Faded American Flag Liz Cheney Ouster

EDITORIAL: FADED GLORY

Our political system lost a bit more luster today. Minutes ago, the Republican conference in the U.S. House of Representatives ousted their Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney from her position of leadership. Preferring to continue their fealty to a twice-impeached President instead of returning to their historical convictions that helped make America great for the better part of two centuries, they attempted to silence the daughter of a former Vice-President of the U.S. for speaking her mind. This came only...

Tulips on display in Albany, NY

TULIPS PUT ALBANY, NY IN FESTIVE MOOD

For the second year in a row, the city of Albany, NY is holding their annual Tulip Festival virtually. Customary activities such as luncheons, Dutch street scrubbing, the coronation of a Tulip Queen and the Royal Tulip Ball will be replaced with virtual programming, though music throughout the month will be live at different venues. Festival goers are free to wander among the tulip displays in Washington Park, and small, guided tours will be held on an appointment basis.  The remaining  activities...

George Orwell 1984

WHO CONTROLS THE PAST CONTROLS THE FUTURE

Today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sent a letter representing the demands of 37 Senate Republicans that the administration pull their support from the 1619 Project, a controversial program promoted in 2019 that, in the words of the Daily Mail “takes slavery and puts it in the center of the American narrative” four centuries later. This is an example of what is sometimes termed a paradigm shift, or a change in fundamental assumptions.  Such as from the Genesis account of our beginnings to evolution....

Family emerges from a darkened room as pandemic ends

AFTER THE PANDEMIC ENDS (PART II)

For the past month or so, we’ve finally been able to see light at the end of the tunnel as far as the pandemic goes, thanks to the vaccines and the end of winter with more and more people spending time outdoors. India and Brazil are having difficult times at the moment and so we’re not out of the woods yet.  The SARS-CoV-2 virus may continue to be endemic to certain areas after the pandemic ends, but hopefully it will be...

Pentecost Sunday title

TONGUES OF FIRE

“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of...

Dog with guilty conscience

JAMES MADISON ON CONSCIENCE

“The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext, infringed.” – James Madison Introduction Our democracy and our republican form of government is based on the U.S. Constitution.  But there are differences of opinion today in how the Constitution should be interpreted and applied in our society, and what the proper...

The SARS-CoV-2 virus

WHY IS SARS-COV-2 SO RESILIENT?

Origins (as described on NPR One) Originally, the so-called wet markets found in Huanan and many other cities not only in China but in Laos, Thailand, SIngapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia were blamed for the begining of the SARS-CoV-2 in humans. At the markets, many common foods such fish, chicken and pork are displayed in close proximity to more exotic animals, which are often stacked in cages that create incredible stress on the animals, making them vulnerable to disease....

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