Some of my conservative friends that I’ve talked to recently think that America in particular and the world in general is in a moral decline. It is common for them to compare America with ancient Rome. “We’re heading the same way as Constantine,” a Republican colleague said to me a few weeks ago.
The Case for Gun Control
Each recent shooting, from Tucson to Aurora to Newtown, bears a frustratingly obvious similarity to the others: a socially inept, mentally ill but untreated young man legally purchases highly powered assault weapons originally designed for military use, then turns them on a large group of innocent people in a public place.
The Most Powerful Organization You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
ALEC was founded in 1975 by a group of mostly junior Midwestern politicians, due to concern among conservative Republicans that there was a trend towards “big government” in Washington. It wasn’t until the far-right ideology of the Republican Party gained prominence in the 1990’s that ALEC began to take root throughout the country.
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Arming educators is a bad idea
As an educator who teaches in a rural school district, I find the call for arming teachers and administrators following the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut both wrongheaded and counterproductive. Schools are supposed to be places of peaceful learning. I can’t imagine what it would be like to teach knowing that I or my colleague had a loaded pistol in the desk.
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The Evolution of a Personal Code of Ethics or What Will You Leave Behind Stevie-Dean?
It seems to me in light of the current culture and politics of America that perhaps it is time for me, and maybe others, to actually examine their own ethics and how we live our lives prior to condemning others for the way they lead theirs. Perhaps if we work harder to become our better selves then our communities and our country can evolve into better versions of themselves as well. [Read More]
Open Forum on the Edge
For the rabbi’s first blog entry on the Edge, we’ll go to the daily paper in the area, and respond to the Open Forum letters to the editor section. I hope to make this a regular feature of this blog, as well as muse about myriad other things that crowd my mind and need to get out. Hope you can join me for the ride…
Let’s Jump Off the Cliff!
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this fiscal cliff thing since the election. The media has consistently told the story that the cliff would be devastating to the economy, without giving any details. What we really need, though, is a large reduction in defense spending, accompanied by a large increase in taxes, mostly sin taxes, with carbon taxes and tariffs on imports and exports joining in. [Read more]
Letter to Fellow Democrats upon the Re-election of Barack Obama
I, like you, look forward to things to be done in a second Obama term. But I suggest one action is called for before we move past this election. I envision a collective “thank you” to the Latino voters who made this Obama victory possible. Without these voters, Obama could not have won.
My Ballot Choices
On this Hallow’s Eve 2012, we are only 6 days away from another scary event – Election Day! Here in Oregon, we have the luxury of mail-in voting, and though we got our ballots almost 2 weeks ago, I just opened mine yesterday, and don’t intend to send it in (actually, bring it in to the county offices) until the last minute, as I always do.
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Why the Presidential Election Might Not Matter
Well, that seems like a strong thing to say. Entire eras of American history have been defined by and named for certain administrations, and certainly there have been unique, exceptional actions performed by the individual officeholders. So why might it supposedly not matter? A lot of it has to do with Congress.
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