Literally the week before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, there was a slaughter. Dozens of state and local mask mandates and vaccine requirements were cut down as they stood, freeing American students and citizens from nearly two…
As schools close down yet again in response to the most recent COVID surge, it’s time to have a serious talk about schools in America. This is not the time to dive into education statistics, or pen some screed against…
As we ride into the summer, I’m delighted to see that we’re looking at the COVID-19 pandemic largely in the rear-view mirror, swinging our tequila bottles above the windshield of our national cherry-red convertible as we drive into the future,…
The COVID-19 Catastrophe: What’s Gone Wrong and How To Stop It Happening Again Richard Horton (Polity, Second Edition, 180 pages, $17) It is clear to everyone that the world of COVID-19 into which we have been hurled will become a…
“Science, not politics, must be the guide.” This was the proclamation made by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in April of this year. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, this concept of science as the ultimate decision-maker is one that politicians have rhetorically…
I want to write this all into a screenplay. An all-seeing, all- knowing surveillance regime, discovered affairs, mixed alliances, dire warnings, and a complete loss of trust in institutional powers could make for a great Netflix limited series on the world’s reaction…
It’s been five weeks since I first wrote about the impact of the coronavirus in my life and community. When I started writing, my state had just discovered 100 new cases in a single day. That was a big deal….
I used to like driving well over the speed limit. I grew up well outside Atlanta, and the posted speeds never represented the practiced reality, even on the most remote cow-trail roads winding through the woods. I always went faster…
This is a strange piece because of the nature of the crisis in which I find myself. It was written March 9 and 10. It’s likely a lot has changed in between the time I write this and the time…