A Writer’s Blog

  • “The tree of liberty must be refreshed … with the blood of patriots & tyrants.”

    The title of this post was taken from a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote in Paris, on Nov. 13. 1787. He sent that letter to William Smith. Those words do not appear in the Declaration of Independence. Those words do not appear in the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was the principle author of the Declaration of Read more

  • Living with PTSD One Day at a Time – a book review

    If combat or abuse of any kind, mental or physical, has traumatized you, I’m suggesting you read this memoir, even if it is the only one you real in your life. If you hate to read, then listen to the audiobook. Geeze, no excuses! You may also want to read this memoir if you know Read more

  • Tennessee: “Instead of Raging Over MAUS, Support Local People Who Are Fighting the Ban”

    Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog: Whitney Kimball Coe, director of national programs for the Center for Rural Strategies, advises those who are outraged about the removal of MAUS from the eighth grade curriculum by the McMinn County School Board to support those in the South and rural areas who agree with them, instead… Read more

  • A Site That Unmasks the Leading Anti-Vaxxers

    Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog: The New York Times recently wrote about Twitter’s suspension of the personal (not the official) account of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Twitter applied its rule of “five strikes and you’re out” because she posted misinformation about COVID and vaccines that could cause harm to others. Among other things,… Read more

  • Reader: The Founding Fathers Loathed the Filibuster

    Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog: A reader who identifies as Quickwrit posted the following comment about the filibuster. For most of our history, debates in the Senate could be used to delay consideration of a bill, even to kill it. But the filibuster was not written into law until 1917. Our Founding Fathers… Read more

  • Peter Greene on the Diversification of the Koch(topus) Brand

    Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog: Peter Greene explains how the Koch machine is creating new brands to hide its identity from the unsuspecting. The billionaires Charles and his late brother David were infamous for funneling Dark Money through front groups whose names sounded innocuous or inspiring. Now Charles Koch is reaching out to… Read more