Have we balkanized ourselves out of any meaningful notion of nationhood (‘from sea to shining sea’)? Is what is good for the gander-ites in New York State today likely to be what is good for the goose-ites in Wyoming? Is a young man packing heat in the first-mentioned venue, for instance, of the same concern as a young man toting a shotgun in the second?

In the aftermath of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were gassed or starved to death, oaths of moral outrage could be heard around the globe. Never again! The entire world would rise up as one and crush the monsters into oblivion We humans appear to be far better at forgetting, however, than at remembering. In just the past forty years alone, for example,

There are two types of religion in the world: Respectful (we don’t know all the answers), and coercive (we know all the answers). Catholicism is of the coercive type. It survives (even thrives) through flagrant use of fear and intimidation. One example is all that’s needed to bring home the point. Consider Michelangelo’s ‘Judgment Day’ fresco on the rear wall of the Sistine Chapel. Take

In regard to financing retirement in our culture today, what about the possibility of implementing the concept of a guaranteed minimum income for all, birth to death, to eliminate need for any piecemeal safety-net programs, including social security? I believe this concept is active in one or more of the Scandinavian countries. Finland? Denmark? As for myself, I fear it is too late now to

My father built a marina in Cape Vincent, NY, back in the early sixties. Cape Vincent, a tiny village of 795, sits where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario, about three hours north and east of Rochester. At the time, Rochester was home to such mega-employers as Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch & Lomb. My father had noticed that many of the blue-collar employees affiliated

When I get a little good news these days, I find myself needing to share it, as if to make it real. Please bear with me. The following review of Poor Richard's (Gluten Free) Food 4 Thought was received this Valentine's Day from Kirkus Reviews – As its title suggests, Fitzgerald’s well-designed follow-up to his Beyond Chicken Soup (2019) takes its initial cues from Poor Richard’s

Did Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia , a primary slave state in the day, really think he was going to get away with referring to Negro slaves as 'indentured servants?' Indentured servants! I'm beginning to think this guy is a lot dumber than racist. Anybody want to weigh in on this? Mikki?

Global climate change is not the problem. Wealth disparity is not the problem. Degradation of the natural world is not the problem. Soil erosion is not the problem. Political instability is not the problem. Depletion of fresh water and other natural resources is not the problem. Ocean pollution and acidification is the is not the problem. Glacial melting is not the problem. Species extinction is not

First, I feel sorry for Governor Northam. He's not another Trumpite, or anything resembling such. He may in fact be a racist, but, if he is, he's likely no more racist than the rest of us lily-white folks. Question: You're white and your 4-year-old daughter has been hit by a car. She needs immediate brain surgery. There are three surgeons available: One white, one brown,

No, it’s not because I’m Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Confucian. I’m a French-Irish ex-Catholic. And, no, it’s not because of any need to ‘put Christ back into Christ-mas. (There’s no doubt in my mind that if Jesus had any say in the matter, he’d opt out of not only doing Christmas, but being Christmas, out of sheer embarrassment.) I didn't do Christmas this