Author: KJ McElrath

No Regulations. No Political Help. Citizens Take Aggressive Stand Against SHELL

No Regulations. No Political Help. Citizens Take Aggressive Stand Against SHELL

Posted by | Jun 17, 2015 | |

Historically, the majority of Progressives have maintained faith in the ability of law and the democratic process to enact social and political change. In recent years, however, that faith has been sorely tested – and is fading fast. This is not the first time in U.S. history that the forces of unbridled capitalism and the sheer power of virtually unlimited wealth has threatened our democracy. During the “Gilded Age” of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, greedy men with lust for power and too much money and influence ran rampant and political corruption was endemic. It happened again...

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Texas Prosecutor Disbarred for Illegally Sending A Man to Death Row

Texas Prosecutor Disbarred for Illegally Sending A Man to Death Row

Posted by | Jun 16, 2015 | , |

The legal profession is a noble and time-honored one, despite high-profile examples of a few “bad apples.” At their best, lawyers constitute the thin line between justice and tyranny. Even fictional Los Angeles D.A. Hamilton Burger – aggressive prosecutor that he was – would acknowledge to his nemesis, criminal defense attorney Perry Mason, that both sides were interested in justice above all. This makes it all the more tragic when those who are supposed to be working for justice lose sight of that goal, whether it be because of ambition, pride, prejudice or all three. Case in point: The People of Texas...

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Who Are We, Anyway (And Does It Really Matter)? Part 2

Who Are We, Anyway (And Does It Really Matter)? Part 2

Posted by | Jun 16, 2015 | |

Below is the second part in a two part series on the question of whether our outward appearance and identity is significant. There exists a wide range of opinions and beliefs on the subject of Rachel Dolezal, educator and civil rights worker. These range from anger and outrage over the deception to disappointment and sympathy. We begin with the facts as they have been presented. 37-year-old Rachel Dolezal is actually of Central European and “slight” Native American ancestry, born in Montana. As a young teen, her family moved to Colorado. Shortly after the move, her parents adopted four African-American...

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Who Are We, Anyway (And Does It Really Matter)? Part 1

Who Are We, Anyway (And Does It Really Matter)? Part 1

Posted by | Jun 15, 2015 | |

You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear, You’ve got to be taught from year to year, It’s got to be drilled in your dear little ear, You’ve got to be carefully taught! Oscar Hammerstein III, South Pacific Over the course of human history, there has always been the concept of “Other.” It wasn’t always about skin color, or god concepts. Often it was language or dialect, or some small difference in the way a group did things. Sometimes, it was as simple as the “Other” living on the opposite side of a river or one group living...

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Time for Pope to perform exorcism on GOP climate deniers; evil runs deep

Time for Pope to perform exorcism on GOP climate deniers; evil runs deep

Posted by | Jun 13, 2015 | |

During his brief tenure, His Holiness Pope Francis has won a great deal of admiration and respect from Catholics and non-Catholics alike – and deservedly so. He has been fearlessly outspoken on the issues of poverty, inequality, predatory capitalism, warfare and prejudice. He is the first Pope in history to actively reach in friendship out to leaders of other faiths, including Judaism and Islam. He even acknowledges and blesses the non-believers. According to some accounts, the Argentine-born Pontiff also danced a mean tango in his salad days. And as a Jesuit, he knows something about science. The Order of...

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