Preserving American Values

Our nation stands under attack … not from without but from within. American values, our politics, and our culture have been corrupted.

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about

Websites: www.westillholdthesetruths.weebly.com; www.preservingamericanvalues.com; www.thepracticalbuddhist.com. A graduate of Brown U. and U. of Chicago Law School, I’ve had a varied career as a legal aid lawyer, survey researcher, nonprofit executive, management consultant, composer, teacher, and author. I have authored 7 books on topics as varied as Buddhism, child rearing, and politics, the latter of which received a pre-publication endorsement from James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic. My Buddhist blog was selected as one of the top 50 Buddhist blogs on the web.

Category: Politics

  • Has Trump Never Heard of the Veto Override?

    The President seems to think that he has the final say over whether the government will be open or shut down if he doesn’t get his wall.  Not surprisingly, he does not seem to understand the constitution’s careful structure of checks and balances among the three branches of government. If Congress passes a bi-partisan spending bill…

  • To Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi: It’s Time to Stop Protesting the Wall

    Ok.  You’ve made your point that the wall, as opposed to other types of increased border security, is not a good idea for various reasons.  And you’ve made clear that you are not going to let Trump roll over you and the new Democratic majority in the House.  As a liberal/progressive I have supported your position. However, in…

  • Sen. McConnell’s Dereliction of Duty

    Senator McConnell’s refusal to consider legislation that the President will not sign is a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of Congress’ role under the Constitution.   Our democracy is justifiably famous for its then-novel system of checks and balances.  The three branches of government check each other.  Simply put, the executive checks the legislative through its veto…

  • What’s With the Wall?

    As a liberal/progressive, I think the wall is a bad idea for a variety of reasons.  It’s also a terrible image that the United States should not be associated with. But is funding for the wall something that Democrats should shut down the government over? We all agree, I think, that immigration should happen in an…

  • ATTN: Liberals & Conservatives – What Is the Role of Government?

    In these days of enraged people on both sides of the political spectrum, it would be helpful to take a deep breath, step back from the battle, and ask the question, “What is the role of government?” Specifically, our government. In answering this question we look to our founding documents. According to the Constitution the…

  • Why Trump Won in 2016 – Fake News

    In the irony of ironies, it appears that the most important reason why Trump won the election was fake news.  He not only manufactured it, but it was spread as real news by several broadcast organizations, most importantly Sinclair Broadcast Group, not Fox.   Yes, Hilary did not run a good campaign.  Yes, she wasn’t a very appealing…

  • Sen. Collins Tragic Error on the Kavanaugh Vote

    Part of the tragic error of Senator Collin’s thought process is that the issue and the hearing was not part of a criminal process concerning the guilt or innocence of Judge Kavanaugh. It was about whether he should become a Supreme Court Justice. Therefore the maxim “innocent until proven guilty” is not relevant. The fact…

  • A Call to the American People

    My fellow Americans.  Our democracy is under attack from within.  The well-being of the American people, the environment, and our historic values are at risk.   But we must do more than resist.  The American people must rally, touch their basic goodness, and be freed of feeling they have to fight for their lives alone.  This cancer impacts all Americans…

  • Why Judge Kavanaugh Is Not Qualified to Sit on the Supreme Court

    There is no question that Judge Kavanaugh has all the paper credentials one could ask for.  His education and years on the bench clearly make him qualified in that sense for his appointment. However he is not qualified in terms of the judicial temperament requisite of a judge, especially a justice of the Supreme Court.  The essence…

  • More Amorality of Donald Trump – Health Care

    I previously wrote two posts on actions that show that Donald Trump will do and say anything he feels he needs to in order to get what he wants.  He has no morality or ethics.  It’s all transactional.  The end definitely justifies the means for him. Today’s New York Times provided yet another example.  The Trump administration announced that they were…