While sunning myself the other day at a Phillies game, I was tempted to pivot to two bros sitting behind me and say: “How about that awesome federal court ruling from J. Harvie Wilkinson! Is that guy eloquent or what?” The scoreboard said 45,045 fans had flocked to the game. But rest assured that 45,044 didn’t sit there thinking about J. Harvie Wilkinson, the right of due … [Read more...] about A conservative judge’s dire warning
Be careful about who you vote for. You just might get him.
Be careful about who you vote for. You just might get him. This is especially true if you voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is learning that lesson the hard way. On 18 April 2025, Gov. Sanders wrote a letter to President Donald Trump, in which she asks the POTUS to reverse his administration's decision to NOT declare the state of … [Read more...] about Be careful about who you vote for. You just might get him.
A warning for Democrats from the Gilded Age and the 1896 election
Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller administers the oath of office to William McKinley during his presidential inauguration in 1897, as outgoing President Grover Cleveland looks on. AP Photo/Library of Congress Adam M. Silver, Emmanuel College More than five months after President Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris, Democrats are still … [Read more...] about A warning for Democrats from the Gilded Age and the 1896 election
DEAF RUBIO’S STATE DEPARTMENT (CARTOON)
The Trump Administration’s War on Children
The Trump Administration’s War on Childrenby Eli HagerProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.The clear-cutting across the federal government under President Donald Trump has been dramatic, with mass terminations, the suspension of decades-old programs and the neutering of … [Read more...] about The Trump Administration’s War on Children
Sarah Palin again, briefly
It is hard to think of anything of value Trump has done since returning to the White House. In a pinch, if I had to pick something, it has been his supremely satisfying decision to deny Sarah Palin a position of authority in his administration and thus deprive her of the kind of public profile she has for so long craved. And to spare us the same. Thank you, Mr. President. … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin again, briefly
The Brown Shirts this time
Embed from Getty Images I suspect many of us are wondering how long it will take, and under what circumstances, for Trump to use the full force of the state and its monopoly of violence to crackdown on dissent. It is terrifying to imagine what national emergency, real or fabricated, could be used to justify abrogating constitutionally guaranteed rights at the point of a … [Read more...] about The Brown Shirts this time
Responding to the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
How should members of Congress respond to the fate of Kilmar Ábrego García? Should they respond with futile demands? What makes a demand futile is this: The one making the demand is unable to punish the target of the demand for refusing to give what is demanded. In order for a demand to be effective, there has to be the ability to punish for failure to comply. Yet, … [Read more...] about Responding to the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Pope Francis was a decent person.
One does not have to be a member of the Roman Catholic Church in order to acknowledge that Pope Francis was a decent person. Indeed, Francis lived up to the original meaning of the word Pontifex, which translates into English as Bridge Builder. This blogger remembers the stark contrast between Francis and his immediate predecessor that was revealed when Francis assumed the … [Read more...] about Pope Francis was a decent person.
Pope Francis tried to change the Catholic Church for women, with mixed success
Tracy McEwan, University of Newcastle and Kathleen McPhillips, University of Newcastle Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. On Easter Sunday, he used his message and blessing to appeal for peace in Middle East and Ukraine. Pope Francis will be remembered as a pastoral leader who cared deeply about the environment and … [Read more...] about Pope Francis tried to change the Catholic Church for women, with mixed success
POPE FRANCIS TRIBUTE 1936 2025 (CARTOON)
If AOC is the answer, what’s the question?
You may have noticed there is much hand-wringing among Democrats about the inability of the party to mount a credible opposition to Trump and the damage he is doing to the country and the world. Some are pointing to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Sen. Bernie Sanders and the big rallies they have been staging as a part of their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour as at least a … [Read more...] about If AOC is the answer, what’s the question?
Francis — a pope who cared deeply for the poor and opened up the Catholic Church
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