Civil
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The suburb of God
“Ye are the light of the world. A suburb that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” — Matthew 5:14 “For unto you is born this day in the suburb of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11 “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a… Continue reading
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Two-ness
The storms that started south of Roanoke continued until soon after the big thunderclap around 2:00 this morning. We had been asleep for about four hours at Betty’s when it woke me up. Nashville got seven inches of rain. Columbia got less, but enough wind to knock down power lines. Some of them and their… Continue reading
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A kangaroo court
Dear Sen. Warner, I know the public documents, videotape, and proffered evidence at the former president’s trial yesterday was damning, but it hardly registered with half of our country. What would still register — miraculously, perhaps, at this late stage of our national unraveling — is courtroom testimony. Take the Constitution seriously concerning the court… Continue reading
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Transcendent matters
From today’s New York Times: A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Congress could not sue to enforce its subpoenas of executive branch officials, handing a major victory to President Trump and dealing a severe blow to the power of Congress to conduct oversight. In a ruling that could have far-reaching consequences for executive… Continue reading
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Sadism and civic impotence
A friend’s homely benediction last week: “Well, now that we’ve solved all the world’s problems . . .” It was perfect: all we had said had the force of cliches. We “solve the world’s problems” because we sense we were made to tend our land together. But we have no civic plot to tend. So… Continue reading
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Republicanism and redistribution
Today’s plan by Elizabeth Warren is more republican orthodoxy. She wants to keep private equity firms from looting and destroying U.S. corporations. I first read about private equity firms in Robert Kuttner’s book, published last year, Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism?: Invariably, a private-equity takeover means an even deeper squeeze on worker wages, benefits, and job… Continue reading
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Safety
Earlier this week I got a fundraising email from my congresswoman. Here’s how it started: Peter, I didn’t get into politics to play it safe. I spoke out immediately on behalf of our federal workers when Trump needlessly caused a shutdown. I’ve taken on the NRA in my district to push for comprehensive, common sense… Continue reading
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Stolen voices
Victoria and I talked this morning about our fears of not being heard. For my part, I’ve been working on a book that I may or may not ever finish. I’ll let Victoria speak for herself. Hannah Arendt’s vision of the political is essentially positive: the political is a realm where people are seen and… Continue reading
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School, government . . . the whole bit
The seventy-two came back jubilant. “In your name, Lord,” they said, “even the demons submit to us.” “Wup woo,” Jesus replied. “I saw Satan fall, like lightning, from heaven. And I have given you the power to tread underfoot snakes and scorpions and all the forces of the enemy. Nothing will ever harm you. Nevertheless,… Continue reading
slow reads 