Don’t Look Up

On December 24, 2021 Netflix began streaming an “apocalyptic black comedy” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Leonarco DiCaprio. Don’t Look Up tells the story of two astronomers who are trying to warn the world about an approaching, planet-killing sized, comet. The film is a satire of how we are ignoring the climate crisis. The film lampoons … Read more

Militant Ignorance

I am an educator. I have retired from the classroom (actually the school library), but I continue to teach as a Sunday School teacher and through this blog. Educators are on the front line in the ongoing war against ignorance. The battle used to be a relatively gentle one. Every new class of children and … Read more

Principled Republicans?

Recently I attended the 2022 Utah State Democratic Convention. At the convention (which was partially online) 57% of the delegates (782 to 594) voted to support independent candidate Evan McMullin in the election for US Senator from Utah. This means that the Democratic candidate, Kael Weston, was not nominated by the party and will not … Read more

The top 5 underemphasized stories of 2021

If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. Abraham Lincoln, 1838 2021 was supposed to be the year things returned to normal. A highly qualified, easy-going, gentleman was entering the White House and, with the … Read more

What would a “Christian Nation” do?

There is an old quip that says, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” This hypothetical court case is usually presented as a challenge to professed Christians to step up and actually LIVE according to the precepts taught by Jesus Christ. It is one thing to … Read more

Destroying the moral foundations of America

The United States of America was founded on three moral principles: 1. the rule of law, 2. the power of truth, and 3. the right of equal opportunity for all. The American Republican Party, at the behest its billionaire masters (and the right-wing media controlled by those billionaires), has been chipping away at all three … Read more

“Anti-CRT” is a racist dog whistle

Right-wing propagandists like to push people’s buttons. Their favorite button to push is fear. If Democrats and the political left can be accused of harming innocent schoolchildren, the propagandists can be sure to get the angry, hysterical response they love to create. Critical race theory (CRT) has become a new boogie man for people unwilling … Read more