Last week, I said that using this column to teach a class would be boring, but I do not want to leave the topic of political terms too quickly. After reading this series, you should have the …
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John Gottlied
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3/23/23
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On March 19, I heard yet another interview with science journalist David McRaney, whose book, “How Minds Change,” has been in the news a lot the last couple of years. His book, and his …
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Troy Smith
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3/23/23
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I recently heard someone say, “Tennessee is currently the most anti-gay state in America, as judged y legislative activity.” I’m not sure if that is true, but, if not, we have …
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Someone mentioned to me that my articles sometimes confuse her. She told me that sometimes I sound like a Republican and sometimes a Democrat, sometimes a conservative, and sometimes a liberal. So, I …
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John Gottlied
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3/16/23
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I want to begin this column by acknowledging John Gottlied’s statement last week that, despite our many disagreements, he is never attacking me personally because he believes I am a good man …
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Troy Smith
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3/9/23
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I am writing this on the second anniversary of my beginning this column. I still have a lot to say, and the world keeps giving me more every week, but I thought this would be an appropriate …
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I am writing this entry as a response to a statement Troy Smith has made a couple of times since I have been writing my column, but I believe this is something that we all should consider. Troy has …
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John Gottlied
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3/3/23
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Education is a long and complicated discussion this country needs to have. This country has some excellent educators, and it has some dangerous people posing as educators. Fortunately, our …
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John Gottlied
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2/24/23
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My apologies for going AWOL last week. It is an incredibly busy time at work, and I couldn’t find time to write a column.
This week, I want to respond to a couple of things my friend, …
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Troy Smith
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2/24/23
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I had intended to submit an article on the State of the Union address and the Republican response. Instead, I will just summarize that fact checkers (Breitbart, USA Today, CNN, Fox,…) …
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John Gottlied
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2/17/23
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It was the last football game of the season for West Wilson Middle School. As a sixth grader, Grayson was one of the youngest players on the field, and he had, perhaps, his best game of the year. As …
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Steve Playl
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2/12/23
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On the first week of February last year, my column was about a Tennessee school banning the graphic novel Maus, a Pulitzer Prize winning work about the horrors of the Holocaust. The school …
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Today is one of those days that I am responding in part to an article written by Troy Smith. I had almost this same discussion with Troy last week in social media posts and comments. Let me preface …
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John Gottlied
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2/9/23
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I have been writing this column for about three months now. It is time for me to take stock, evaluate, and reflect on what impact, if any, I am having. I recently had a visit with my doctor at the …
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John Gottlied
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2/2/23
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As I write this, it is Holocaust Remembrance Day. My uncle-by-marriage, who was a huge influence on me as a child and is the source of my love for history books and foreign languages, was a Holocaust …
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Troy Smith
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2/2/23
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Last Thursday (Jan. 19) was the 1st Tennessee Tech Martin Luther King, Jr. Candlelight Vigil. The event was organized by student activities coordinator Lakeisha Claybrooks and hosted by student …
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Troy Smith
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1/26/23
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Boy, do we now know more than we ever wanted to know about classified documents, or what? First, the FBI executes a search warrant on Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort and finds a couple hundred …
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Troy Smith
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1/19/23
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The hardest part of writing this column is not the writing, finding a topic, or even staying within my 650-word limit. I usually write about four articles for every article I turn in for print. …
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John Gottlied
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1/19/23
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I know that this is an opinion piece in a local newspaper with limited circulation. I understand the likelihood that I will ever inspire real change is miniscule, but all change begins as a …
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John Gottlied
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1/9/23
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Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of one of the low points of American history. A lot of people who supported Donald Trump might not want to think so; they may wish people would stop talking …
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Troy Smith
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1/9/23
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