Time to Think

Today's Climate                                                                                                 #235 By Hank Silverberg Today's climate? That title can be taken in several different ways. There's the political climate, which I write a lot about here, and we can only hope will improve somewhat. And then there's the actual climate of the planet, which is getting worse.  This week I noted a story about our water supply which could soon be a bigger, worldwide crises that far outweighs all the concern about fossil fuel. A study published in The American Association for the Advancement of Science   https://www.aaas.org/journals     shows that half the largest lakes in the world are in decline because of climate ...

Campaign 2024. Already?                    #234 By Hank Silverberg  I did not watch Donald Trump's "town hall" on CNN this past week. Frankly, I wasn't interested. I was pretty sure he would spout the same old nonsense about "rigged" elections and call Biden and Desantis nasty names. I was pretty much certain he would lie about everything, and there was no surprise when all the stories about the event came out. That's exactly what they reported.  The startling part here is how quickly the 2024 presidential campaign has raced to the bottom. But with Trump involved you knew that was going to happen. Surprisingly, the next day as I was watching my usual ten minutes of CNN in the morning as I got dressed, I saw an ADVERTISMENT for Trump on air. It's a bit early for that. I know some of the candidates have been strolling around Iowa and New Hampshire where they hope to make a splash in the early primaries. But really, anyone who doe...

Ethics                                                                                                                                #233 By Hank Silverberg  In 1974, a stripper named Fanny Foxe had to be rescued from the tidal basin near the U.S. Capitol. She had jumped in to avoid being caught with powerful Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur Mills of Arkansas. Police had pulled him over close by for driving without headlights. The ensuing scandal cost Mills his chairmanship, and he quietly retired from Congress at the end of his term.  (U.S. Capitol with tidal basin) Senator Gary Hart was a frontrunner for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1987 w...

  What's In a Word?                                #232 By Hank Silverberg We have come to a point now in our political world when words no longer mean what they were supposed to mean. Various factions will grab on to a word, distort it to meet their factional purpose, and thereby takeaway any real meaning at all. I have lectured on the use of all kinds of words to my students in communications classes, but here I want to focus on two words currently used in politics.  Let's start with a common basic word: patriotism! Merriam-Webster defines it this way:  patriotism noun pa·​tri·​ot·​ism   ˈpā-trē-ə-ˌti-zəm      :  love for or devotion to one's country To many people, that means flying the flag, joining the military or singing the National Anthem.  But that is not what it really means. Love of country comes in many forms, including caring for the sick or hungry ci...