From time-to-time at ThoughtWidget.com we will discuss the state of American democracy and the threats that it faces. As the groundwork for those discussions, please see our definition of the 4 most critical elements of American democracy. Note that these are not the only important elements, but they are the most …

We were thirsty, the three of us. And hungry too. Jilli, petite and erudite, had come from class and, being a ‘dammer, had arrived on her bicycle. Tiger, tall and athletic and incurably mischievous, was restless. She had spent the afternoon in Vondelpark making new friends, 2 and 4-legged. Tiger …

Today, President Obama announced a new policy with regard to Americans taken hostage abroad. According to the president, the current policy that the US government will not pay ransom or make concessions to hostage-takers has not changed. What has changed is that the government will not prosecute anyone (e.g. family …

The reaction of the people of Charleston to last week’s mass shooting at the city’s Emanuel AME church, particularly in the faith community, has been nothing short of inspiring.   The killing of 9 worshippers at the church by an apparently deranged white supremacist young man has shocked the city. Predictably, …

  All journalists and observers whose job it is to follow the 2016 presidential election, get on your knees.  I don’t care if you’re religious or not. Atheists, agnostics, deists, wiccans, all of you.  On your knees.  Direct your thoughts toward whomever or whatever guides the universe.  If you think it’s …

Observing the leading candidates from the two major political parties, Jeb Bush for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats, I am wondering whether either really wants to be President of the United States. The expectations for both candidates are high, and both have seemed at times less than …

It has been a challenging week for Rachel Dolezal, president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP.  Dolezal, who has long passed herself off as black or mixed-race, was revealed by her parents to be of Czech and German ancestry with a dash of Native American.  They provided a …

Day 2 I am loading up to go to Little Havana: all the equipment in the car, grabbing some extra clothes, when she buttonholes me. Was I going south? No more bikes up here; can you take me as far as Sunrise? Sure, why not? She gets in and off …

The popular adoption of the Internet and cable television as sources of information in the past 30 years has revolutionized the way that the average person receives news. Before the 1980s, the available sources of daily news were limited to newspapers, radio, and broadcast television.   Many small towns had a …