We have the best patients at Oasis Free Clinics. I have written that sentence often in this column, and I have uttered those words many times since becoming Oasis’ executive director six years ago. They are funny, kind, interesting, and thoughtful. They come to Oasis because of their lack of health insurance and need for […]

Women won’t accept attack on equality Alabama. Texas. Louisiana. Florida. Oklahoma. Idaho. Kentucky. Wisconsin. Missouri. North Dakota. South Dakota. Kentucky. Mississippi. These are places I will not visit. These are places I will not spend time or money. These are places that will be economically broken by the rise of right-wing politics because they have […]

Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, but he reacted completely differently than the 10 previous presidents who had also failed in their bids to remain in office. Ronald Reagan, in his 1981 inauguration speech, declared, “The orderly transfer of authority … is nothing less than a miracle.” Jimmy Carter, the president he defeated, sat […]

When Donald Trump launched his first presidential campaign in 2015, many people — including this writer — viewed it as some kind of joke. Would Americans really elect a crass reality tv star who boasted about his business genius and dismissed Mexicans as “criminals, rapists and thugs” to the nation’s highest office? Would they overlook […]

As some of you know, Independence Day is among my favorite holidays. This year we celebrate the 246th birthday of the United States. I look forward each year to decorating the award-winning “Freedom Truck,” riding in a small island parade, and grilling lunch for our large, brash family that itself is a cross-section of the […]

It was even more dire than we’d expected. The Supreme Court’s climactic decisions obliterating abortion and expanding gun rights were among the worst ever handed down, and the newly solidified five-member bloc, which now excludes Chief Justice John Roberts, shows every sign of just getting started. Naturally, the decisions were mutually contradictory. In the abortion […]

Maine shouldn’t become an abortion destination I think Maine wanting to go from Vacationland and The Way Life Should Be to becoming an abortion destination is gruesome. Here is something else to think about. There were over 63 million abortions in the U.S. since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. And we thought 1 million […]

On Thursday, June 23, we celebrated 50 years of Title IX, the landmark law that provided equal rights in accessing sports and education, regardless of gender. Today, our local papers laud sports teams for men and women in the same bold headlines and inspiring photos. Young athletes are cheered on from the stands by their […]

Thanks to SCOTUS, gun owners have more rights than women Why this Supreme Court has proclaimed that individual states (New York) can not limit the rights of gun owners by clearing the way for anyone to openly carry a gun but then says that states can control a woman’s right to health choices is extremely […]

In Christine Flowers’s June 21 column, she states that “persecution of Christians goes unabated.” She is absolutely correct! Christians have been persecuting Muslims, Jews and other non-Christians unabated for centuries. There is no continent on Earth, except perhaps Antarctica, that has been untouched by often deadly religious influence. Don’t get me wrong, I agree that […]