Blog

I previously wrote about my legacy of racism and how I have struggled to overcome it. [1] This current blog post discusses some aspects of White Privilege. White Privilege White Privilege provides another facet of racism. Wikipedia provides the following definition of White Privilege: “. . . a term for societal privileges that benefit peopleRead more

The racially provoked violent events that are disrupting our nation made me think once again about my own racism: I am a racist by heritage. I was born in LaGrange, Georgia, and remained there until my beloved Andrea and I graduated from LaGrange College—a Methodist-affiliated liberal arts institution—married, and left for graduate school at theRead more

Dictionaries define the adjective “existential” with the following descriptors: Of, or relating to, existence. Concerned with existence, especially human existence. Affirming or implying the existence of a thing. An “existential threat,” therefore, is a threat to the very existence of something, e.g., an individual, a country. People across the geopolitical spectrum—from conservative to progressive orRead more

The actual threat Islamic State poses to the homeland of the United States represents one of the areas of confusion among many citizens about this terroristic organization. President Obama and his administration have contributed to this confusion by denigrating Islamic State capabilities. Islamic State, at this time, does not represent an existential threat to ourRead more

In this and subsequent posts, the terms Islam and Muslim, respectively, will refer to a specific religion and the people who adhere to that theology. Islamism and Islamist, respectively, will designate a small but potent subset of Islamic theology and Muslims that Islamic State exemplifies. The theology preached and followed by the most passionate proponentsRead more

The recent and continuing tragic, but not completely unexpected, events in Paris and Europe confirm that a state of war exists between the western democracies (e.g., the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France) and a militant subset of Islam (e.g., the Islamic State—IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh— and Al Qaida.) No amount of obfuscation,Read more

I mentioned in a previous post how much I enjoy making the transition from sleep to fully awake most mornings by listening to National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. Several days ago, a program once again caught my attention, this time with great satisfaction rather than alarum. The transcript from the program is in the followingRead more

Astute historians caution us about applying modern sensitivities to past cultures. For instance, we should not condemn the Roman Empire for its warlike proclivities, its version of slavery, and the gladiator games as well as many other aspects of the Empire we today find objectionable. We probably should even be hesitant about condemning the RomansRead more

Public and private schools contributed to my formal education. My conservative brothers and sisters may insist that the public school experiences contaminated me and resulted in my liberalism on some subjects, especially social issues. On the other hand, my liberal brothers and sisters could insist that my time spent in private schools led to myRead more

Texas—where I live—and many other states place great value on so-called “high stakes testing” of students throughout the public school system. In these states, such tests have become the primary metric of student, teacher, and school performance. Poor outcomes on frequently administered standardized tests can keep students from progressing to higher grade levels and evenRead more