Opinion
The Drugging of the American Mind
Guest Opinion
By Isiah Smith | Nov. 28, 2020
America’s war on drugs was a fraud. Paraphrasing Shakespeare, it was a “tale … full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Nothing, that is, but a pretext to punish disfavored individuals and groups. Addicts needing medical care were treated like hardened criminals and thrown into prisons. Murderers often received less prison time than drug offenders. Law enforcers victimized urban communities while drug use and trafficking flourished in white suburban communities. The current ... Read More >>
Just Stupid
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 28, 2020
Some day historians may be able to identify the moment when too many of us stopped believing in science or facts and, instead formed our opinions based on social media, polemicists we see on television and hear on the radio, and worst of all, politicians. We're currently in the midst of two excellent examples. We now know quite a bit about the novel coronavirus and its transmission. We like to call these ... Read More >>
Thanks
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 21, 2020
Some folks don't think there's much about 2020 for which we should, or even could, be thankful. The country is painfully divided, we've just completed the most contentious election of our lifetimes, and we have an out-of-control pandemic with restrictions too many of us simply ignore, as if we're immortal, or at least immune. (Here's some perspective: The novel coronavirus death toll in this country alone is greater than the populations of ... Read More >>
Are You a Fascist? Take the Quiz and Find Out!
Guest Opinion
By Amy Kerr Hardin | Nov. 21, 2020
Fascists rarely know they are fascists. My dog doesn’t know he’s a dog, but he’s still a dog. Few German Nazis recognized that they were fascists, and now millions of Americans are struggling to accept their true political identity. Not all fascists are alike. There are multiple motivating factors to consider, though one trait they all share is a lack of intellectual curiosity. Some are flagrantly fascist. They drive around in ... Read More >>
Seeking Out Strangers and Disagreements in a Time of Division
Guest Opinion
By Gary Howe | Nov. 14, 2020
As a dyed-in-the-wool optimistic-pessimist, I have a suspicion that most of the division we hear about in America is trumped up, both figuratively and literally. There is simply too much that unites us as humans and as Americans for me to believe that we're really as far apart as we seem. My favorite example is close to home: Most Michiganders somehow still rally around the Detroit Lions. Why? I have no idea, ... Read More >>
Election Leftovers
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 14, 2020
* The folks doing the political polling need to change their methodology or there is no reason for the media to report their results. Even in the states correctly predicted for Biden, the projected margin was off well beyond the margin of error. This was a far worse performance than in 2016. *Mail-in ballots encourage turnout and are reasonably safe and secure. There are no reliable reports of massive fraud or ... Read More >>
Ever-Increasing Price Tag
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 7, 2020
At least some of it is now over. We won't be getting any more annoying, intrusive, and unwanted texts from Amy from the Biden campaign, David from the Trump campaign, Emily from MoveOn, or the rest who constantly invaded our phones. At least we could just click off the robocalls when we didn't recognize the number, but there is no escaping the texts. (And, nope, responding with STOP does not necessarily make ... Read More >>
A Pathetic Abdication
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Oct. 31, 2020
“We're rounding the corner.” — President Donald Trump “We may need a national mask mandate.” — Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases “We're not going to control the pandemic.” — Mark Meadow's Trump's Chief of Staff Those three statements were all made within the last two weeks. There seems to be a disconnect somewhere along the line. The president was simply and intentionally lying. Fauci was taking ... Read More >>
Greetings From the Planet Surrender
Guest Opinion
By Mary Keyes Rogers | Oct. 31, 2020
As I write this, the 2020 election is more than a week away, which lends mystery to the state of our country as you join me here in these words on this page. Would you agree that the predictability of election outcomes life feels like a long-lost friend? Far beyond weighing the odds of winners and losers, this year we all fear what may come after the ballots are counted. The counting ... Read More >>
A Republic If You Can Keep It
Guest Opinion
By Tom Gutowski | Oct. 24, 2020
After the constitutional convention in 1787, Ben Franklin was reportedly asked by Elizabeth Willing Powel, wife of the mayor of Philadelphia, what sort of government had been created. Franklin famously responded: “A republic, if you can keep it.” It seems the time may soon be upon us to prove that we can. The warning signs have long been evident. Demonization of immigrants and Muslims. Unsubtle encouragement of white supremacists and political violence. ... Read More >>
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