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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 ( 1389 )
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The Debate: Eating Cats and Dogs
Watching it was painful. Like a train wreck. But that, I later realized, said more about me than what was on the screen.I liked Harris’s gallant handshake. And... Read more
Posted on 12 September 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Politics, Existence, and Self
I might seem obsessed with politics. Especially as this election nears its gotterdammerung.But why? What is truly going on with me? For most people it’s barely ... Read more
Posted on 08 September 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Civil War
“Human groups from the earliest times to the present have resorted to collective, lethal violence against other groups when prompted by ambition, fear, need or... Read more
Posted on 05 September 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Malala and Religion
Malala Yousafzai, 15, was shot in the head in 2012, on a school bus, by a Taliban gunman in Pakistan, targeted because she’d become an icon for girls’ education... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Trump Campaign: Darker and Sicker
In online image banks one can find many photos of Trump looking nasty or deranged. This shocker, however, came from the Trump campaign itself. Headlining a... Read more
Posted on 30 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
“The Pursuit of Happiness” — What Does America Mean?
What did those words in the Declaration of Independence, the pursuit of happiness, really mean? This is explored in a book with that title by legal scholar... Read more
Posted on 28 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Our Stark Choice
Two roads diverged . . .The two national political conventions made our choice all the starker.I was struck that not a word at the Democratic event rang false.... Read more
Posted on 25 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
In Memoriam: Alice Green
Alice Green, 84, passed away suddenly on Tuesday. She was an Albany monument, fighting the good fight for justice for decades. She was my neighbor and I was... Read more
Posted on 23 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What Harris Should Promise Tonight
. . . And here is one pledge I most solemnly make to you, my fellow Americans:If my opponent wins this election, I will do what 57 out of 58 previous losing... Read more
Posted on 22 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why is Democracy an Issue?
China’s rulers jeer at our messy democracy, deeming it more efficient to crack the whip. But being insulated from citizen accountability does not make for good... Read more
Posted on 21 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Colleen Hoover: It Ends With Us
I always glance over the NY Times weekly best-seller list, and started noticing the name Colleen Hoover, new to me. But not only did she make the list — she... Read more
Posted on 18 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Crooked Words
I love words. A big part of my life. At my administrative jaw judge job, creating lengthy documents; authoring books; blogging; and in occasional newspaper... Read more
Posted on 15 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Finding Mariniana in Rosemont
(Reader advisory: some immodesty herein)Last year I wrote about the American Numismatic Association’s big annual coin show in Pittsburgh. Read more
Posted on 12 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Joy Bangla!
That’s the national slogan/war cry of Bangladesh. I remember it from the 1971 war. Bangladesh was originally part of Pakistan — “East Pakistan,” far removed... Read more
Posted on 09 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Israel and Palestinians: “Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
Congressional Republicans shamed themselves (yet more) by inviting a mass murderer, Netanyahu, to address the chamber, giving him rapturous applause. Read more
Posted on 08 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Ever Viler and Sicker
Columnist Thomas Friedman says Democrats should quit labelling Trump and company “weird.” Recalling Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables,” making Trumpers... Read more
Posted on 05 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Coming of Age in American Poverty
I’ve been extremely lucky in life. And I’m so tired of hearing that independent and charter schools “drain” resources from public education. Read more
Posted on 02 August 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Are You There God? It’s Me, Frank
You must be shocked to hear from me. Surely knowing I’ve never believed in you.Never asked you for anything before. Not even when I struggled to get a gal.I’m... Read more
Posted on 30 July 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Right To Be An Asshole
A local person, Troy Kelly, 19, was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, and detained on charges of threatening the President, a federal crime. He faces fiv... Read more
Posted on 27 July 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Immigration, Crime, Politics, and Lies
On May 14, 1938, Lotte Dreyfuss, 17, a Jewish refugee traveling alone from Nazi Germany, stood on a ship’s deck in New York harbor greeted by the Statue of... Read more
Posted on 24 July 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY