Activism

  • Recognition

    Recognition

    I want to start this quietly, because this is not a reaction piece. It is me trying to place a current moment inside a much longer human story. When Donald Trump hosted a prayer breakfast, stood in front of cameras talking about faith and values, and then later that same night shared a racist video…

    Read more →

  • Paperwork Instead of Bullets

    Right now, the United States is using a practice that allows asylum seekers to be deported to third countries. That means people are not necessarily sent back to where they came from. They can be sent to any country willing to accept them. For LGBTQ+ refugees fleeing persecution, this has life or death consequences. People…

    Read more →

  • “No One Is Illegal on Stolen Land”Billie Eilish

    When people get mad at a line like that, it usually is not because it is historically wrong. It is because it cuts too close to something we are taught not to question. But maybe we should. If you look at the history of the Americas, borders did not appear because everyone agreed politely. They…

    Read more →

  • We the People?

    We the People?

    I keep thinking about how different things might feel if we actually lived in a country of ideas. A place where “We the People” meant everyone. Not some of us. Not the protected. Not the powerful. Just all of us. But we never have. And that truth stings more than I want to admit. What…

    Read more →

  • Lower-Risk Engagement

    Lower-Risk Engagement

    Things are unsettled right now. That is not a political statement. It is an observable reality. Situations escalate faster than they used to. Authority is exercised unevenly. Explanations often come later, if they come at all. That reality changes how responsible people need to think about engagement in everyday life. This is not about telling…

    Read more →

  • Preparing without Panic

    Preparing without Panic

    There has been a lot of talk lately about the possible use of extraordinary federal powers. The Insurrection Act is being mentioned more frequently, and that language understandably unsettles people. There are courts that are already preparing to challenge any misuse of it, and those legal fights matter. At the same time, people living in…

    Read more →

  • The Shape of Permission

    The Shape of Permission

    The voice promised renewal. It promised safety. It promised pride. It spoke about enemies without ever fully defining them. It spoke about “them” with just enough vagueness that anyone already disliked could be folded into the category. Outsiders. Intellectuals. Journalists. Artists. Minorities. “Degenerates.” The list stayed flexible on purpose. At first, nothing felt extreme.

    Read more →

  • A Moment for Conscience

    A Moment for Conscience

    I waited until Christmas was over to say this, because some things need room and the right moment to be said. As a son, a father, and a grandfather, I have been sitting with what has unfolded over these past weeks. The continued revelations surrounding the Epstein case, and the effort to minimize or obscure…

    Read more →

  • SNAP and the Truth About Who Needs Help

    I keep seeing posts floating around about how people who collect SNAP benefits are lazy or do not want to work. Let’s deal with the facts. Right now about 42 million Americans receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That is roughly one in eight people in this country. Of those households, nearly 60…

    Read more →

  • The America We Were Sold

    I wish I still believed in the United States of America we were sold when we were kids. You remember the one. The country built on the solid foundation of freedom. The place where all men were said to be created equal, and where anyone could achieve the American dream if they worked hard enough.…

    Read more →