Tag Archives: politics

Donald, Thy Name Is Corruption (Gary Krenz)

Posted on July 11, 2026 by gdkrenz

Corruption. From the Latin corrumpere, which meant “to destroy, spoil, ruin, break to pieces” — and by extension, “to seduce or bribe.” When we say “corruption,” we of course think of things like graft, bribery, ill-gotten gains, misuse of power; we … Continue reading →

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The State of America (Gary Krenz)

Posted on July 4, 2026 by gdkrenz

Photo of Lincoln’s First Inauguration Well, here we are. We are sad, we are afraid, we are determined, we are hopeful, and we do not know what the future holds. But, here we are, and we have good reasons to … Continue reading →

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A July 4 Anthology

Posted on July 3, 2026 by gdkrenz

In her concurring opinion in Trump v. Barbara, Justice Jackson references Frederick Douglass: After the Civil War, Fredrick Douglass frequently reflected on the events of the time through the lens of biblical stories. In one speech, Douglass described how God leveled … Continue reading →

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Two visions of citizenship

Posted on July 2, 2026 by gdkrenz

As you know, the Supreme Court has rejected Trump’s Executive Order seeking to end birthright citizenship. This is the good news. The bad news is that the decision was basically 5-1-3, or more accurately, from the standpoint of the basic constitutional principle, … Continue reading →

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Revolution and Counterrevolution

Posted on July 1, 2026 by gdkrenz

We are, of course, about to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution of 1776. I say “commemorate” rather than “celebrate” because it is not clear what sort of celebration could be called for at … Continue reading →

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The Danger and the Opportunity

Posted on June 21, 2026 by gdkrenz

We are at a cusp in American history, a moment of crisis and opportunity. Trump is increasingly out of touch with reality, now alienating even parts of his base. But the Trump machine, the GOP machine, the Fox/Sinclair media machine … Continue reading →

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A Follow-up on the Bloomsday Thought

Posted on June 20, 2026 by gdkrenz

I’ve been thinking more about Ulysses and Leopold Bloom’s comment about history. “History,” he says, “is no life for man and woman!” “History means violence and hatred — the opposite of love. Let’s see if we can unpack this a bit more. … Continue reading →

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A Bloomsday Thought

Posted on June 16, 2026 by gdkrenz

Happy Bloomsday! If you are among the uninitiated, that means that today, June 16, is the day on which James Joyce’s Ulysses is set in 1904, the day in which the book’s protagonists — Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Molly Bloom — … Continue reading →

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The Shell Game About Social Security “Insolvency”

Posted on June 14, 2026 by gdkrenz

Robert Reich on his Substack has an excellent, brief piece on Social Security, which as usual is again under assault by Republicans, who are arguing that to make the program solvent, benefits must be cut and the age of eligibility … Continue reading →

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Misunderstanding Postmodernity (Gary Krenz)

Posted on June 8, 2026 by gdkrenz

I hope that readers will allow a little leeway for me to vent about a pet peeve: pundits and sometimes even supposed scholars pointing the finger at “postmodernism” as an explanation of our woes: loss of respect in institutions; loss … Continue reading →

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