Commentary
How do you solve a problem like Ron Johnson?
The Cook Political Report recently categorized Sen. Ron Johnson’s 2022 re-election race as a “toss-up” — making Johnson the only incumbent in the country to earn that dubious distinction, which is particularly unusual for a two-termer whose challenger is yet to be determined. And that was even before Johnson’s top-polling prospective opponent, Lt. Gov. Mandela […]
Afghan refugees remind us of how connected we are to the rest of the world
Early this week, as the eyes of the world focused on the rapidly unfolding tragedy in Afghanistan, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington, DC, sent out a poignant press release. The group’s statement had nothing to do with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, or the Muslim refugees desperately trying to flee the Taliban […]
Should the unvaccinated be denied health care?
The Hippocratic oath requires doctors to treat all patients equally — but what happens when you run out of doctors? This isn’t the first time medical staff and hospital beds were in short supply during the pandemic. There is, however, something notably different this time. In the early stages of COVID-19, patients overflowed hospitals at […]
COVID brings front and center the tug between individual rights and the public good
It seems that getting control of the coronavirus has brought front and center the question: When should an individual’s right become more important than what is in the best interest of the health and welfare of the people, the country? The Bill of Rights places a high priority on individual freedoms — the bedrock of our democracy […]
It’s time to reclaim Wisconsin’s legacy of water protection
August is National Water Quality Month, a month dedicated to bringing awareness to the fact that access to clean water is a human right we all share. In Wisconsin — home of 15,000 lakes, two of the largest freshwater bodies in the world, and an amount of groundwater roughly equal to the volume of Lake […]
Nonsense about critical race theory is beginning to do real harm
On Wednesday the Wisconsin Legislature’s Senate and Assembly education committees will hold a joint hearing on banning critical race theory in K-12 schools. Critical race theory — a previously obscure school of legal and academic thought that holds that racism isn’t just a matter of personal prejudice but deeply embedded in U.S. institutions through a […]
Debate on COVID vaccinations is reminiscent of smoking bans
This notion that one’s “rights” are more important than the health and well-being of others has a long history. Our problem with the unvaccinated is just the latest manifestation. Right. Americans are belatedly lining up in impressive numbers to be immunized against COVID-19. And, still, at about 60% of the population, not enough are doing […]
Fighting COVID with cream puffs
The changing guidance on protecting yourself and others from COVID-19 is both discouraging and confusing. Just recently, the uber-politically correct Willy Street Co-op on the east side of Madison was a mask-free zone — a sure sign the pandemic was lifting. Now, after the entire state’s COVID activity rate suddenly was upgraded to “high” by […]
Friday is the 76th anniversary of Hiroshima. Doomsday is closer than ever.
Let me tell you a story of witness and heartbreak. Friday is the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and that’s where our story is forever frozen in time. Unlike memories, which are malleable, fade with age, and eventually die with us, photographs bear perpetual witness. That’s why photo captions, ideally, should be […]
Running away from the GOP
The head of the Republican Party of Wisconsin quietly stepped down last week. According to Wispolitics it was during a recent summer vacation with his young children that it suddenly occurred to GOP state chair Andrew Hitt that he ought to quit. Can you blame him? Hitt took the job in 2018, right after Republicans […]
My daughter is enrolled in Pfizer’s vaccine trial because I don’t trust COVID
On a sunny Wednesday a little over a month ago, my 7-year-old daughter bravely held my hand as we walked into Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City to participate in a pediatric vaccine trial. After a numbing agent, a blood draw and a nasal swab, she was finally injected with either a placebo or the […]
The organized takeover of Wisconsin courts
It barely rated a mention in the news when, on June 28, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order relieving Court of Appeals Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer of her leadership duties. Neubauer ran for the Supreme Court in 2019 with the support of Democrats and progressives, in an election won by a razor-thin margin by […]