Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press The email cry for help came from a colleague whom I’ve never met in person, He’d been invited to give the invocation at the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast in Seattle, the epicenter of the coronavirus. My gut reaction was “Run Away! Run Away!” But I settled down when … Continue reading For Coronavirus: distract, suppress and shift – by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press This time of year should be all about kindness, generosity, and, of course, love. But there’s precious little love in the air these days. Whether watching the news, looking at Face Book, or checking out Twitter, what we see is the glorification of snark. Insults, meanness, threats, … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season of Love, but the Era of Hate – by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press The United Nations designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorated this week, to remember the six million Jewish victims and millions of other victims of the Holocaust. This Day marks the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a set of work-death camps in Nazi-occupied Poland. The hope … Continue reading Hate: Everything old is new again – by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press Never heard of UHBIOC? Think again. The initials stand for Uncivil, Hate and Bias Incidents on Campus (UHBIOC) and rarely a week goes by without an incident on campuses. CNN reported 5 incidents in just one week with swastikas and nooses on campuses in Georgia, Wisconsin, Alabama, … Continue reading Swastikas and nooses: campus hate speech or free speech? – by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press We all understand the retail exhaustion of this season, but did the driver of a random car passing by have to toss his empty soda can onto my front lawn? And we all know that the cleaner upper isn’t the driver, it’s me. I’m reminded of a … Continue reading Mother Nature’s daughters are cleaning up – by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press Reporters haven’t lacked for stories about hate groups and lone wolves whether it’s Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, Milwaukee’s acid attack on a Latino, Dallas’ shooting of a transgender woman, or El Paso’s Walmart massacre. So I was surprised to see journalist from around the region looking … Continue reading Reporting and counteracting hate is everybody’s job- by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press Ukrainian-born Comedian Yakov Smirnoff jokingly said Russia’s secret police, the KGB, stood for Kiss Goodbye Your Butt. That was decades before another comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, became Ukraine’s president. But Zelensky knows there’s nothing funny about Russia’s annexation of the eastern part of his country. Fortunately, we have … Continue reading Don’t Underestimate Putin’s Threat – by Deborah Levine
(originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press) What should I write about in these incredibly tumultuous times? It’s impossible to keep up with the Ukraine details. Then there’s asking China to investigate the Bidens when Donald Trump Jr. developed luxury condos in Indonesia with millions in cash from a China-owned construction business. And Reuters reports … Continue reading We’re lost in space – by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press In a month where there seems no end to disasters, scandals, and threats, I celebrated my birthday looking for a ray of hope. Can a whiff of integrity emerge from a whistle blower’s urgent concerns that apparently link our president, the Ukraine, and extortion? Will our faith … Continue reading All is not lost – by Deborah Levine
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press The GOP is determined not to be upended by Sharpie Gate. Presidential primaries in several states have disappeared and the party wants us to know “…The contrast between Mr. Trump and the Democratic field is a demonstration of just how much Mr. Trump understands the American psyche … Continue reading It’s the Environment, Stupid – by Deborah Levine