“Heaven is under our feet as well as above our heads.” —Henry David Thoreau Buddhists in Asia celebrate their savior’s birthday on different days, and this year the date ranges from April 8 in Japan to April 30 in China…
Author: Nick Gier
Public Health: Essential Services of the “Deep State” Are We All Socialists Now? Definitely Not Libertarians
“I don’t like having thousands of people around when you don’t need them.” -Donald J. Trump on public health employees “It will soon be down to zero. . .it’s under control. . . the flu kills more. . . “…
I’m a Delinquent St. Patrick’s Day Boy
“What Patrick gave the Irish was a faith that took the best of traditional pagan beliefs and redefined those in Christian terms.” -Steve Rabey, In the House of Memory My birthday is St. Patrick’s Day, but I’ve never made much…
Making the Case for Tuition-Free Higher Education European Institutions Graduate 11% More Than U.S.
“High college cost is a threat to Idaho’s economy at a time when employers are demanding a more educated workforce.” —Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy Denmark’s Higher Education Reforms In 1966 I traveled to Denmark as a Rotary Foundation Fellow…
Struck v. Defense Department: A Better Case than Roe v. Wade?
When Susan Struck was 23, she volunteered as an Air Force nurse in Vietnam. Before she signed on, she was warned that if she became pregnant she would be automatically discharged. When she arrived in Vietnam, she started dating an…
Look What the Virgin Birth has Wrought
The doctrine of the Virgin Birth is a slur on natural motherhood. —Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The Woman’s Bible I’ve been studying the world religions for about 55 years, and early on I discovered patterns in the birth stories that I…
Busting some myths about Portugal’s greatest hero
I will be taking a trip to Portugal next month, and I plan to see all the major sites in Lisbon. A number of them are dedicated to Vasco da Gama, the navigator who “discovered” the sea route to India.…
Women of the Revolution: Soldiers, Spies, and Resisters
“We possess a spirit that will not be conquered. Should we be attacked, you will find a race of Amazons in America.” —Abigail Adams to John Adams (9/20/1776) For some time now I have stopped using the phrase “Founding Fathers”…
The ‘logic’ of anti-abortion extremism ain’t pretty
“It is absurd to call a fertilized ovum a baby.” —Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain Only just recently pro-lifers have argued that abortions should be allowed up to the point when the fetus feels pain, or when a heart beat can be detected.…
Does Mike Pence have the patience of Job?
“I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create evil. Photo illustration by Ben Olson. I the Lord do all these things.” —Isaiah 45:7 (KJV) “God moves and actuates all in all, thus he moves and acts…