Commentary

You’re a liberal. You’re up in arms about the Tennessee teacher who was fired for telling his class that “white privilege is a fact.” But when an Indiana school administrator was dismissed for denying that idea, you sat on your hands. You’re a conservative. You’re outraged by the sacking of the Indiana educator, who was simply saying what he believed. But you won’t speak up for the Tennessee teacher, who was doing the same.

The news that Harvard University is setting aside $100 million to study and address the repercussions of its historical ties to slavery is only one such recent announcement by wealthy American institutions of higher education grappling with their pasts. In 2021, Georgetown University in Washington D.C. announced its own $400,000 annual financial aid reparations program affirming its obligations to the descendants of over 200 enslaved persons sold by that institution in the 1830s, including paying for tuition at Georgetown.

The explosive leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting the imminent reversal of Roe v. Wade has proved quite the Rorschach test for a country long divided over this most fundamental of moral issues. The usual combatants have reacted predictably, even though the document is, hello, only a “draft” by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and may or may not receive the predicted approval by five conservative justices. Pity Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who had this unprecedented leak on his watch and has ordered an investigation.

Which comes first: safe streets or more people? More people or safe streets? The question would seem to have an obvious answer, but I don’t think there is one — at least not in this age of endless guns, with some 400 million of them in civilian hands. By one estimate, the United States, with about 4.25% of the world’s population, has 46% of all the civilian-held guns in the world. We have so many guns, so many mass shootings and so much daily violence that my which-comes-first question seems quaint and probably irrelevant. But let’s walk through it.

In my role overseeing students who are teacher candidates participating in student teaching assignments and practicums, I have the pleasure of regularly visiting local K-12 schools. On one recent school visit, a colleague and I brought along a platter of baked goods to show our appreciation for the teachers and their hard work and dedication. ”Next time,” the principal of the school joked, “you can send us teachers.” She’s got a point.

I am grateful the Maryland legislature has taken bold, bipartisan action to protect Maryland families and firefighters from PFAS. The state Senate and House of Delegates voted unanimously to pass the George “Walter” Taylor Act to restrict the use and disposal of toxic PFAS chemicals. Del. Sara Love (D-Montgomery) and Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel) sponsored the bill, and Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) signed it into law April 21. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of more than 9,000 toxic chemicals that are used to make a wide variety of products water and grease resistant.

The leaked draft of a majority Supreme Court decision by Justice Samuel Alito overturning Roe v. Wade means several things. First, it indicates that in the justices’ private conference, at least five members of the court voted to reverse the 1973 abortion precedent. They aren’t bound by that vote, which they can change up to the day the final opinion is released. Almost all first drafts undergo significant revision based on discussion and debate among the justices. So the second point to make is that Roe isn’t yet overturned, though it very likely will be.

A large majority of Americans — dissatisfied and disillusioned — believe the country is on the wrong track. Major institutions are mistrusted. The Congress is dysfunctional. The Supreme Court has become unapologetically politicized. Corporate news media — both national and local — and social media alike have become rigidly politically and culturally aligned.