I really felt like getting away from the hustle of bad news, fake news, or news in general but the topic of the White House sporting ugly Christmas trees leapt right out of the news and headed straight for a badly needed prescription of Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. The principles learned are too good […]
Change the Language, Change the Culture
Change the language, change the culture. Words that had definitive meanings years ago now are considered offensive words worthy of getting a person ostracized. For example, it is now “bad” to say “nationalism” but historically, nationalism did not have negative connotations until post World War I. The word “nationalism” became tainted when a Serbian nationalist […]
The Morning After the Night Before… the mid-terms
Still thinking about the mid-term election results… The Republicans have the Executive Branch and the Senate. The Democrats won the House of Representatives. We will have a divided government when the 116th Congress convenes on January 3, 2019. As I awoke in the very early hours this morning, I found myself thinking about the election […]
I Will Vote Anyway
I Will Vote Anyway: by Common Sense Civics and Citizenship The weather will be bad. I will get a ride, leave my house, and vote anyway. My candidate disappointed me in an “October surprise.” I may change my vote but I will go to the polls and vote anyway. The lines are too long at […]
Borders, Bombers and Votes
It is no coincidence that borders and bombers are occupying the news cycle. Let’s look at these issues with Common Sense Civics and Citizenship in mind. Borders- Do you let your teenager’s friends define the rules in your home when they are there? No. Your roof, your rules, right? Every person, family, city, state, and […]
Divide and Conquer???
What is going on in our country? That question is reverberating throughout the United States. Let’s view the chaos through the lens of common sense civics and citizenship. Since we don’t do the blame and shame routine here (we stick to principles, not personalities), I have been reticent to comment on such posts. I eliminate […]
Lessons Learned: Filling Vacancies on the Supreme Court
Maybe you felt it or just got this sense about our nation in the past few weeks. Would you say that the Senate hearings to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court was the most involved America has been in decades? Perhaps. More importantly, what did we learn from this historic week in America? Here […]
Truth, Justice, and the American Way
Truth, Justice, and the American Way. This past week has made Americans question all three. Let’s talk about it. In a few days, my class of teenagers will recite from memory the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution. During our last class, no one said anything. I was looking at 7 blank stares. I couldn’t […]
Shoveling Dirt
“Every time you throw dirt, you lose ground.”- Dr. James MacDonald We digest a lot of “dirt” as Americans. Shovels full, in fact. A lot of “dirt” gets thrown in the media in the form of fake news, bending the law, starting arguments to move an agenda forward, and slander. “Dirt” gets thrown on this […]
Constitution Day, 2018
She is Alison LaCroix, a Professor of Law and an associate member of the Department of History at the University of Chicago. She quotes a colleague when she says, “There are wrong answers in constitutional law and there are right answers, and the right answers change over time.” Wait a minute…. What is your first […]
Is America Just a Mediocre Country?
Maybe you heard that widely circulated political comment this past week, “…[America] was never that great.” (If you missed it, you can look up that exact quote online and get the context). Let me be perfectly honest here. When I heard that sound clip on the news, my first thought was, “Who said that?” Maybe […]
May the Force Be With You??
Space Force. It’s in the news. What comes to mind when you hear those words? Immediately I hear the Star Wars theme in my head, the Best of Battlestar Galactica music (which I am listening to as I write this :-), or Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Let’s brush up on this issue […]
Picking Produce
I was in the central Oregon high desert last week when I heard the familiar, “Americans would never do THOSE jobs.” (This was a group of travelers, not Oregonians). I felt myself kind of bristle inside when I heard their remarks. I got to thinking… What jobs would an American not do? Usually this conversation […]
Clearing Up the Confusion…
There seems to be some confusion about the selection and confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice. Common Sense Civics and Citizenship requires that we understand the correct process. Did you know that the President of the United States is authorized by the U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2, to select Supreme Court nominees? Here is […]
Common Sense Guide to Shopping & Eating with Those Whom You Disagree :)
The lack of civility in political discourse is all over the media today. Here is the Common Sense Civics and Citizenship’s guide to eating and shopping near people with whom you disagree politically: 1) Choose another establishment. The Common Sense Civics and Citizenship approach is to have a network of places where you spend your […]
