My mom had a saying: “Never wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get dirty and the pig likes it.” This phrase proved to be more than appropriate this week when I broke my rule of abstaining from getting into arguments with individuals on Twitter. The other evening I was scrolling through various threads when…
Canadian Cacophony
Apparently, the Canadians are not immune from populist far-right movements either. For the last two weeks, truck drivers have been blocking roads in Ottawa, Toronto, and other Canadian metro areas. It has become so disruptive, that earlier this week Canada’s capital declared a state of emergency. Access to three border crossings in Michigan, North Dakota, and Montana…
Lip Service
You must not mistake lip service and noise for bravery and service Marcus Garvey February is Black History Month, and that means taking the time to appreciate, acknowledge and celebrate the American black community in all its forms. However, in the midst of all of the posters portraying Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that hang on the walls in schools, to…
Passing the Torch
“We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end as well as a beginning—signifying renewal as well as change… Let the word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” — John F. Kennedy,…
Swinging the Axe on Voting Rights
A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation. Adlai E. Stevenson Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday marking the birthday of the iconic American Baptist minister, scholar, and civil rights leader. Up until his assassination in 1968, Dr. King pioneered the end…
Which Master does the CDC Serve?
The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing – the bottom line. That is, maximising profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs. David Suzuki Just…
If It Quacks Like a Duck…
We are all familiar with the term “quack,” which originated in the 17th Century from the Dutch word “quacksalver,” or “kwakzalver.” A “quacksalver” was a peddler of potions and cures of a dubious nature, akin to the snake oil salesmen of the Old West. In the 1600’s Netherlands, quacks were often uneducated and unregulated practitioners…
Moving the Goal Posts
2021 Census data shows that the US has increasingly grown more diverse over the past 10 years. For the first time in history, Asian and multiracial communities grew rapidly, while the white population declined. Although whites are still the largest group in the nation, it did shrink by 8.6% from 2010-2020. The Hispanic population grew…
A Slow Death of Roe v. Wade?
Today, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas law (SB8) that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, however, the justices said abortion providers have the right to challenge the law in federal court. This is a brutal blow to women’s rights. With the ruling, the nation’s highest court has in a sense overturned Roe v. Wade, paving the…
It’s Not Just a Woman’s Right to Choose That’s in Danger, it’s Democracy
On December 1, the Supreme Court listened to oral arguments in a Mississippi case that could start a trend to overturn the constitutional right to safe and legal abortions across the U.S. The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, poses a real danger to Roe v Wade. The Jackson Women’s Health Organization is the…