The other day I was walking around the neighborhood with a friend of mine, a girl who relatively recently moved here from France. In the random slew of nonsensical subject matter that typically influences our conversations, she commented (or more seemingly, complained) about the number of American flags scattered about. Apparently, this would not occur in Europe.

"Do I really need to be remind... Read more!

Arizona and the Least of These: A Christian Response to SB 1070

There are many questions to be asked about SB 1070, Arizona's controversial new immigration law: questions of constitutionality, of enforcement, of specific provisions, of racial bias. These issues are certainly important and require much thought and discussion. But for the follower of Jesus they must take backseat to a much more imp... Read more!

The topic of human cloning presents much controversy in the United States. Many believe immediate action should be taken to create a nationwide cloning ban in order to ensure safety from the potential threats this procedure presents. On the contrary, human cloning proponents claim that people would reap significant benefits, such as various medical cures and the ability to potentially fix inferti... Read more!

Note: I spent the first six weeks after the end of the past academic year with my uncle and aunt in Amman, Jordan. One weekend, we traveled to occupied Palestine, visiting Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jerusalem. In a series of three posts, I will draw from my experiences in these cities to reflect upon such subjects as the nature of the occupation, nonviolent resistance, holiness, and pilgrimage. The fi... Read more!

The way I see it, there are four huge problems our government has to deal with when it comes to financing its operations (I know I'm simplifying things a bit): healthcare, the insolvency of Social Security, tax, and the deficit. So I'll touch on each of these individually.

#1. HEALTHCARE

Before I get into any specifics, I want to offer a disclaimer: this is a very centrist/bipartisan plan I'm ou... Read more!

Good thoughts, Mr. Jacob McMichael! I'm glad you're thinking and writing about these things. We must solve this polarization somehow. The stakes are huge. The very survival of civilization may rest on how we resolve these divisions.

Mr. McMichael stated, "the one main cause that encompasses all of the issues that have led to the polarization in America is our current two party political system."
... Read more!

On June 16, 1858 Abraham Lincoln famously stated "A house divided against itself cannot stand." This comment was in reference to the fact that half of the states were slave states and the other half were non-slave states. One hundred and fifty years later this statement still applies to our country in a very real way. No longer is slavery the issue that divides, instead the issues range from race ... Read more!

This article was first published on May 31st, 2010 in the Plain Dealer.

While driving through one of Ohio's main urban centers, I spotted a homeless man sitting on the cold, steel guardrail at the edge of the road. Grim, dry and unshaven, his face was like a stained and crinkled map upon which I was compelled to look. But, unlike the maps I loved to peruse in grade school, this was one I could n... Read more!

This article is a refutation of the analysis, "A Guide to Voter Caging", by New York University's Brennan Center for Justice (http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/a_guide_to_voter_caging/). The author's specific contention is with the following: "The NVRA [National Voter Registration Act] therefore carefully regulates the conditions under which a state may purge a registered vo... Read more!

The Death of Economic Idealism: How the Events of the Past Decade Have Reshaped American Economics

The years from 2000 to 2010 have bred confusion and change in the United States and around the world. Terrifying in their scope and overwhelming in their severity, the events of this decade have left national leaders faced with formidable economic obstacles.

The year 2000 greeted America with a ... Read more!