They’re coming to our bathrooms! (Or, “Fear Itself,” Chapter 3)

Leftover sends this, a really awesome essay by Elizabeth West at CounterPunch on the use of fear in public discourse, from  center of the universe for the battle for civil rights, the lowly (but necessary) bathroom to the Zika virus. …perhaps what ought to scare us most are the devastating tornados of intentionally generated fear and …

A gun owner/hunter talks gun violence

And it’s not what you think. Writes this unnamed, blue-collar guy: Generally speaking, conservatives don’t even wish to have the debate, because they feel that the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution grants them the right to have killing machines wherever they want. They also feel that guns aren’t the problem, and mental health is; not that …

We’ve been here before

This morning, I was listening again to Pres. Obama’s speech from last night, and then called up on YouTube — as I prepared for the last class of the semester for my column/editorial writing group — Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech on Dec. 8, 1941, after the Pearl Harbor attack. Both speeches were delivered in a …

We stand with Beirut and Paris

Just like Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who, in the wake of some 27 (or is it 31 now) scared-bunny governors rolling up the welcome mat for Syrian refugees, said: I think that our nation is tested from time to time, and I think this is one of those times to really dig deep and see …

Fear works

This Slate article says that conservative politicians play on fear, and historically, that’s a successful tactic. (I get that this article was in advance of Halloween, but even though my local CVS aisles have moved on to the next holiday, the topic bears a little exploration, I think.) Fear is a successful motivator in theology, as well. I …

Can Connecticut force a 17-year old to get chemo?

Connecticut says yes. Seventeen-year old Cassandra C. (pictured on the right) has a form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma that has an 80 to 85% survival rate if she submits to chemotherapy, which she has refused to do. So the state stepped in, got custody, and is forcing her to have chemo. Cassandra is not motivated by …

How this die-hard, conservative lost her fear of universal health care

Read this and maybe you’ll lose your fear, too. And thanks, Leftover, for the link.