Month: July 2017

The Ethics Of Transgender Military Service

It’s made the news — of course.  It was designed to, the which itself is no news; Trump has long made a habit of doing something obnoxiously distracting on a divisive issue whenever it suits him.  We, apparently knowing no better, follow right along with him.

Because this was so evidently staged, I’d planned to give the entire issue a miss.  I mislike being manipulated.  The topic is nothing I’m particularly expert at; moreover, it’s not a subject with which our society as a whole is even comfortable enough to have developed (more…)

Nothing To See Here; Move Along

(or, Why I Haven’t Written Much Lately)

Most of my posts here are about current events.  When an important new law gets signed, I’m all over it; when there’s a big mystery or scandal, I’m right here with my opinion.  Normally, when there’s a pause in the news for whatever reason, I’ll chime in with a suggestion on policy.

Trouble is, right now, nothing’s happening, and what is happening is just more of (more…)

Here’s The Real Problem With Chris Cillizza

(Editor’s Note:  This dates from July of 2017.  Aside from the fact that Cillizza is no longer new at the job, it’s aged pretty well.)

The online version of CNN has a new dedicated contributor in Chris Cillizza.  In case you don’t know him, he’s an extremely clever writer, experienced in the arena of political commentary and a regular commentator and panelist on news shows.  He wrote for many years for the Washington Post blog The Fix, and he knows politics, elections, and how the media views them.

He contributes daily content to the CNN site, unique for having his name attached to the headline instead of the more traditional byline.  Considering his content ranges from virulently anti-Trump to passionately anti-Trump all the way to reasonable and thoughtful anti-Trump (more…)

What’s The Deal With The Voter Rolls?

One of the most recent political alarms (if you’re still keeping track) is the request from the President’s commission on election reform for state voter rolls, followed almost instantly by half the states in the Union refusing to send them.

To be honest, confusion seems to be the most common reaction I’ve seen, ranging from “Why do they want it?” to “Why wouldn’t we give it?”  So I’ll explain, at least in brief. (more…)