World
Peace is Possible and Patriotic
“..I know a great deal of the horrors and tragedies of war...The cost of war in human lives...I am deeply moved to find some means or method of avoiding another calamity of war...” Gen. George C. Marshall
We often think of military veterans as aggressive warriors and super-patriots who believe war is necessary to protect our country. But throughout history, there have been many soldiers who advocated for peaceful solutions to conflicts. Having experienced war, they understood that war was not worth the costs.
Sun Tzu (544-496 BC), the ...
Tariffs and Oligarchy
What is a tariff? It is a tax placed on items imported from another country. Does the other country pay the tax? No, the American importer pays the tax and then passes the increased cost of the product on to the consumer. Who benefits? If tariffs become the major way of collecting taxes it is the wealthiest members of society. People with lower incomes spend most of their salaries or hourly wages on their daily needs. When prices rise, because of the across the board tariffs, they will pay taxes on most everything they buy. Wealthier people make money they don’t need for ...
Jalisco and the Refugee Crisis
Jalisco state in Mexico rings in the ears with mariachi music and brightly dressed dancers twirling, while onlookers toast glasses of tequila. Both this iconic music and the even more iconic drink fermented and distilled from the blue agave are said to have been born there. Nat King Cole and Elvis sang the praises of Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital, and the beaches of Puerto Vallarata will undoubtedly tickle the memory circuits of many folks from Central Wisconsin. Colorful and inspiring, Jalisco is also home to one of Mexico's brutal drug cartels and ...
Economic Conundrums
“There is always enough for the needy, there is never enough for the greedy.” Mahatma Gandhi
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” Edward Abbey environmentalist and author
Most of us would be better off if we spent less, spent more wisely, and saved more. But what happens to an economy based on consumer spending when consumers don't spend? If we all do what is good for our personal situation will the economy crash?
American consumer capitalism is full of conundrums. Consumer spending drives the economy but is often not good for ...
A Need for Empathy
What is empathy? It is the capacity to “walk in another’s shoes.” To walk in another’s shoes means to understand, feel, and identify as an other. It is different from compassion, which is when one in a superior position feels sorry for a less fortunate other.
Empathy is a two-way street. The feeling of understanding for the unfortunate must go the other way as well. It involves understanding as well as being understood, and trust and respect that go both ways. I must understand who I am in my shoes, before I can walk in those of another. Empathy is a feeling of ...
A WAR CORESPONDENT
Those of us born in the 1940’s and 50’s well remember the Cuban missile crisis when the Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba that were minutes from destroying Washington DC and other major US cities. And we all remember President Kennedy’s speech to the American people telling us that the Soviet Union meant no harm and was just defending itself from American aggression and that Cuba was a sovereign nation and had every right to allow Russia to place missiles on its soil. There was nothing to worry about.
Of course, we all know exactly the opposite ...
INDIVISIBLE Hands Off Rally April 5
Northcentral Wisconsin INDIVISIBLE Fights back!
Saturday, April 5 at noon
Rib Mountain Drive (sidewalk between Michael’s Crafts and Hobby Lobby)
Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. We are fighting back!
They're taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.
🚨 On Saturday, April 5th, we're taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off! 🚨
This mass ...
Modern Abolitionists – All
I remember trout fishing in the mountains just east of Salt Lake City when we lived there in the '60s. Beautiful, clear, achingly cold streams in mountain valleys so picturesque you almost didn't care if you caught any fish at all. The prize might well have been just breathing in the view along with the cool, clean air. One hot afternoon I followed a small feeder stream away from the river I had been fishing. About a hundred yards or so up the ravine the small stream literally disappeared under a dark, thick wall of shrubs and scrub oak. I spread some branches ...
Gaza Absurdity
“If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American president would have been hanged.” Noam Chomsky
In this statement, Professor Chomsky (author, political activist and social critic) was referring to the legal principles used to prosecute the Nazi war criminals after WW2. This statement certainly is appropriate for the Biden administration's support for the genocide in Gaza. Biden's shameful and illegal funding, supplying and enabling of Israel's war crimes in Gaza are the most egregious of the many war crimes committed by our country.
Donald ...
COOPERATION 106
cooperation [ koh-op-uh-rey-shuhn ]
an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit
mutually beneficial interaction among organisms [nations] living in a limited area [planet Earth]
It was back in November of 2024 that I wrote COOPERATION 105 in this series. There has been so much turmoil in the ensuing 3 months that it has been hard to imagine any sort of cooperation in the U.S. or globally. Yet the urgency for cooperation has only grown – in the U.S. and globally.
Donald Trump, of course, moved into the ...