301 results for author: Phil Anderson

Spiritual Fruit Not Religious Nuts

“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.” Barry Goldwater, former Republican Senator (1909 – 1998). Mixing religion, politics and government is bad. This has been proven many times, in many places, over the history of the world. One need look no further than the current situation in the Middle East to understand that ...

Tiffany’s Foreign Policy Foolishness

“... when confronted by small men doing big and stupid things, we need to resist with all the wit and creativity we can muster...” Bill McKibben, environmentalist and author “Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.” John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873), an influential British political and economic thinker. It would be impolite for me to suggest that Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany, being extremely conservative, might fit J.S. Mills famous maxim. It would not be inappropriate, however, to point out how Tiffany's own statements exemplify a small town, small minded, small ...

Say Their Names…Tell Their Stories

“'I hope that we’ll stay alive, not because I want life, but because I want to tell our stories, the stories of our people,' says 21-year-old Tala Herzallah, a student in Gaza.” From the Time magazine article listed below. The death toll in Gaza is now over 22,000. One in every 100 residents has been killed. In November the United Nations said two thirds of the dead were women and children. Other sources say about 9000 of the deaths have been children. Who are the dead in Gaza? Were they terrorists? Did they hate Jews or want to destroy Israel? Or are they just people – people like us – “hoping to stay alive...” To answer ...

Ruminations On A Happy New Year

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” Tom Bodett, author and NPR personality. “Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate a religious holiday than with a month of frenzied consumerism.” Calvin, a cartoon character from Calvin and Hobbs “Happy New Year” is one of the meaningless Hallmark platitudes of the season. You hear the greeting from friends and strangers. It is in the shopping mall Christmas music tape loop. The cards you get from the power company or your dentist wish you happiness. For a few weeks ...

Headline News

It is not a revelation that quality journalism is on the decline. Online “news” feeds are full of gossip, speculation, fake news and inaccurate crap. We are misinformed by the 24/7 mainstream and social media. So, staying informed can be a challenge. In this article I share news stories that recently caught my attention. These may seem insignificant, but they illustrate larger issues. I begin with a story from National Public Radio. Even this reputable news source can be misleading with incomplete reporting. The story was about Venezuela, their dire economic situation and how the oil industry is in shambles. The story implied that politics, ...

Questions to Ask Yourself on Gaza

“What does Israel, or the world community, expect? How can you trap 2.3 million people in Gaza, half of whom are unemployed, in one of the most densely populated spots on the planet for 16 years; reduce the lives of its residents, half of whom are children, to a subsistence level; deprive them of basic medical supplies, food, water, and electricity; use attack aircraft, artillery, mechanized units, missiles, naval guns, and infantry units to randomly slaughter unarmed civilians and not expect a violent response?” Chris Hedges, journalist (“What Does Israel Expect?” Common Dreams, October 10, 2023). In prior articles I have discussed the ...

Immigration: Reality vs Demagoguery

A recent news headline from National Public Radio reads, “Despite efforts of 3 U.S. administrations, migrant families keep crossing the border.” Migration from Mexico and Central America has increased over the past several years. In contrast to the past, this increase in migrants is being fueled by families. In August alone about 91,000 family groups were detained at the border. Clearly efforts to seal the border to prevent, deter, or otherwise frighten immigrants away are not working. Yet, as the NPR headline indicates, for decades we have continued the same, failed, get-tough-law-enforcement approach to the immigration problem. Albert ...

An Ounce of Prevention…

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is much easier – and cheaper – to prevent problems than to suffer the consequences or clean up the mess later. Too often this common sense adage is ignored. We could have taken steps to mitigate or prevent many environmental problems including climate change. We could have a sensible, less expensive, national health program instead of a bureaucratic for-profit mess. Similarly, wars – like the latest tragedy in Palestine – could be prevented. But this requires taking action before hostilities begin. Often conflicts have roots that go back decades or even centuries. Over time economic ...

Repeating Past Mistakes in Palestine

The United States is, once again, exacerbating the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. Once again we are rushing to support military actions by Israel that will not resolve the animosities that have festered for over 100 years. Once again we are part of the problem and not the solution. How many times do we have to repeat the mistakes of the past before we get a clue? President Biden has expressed unconditional support for Israel and their military response to the Hamas attack on October 7th. Biden said “In this moment, we must be crystal clear: we stand with Israel.” He also said “Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel ...

Ban Censorship Not Books

“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all – except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors.” President John F Kennedy Efforts to ban books and to censor what is taught in public schools have increased dramatically in the last two years. Since 2021, a handful of right-wing organizations have been pressuring school districts and pubic libraries to ban ...