The Third One
Resisting the constant “call of the void”
Tag: reflections
Chasing Rusting Ghosts
A meditation on why we listen to the ghosts of our industrial past
Is Suffering Enough?
I suffer from what is commonly called mental illness. Several years ago I was diagnosed with depression and have been taking medications since then. This is hardly surprising seeing as how some 16 million Americans experience “major depressive episodes” and that does not include all the Americans that have a more general depression, without, perhaps, […]
Just Incentivize It
Why is it that our elected officials at the city and state levels are so quick to promise the moon to corporations looking to expand, relocate or establish themselves? The short answer, of course, is that they are not looking for long term returns or benefits for their constituents but are instead looking only at […]
To Whom It May Concern…
In light of recent events in Parkland, Florida and before Las Vegas, Nevada, the nation finds itself once again contemplating its relationship with firearms and gun culture. Whatever the core cause of mass shootings, there is little room to deny that a pervasive obsession with firearms exists at every level of American society and that […]
Terrorism and the Great White Hope
Once again the United States has to clean up the blood and broken glass after another mass shooting. Right on cue, the powers that be began lowering flags and calling the murders “an act of pure evil“. Such has become the predictable response from most members of government in the shadow of these disasters and, […]
Once Again
So… here we are again. It doesn’t seem like that long ago, does it? Where was it? Orlando, wasn’t it? That’s right. That’s when that guy killed all those people at that nightclub. It’s just like old times, isn’t it? Only this time it’s Las Vegas and even more people got killed and, oh yeah, […]
The War in Our Heads
Is there a war against conservative free speech in this country? If we are to believe the tirades coming from such right-wing organs as The Daily Caller, there is no doubt that a war is raging between the Quixotic champions of the First Amendment (the vilified, threatened and intimidated voices of the political right) and the […]
Freedom from Embarrassment
The United States Constitution is, on the whole, an excellent guardian of the rights and powers any citizen of the country can and should exercise. Foremost among these rights are the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, both protected by the First Amendment. These freedoms, it has been argued, are the foundations upon […]
Kids > Bombs
There seems to be two unassailable truths when it comes to policymaking and government budgeting: 1) military spending is sacrosanct and 2) education related spending, however much it’s praised during campaigning, is always a viable source of savings. Let us, for a moment, consider the case of a program called 21st Century Community Learning Centers, […]
Antidote Notes 