In my first Substack post in January, 2021, I wrote: "Society's Slender Threads Are Fraying. How Can We Restore Them?" Things have only gotten worse since then. I outlined an 11-point mission statement for a newsletter and online community. Read. A weekly e-newsletter is free. Full access to all content is just $5 a month … Continue reading Society’s Slender Threads Are Fraying. How Can We Restore Them?
ICE Has Low Recruitment Standards
Laura Jadeed in Slate explains how easy it is to get a job with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Without Reference Checks, Little Training, and Giving Firearms To Bully People. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/ice-recruitment-minneapolis-shooting.html ICE Accused Her Of A False Report. She Says She Has Proof Spokesman Is Lying https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/ice-recruitment-trump-administration-dhs-minneapolis.html
Backstory to the 1783 Treaty of Paris Ending the American Revolution and Establishing the United States
People forget that the American Revolution was part of a global war among European empires -- Great Britain, France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, and their colonies in Jamaica, Gibraltar, India, and North America. And that ending the conflict was very complicated. On September 3, 1783, Benjamin Franklin and the other peace commissioners signed the Treaty … Continue reading Backstory to the 1783 Treaty of Paris Ending the American Revolution and Establishing the United States
Mass Protests Against Lawless Actions, Shootings, Killings and Detentions By ICE
Mass protests against masked immigration agents are happening day-to-day around the country, PBS News reports, as does the NYT. Native Americans are being swept up by ICE in Minneapolis, tribes say. Tribal leaders say Indigenous people have been stopped, questioned, harassed, and, in some cases, detained solely on the basis of their skin color or … Continue reading Mass Protests Against Lawless Actions, Shootings, Killings and Detentions By ICE
Fascism Is Back, But Should We Call It That?
Fascism, a U.S. Army pamphlet explained for soldiers in 1945, “is government by the few and for the few. The objective is seizure and control of the economic, political, social, and cultural life of the state.” Democracy -- government of, by, and for the people -- stands in the way of fascism, which is about … Continue reading Fascism Is Back, But Should We Call It That?
Want to Feel Connected? There’s A Book For That
PBS News Hour: Books “make people who are not like us more human,” says Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation. She grew up loving books and their ability to make readers more empathetic to unfamiliar ideas and characters, even when all the reading is done in our bedrooms by ourselves. Lucas gives … Continue reading Want to Feel Connected? There’s A Book For That
Is There A Middle Ground on Minneapolis Shooting?
Michael Smerconish evaluates the missing middle of the debate over the death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Sides are being drawn along their typical partisan lines. The left cries “murder;” the right, “self-defense.” In truth, it is a glaring lack of critical thinking and independent judgment that encourages people to suit up in their … Continue reading Is There A Middle Ground on Minneapolis Shooting?
Renee Good Told Officer, ‘I’m Not Mad At You’ Just Before He Killed Her. A War On ‘Illegals’ That Cannot Succeed
A trained legal observer, Renee Nicole Good, had just dropped off her six-year-old son at school in Minneapolis when she encountered an ICE raid. New video evidence adds to the story and to the brutal mass deportations in the U.S. This is the focus of my Substack piece. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/renee-good-told-officer-im-not-mad A War on Illegals That Cannot … Continue reading Renee Good Told Officer, ‘I’m Not Mad At You’ Just Before He Killed Her. A War On ‘Illegals’ That Cannot Succeed
Legal Observer Killed By ICE in Minneapolis; 2 Immigrants Shot in Portland
Renee Good, a 37-year-old protester, American citizen and mother of a six-year-old boy, was shot and killed Wednesday by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Though video from different angles raises serious questions about the necessity of the killing, President Donald Trump. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Vice President J.D. Vance were quick to rush … Continue reading Legal Observer Killed By ICE in Minneapolis; 2 Immigrants Shot in Portland
How Jan. 6, 2021 Is Remembered in History: A Partisan Fight
Just as with historical memory over the U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction, there is now a fight over how the 2021 Capitol riot will be remembered in history and in popular culture. At taxpayers' expense, the Trump White House has whitewashed the event with a propagandistic website that distorts the historical record and does not … Continue reading How Jan. 6, 2021 Is Remembered in History: A Partisan Fight
Back To Textbooks: Denmark Cuts Back On Digital Learning
France 24 English reports on how Denmark, which has long been a global leader in digital innovation and learning, is cutting back on the use of screens -- computers and smart phones -- in schools in favor of developing better social skills face to face.
Teaching History's Slender Threads, Including 'What Ifs', Almosts, Alternatives and Turning Points 