The rise of Donald Trump has many people shaking their heads in disbelief. How, they wonder, can a man who is so brutish and nasty rise to the Presidential candidacy of the Republican Party? The form of this query betrays a fundamental error: Trump is... Continue
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I get Donald Trump. I don't like him, but I get him. I understand why he acts and sounds like a jerk; The Donald is annoyed. Being annoyed places him the company of a lot of New Yorkers and former New Yorkers, like me. When... Continue
The world is coming undone right in front of our eyes? Why so much anger everywhere? Is it the fight or flight impulse? Poverty? Is it fear or beliefs or deep wounds? Unmet needs? Not getting laid? Resentment’s a sticky wicket. It can come from... Continue
I'm old enough to have been right in the middle of the cultural, political and social turmoil of the nineteen sixties, and amidst the world's current upheavals I sometimes feel as if history is repeating itself. It's not difficult to make comparisons about then and... Continue
With all the killing and craziness going on, an American optimist is hard to find these days. Even without the prospect of a Trump presidency, pessimism abounds. Yet those who read history know that no matter how bad things seem, they can get worse. Even... Continue
I think that if we are going to alter human genetics, we should get going on it right away and concentrate on giving human beings the gift of photosynthesis. As you most likely know, through photosynthesis plants feed themselves with sunlight. Chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide... Continue
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” -- from The Talmud These wise words were posted... Continue
Summer is in full swing and that means our Roads Crews are out in force across the county repairing pavement, replacing culverts, cutting brush to prep for chip seal, potholing, applying dust control treatment, and fixing guard rails. This work is difficult. I am often... Continue
The presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders in 2016 marks the arrival of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to the head table of American politics. The Overton window has expanded to the Left. The Tea Party movement of 2010 had expanded the window to... Continue
Much is being made of current research indicating that the Glyphosate in Monsanto's herbicide RoundUp is a likely carcinogen. A laboratory-made, liquid life-killing poison that turns dandelions to brown, withered husks in a day; that it probably causes cancer should surprise no one. Weeds in... Continue