Increasing civics knowledge

read more…: Increasing civics knowledge

Recently I was playing a game of Kahoot with a roomful of youth in 6th through 12th grade (GenZ and GenAlpha) and a question regarding President Reagan came up. One of the youth shouted out, “Who is Ronald Reagan?” And almost none of the youth knew who Reagan was…and sadly most of the youth are in high school. 

Informed voters wanted

read more…: Informed voters wanted

In 50 days, we will be heading to the polls to choose a new President and Vice-President, as well as members of the House, and in some states Senators, and in states like New Hampshire, Governor, Executive Council, State Representatives, State Senators, and County offices. It is often said that “this election is the most important of our lifetime,” to which I usually laugh, but believe that this one may be because our choices represent two very different directions for our state and country. 

Fixing the criminal justice system: Restorative Justice

read more…: Fixing the criminal justice system: Restorative Justice

I was recently reading about the criminal justice system, specifically corrections, and how the recidivism rate between 2016 and 2019 showed that within ten years of release, 82% of state inmates were arrested again, and that 62% of those arrested went back to prison. So basically, 62% of the incarcerated returned to prison…not a good rate and certainly flies in the face of one of the goals, (or desired outcomes), of the criminal justice system. *(Note that 2016-2019 was the latest statistics that I could find, and that the “arrests” and re-imprisonment were for crimes of homicide, rape, and sexual assault). So what is the solution?

Space: Our final frontier

read more…: Space: Our final frontier

I was listening to an interview with Elon Musk the other day, and he was talking about how we seem to have stopped dreaming about space exploration – or at least stopped exploring. He mentioned how we put a man on the moon back in 1969, how we had Space Shuttle launches (1981-2011), and of course, we have the Internation

Do political parties add to divisiveness?

read more…: Do political parties add to divisiveness?

In following the 2024 presidential campaign, I find myself longing for the days when those seeking political office talked more about the issues than trying to score political points by pointing out the personal imperfections – most of the time some character flaw rather than their abilities – of their opponents, or worse that of their opponents families. I remember when people debated issues, didn’t yell or act hateful, maybe disagreed but respected the other, and when “politician” wasn’t seen as a bad word

Christian denominations: The good and the bad

read more…: Christian denominations: The good and the bad

In my last article, I wrote a brief history of Christian denominations. I originally wanted to include both the benefits and the problems of denominations, but because the history and theological significance of denominations is so rich, I decided to not make the article any longer by adding to it. Instead I am writing about the benefits and problems with Christian denominations this week.  

Keeping the wall between church and state

read more…: Keeping the wall between church and state

I want to make it clear that I believe that there is a difference between the Separation of Church and State and the outright removal of God from the public square. For example, I do not believe that “In God We Trust” needs to be removed from money because it is a phrase and I do not believe that it alone establishes a religion. However, like John Locke, I believe in religious tolerance and believe that the government should be a secular institution. I believe that the government should serve the interests of all citizens regardless of their religious beliefs. 

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