In Defense of Grey Bands
Chris Squire, bass extraordinary for the progressive rock band Yes, died last week at the age of 67. He was the only member of the band to be featured on every one of their records and to take part in...
View ArticleStruggles Teaching History
I spent the last week at a conference at Stanford University for history teachers and researchers. The program focused on incorporating primary sources and worthwhile inquiry into our education system,...
View Article#StandwithChanda and Thought Crimes
Trying to get a figure fired from their job on political grounds is not a new phenomenon; the history of American politics provides ample examples. Unfortunately, the Left and Right in this country are...
View ArticleDonald Trump and Fascism
Donald Trump’s campaign continues to perplex talking heads in the media and Republican Party bigwigs. How can this media buffoon continue to say all the wrong things, act like a bully, and maintain a...
View ArticleSweden’s Education Privatization Failure
I have spent countless hours writing about and discussing Common Core and the international benchmark for measuring national education systems (PISA, or Programme for International Student Assessment)....
View ArticleFilms That Could Have Been
Perhaps more than any other genre, the science fiction realm has had to stomach some of the worst adaptations of its superlative works. I was a big fan of Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers in middle...
View ArticleRethinking White Identity
I started writing a piece about Rachel Dolezal a few days after her life become the topic of discussion. Her case allowed me to pick from low-hanging fruit, and address elements of identity politics in...
View ArticleBaptism Without Faith
Last week, my wife and I baptized our daughter at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Petaluma. The ceremony was quick, straightforward, and surprisingly modern in its theological focus. Our...
View ArticleUnfit Comments
Scott Walker is the second of many Republican candidates to drop out of the race due to financial difficulties, but the suspension of his campaign is the most remarkable thus far. Just a few months...
View ArticleLet’s Be Honest: We Just Don’t Want a Dialogue
The Wesleyan University newspaper is under fire from some students that object to a recent op-ed placing some of the blame for recent police shootings at the feet of the Black Lives Matter movement,...
View ArticleForget the University: Come Teach Middle School
The crisis facing graduates of the humanities is palpable. Countless students leave academia without significant job prospects; there simply aren’t enough university positions to absorb a school’s...
View ArticleIn Praise of the Treehouse of Horror
The Simpsons has been a mainstay in my life for nearly as long as memory serves. I was an impressionable grade-school student when the series first appeared on the fledgling Fox network. My parents...
View ArticleSmall Victories in Parenting During the Age of Islamic Terrorism
I truly hope I never have to reflect on my child’s development as Deborah Phipps has regarding her son Lucas Kinney: “I’m glad he’s associated with al-Qaeda rather than IS, but obviously I worry.” What...
View ArticleAnn Coulter: Donald Trump’s Brain?
Ann Coulter has had a long, strange journey through conservative politics. Her positions during the Bush years were ridiculous yet still managed to draw my attention. She claimed biology to be...
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Star Wars, The Hero’s Journey, and Multiculturalism
Last week, countless nerds across the globe delighted in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer (our very own Tod commented on it, followed by Dan). Even apprehensive fans, having been burned by the...
View ArticleJar Jar Binks – Sith Lord?
I dare say two posts about Star Wars in a row is exposing my nerdy state of mind, but this was too good to pass up. Apparently, a dedicated nerd on Reddit has made a compelling case for why Jar Jar...
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Does the Left Need Christianity?
I was intrigued by a recent article in Dissent Magazine by Elizabeth Bruenig maintaining that the Left needs religion. She argues: “Christianity, in other words, is no more destined for a cozy...
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If You Need a Thanksgiving Conversation Guide…
…you may be the family member everyone wants to avoid (and not your obnoxious uncle). Is it really that difficult to talk about these issues with people who don’t share your perspective? Are urban...
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Stop the War on Thanksgiving
Image by kevin dooley The War on Christmas jumped a few places in line and has returned to us early (perhaps this social “war” has come about earlier to meet with the progressively premature Christmas...
View ArticleJust Not Fringe Enough
Many prominent libertarians have been scratching their heads at the utter failure of Rand Paul to gain traction in the 2016 Republican primary. Just two years ago, the New York Times ran a piece by...
View ArticleTraveling with Children
Tonight, I take an 11PM flight to Mexico City and then on to Morelia, my wife’s hometown. Although I have traveled a great deal in the past, this is the first time I am traveling with my one year old...
View ArticleThe Year of the Alt-Right
2015 was the year the Black Lives Matter movement went viral, seeing its aims discussed in cities and universities across the nation. Liberal media outlets trumpeted its objectives and prominent...
View ArticleRadical Reading: A Small Key Can Open a Large Door
This is the first in a series focused on reading and discussing radical books on the left and right. The war in Syria and the surrounding region is multifaceted and complicated; it feels daunting to...
View ArticleDavid Bowie as the Right Wing Artist
The death of David Bowie has resulted in an understandable outpouring of adulation for the man’s life and work. I never was a huge fan of his, but I count many of his releases in my vinyl library, and...
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The Establishment’s “Anti-Establishment” Candidates
The conservative movement is so confused about what constitutes “the establishment” that the recent discord between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump has led to even greater heights of cognitive dissonance in...
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