Category: Challenges
It’s right to yell fire when the theater is burning
One of my all-time favorite TV shows was Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC, 1993-99). Richard Belzer’s character, conspiracy theorist Det. John Munch, carried over to Law & Order: Special ... Read More
On Disability, Humanity and Dignity
On June 21, 2013, NBC aired a story entitled: “Activists Say Goodwill Exploits Workers with Penny Wages”, about the practice in some, but not all Goodwill stores of paying workers with disabilitie... Read More
Sweet(?) Home Alabama – Sin, The Voting Rights Act, and Being from Shelby County
In the wake of the celebration of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down DOMA, it can be easy to forget what happened one day earlier – the nullification of the Voting Rights Act, which has p... Read More
Security and Privacy; Safety and Trust
Camped out up the trail from his house in Eastern Kentucky, underneath a makeshift lean-to honoring Sukkot, Chad and I had one of our most personal conversations. In broad terms that are appropriate t... Read More
“The Libyan Revelation: Why Recent Events in Libya Should Revolutionize America’s Approach to the Muslim World” by Christopher C. Smith
On September 11, 2012, some fifty masked and heavily armed Islamists attacked an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The compound’s staff was evacuated to another facility, but that fac... Read More
Bless You! The Last Blessing by Chris Highland
Pope Francis just blessed thousands of Harleys in Rome. Millions say a blessing over meals every day. And when we sneeze, there’s always someone quick to say, “God Bless You!” ... Read More
A Female Future Dalai Lama? What Are the Real Prospects?
As a Buddhist clergy, 25-year student of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (HHDL), and female feminist, I always welcome statements from HH highlighting the social position of women, such as those repo... Read More
Hate in Manchester, TN — Where Do We Go From Here?
Islamophobia in middle Tennessee is becoming a real problem. In the past several years, two mosques have been firebombed: one had swastikas drawn on its walls, with “White Power” written on the si... Read More