Because the U. S. Supreme Court has a 5-4 divide between conservative and progressive jurists, the country is holding its breath as the highest court prepares to weigh in on the abortion issue. Whatever they decide, the ruling is likely to send a shock wave across the country. Their d

When I headed a teacher’s union, I was part of a coalition of other labor groups that negotiated wages and working conditions with the public school system.  That was in the 1970s, at a time when the U. S. economy had slowed. Unable to make a case for wage increases, union represen

Are the brains of boys and girls so different that they require different styles of teaching? Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s appointment as Secretary of Education, thinks they are and supports segregated schools where girls are rewarded for good performance with a dab of perfume.  (â€

  Indigenous tribes in the Brazilian Amazon are locked in a battle with the government to preserve their lands and way of life. So far, they have shunned all offers of money.  The rest of human civilization could learn from their values. After all, where do you buy drinking wate

I read an article recently about torture during the George W. Bush administration. Apparently, waterboarding was so brutal the contract interrogator sought to stop the procedure.  Each time he made his plea, the CIA refused and threatened to bring in someone tougher. Eventually, the

Here’s what I’d like to know: after the impeachment trial, why did Donald Trump’s favorability numbers rise in opinion polls? The uptick occurred not only among Republicans but also among independent voters. I find that last bit of information, worrying, and I’m not alone.  O

While Donald Trump’s acquittal at the end of his impeachment trial was predictable and despite the President’s reputation for reprisals, the country witnessed the courage of several patriots who spoke truth to power. We know them now as their names have been written into the annal

Like many girls raised Catholic, I flirted with the idea of becoming a nun.  The notion of service to others appealed to me and, frankly, it still does.  Happily, I found my calling as a teacher. I know that moment of joy in The Miracle Worker when Annie Sullivan stood at the water

Rivaling the most ribald scenes from French farce, Republican senators at the 2020 impeachment trial of Donald Trump performed with enough buffo to have earned them laughs. Too bad they were unaware the play was a tragedy.   Never mind, let us begin with their farce of jurist imparti

Recently, a Bernie Sanders supporter floated a conspiracy theory on Facebook: U. S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deliberately delayed delivering the  Articles of Impeachment to the Senate in order to keep Sanders in Washington D. C. for the trial, away from the Iowa campaign, and to le