American History, Race & School

There's a lot being said about teaching racism and slavery and its place in American history in schools.

The primary criticism of that by a lot of parents and right-leaning legislatures ruling on this is that (they believe) it's a form of white guilt. Their argument is that teaching students - especially elementary school-age students - about racism and slavery in America is supposed to make white children feel guilty, and that isn't remotely true at all.

9/11/2021: What's Different?

 I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to say today, 20 years on from the worst terrorist attack on our nation, a year during the worst pandemic in our nation’s history. Should I connect them? Is it worth saying, if it's probably been said already, with interest?

The one commonality in all of it is that indifference is the cause of all of it. Indifference to those who are left suffering the consequences.

20 years ago, we were united in our grief, and for that time, we were all Americans. Why, 20 years later, in the face of another situation resulting in thousands upon thousands of deaths, do we hate each other so much?

Huckabee's Jaws Reference: Revised

A quick note: I very much admire the original article I wrote in 2016, and during Trump's first term, I've wanted to update it with more information. However, I found there to be almost too much content to truly condense into the article and make a complete comparison.

As we head into the 2020 election, though, I decided to make some slight revisions to the article to make it more clear and professional, although the content is largely the same.

On Monday, October 10, 2016, Mike Huckabee made an effort to defend Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump by comparing him to Quint (Robert Shaw) from the 1975 movie Jaws.

 

"He’s vulgar, he’s salty. He might even get drunk. But hold on, here! He’s the guy who’s gonna save your butt and save your family. And so at the end of the day, when he kills the shark, you’re happy about it," he said on the program.

Opinion: 2020 and the War for America's Soul

The world is a different place than it was five years ago. I'm a different person than I was five years ago, as I'm sure we all are. I see the world differently. My views and perspectives, once fresh and open to possibility, have been hardened and jaded with the cold, ugly truth of reality.

I had a faith in our government -- that the United States would be better than the worst of its people in the overall grand scheme of things.

Then the 2016 election happened. Donald Trump won handily. It doesn't matter whether there was foreign interference in the election. It doesn't matter that he now faces an impeachment inquiry. It doesn't matter that his approval ratings have never really broken 50% in national polls. Hillary Clinton's emails don't matter.

He is in office. He is President of the United States. Enough people decided he deserved that position that they voted for him.

September 11, 2001 - In Hindsight, 18 Years Later

I wish I had a powerful, beautiful statement I could make in tribute to today. I wish I could say something that hasn't already been said probably hundreds of times today, or over the 18 years passed.

Baudrillard and Simulated Reality in 2017

For this, I was assigned to read and analyze an excerpt of postmodernist writer and theorist Jean Baudrillard's writings on simulacra. I then had to summarize his theory and find a relevant argument to make about them.

Admittedly, this was a difficult read, since Baudrillard's points aren't always entirely clear. Still, I found his points about simulations and reality to be fairly relevant in 2017. Below I explain why.

Opinion: Why Attacking Net Neutrality is a Precursor to State-Run News

Updated 8/23/2017

While I’ve been signing a number of petitions to make my opinions known about political matters over the past few months, I very rarely comment on them.

However, with this one, I felt a special connection and an obligation to post my thoughts. Below is what I said and why.

Pollution in the U.S.: Consequences of No Regulations

California workers succeeded in plugging a major natural gas leak on Thursday, February 18. The leak began in October and lasted five months before workers succeeded in capping it. Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency after 30,000 locals evacuated.

The origins of the leak trace back to 1979. Then, a Southern California Gas Company (SoCal Gas) inspector removed a safety valve due to wear. Claiming it was difficult to find a new part, and the well not being “critical” at the time, it was never replaced.

“Critical” here meaning “not within 100 feet of a local town.”

Animal Rescues – What, Why and Who?

Most people are in agreement. Animal abuse is ugly, no matter how much offenders try to “pretty” it up. 62% of people in a Gallup poll believe animals deserve some level of protection from harm and exploitation.