What Do We Do With Them Afterward?
A viral image of pastors praying around a golden Trump statue initially seemed laughably absurd. But beneath the irony lies a harder question: what happens when a political movement built on idolatry, fear, and spiritual compromise finally collapses?
The Republic of Satire
Has political satire become more than comedy in our moment of democratic anxiety?
Reflecting on comedians as truth-tellers, this essay explores whether satire has become a kind of civic witness—and even a democratic immune response.
Why Tyrants Fear Laughter
Why does ridicule unsettle power in ways criticism sometimes does not?
Prompted by Jimmy Kimmel’s mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner monologue, this reflection explores why tyrants often fear laughter more than opposition.
When Violence Pretends to Save Us
When violence begins to feel righteous, democracy is already in danger.
A new post at Randomly Rudimentary Life Stuff explores assassination fantasies, patriotism, and why cultures are not healed by bullets.
When the Truth Doesn’t Fit the World You’ve Built
As headlines swirl about Kristi Noem’s husband, a deeper question emerges: what happens when who you are doesn’t fit the world you’ve built around you?
This Is What Fear Looks Like in a Democracy
As an ice storm grips the country, another kind of cold settles in—where fear replaces accountability and lethal force becomes routine.
The Straw Dog of Sharia—and the Real Religious Threat to Texas Law
Beware the political candidates who are fighting against the non-existant ‘Sharia-fication’ of Texas this campaign cycle. They’re the real threats to your freedoms.
Trump Isn’t the Disease. He’s the Fever.
Donald Trump didn’t invent America’s moral crisis. He revealed it. And even if the fever breaks, the deeper illness remains.
Songs in the Key of Me: Ticket to Ride
The music didn’t change. But it changed me. Reflections on “Ticket to Ride,” heartbreak, peer pressure, and the quiet permission to feel sad without shame.
Randomly Rudimentary Life Stuff 
Two Songs at the Ballpark
A seventh inning stretch at an Astros game sparked a reflection on patriotism, belonging, and why baseball’s organic rituals may unite us better than nationalistic ones.