Yet again, here we are. Events in Buffalo over the weekend are all too familiar: a young white man spouting violence-strewn racial hatred—both in-person and on-line—buys a gun, travels to a distant community where he apparently knows no one and starts shooting, killing ten black people shopping at a local supermarket. While researching his past, … Continue reading Reinforcing the Lone Wolves
Zelensky’s Media Strategy
It was actually apparent from the beginning of Putin’s senseless and immoral war in Ukraine, but the clincher for me was watching video from both Russia and Ukraine on Victory Day—when both countries have historically commemorated defeat of the Nazi war machine in World War II. Like others, I had been inspired by Ukrainian President … Continue reading Zelensky’s Media Strategy
Blame the Woman, Again
The recent leak of Justice Alito’s draft of an upcoming majority Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision — Planned Parenthood v. Casey — that largely maintained the right. The draft reveals many things … Continue reading Blame the Woman, Again
Free (?) Speech
Elon Musk has made a pitch to buy Twitter which has been unanimously approved by the Twitter board. While the deal still needs to be accepted by shareholders and is subject to regulatory review, Nicolas Vega, writing for CNBC, says that Twitter CEO Parag Agrawi expects the deal will close in the next three to … Continue reading Free (?) Speech
Easter, Passover, Ramadan
At the end of February, I was asked to serve as short-term interim pastor of the Palisades Presbyterian Church here in the small town on the Hudson River north of New York City. My tenure here will be brief; I will serve only until mid-May when a new, full-time pastor will arrive. Part of my … Continue reading Easter, Passover, Ramadan