I don’t remember the first time I heard the phrase “you’re a loose cannon” or “(so and so) is a loose cannon,” but it was probably on television or in a movie. It’s a fun phrase to say, and it denotes a person who is chaotic and unpredictable. Somebody calls the bombastic main character in an action film a “loose cannon.” The audience laughs all giddy. They love the reckless cavalier. Continue reading
5 Disrespectful Monuments Needing Removal (or Remodeling)
The removal of a Confederate monument in New Orleans has inspired folks in other towns to raise funds and build the momentum of removing from the public eye various Confederate monuments that have been raised across the nation.
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Taking A Course
I was never really fond of the word “class” in referring to being enrolled in a series of lessons. It’s seemed a bland, confusing word. The word comes from the Latin word classis, meaning a division of people, which is why we use the word to refer to groups of students as well as groups of people based, sort of, on income. It’s also why we use it as a noun to refer to someone as “having class” (meaning, we assume, high class). Continue reading
Handmaid’s Tale: 5 Thoughts About Our Christian Identity
The Handmaid’s Tale has been much talked about ever since the famous novel became a miniseries on Hulu. Like any good dystopian story, the novel wasn’t meant to ask “what if” about the future so much as “how so” about the present. Dystopian stories warn us of what might happen tomorrow. Great dystopian stories plumb deeper, asking what it is about us now that could bring us there.
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Why The Civil War Happened
The Civil War was a tragic confrontation of a once unified people deeply divided by polarized values. There were heroes on both sides who fought hard for what they believed in, strongly convinced that their cause was the righteous one. Lives were lost, and great damage was done before the healing could begin again. But what exactly was the cause of this bitter strife that wrecked the nation? Honestly, the answer is complex and it depends on who you ask. I did the research, and after looking diligently into the matter, I’ve offered a summary of the various theories.
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The “Moving the Goalposts” Fallacy
Don’t you hate it when a friend agrees to a set of rules in a game and then complains about them? They try to claim they actually won by weaseling their way out of the contractually agreed-upon rules?
This is a logical fallacy in argument known as moving the goalposts. This fallacy is commonly considered a version of the special pleading fallacy. After a claim is shown to be false, an attempt at making a special exception is made. Continue reading
5 Reasons Why Trade Sanctions are Bad Foreign Policy
So, you hear a lot about sanctions when countries are at odds with one another. You’ve probably heard some about it recently too. A sanction is one country, attempting to penalize another country, places trade restrictions on that country. This also includes imposing tariffs and “freezing” another country’s assets. These sanctions amount to a nation holding hostage another nation’s ability to trade.
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