Pope of the People
Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose the name Francis to demonstrate his commitment to the common people and the environment. In his papacy he demonstrated courage and openness. He spoke out on behalf of poor and marginalized people of the world and he spoke out against authoritarians including Putin, Netanyahu, Bolsonaro, and Trump. No doubt he will…
Choosing Autocracy
The fifth century BCE tyrant Pisistratus was an outrageous liar and one of history’s first populists. He was an Athenian aristocratic who appealed to the poor and working classes by asking for their protection from his imaginary enemies who he claimed inflicted his self-inflicted wounds. He ruled Athens for some years, but his actual enemies…
A Shooting
By now everybody has heard that the sheriff of Letcher County in Kentucky has shot dead the local judge. I had several friends from that county and did some consulting work there and in bordering counties. All the folks there were quite nice to me but it was real change of scenery to see some…
Weird
Kamala Harris and other democrats are recently referring to comments made by J. D. Vance as weird. Apparently, Vance thinks that families with children should have more civic rights than those without. Strange. Scary. Weird. Back in Shakespeare’s day, weird meant fate. (From Old English wyrd, destiny.) In Macbeth, the Weird Sisters were the Three…
The Age of Deer
In your back yard, if you see a bird or squirrel, the wild creature will look to see you and assess the danger and then go about its business. Meeting a deer is an entirely different experience. The deer will look at you and hold you in her gaze as if she knows you. It…
Robert Smalls
In the New York Times this week, the linguist John McWhorter takes on the recent outcry over the new account of slavery in Florida schools. He notes that the idea that slaves benefitted from learning skills like blacksmithing inaccurately implies a kind of good side to slavery and is clumsy and ahistorical. But the full…
At the King’s Place
There was an ancient tradition in Europe of using Jewish businessmen as money lenders and then finding a way to avoid paying the loan. The Jews of medieval Britain provided a convenient lending bank but were heavily taxed. The taxation became so onerous that the money lenders could no longer stay in business. There being…
Sacred Land
On mornings from our deck, we can the reflection of the rising sun lighting up the Mt. Evans range in reds and rose and sparkling on the snow. This is the part of the Rockies that forms the western view of Denver and the smaller towns in the Front Range of Colorado. The mountain peak…
Caste
Last year the Southern Poverty Law Center reported that 7 of 10 Republicans think that recent demographic changes are driven by liberal policies aimed at “replacing” conservative whites. Earlier surveys showed most Americans believe that white people suffer discrimination, and many think that discrimination against whites is more severe than against minorities. But where does…
David Hume and Friend
I was amazed at how contented and happy our little dog Clinton was right up to his last day. Even the vet remarked that he was always a cheerful and cooperative little guy even as she was giving him only a short time left. Although the philosopher Epicurus died over 2200 years ago, he no doubt…
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Two Strikes 