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MY BLOGS
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The Rational Optimist
http://www.rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/
Commentary of Life, Society, Politics, and Philosophy
LATEST ARTICLES ( 1404 )
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The Golden Door (Until Now)
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. On May 14, 1938, Lotte Dreyfuss, 17, standing on a ship’s deck, saw the Statue of Liberty welcoming her to America. Read more
Posted on 28 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Shithole Country
Trump’s inaugural speech bloviated that he’ll restore America’s greatness. Then he did something throwing it in the toilet.Pardoning 1500 criminals imprisoned i... Read more
Posted on 25 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Floridazation of America
“Florida Man” heading a news story has become a byword for some really crazy stuff going down. Now Bloomberg columnist Mary Ellen Klas writes of this as... Read more
Posted on 22 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
A Review of a (Sensational) Review
Even if you don’t think you’re into poetry, here’s a must read for you.It’s by poet Therese L. Broderick in Vox Populi, an online magazine — reviewing “Unlockin... Read more
Posted on 20 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Ephemeral Quandary of Existence: A Philosophical Exploration
(See “Important Notice” Below)Existence, as a construct, perpetually oscillates within the ontological spectrum of being and non-being. Read more
Posted on 18 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What Democrats Stand For (Or Should)
Many say Kamala Harris lost because she didn’t set forth clear policies speaking to voters’ concerns. That Democrats have lost touch with their traditional base... Read more
Posted on 14 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Film Review — “Conclave”
The Pope is dead. Now to elect a new one. This is the movie “Conclave,” getting lots of buzz.It’s a sumptuous production, with a great cast, and much... Read more
Posted on 11 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Trump Versus Birthright Citizenship
Birthright citizenship means anyone born in the U.S. is automatically a citizen. Trump hates this, saying it’s “ridiculous,” and no other country has it. (In... Read more
Posted on 08 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Transgender Again
Clementine Breen was 12, with a history of abuse and family violence, feeling depressed, seeking counseling. Saying she might be trans — or maybe lesbian or bi ... Read more
Posted on 05 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Human Reason Confounded by a Trumpian America
My veneration of human reason might be mocked as itself contrary to reason. With so much unreason afflicting the world. Yet what I revere is the idea of... Read more
Posted on 02 January 2025 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Georgian Dream — Georgian Nightmare
Ukraine tests whether one country can snatch another’s territory by force. Like in olden times — but the world seemed to have progressed beyond that. Until Puti... Read more
Posted on 30 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
2024: The Year’s News in Review
Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump... Read more
Posted on 29 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Is America Ready for Democracy?
Churchill supposedly said democracy is the worst system, except for all others. I’ve said the problem of democracy is voters.Democracy has always been a pillar... Read more
Posted on 27 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
On Beauty
There is no beauty in nature.Meaning that beauty is purely a human construct. If we see something in nature we call beautiful, that’s only because we see it... Read more
Posted on 24 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Trump’s Rape . . . Of ABC News (Relax and Enjoy It?)
This story might seem a mere blip amid a tsunami. But it’s actually highly portentous.Trump sued ABC News for defamation, and ABC has agreed to settle, handing... Read more
Posted on 21 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Yuval Noah Harari’s “Nexus” — The Challenge of (Earthly) Alien Intelligence
(A condensed version of my Nov. 26 Albany Library book talk)Historian Yuval Noah Harari’s 2024 book, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the... Read more
Posted on 18 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Lunatics Take Over the Asylum
American politics has long harbored a subculture of crazy. Historian Richard Hofstadter wrote a famous 1964 essay about its “paranoid style. Read more
Posted on 15 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Fall of the House of Assad
When the “Arab Spring” exploded in 2011, my high schooler daughter was fascinated (setting the path for her career). I recall our discussing Syria’s civil war... Read more
Posted on 12 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
President Biden’s Final Report Card
First, disclosing my biases: I was a lifelong Republican, opposing Biden’s sort of politics, but then became a Democrat, contributing heavily in 2020 and ’24... Read more
Posted on 10 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
MAGA as an “Alternative Morality”
Columnist David Brooks has addressed the idea that Trumpism isn’t exactly “morally challenged” but rather “represents an alternative moral system.” Which... Read more
Posted on 06 December 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY