It is difficult to overestimate either the entertainment value of Indiana’s new “Religious Freedom Restoration” law or the damage that it has already done. With the support of religious conservatives, Hoosier Republicans have swept away the authority of all government agencies to”…substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion…” The law allows anyone who thinks their free exercise of religion has been impaired to receive attorney fees and compensatory damages if they prevail in court. Randolph County legislators Pat Hurley and Allen McNeill are sponsoring a similar law in North Carolina. Continue reading Hoosier Hysteria Over Religious Freedom
Will Obama’s Iran Strategy Succeed?
Since the end of WW I, American and European military powers have intervened in the Middle East by re-drawing national boundaries, overthrowing governments, supporting the establishment of Israel, and by fighting wars over oil, corporate profits, and terrorism.
Despite (or because of) the efforts of twelve American Presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to George Bush the region has religious civil war, two nuclear armed states (Pakistan and Israel), and multiple nations unable to govern themselves. The anarchy has metastasized into northern Africa and southern Asia where residents of failed nations are easy prey for religious radicals and terrorists.
President Obama is trying something new and there is at least a glimmer of hope; but influential American and Israeli politicians are attacking the new strategies rather than helping them succeed. The principles of the President’s strategy are understood and supported by our allies but American and Israeli right-wingers seem to see only military solutions. Continue reading Will Obama’s Iran Strategy Succeed?
DEATH WITH DIGNITY?
Do we humans have a “right to die” and a “right to assistance in dying”? These questions will soon take center stage in the American culture war. If you choose someone to make your decisions about dying in the event that you are unable, will that person be allowed to carry out your wishes? In the US today, that depends on where you live and whether someone powerful wants to intervene, as Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Bill Frist intervened against Terri and Michael Shaivo, forcing Terri’s brain-dead body to function for seven years after Michael authorized removal of her feeding tube. Continue reading DEATH WITH DIGNITY?
Can Republicans survive success in the Obama Care lawsuit?
What happens next if the Supreme Court rules that Obama Care can’t subsidize health insurance premiums in states that did not set up their own exchanges? The pundits are saying that neither Republicans not Democrats have a contingency plan for that. Maybe. But there may be a way for the President to snatch victory from the jaws of a defeat at the court. It might go something like this. Continue reading Can Republicans survive success in the Obama Care lawsuit?
THE DANGERS OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE
Just a few days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Jews are no longer safe in Europe; and he urged them to move to Israel. He has even found $46 million tax dollars to support their emigration. Abe Foxman, American President of the Anti-defamation League and a holocaust survivor, responded this way to the idea of Jews abandoning Europe “…I don’t think we should so easily grant Hitler a posthumous victory.” How can such stunning statements be explained? Continue reading THE DANGERS OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE
OUR FUTURE AND OUR MEGASITE
This is a column written for publication in the Asheboro Courier-Tribune – relevant for Piedmont Triad readers and perhaps for others living where industrial megasites are under consideration.
“If you don’t know where you want to go, you’re likely to wind up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra, baseball philosopher. The attribution of the quotation is questionable, but its wisdom is beyond doubt.
We know the trajectory and history of our local economy and we know that the work that has sustained our families and communities has been disappearing. We lost thousands of jobs to automation and to places where labor is cheap. The reasons are simple. Private capital flows to ventures that produce high profits. Profitability is improved when expensive labor is replaced by automation or when work is moved to places with cheap labor. The good news is that we get to create our own future. Continue reading OUR FUTURE AND OUR MEGASITE
DOES GOD NEED PROTECTION FROM CARTOONISTS OR FRANKLIN GRAHAM?
There are people among us who believe in an all-powerful God that wants his human followers to kill anyone that insults their religion, even for offenses as simple as drawing a picture of his prophet. Although only a small minority of the world’s Muslims are violent radicals; just a few terrorists can create havoc. Continue reading DOES GOD NEED PROTECTION FROM CARTOONISTS OR FRANKLIN GRAHAM?
Do press and police practices contribute to racial distrust?
I’ve begun to wonder if American press and law enforcement practices contribute to racial distrust.
Law enforcement example:
Twelve year old Tamir Rice reportedly pointed a weapon (later identified as an airsoft toy pistol) at a police officer who quickly shot the youngster. Eric Garner argued with police about whether he had been selling untaxed cigarettes and was physically restrained, face down on the ground. He died as a result of the methods used by police. Both Rice and Garner were black. Continue reading Do press and police practices contribute to racial distrust?
Building Trust Across Racial Lines
The first step in solving a problem is to admit that it exists. Despite our experiences with racial tension and conflict, many Americans deny the existence of a problem. Some acknowledge difficulties then point a blaming finger toward others, as if problems could be solved by “fixing” law enforcement or black culture (whatever that stereotype means). My own conclusions are that we have genuine national and local problems; and until we address fundamental needs for trust and communication other initiatives are unlikely to work. Continue reading Building Trust Across Racial Lines
Your Christmas Gift From Wall Street
Congress and taxpayers bailed out too-big-to-fail financial firms that now seem interested only in profits; not in repairing damage that they did. This column demonstrates how Wall Street firms and Congress subsidize each other at the expense of the middle class. Continue reading Your Christmas Gift From Wall Street