Category: Ideas & Views

  • Code of conduct for SCOTUS: It’s a start, but quite inadequate

    Code of conduct for SCOTUS: It’s a start, but quite inadequate

    Well, the United States Supreme Court finally came out with a Code of Conduct for itself. The 14-page document was released on November 13, 2023, most likely as a response to increasing calls in the halls of Congress for such a code, in light of recent revelations about potential conflicts of interest among some of…

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  • Tink and Ram 5

    Tink and Ram 5

    “Ram, something’s been bothering me since our last meeting,” said Tink, breaking the silence, taking a sip of her coffee. “Well, when you were talking about that time,” she continued, “you used the terms ‘chinks’ and ‘gooks.’ I was a little taken aback by the terms.  Never heard you describe people that way before.” “Never had…

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  • Opting Out of the Holidays: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy for Moms

    Opting Out of the Holidays: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy for Moms

    She stormed back into the living room. Exact scene. Football. Devices. Dirty sneakers. No drinks, no fire, no move to get grandma or butter. Charlotte had read an article about imagined future nostalgia, an ingrained drive in people – specifically mothers – to curate a perfect holiday so that their children will reminisce fondly about holidays…

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  • Israel-Hamas war is as senseless as it is tragic

    Israel-Hamas war is as senseless as it is tragic

    What Hamas did in early October cannot be excused on any level.  The outright murder of civilians, including, as war always does, women and children is simply not pardonable.  It was an act both foolhardy and stupid and would never accomplish anything other than the utmost disdain from all reasonable people. And the almost-immediate official…

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  • Tink and Ram 4

    Tink and Ram 4

    “Mornin’, Ram.” “Mornin’, Tink,” he responded as she took her place in the chair on the opposite side of the thirty-inch round metal table which was part of the grouping of tables on the sidewalk in front of the storefront café that specialized in breakfast and lunch. “Nice change from the park bench,” Tink continued,…

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  • To Think and Give Thanks

    To Think and Give Thanks

    We all want to be happy. But what does that even mean? For most, it means having our health, a loving family, a job we enjoy, and financial stability. Yet we exist in a culture that conflates happiness with a consumption of goods rather than with our values. We’re told that luxury and convenience bring…

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  • Survey reveals most Americans oppose book bans; partisan divisions revealed

    Survey reveals most Americans oppose book bans; partisan divisions revealed

    At the beginning of September 2022, the EveryLibrary Institute commissioned Embold Research to do a national survey regarding book banning.  Embold Research can be found online, and the content of that survey can be found on the EveryLibrary website including the questions as posed in the survey.  The survey included 1,223 registered voters and has…

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  • He got the wrong guy

    He got the wrong guy

    Nov. 22, 1963 was the day of the most significant murder of the 20th century, and every anniversary of that fateful day in Dallas brings another round of Camelot nostalgia and renewed interest in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. With this month marking the 60th year since the young statesman was killed as…

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  • Memories of Appalachia

    Memories of Appalachia

    I came across a family snapshot recently.  It dated back to my childhood and was of my aunt, grandmother, and great aunt.  Floodgates of memories came rushing to the surface.  The photo was taken at the family cemetery in eastern Kentucky.  I did not grow up in Appalachia.  I watched it from the outside.  It…

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  • Tink and Ram 3

    Tink and Ram 3

    Following a short pause while they both accustomed themselves to their new location, Tink asked, “Ram, do you believe in reincarnation?” “What?” was his somewhat startled response.  “Whatever brought that up?” “Oh, I just thought it was an interesting subject.  I was watching an old movie last night that had something to do with reincarnation…

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