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Posted July 12, 2022in Stray Thoughts

What happens when you have a beef with a judge?

It was not in the menu, but there was a heaping helping of irony served up one evening last week at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was dining at Morton’s steakhouse. Demonstrators were outside, intent on ensuring he left with indigestion and not just a

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Posted June 20, 2022in Stray Thoughts

It’s wrong to tell parents what their kids can read

Here we are, well into year three of the effects and after-effects of Covid.  An oft-heard comment during this time has come from people who believe government should simply butt out. These people believe government should leave it to individuals, and parents, to decide what is best for themselves and

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Posted June 13, 2022in Stray Thoughts

Like it or not, we are all in this together

What is happening to us? What passes for public discussion these days certainly is not civil or thoughtful. Nor is it really much of a discussion. If you read the comments from some supposed leaders, you find references to the members of the other political party being our enemies. It’s

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Posted June 06, 2022in Stray Thoughts

Our nation needs to focus on the greater good

Middle ground seems to have disappeared in the United States, and that’s unfortunate. These days, there’s no appetite for the give-and-take that leads to compromise. Regardless of the side you are on, it’s pretty much “my way or the highway.” Speaking of highways, in 1973, Congress and President Richard Nixon

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Posted May 23, 2022in Stray Thoughts

A question for the archbishop: W.W.J.D.?

Officially, bishops and archbishops in the Roman Catholic Church have one boss, the pope. Of course, their ultimate authority figure is Jesus. That’s why many Catholics and non-Catholics have been asking a very simple question in recent days: W.W.J.D.? What would Jesus do? The question has been circulating since the

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Posted May 16, 2022in Stray Thoughts

We are tired of waiting for our leaders to lead

Aaron Salter Jr., 55, was on duty at the security job that supplemented his retirement income. Ruth Whitfield, 86, was buying groceries. Celestine Chaney, 65, stopped in for strawberries for the shortcake she and her sister were eager to enjoy. But their plans went awry Saturday afternoon. Salter’s work shift

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Posted May 09, 2022in Stray Thoughts

Recent news has been hip-deep in irony

Irony has been so deep in recent days that we shouldn’t be surprised if people start walking around with their chore boots on or with the cuffs on their pants rolled up to avoid the mess. Consider: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made an observation Friday that caused some

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Posted May 02, 2022in Stray Thoughts

This lawsuit needs sunshine, not secrecy

The legendary U.S. Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis once observed, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”Brandeis was not talking about everyday cleaning around the home. He was concerned about the importance of transparency in rooting out or preventing corruption or abuses in the workings of a program,

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Posted April 29, 2022in Stray Thoughts

Abby’s rhetoric was embarrassingly misguided

A common refrain from Democrats during Donald Trump’s years in the presidency was that he was undermining public trust and confidence in our courts with his talk of judges being biased and having political motives when they ruled against him. Trump’s comments were a bunch of hooey — and it

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Posted April 29, 2022in Stray Thoughts

Is it OK for teachers to push some views?

I’m confused.  Some of our political leaders seemed to be talking out of both sides of their mouths about why it is wrong for public school employees to engage in what the leaders think is pushing a point of view onto students. These leaders need to figure out whether it

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