There is a famous quote of President Reagan saying that it is unfair to sailors to say that Democrats spend like drunken sailors. (Video below.) Continue reading Who “Spends Like a Sailor?”
Category Archives: Critical Thinking
Pertains to discerning authentic truth, bias, and achieving the civil discourse essential to democracy.
Fear
For about 10 seconds our conversation was impossible. Two Navy jets on final approach to the US Naval Station just a couple of miles from where we are camped made a deafening roar that it was impossible to talk over. “The sound of freedom,” Mark declared after they passed.
That sentiment has provided me with a lot of food for thought over the last several days. It’s is emblematic of the widely held belief that our overwhelming military strength alone is capable of safeguarding our freedoms. Although I recognize our need for strength, I question the scale of our military and the focus. Russia and China together spend half what we do each year. I think a great deal more than military power is required to keep us free. In fact I’m coming to believe that the greatest enemies toward freedom lie within our own society. Continue reading Fear
Conspiracy Thinking
More than a half century ago, when I was a teen, I enjoyed reading science fiction. It was the 1950s and reports of flying saucer sightings regularly hit the news. Tabloids carried accounts of alien abductions. The movies and fiction writers exploited the public’s interest and produced all manner of fanciful entertainment that speculated about what it would be like if space aliens were among us. There was a TV comedy staring a Martian. Not surprisingly, there was a fringe of believers who speculated that aliens had secretly taken over the US Government. Continue reading Conspiracy Thinking
Honest Gil
What Can We Do?
Is American Democracy Hopeless?
The most expensive Senate campaign ever is underway in Kentucky. Millions will be spent, most of which is coming from outside of the state. It’s an outrage, and a demonstration of the dysfunctional campaign finance system that has corrupted our democratic process. Polling shows that over 90% of Americans think we should get the big money out of politics, but few people see much hope of that actually happening. Continue reading Honest Gil