30 Years After the Americans with Disabilities Act, There’s Still Work to Be Done Jennifer McLelland December 2, 2022 As an abled parent of a disabled child, I’m learning to help my son manage accessibility burdens because our communities and institutions aren’t designed with him in mind. We can do better for children with disabilities by building more accessible, more inclusive communities and by teaching them how to assert their rights in situations that aren’t in compliance with the law. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990 and forms the foundation of disability integration into employment and public spaces. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis…

Daniel Dal Monte August 22, 2024 The news cycle moves so quickly these days that we can forget to dwell on major events. But tyranny thrives on a short attention span. Just a couple of years ago, we witnessed government dictates turn the entire world into a highly regimented military encampment. A Military Response: The Role of the National Security Council Ongoing research has revealed that the response to COVID-19 shifted early on from the public health authorities to the military. For instance, the then deputy national security advisor, Matthew Pottinger, in November 2019, appointed Deborah Birx to spearhead the COVID response. Pottinger had no experience in public health but knew…

− and the latest evidence of party leaders distrusting party voters Daniel Klinghard Could the primary system – a feature of presidential politics for more than 50 years – be weakened by the Democrats’ choice to elevate Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket without a competitive nominating process? That may seem unthinkable to voters who have grown up with a democratic primary system, but party nominating contests have, in the past, similarly cut voters out of the process. Primaries have an inconsistent history in the U.S., as I learned in my research on political parties. When party leaders have seen it as being in their interest to give voters…

Charles Krblich August 12, 2024 My son’s school assigned a civics project for summer vacation. The project’s scope is expansive and spans from explaining the history and functions of the three branches of government to creating a flip book of landmark Supreme Court cases like Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v Board of Education. One of the tasks is a minor level of civic participation, either through community service or writing a letter to his Congressman. My assistance has often been required, and I’ve been given a chance to revisit my own civics education against the anti-democratic themes of the recent world, including pandemic lockdowns and political coronations. The civics project starts with…

May 27, 2022 Annie Holmquist The tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, has shifted dramatically in the last few days from the horror of young lives needlessly snuffed out by a gunman, to the horror of why more wasn’t done to save them. Finger-pointing and blaming abound, particularly toward the police who responded to the shooting. Video footage and firsthand accounts have left many wondering why officials were so slow to respond and save the teachers and children who eventually died at the hands of the shooter. We can rant and rave and shout “coward” or “defund the police” as many on Twitter are doing in the face of such a tragedy.…

Annie Holmquist October 24, 2023 Everybody loves Mike Rowe. His matter-of-fact sense of humor, his humility, and his willingness to get involved in the many work sites featured on his “Dirty Jobs” show make him an endearing figure. But Rowe is also very intelligent. He has his finger on the pulse and problems of America in a way that many others often don’t recognize. Take the recent interview he did with Nick Gillespie of Reason in which he discussed how the missteps of the education system produced a generation of entitled young people who turn up their noses at blue collar or low-paying work. The absence of shop class is the first misstep Rowe…

1947-2023 Disability rights advocate Judy Heumann transformed my sons’ lives — and mine Michelle Buzgon March 7, 2023 The ‘mother of the disabilities rights movement’ profoundly impacted my family My kids lost one of their greatest champions this week. Though a world-traveler renowned and revered for her trailblazing disability rights activism, the inimitable Judy Heumann took an intimate interest in the lives of so many people — our family included.  I have my 20-year-old disabled son, Judah, to thank for my friendship with Judy. Judah has an extremely rare genetic mutation that science didn’t even identify until 2015, and wasn’t diagnosed in Judah until 2018, at age 16. Because of…

Willie Mays’ treasured bond with a Jewish family Mays, who died June 18, 2024 at 93, counted Jacob Shemano as a friend and financial advisor — and golf coach By Louis Keene  June 19, 2024 Willie Mays was in the prime of his career in 1963, but his finances were a mess. The Giants’ star outfielder had plunged into debt amid divorce proceedings, and even with more than half of his career home runs under his belt, was staring down bankruptcy. Then he met Jacob Shemano. Shemano was a banker whose kid, Gary, was shagging fly balls during warmups that day at Candlestick Park. They connected in the locker room afterward, where…

Individualism Among Incompetency and Injustice June 10, 2024 One fateful day in March 2020, the incompetent men shut down the world with lockdowns. It was the opposite of the premise in Atlas Shrugged. Who is John Galt? Who cares? The incompetent people could stop the motor of the world too. Atlas shrugs either by disappearing competence, or by an overwhelming mass of incompetence too great even for Atlas’s broad, strong shoulders. Competency crises seem to be brewing left and right and are constantly on public display of late. Consider the self-interested testimony of Fani Willis. Jared Bernstein, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, caused an interview to go…

The lost art of handwriting with a pen on paper Charles Krblich March 11, 2024 I remember the joyful, parental excitement I felt when we sent our oldest child off to kindergarten. I can recall his nervous agitation, not knowing what to expect, but also understanding that he was older now, and a big boy. At our first parent-teacher conference that year I noticed something that I had not thought much about until recently. The teacher — who was a fantastic kindergarten teacher — began writing her notes on the parent-teacher conference form. I noticed that her pen was not held, so much as it was grasped. Rather than a traditional writing grip…