Category Archives: National Politics

Eternal Optimism

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Thomas_Easterling

My friends Deb and Jim Fallows have a new book coming out tomorrow: Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America looks at cities around the country that have rebounded after devastating plant closings and the like. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National Politics, Pop Culture | 6 Comments

Does It Matter?

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Thomas_Easterling

Twenty-two million Americans tuned into 60 Minutes to learn about Pres. Trump’s alleged affair with a pornographic actress. One might be tempted to say that such affairs should have no bearing on a person’s ability to be the commander in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Gender Issues, National Politics | 16 Comments

Public Health v. Ethics

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Thomas_Easterling

State Rep. Andy Gipson (R-Braxton) has sponsored legislation that would allow parents to object to having their children vaccinated on the basis of religious objections. What might be unethical about vaccinations? According to critics, they’re forced rather than voluntary. (In … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National Politics, Science | 13 Comments

For Readers of The Hate You Give

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Thomas_Easterling

Following a recent class discussion of Angie Thomas’ The Hate You Give, I received an email from a student wanting to know if we could revisit a death scene in the beginning of the book from the perspective of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National Politics, Race in Mississippi | 16 Comments

And People Wonder Why I Make Jokes about Alabama

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Thomas_Easterling

I have no idea whether Roy Moore sexually assaulted teenage girls when he was a prosecutor in his early thirties. However, the reactions of his supporters are as politically tone deaf as refusing to remove a monument of the ten … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Gender Issues, National Politics, Politics | 24 Comments

I Wish This Were Sci-Fi

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Thomas_Easterling

Regardless of whether you believe climate change is natural or caused by humans, it appears that a new, worldwide health crisis looms: as layers of permafrost get warmer, microbes that had been trapped in twenty-degree chunks of earth and water … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National Politics, Science | 19 Comments

When Will the Pendulum Swing to the Middle?

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Thomas_Easterling

I’ve been trying to make sense of Roy Moore’s victory in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions. Moore, in case you didn’t know, is a former Alabama judge who was censured for having a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National Politics | 14 Comments

The Sun Sets on DACA

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Thomas_Easterling

Donald Trump won the presidency at least in part because he insisted on the need for immigration reform. His efforts to build a wall traversing our border with Mexico have stalled. However, he has recently signed an executive order rescinding … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National Politics | 22 Comments

Welcome to MSMS; Tragedy in Charlottesville

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Thomas_Easterling

Welcome aboard, Class of 2019! Welcome back, Class of 2018! If you haven’t blogged here before, the ground rules follow. All posts must be respectful and must refrain from ad hominems; discuss ideas rather than each other. If you can … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National Politics | 20 Comments