Pope Francis during the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Square on April 2, 2023, in Vatican City. Antonio Masiello/Getty Images Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff, has died, the Vatican announced on April 21, 2025. He was 88. Francis had served as pope for 12 eventful … [Read more...] about Francis — a pope who cared deeply for the poor and opened up the Catholic Church
San Diegan Thomas Powell’s Amazing Wake Statement Read to His Survivors
My son Thomas Powell died February 27 after a brutal many years long battle with congestive heart failure. He spent most of his last 6 months hospitalized. While hospitalized he asked me for a yellow legal pad and started writing some pages, then giving it to me to type out. He'd then revise it. It was his wake statement. At one point I thought he wouldn't live to finish it, … [Read more...] about San Diegan Thomas Powell’s Amazing Wake Statement Read to His Survivors
Feel the fear and do what needs to be done anyway
Lisa Murkowski, one of the few Republicans in Congress willing to criticize the Trump administration, made public comments at an event recently about her state of mind as she tries to do the work she was elected to do. As reported by the Anchorage Daily News: U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski told a room full of Alaska nonprofit leaders that the tumult of tariffs, executive orders, … [Read more...] about Feel the fear and do what needs to be done anyway
Is the USA the parent of the entire World?
Is the USA the parent of the entire World? Is the USA supposed to treat the rest of the World as its dependents? The answer to these questions is "Yes" if one buys into the thinking behind the commentary Count the Dead by the Millions published by Rolling Stone magazine. Written by Rolling Stone senior politics writer Tim Dickinson, the commentary begins with the … [Read more...] about Is the USA the parent of the entire World?
On this Easter weekend, caring for the least among us is a political imperative
The Bible passage translated variously as “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,’ is well known and frequently cited. And while I personally am not well qualified to opine on what this means, it seems pretty obvious. To be on the safe side, I will quote a source, which … [Read more...] about On this Easter weekend, caring for the least among us is a political imperative
The Revolutionary War started 250 years ago, today
"One if by land, two if by sea," is the famous quote that describes a patriot alert system that Paul Revere made famous. On 18 April 1775, friends of Revere placed two lanterns in the steeple of the Old North Church in Boston, Massachusetts. Revere then set out to warn the colonists in Charlestown, Concord and Lexington of approaching British troops. At dawn the next … [Read more...] about The Revolutionary War started 250 years ago, today
Due process for all: what a great idea
Joyce Vance recently wrote about the "unseemly" campaign by the Justice Department, with Attorney General Pam Bondi leading the charge, "to paint Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man they have acknowledged was illegally sent to a prison used to house terrorists in El Salvador, as a bad guy.' Vance goes on to say that why Bondi thinks Garcia is a bad buy, the backstory, is beside … [Read more...] about Due process for all: what a great idea
Federal judge finds ‘probable cause’ to hold Trump administration in contempt – a legal scholar explains what this means
A judge’s opinion moves the nation closer to a collision between the executive branch and the courts. Xand, iStock / Getty Images Plus Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University A battle between the Trump administration and federal courts over the deportation of more than 100 immigrants to a prison in El Salvador intensified … [Read more...] about Federal judge finds ‘probable cause’ to hold Trump administration in contempt – a legal scholar explains what this means
Trump Team Eyes Politically Connected Startup to Overhaul $700 Billion Government Payments Program
Trump Team Eyes Politically Connected Startup to Overhaul $700 Billion Government Payments Programby Christopher Bing and Avi Asher-SchapiroProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.Four days before Donald Trump’s inauguration, financial technology startup Ramp published a … [Read more...] about Trump Team Eyes Politically Connected Startup to Overhaul $700 Billion Government Payments Program
Signal, noise and the coming violence
Embed from Getty Images One can waste a lot of time thinking about the most recent stupid thing said by Trump loyalists. Every time Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert open their mouths the collective IQ of public discourse drops several points. But that doesn't mean everything said from that camp is meaningless. We should listen very carefully because some of that … [Read more...] about Signal, noise and the coming violence
Adolf Hitler: From Democracy to Dictatorship
Adolf Hitler became German Chancellor (prime minister) because his party, the National Socialist Party (Nazi), received more votes in parliamentary elections in 1932. Hitler cynically used the democratic process; he was never a believer in democracy. His dictatorial ambitions were published in Mein Kampf (My Way) in 1925, a clear declaration of his global domination plans. It … [Read more...] about Adolf Hitler: From Democracy to Dictatorship
The Trump Administration continues to lie about Kilmar Abrego Garcia
On FOX News Wednesday night, Attorney General Pam Bondi continued to lie about the background and status of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, joining the lies spun by Stephen Miller on Monday. Abrego Garcia received court protection in 2019, temporary protected status, during the first Trump Administration. In October 2019, an immigration judge denied Abrego Garcia’s asylum request … [Read more...] about The Trump Administration continues to lie about Kilmar Abrego Garcia
EVOLUTION AND TRUMP (CARTOON)
Why capitulation should never be an option when dealing with Trump
In yet another head-shaking moment in the early days of Trump's second term in office, the New York Times is reporting that those law firms that agreed to provide free legal services for the administration on what they believed to be "uncontroversial causes" may actually be called on by the president to support his agenda in any way he deems useful. To back up a bit, you … [Read more...] about Why capitulation should never be an option when dealing with Trump
Are individual journalists safe in Trump’s America?
Four journalists in Russia were sentenced on Tuesday to spend five years and six months in a penal colony. The crime is their association with the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. More specifically, they were convicted of having worked with a banned organization founded by Navalny, which is considered by the Russian government to be an extremist group. The nature … [Read more...] about Are individual journalists safe in Trump’s America?
On stage but out of the spotlight – the quiet struggle of being an opening act
Getting heard has never been easier. Being recognized and staying relevant is the real challenge. PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images Jeff Apruzzese, Drexel University I grew up playing in a lot of different bands, and my bandmates and I always held onto the belief that if we could just open for a more established act, it would pave the way to … [Read more...] about On stage but out of the spotlight – the quiet struggle of being an opening act
‘Full-Blown Constitutional Crisis’ Deepens as Bukele Refuses to Release Maryland Resident
Embed from Getty Images "If this holds," said one critic, "there is no law but Trump's law." by Julia Conley Common Dreams "Everyone here is pretending," said immigration policy expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick as a video of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele speaking in the Oval Office circulated on Monday. Bukele, said the senior fellow at the American Immigration … [Read more...] about ‘Full-Blown Constitutional Crisis’ Deepens as Bukele Refuses to Release Maryland Resident
Satire: My DOGE Seder
By Laurie Baron The Trump administration has revoked the visas or “removed” individuals who have green cards or some sort of resident status for protesting the war in Gaza. It also threatened television networks like CBS and MSNBC with cancelling their FCC licenses for airing interviews and news stories critical of the president’s policies. Perhaps I am being paranoid, … [Read more...] about Satire: My DOGE Seder
NOT ASHAMED TO BE WHITE (CARTOON)
The War on Science Continues
Under President Trump’s astute guidance, the federal government is working to destroy support for scientific research in all fields, ceding control of innovation and scientific advances to China. The People’s Republic of China produces significant multiples of STEM scientists than the U.S. and we are in the process of deporting foreign scientists and making our nation hostile … [Read more...] about The War on Science Continues