mother nearby enjoying an ice cream cone. Not shy, he walked up to her and asked politely “Do you share?” She looked down, smiled, said nothing and continued to lick her ice cream. That reaction […]
Commentary: The road we travel, from the way it is to the way it was
It’s election time in Tennessee. Like dandelions, campaign posters have sprung up across the state. Many of these signs advertise “Conservative” prominently. Some even state “Conservative Republican” as if there were currently any other Republican species. “Conservative” is obviously seen as a virtue. The basis of these campaign appeals is less obvious. […]
Commentary: GOP “socialists” propaganda campaign lacks credibility
The Republican Party is engaged in a persistent propaganda campaign asserting that Democrats intend to impose “Socialism” on America. Perennial Republican gnat Newt Gingrich declared in September 2021 that Republicans had an opportunity to “rebrand” Democrats as “Big Government Socialists.” In May 2021, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel accused Democrats of engaging in “Big […]