As a paddleboarder, I have supported an organization called FREESUP SoCal; it is, frankly, an advocacy organization. We advocate for an open, data-driven process at the local, state, and federal level on regulation of life jacket wear for stand up paddleboarding […]
Politics
The Politics, or a-Politics, of the Evangelical Church in the 1970s
I came to Christ in 1973, at the high tide of the Jesus movement. No, we weren’t all hippies; the movement swept through secular colleges [even fraternities!] and youth groups as well. It is worth pointing out that my [deservedly […]
I Became a “Decline to State”
Nine years ago I became a nominal Democrat, a DINO [Democrat in name only] as I called it. I did so because it seemed to me at the time that the Republican party was being taken over by a group […]
The Real Reason I Liked the Insurance Mandate
I have often clashed with my conservative friends as to why I liked the insurance mandate of Obamacare [alas, it went away early this year]. For one thing, how is it different from the Social Security Tax, except it gives […]
My Cartesian Moment: How I Got Repoliticized
After I became a Christian in 1973, I lost interest in politics for a while. Partly, I was learning about new dimensions of reality above and below the earthly that were fascinating. But also, the view that I was getting […]
Reno vs. Sirico: A Debate on Economic Justice
I rarely link to videos, much less watch them myself. But this one I actually did. It contains a debate between two scholars on economic justice, both of them, interestingly enough, identified as ‘conservative’. They are Rusty Reno, editor of First […]
The Deals
There has been some unhappiness among the ‘base’ about President Trump’s recent agreement which might mean the continuation of Obama’s order protecting the Dreamers, those who were undocumented immigrants as children. Excuse me. Mr. Trump was known for writing a […]
Suggestions for the Democratic Party, Part 2: The Housing Issue
I just put out a post on the weaknesses and inconsistencies of the Democratic Party, and then realized that I had omitted one issue that is close to our heart here at Blue Kennel. I refer to, of course, the […]
If It’s Within the Law, Why Should There Be Hearings?
David Zahnizer, at the Los Angeles Times, has given us an article on the problems with the City of Los Angeles’ community plans, one of the major ones being that they are not finished yet. This is helping to create […]
Michael Lind: Can You Restrict Immigration Without Alienating Recent Immigrants?
Michael Lind is one of the most perceptive political and social observers of our time. He ‘scooped’ the Trump revolution, as I have said, before Trump even declared himself a candidate. And he has continued to be as perceptive. But […]