by Tony W. Cartledge | Apr 7, 2021 | Opinion
I’ve seen more blaming than hand wringing over the Gallup organization’s recent poll showing that less than half of Americans claim membership in any church, mosque or synagogue. Gallup first started tracking church membership in 1937, when 73% of American adults...
by Tony W. Cartledge | Mar 31, 2021 | Opinion
The Israeli Antiquities Authority announced earlier this month the finding of a “new” Dead Sea Scroll in the Judean desert. Most news accounts tell only part of the story: the rest is far more interesting. The “new scroll” (and both words belong in quotation marks)...
by Tony W. Cartledge | Mar 24, 2021 | Opinion
I’m all for being sensitive to other people and trying to avoid unnecessary offense. The trouble with that is knowing where the lines are, and who qualifies as a victim of prejudicial language. Can any racial or ethnic group be stigmatized by stereotypes, or only...
by Tony W. Cartledge | Mar 3, 2021 | Opinion
Last week saw two significant developments regarding people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. A new Gallup poll of 15,000 persons found that 5.6% of adult Americans identify with one or more LGBT categories. The poll did not ask whether...
by Tony W. Cartledge | Feb 24, 2021 | Opinion
People of a certain age remember a 1987 public service ad campaign directed against drug use. An actor holding an egg says, “This is your brain.” He points to a cast iron frying pan bubbling with hot oil: “This is drugs.” Cracking the egg into the pan, he says “This...
