A Simple Fact
“We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” Justice Louis Brandeis
Weasel Words
Three years ago I posted the following article. A lot has changed in three years. And nothing has changed at all. In fact, it’s easy to claim now that how we use words and how we understand what we hear is more important than ever as communication accelerates at warp speed and the tools of…
Fate Can Do This to Any of Us …You Never Know
After being absent from the publishing business for quite a few years, I’ve recently published a new, Fate Surprised Her. It is available only as an eBook for now. Although it’s been available on my website for a couple of months, I’ve neglected to say anything about it here until now. So, here it is!…
Who Does Congress Really Work For?
After the elections in November I’ll back off the politics, but for now I can’t resist. Here’s an article from Politico Magazine back in May. “The 401 (k) industry owns Congress.” It still makes my ears smoke. Read it. You need to know what this very savvy investigative journalist reveals, because it’s right in front…
The Power of Authoritarianism … Two Sides of the Same Coin
Here are two quotations I’ve used before a few years ago. But they are exceptionally important at the moment in our history. Not only in this country, but globally. “. . . in obedience to figures they see as ‘authoritative,’ people will do ‘to others’ what they would otherwise do to nobody.” …
How the Authors Guild Is Fighting Censorship in Texas
I’ve been an Authors Guild member for 33 years. The following is a communication from todays Guild mailing. The Authors Guild and a coalition of bookstores, booksellers, authors, and publishers filed a lawsuit on July 25, 2023, challenging Texas House Bill 900, the ironically-titled “Reader Act.” The law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of…
A Snapshot of American Discontent
Every morning I read five or six newspapers/websites. In papers like The Washington Post and The New York Times I’m curious about the articles that have generated the most comments from the readership. They often provide a snapshot of American discontent. I read the articles, then go to the “comments” section. I preselect the “Reader’s…
The Importance of Critical Thinking
Today we live in what is commonly called the “digital era” or “the information age”. New ideas fly at us unrelentingly and at greater speed than at any other time in human history. Not surprisingly, these new ideas often come to us in ways that tempt us to fire off a quick response, or reaction.…
How U.S. Gun Culture Stacks Up With the World
Following facts are highlights from a CNN news story that ran 2021-11-26. ● The U.S. is the only nation in the world where civilian guns outnumber people ● There are 120 guns for every 100 Americans ● About 44% of US adults live in a household with a gun, and about…
For the People Act of 2021
If you’re not familiar with the details of the For the People Act, you should be. I’ve provided a summary below. Passage of this bill is essential to preserving our democracy and we all should be urging our elected representatives in Congress to work for it, and see that it becomes the law of the…