Christmas season 1949: Nineteen-year-old Sarah Arnold had given up all hope. She had convinced herself that the world would be better off without her. She went to the 23rd floor of Detroit’s Hudson’s Department store where she worked; there was a chute that ran the full height of the building. She had thrown boxes down […]

Like many non-profits, Oasis Free Clinics has core values – a set of principles that makes clear to our patients and partners what we stand for. They guide our decision making, inspire our team, and shape how we do our work.   One of our values at Oasis is service. As an organization that started 26 years ago […]

The U.S. Constitution has been in continuous use since 1789 – our best claim to being “the world’s oldest democracy,” or “democratic republic,” if you prefer.   But is it in good health? There, signs are less encouraging.  Among the oddest of recent legal doctrines has been the “originalist” school, which finds the Constitution adequate exactly as the Framers left it. The absurdity that a Constitution […]

Everyone’s complaining about Congress, but if you want to track the real, festering growth of Trumpism and its corrosive effect on our politics, you’re better served keeping your eye on state capitols throughout the land. Take my home state of Pennsylvania, where the Republican-controlled state House kept itself busy last week by advancing bills that […]

It is that time of year again when the citizens of Brunswick have one of their two opportunities to control what happens in their town. The first, of course, are municipal elections where they can choose who presides over their Town Council. The second is June 8 at the Coffin School, this year, for the […]