WASHINGTON -- For the new year, critics of President Trump should resolve not to be intimidated by the potential wrath of his vaunted political base. The only one who should cower before the Make America Great Again legions is Trump himself. And he does fear them, bigly. The latest illustration is the way he chickened out on a bipartisan agreement to keep the government … [Read more...] about Trump’s reckoning is well underway
Political Moderates Have Principles Too
Political moderates have principles, which is why it is wrong to claim that they don't. Being a political moderate means that . . . . . . one is flexible when it comes to gray areas. Whether or not one admits it, plenty of gray areas exist in politics. Compromise is necessary in order for the more-than-300 million people in the USA to live peacefully next to each other, … [Read more...] about Political Moderates Have Principles Too
Here’s hoping the U.S.-North Korea dialogue continues in the new year
By DAVID IGNATIUS Washington Post Writers Group Columnist WASHINGTON -- Here's one New Year's resolution that should be easy: The United States and North Korea should resume the diplomatic progress they began in 2018 toward peace and denuclearization. It's a measure of this year's turbulent pace that the Singapore summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un … [Read more...] about Here’s hoping the U.S.-North Korea dialogue continues in the new year
A Texas Legend and a National Treasure Dies at Age 112
One of the most beloved residents of my hometown, Austin, Texas, the nation’s oldest World War II veteran and America’s oldest living man passed away on Thursday. He was 112 years old and would have turned 113 in May 2019. He was so beloved by his community that when he turned 111, Austin gave the street where he lived on for more than 70 years an honorary name, Richard … [Read more...] about A Texas Legend and a National Treasure Dies at Age 112
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Mary Poppins Returns is a spoonful of sugar as it offers delight and nostalgia for audience members of all ages. Returning to the big screen, siblings Michael and Jane Banks (Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer) are now adults and leading lives of their own during The Great Slump of the 1930s, some twenty years after the first Mary Poppins. And, like most adults, they've grown up … [Read more...] about Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Trump finally found a conspiracy theory he doesn’t believe
WASHINGTON -- So President Trump finally found a conspiracy theory he doesn't believe. "Are you still a believer in Santa?" Trump asked an unsuspecting 7-year-old, Collman Lloyd, when she called in to the military's Santa Claus tracker line on Christmas Eve. "Yes sir," she replied. "Because at 7, that's marginal, right?" "Yes, sir," replied the child, though she … [Read more...] about Trump finally found a conspiracy theory he doesn’t believe
A Grim Welcome (Cartoon, Column and Video)
For the second time in December, a child has died in Border Patrol custody. For the second time in December, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen deflected blame from her department and placed it on immigrants. An eight-year-old Guatemalan boy, who Trump would say was at a “marginal age” for believing in Santa Claus, was detained with his father after illegally … [Read more...] about A Grim Welcome (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Listening to nature: How sound can help us understand environmental change
Imagine this with a sound track – sunset near Turtle Rock, Joshua Tree National Park. NPS / Hannah Schwalbe Garth Paine, Arizona State University Our hearing tells us of a car approaching from behind, unseen, or a bird in a distant forest. Everything vibrates, and sound passes through and around us all the time. Sound is a critical environmental … [Read more...] about Listening to nature: How sound can help us understand environmental change
Getting identity politics right
WASHINGTON -- Progressives have some intellectual and moral work to do. What are cast as political challenges to liberals and the left are also philosophical problems. Resolving them is essential to sorting out the tensions among the movement's goals and establishing its priorities. It comes down to this: Whom do progressives think they're fighting for? It's a question … [Read more...] about Getting identity politics right
I’m an Onion, You’re an Onion: How to Relate to Worldviews Different Than Your Own
You know the old saying: egrets have layers. Or was it ogres? Either way, people have layers, too — which is a truth we often forget. There's an English word that, as far as I know, exists for the time being only on the internet. The word is "sonder" — and it's the realization that everybody around us lives a life just as full, complicated, and bursting with potential as our … [Read more...] about I’m an Onion, You’re an Onion: How to Relate to Worldviews Different Than Your Own
Donar’s Year in Review 2018
David Donar. All rights reserved. Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Donar’s Year in Review 2018
EARTHRISE – A Lesson for Everyone
It is hard to believe that this picture was taken 50 years ago during the Apollo 8 mission to circle the Moon, December 24, 1968. In the words recited by the crew from the Bible – In the Beginning, G-d created the Heaven and the Earth… Most people alive back then were glued to their televisions. I was a wonderful end to a year which saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, … [Read more...] about EARTHRISE – A Lesson for Everyone
Another Brick
David Donar. All rights reserved. Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Another Brick
Chickensh-t Trump
Trump withdrawing troops from Syria and Afghanistan against the advice of Defense Secretary Mattis and other advisors points to how deranged he is and ignorant about foreign affairs. But he is also chickensh-t and this may somehow impact his thinking. As a Vietnam vet who served my country, I have no qualms about calling Trump chicken-sh-t. Not only did he use a questionable … [Read more...] about Chickensh-t Trump
Syria isn’t America’s problem.
Syria isn't America's problem, but one might think so after hearing the wailing and gnashing of teeth by right-wing hawks who object to President Trump pulling the U.S. military out of Syria. From The Hill, 24 December 2018: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) is concerned about the direction of the nation’s foreign policy during a week that saw Defense Secretary James Mattis's … [Read more...] about Syria isn’t America’s problem.
Should There Be a TV Ban on Kellyanne?
We're nearing the midpoint of Donald Trump's first-term tenure - assuming he makes it to the finish line - yet we in the media still haven't decided whether it's wise or wasteful to award air time to Kellyanne Conway. Cosmic questions abound. Would the cable shows violate the spirit of the First Amendment if they refuse to book the empress of alternative facts - or would … [Read more...] about Should There Be a TV Ban on Kellyanne?
Cartoon: Star Power
This Christmas, we must be realistic but never hopeless
WASHINGTON -- The chaos all around us is what happens when the nation elects an incompetent, narcissistic, impulsive and amoral man as president. This Christmas, heaven help us all. Much of the government is shut down over symbolic funding for an insignificant portion of a useless border wall that President Trump said Mexico would pay for. The financial markets are having a … [Read more...] about This Christmas, we must be realistic but never hopeless
Merry Christmas, Chreasters
WASHINGTON -- Christmas remains wondrous, but it arrives at a difficult moment for Christianity in the United States. We still see Christmas trees strapped to the tops of cars, neighbors lighting up their homes and kids getting as excited as ever. And the churches will be unusually full. This last point is revealing: A relative decline of religious observance has brought … [Read more...] about Merry Christmas, Chreasters
