ArcaMax

About six years ago, there was a little boy named Charlie Gard.

Charlie lived in England, and had two loving parents who begged the country's National Health Service to provide experimental treatment for the boy, who suffered from a debilitating condition known as mitochondrial disease.

At every turn they were stymied because the ...Read more

In the wake of the off-year elections across the country last week, it became very clear that abortion was the single most important issue that motivated voters.

More specifically, it motivated voters to choose Democrats. In case after case, when abortion was on the table, the pro-life movement lost.

In Ohio, a reliably red state that ...Read more

Initially I said to myself, this is not my battle.

But then I watched, in horror, as people marched through the streets of Philadelphia chanting the genocidal slogan of the Palestinian people: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.”

Translation: Kill the Jews, push them into the river, keep faith with the ancestors and ...Read more

When I was a teenager, my father belonged to Philadelphia’s Union League.

Back then, in the late 1970s, women were excluded from the membership rolls. I also remember that the female guests who dined with their male friends were politely asked to use the entrance on Sansom Street. It was a delicate way of showing that they were welcome to ...Read more

There is something in asylum law called the “material support to terrorist” bar, which essentially states that if you have given significant assistance to a terrorist organization, you cannot obtain refuge in the United States.

In virtually all cases, any kind of support of a financial or tactical nature to a militant of any stripe, even ...Read more

One of the very first pieces of verse that I ever memorized was this, from Pastor Martin Neimoller:

“First they came for the Communists / and I did not speak out / because I was not a Communist.

“Then they came for the Socialists / and I did not speak out / because I was not a Socialist.

“Then they came for the trade unionists / ...Read more

When I learned that Josh Kruger had been murdered in Philadelphia last week, I felt the same sense of shock that most people experienced at hearing the news.

The media community in the Delaware Valley is fairly insular, even though we happen to be in a rather large market, and most of those who write either know personally, or have had some ...Read more

John F. Kennedy’s book “Profiles in Courage” told the story of a rare, few U.S. senators who went against the tide of popular opinion and committed acts that ultimately led to severe criticism and in some cases, political defeat.

The names are at best vaguely remembered and in some cases lost to history, but the idea of defying societal...Read more

When my father proudly mentioned to one of his colleagues that his firstborn child had just been accepted to Bryn Mawr College, he responded: “Let’s hope she doesn’t stop shaving her underarms.”

This quip was relayed to me years later by that same gentleman, with a half apology.

While there was some truth to the suggestion that ...Read more

I come from a long line of anti-fascists.

My cousin Adolph Pace was a member of the 101st Airborne Division that parachuted onto the Normandy beaches on D-Day.

His parachute was later used to make the wedding dress of my cousin Helen. The blood and dirt stains of battle were covered up with love and care by her mother Jennie’s crocheted ...Read more

The last time that I wrote anything about the Proud Boys, I got into some hot water.

There was a young man from the Bon Air Fire Department in Delaware County who had attended one or two Proud Boys meetings, and decided that it wasn’t for him. However, the mere fact that he had dared attend a meeting was considered sufficient grounds to ...Read more

Sometimes when I write about my father’s civil rights work in Mississippi, I get emails telling me that I should be proud of his fight against racism at a time when it was neither easy nor accepted, particularly in a young white man.

Other times I get comments about how bizarre it is that such a wonderful father sired such a backward ...Read more

I hate to be cliché, but I’m going to tell you a proverb you’ve probably already heard a hundred or so times.

There was a frog, and he saw this pot of boiling water and said to himself, “I’m not going there. I’m not crazy.”

A few days later, he saw another pot of water, and it looked rather lukewarm. Since the frog wanted to ...Read more

Over the weekend, I was looking for free movies to watch. Fortunately, some of the best films — black and white classics — show up on the budget channels.

One of my favorite B movies, the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," was available on demand. So I popped the popcorn, made some tea and settled in.

When I first saw this ...Read more

Conservatives are often hesitant to criticize other conservatives.

Florida issued its guidelines for teaching history last month, including a set of standards that covered the issue of slavery in grades 6 through 8.

It’s likely that what happened next would have been a big yawn for most folks, until Kamala Harris pointed it out in one of...Read more