Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed away on September 8 and this historical event dominated the news cycle for many weeks. As expected, mourners from around the globe have posted tributes to her. Not as expected, comments from certain sectors have used the event as an opportunity to speak out on how the…
Continue ReadingAuthor: Elliott
Elliott Andrews is an observer and a seeker. He feels that humans rely too much on emotion at this phase of our evolution and that logic is underutilized in personal and political discourse.
Is Political Violence in our Future?
A number of headlines caught my attention recently: Lindsey Graham stated that if Trump were to be indicted there would be “riots in the streets.” Armed Antifa members showed up at a “kid-friendly” drag show in Texas to intimidate protesters. President Biden said that some Trump supporters are “semi-fascists” to which liberal talking heads like…
Continue ReadingReligion in the 21st Century (Part 1)
In recent months I’ve read abbreviated histories of the Assyrian Empire, the Viking Age, the Persian Empire, pre-Colonial Africa, the Aztecs, the Mayans and the Anglo Saxons. This recent re-immersion into history has lead me to some thoughts about the role of religion in the past and the future. For much of human history, in…
Continue ReadingCourageous Conversations about Race?
I frequently see advertisements for webinars, books, etc. on the topic of courageous or brave conversations about race. The phrase, we need a dialogue, has been common on college campuses and from corporate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) officers and consultants for years. I generally chuckle when I see or hear this kind of language,…
Continue ReadingLogic, Dobbs and Roe v Wade
I’m on record as being pro-choice and for suggesting that abortion is Republicans’ Achilles Heel. In the latter blog, which was posted about a week before the leak of Justice Alito’s draft opinion, I stated that Republicans would be better served by reinforcing their brand as the party of freedom while Democrats have been aligning…
Continue ReadingSome Thoughts on Uvalde
Less than a week after publishing Some Thoughts on Buffalo, another mass killing has taken place. This time in Uvalde, Texas where 19 children and two adults were murdered by a young man. The Uvalde event is a little different than the Buffalo tragedy in that the perpetrator appears to be hispanic with many of…
Continue ReadingSome Thoughts on Buffalo
On May 14, 2022 Peyton Gendron walked into a grocery store in Buffalo, NY and shot 13 people, killing 10. On June 17, 2015 Dylan Roof walked into a church in Charleston, SC, shot and killed 9 people. Both of the shooters were young white males (18 and 21) and each chose his location specifically…
Continue ReadingProtest and Civil Disobedience
Henry David Thoreau’s Essay on Civil Disobedience was published posthumously in 1866. I remember having to memorize a definition in high school when we studied this landmark essay. Civil Disobedience occurs when a citizen intentionally violates the law and is willing to face the consequences. Our teacher made a big deal about that last part…
Continue ReadingIrony and Free Speech Movements: 1950-2022
There have been counter-culture movements of one kind or another in the U.S. since at least the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s. This rapid industrialization lead to population gains in major urban areas like New York, Chicago and Detroit as workers moved there in search of factory jobs. This urban growth…
Continue ReadingRepublicans’ Achilles Heel
Most prognosticators are predicting a red wave during the upcoming mid-term elections. Reality is setting in with many Americans that Democratic policies that sounded good during the 2020 election, particularly in the environment of Trump fatigue, aren’t as great and equitable as they sounded. Here are a few examples of policies that are driving voters…
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