Us versus Them, Redux
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Random Blogging on July 11th, 2010
When I was growing up in Anderson, Indiana, Jews were often viewed as an alien species. I can remember being asked—in all seriousness—whether Jews had tails, and whether we lived in houses, like “real people.” In addition to these innocent if disconcerting questions, I also remember being called a “dirty Jew” for the first (but [...]
Paradigm Shift
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Miscellaneous, Random Blogging on June 27th, 2010
In a recent column about urban relocation, Neil Pierce noted that “for humans, displacement from their known settings may be exceedingly painful…the psychological impact of forced removal from a familiar neighborhood is like a plant being jerked from its native soil.” He went on to acknowledge that holding neighborhoods static isn’t practical. Of course, it [...]
Beam Me Up, Scotty
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Gay Rights on June 27th, 2010
I should probably be ashamed to admit it, but my TIVO is set to copy episodes of Star Trek—mostly, the “Next Generation” but also the Deep Space Nine and Voyager spinoffs. I’ve watched some of these so often, I can repeat the dialogue. Verbatim. And although I like most science fiction, I vastly prefer those [...]
Defining Our Terms
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Local Government on May 29th, 2010
Anti-tax fervor has become a defining aspect of American politics—so much so, that here in Indiana we are getting ready to enshrine a so-called “property tax cap” in the state’s Constitution. (The existing law imposing such a cap is evidently considered inadequate.) Those of us who question the wisdom of such a measure are often [...]
Missing Hearts and Souls
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Gay Rights on May 26th, 2010
I’m going to ask for the indulgence of my readers, and quote a relatively long excerpt from an article that recently appeared in the Miami New Times in the wake of revelations about George Rekers, a leading Christian Right figure. (If somehow you missed those revelations, the short version is that Dr. Holier-than-Thou visited “Rentaboy.com” [...]
Recent Comments