In a New York Times interview on May 4, 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “discussed her concern that Mr. Trump would not give up power voluntarily if he lost re-election by a slim margin next year.” That this could possibly happen is supported by the fact that, in October 2016, Trump would not promise to … Read more
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov The strain of anti-intellectualism among American Latter-day Saints has largely been captured and magnified by Trumpism. Distrust of experts and … Read more
Donald Trump represents an authoritarian movement and a cultural force. Trumpism is not merely or just a set of political policy preferences. Like other authoritarian cultural movements Trumpism promises a national-cultural transformation, psychological uplift, group superiority, personal salvation, and a sense of membership and belonging in an exclusive community for its members and other supporters. … Read more
Former FBI Director James Comey recently published an important opinion piece in the New York Times. In the article, he examines the question of how otherwise intelligent, accomplished people, like Bill Barr and Rod Rosenstein, can find themselves justifying and excusing the amoral and illegal actions of this president. Amoral leaders have a way of … Read more
Do you lean more toward the dark side or the light side? I don’t usually take those Facebook “personality tests” because they are scientifically meaningless, and because I believe their real purpose is to sell information about one’s interests and personality to advertisers. However, I am not opposed to self-knowledge. Legitimate, scientifically-based, tools can sometimes … Read more
“When politics undermines our theology, we must examine that politics. The church’s role is to change the world through the life and love of Jesus Christ. The government’s role is to serve the common good by protecting justice and peace, rewarding good behavior while restraining bad behavior (Romans 13). When that role is undermined by … Read more
April 15th is known as “Tax Day” in the United States because our Federal and State Income tax returns are due on that day. It is a tradition for US citizens to complain and grumble about taxes, but I propose another perspective. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more … Read more
On Sunday March 24, 2019, Attorney General William Barr sent a letter to Congress summarizing the recently delivered Mueller report. On Monday, March 25, late-night TV talk show host Stephen Colbert conceded the point in Barr’s letter that Donald Trump did not “collude” with Russia’s efforts to help him during the 2016 presidential campaign. Colbert … Read more