Thoughts – Dennis C Merritt

My heaviest thinking might be in the book “Reflection–Human Entanglement” which explores how we’re all connected, through thick and thin.

Other than that there are short essays. The full list is at the end, but some of my favorites, often letters published in the Greenfield Recorder, are:

Self Reliance and BLM — what self-reliance might mean in the inner city.

Libertarians vs. Progressives — wouldn’t it be nice if these were our two parties.

Millennials and Boomers — it’s not actually the generation that’s important but the age of its members.

Tales of a Dance Monarch — musings, with real cases, on the difficulties of creating a safe environment at a contra dance.

Women Characters in Fiction — men and women write women and men differently, with maybe some insights into the miscommunications behind the Me Too movement.

Beauty as a Curse — maybe feminine beauty is more of a handicap that a disability.

Jefferson Davis’ Civil War — notes on reading the president of the Confederacy’s history of the war.

Title
An Arab Point of View November 21, 2023 This letter was published in the Greenfield Recorder, a wonderful forum for community opinions. It’s not meant to endorse any actions on either side of the current Middle East situation, but merely understand at least one Arab’s point of view.(Note — Salmon Falls is at the center of Shelburne Falls and was a place for … Continue reading "An Arab Point of View"
Pencil and Paper September 28, 2023 The Economist columnist, Johnson, recently wrote about the advantages of pencil and paper over computers for writing and note taking. I totally agreed, and wrote this letter to him/her. Dear Johnson, There are four sections I read without fail in the Economist. The Obituary, the bottom right letter to the editor, Lexington, and your column, … Continue reading "Pencil and Paper"
Are Juries a Good Idea? April 4, 2023 Let’s think about our trial system, and how it might apply to our democracy itself. In a criminal trial, there is the “prosecution,” made up of advocates for proving the defendant is guilty, and the “defense,” made up of advocates for proving the defendant is not guilty. These advocates argue their sides of the case, … Continue reading "Are Juries a Good Idea?"
TikTok December 24, 2022 Given what I’d read about TikTok, the Chinese app that’s captured our country, that it’s silly videos of teenagers lip-syncing and dancing, I didn’t have much interest in it. But I had created some instructional videos on YouTube about chord scales for jazz guitar that I was looking to get wider exposure for, so I … Continue reading "TikTok"
Abortion, Ireland, Citizens’ Assembly May 16, 2022 I never liked Roe v. Wade. It never seemed right to me that nine, politically appointed, individuals should decide the law of the land on a topic like abortion. That should have been Congress’ job, to meet and deliberate, weigh all sides of the issue, and come up with good law that reflects the will … Continue reading "Abortion, Ireland, Citizens’ Assembly"
Forest and Trees August 13, 2021 Pat Hynes, on the anniversary of Hiroshima, wrote an op-ed piece in the Greenfield Recorder about work to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons and looked to the way a forest of trees cooperates as a model for human behavior. In that same issue of the Recorder was an article about a couple with a … Continue reading "Forest and Trees"
Citizens’ Assemblies April 28, 2021 A recent letter to the editor outlined what the author thought would be a reasonable approach to immigration reform. It got me to thinking about what a friend of mine had explained to me about Citizens’ Assemblies, a form of sortition. What’s sortition? It turns out the Athenian Greek democracy did not elect representatives. Instead … Continue reading "Citizens’ Assemblies"
Condiments February 28, 2021 Opinions on the optimal mixing of condiments. Ham Sandwich When making a ham and Swiss and tomato sandwich with mayonnaise and mustard, it’s nice to arrange the ingredients in such a way as to maximize tasting pleasure when they mingle in the mouth. Clearly the ham should be in one layer, the tomato in another, … Continue reading "Condiments"
Self Reliance and BLM January 27, 2021 A rather conservative thinker in our area wrote an editorial in our paper a while back about an argument he had with a millennial. His point was people should be self-reliant and not ask for government handouts. These were my thoughts on the matter. Mr. O’Rourke wrote a thought-provoking My Turn column, maybe a month … Continue reading "Self Reliance and BLM"
Empathy for the Right October 23, 2020 My self selecting circle of Face Book friends are overwhelmingly against Trump. Many ask, how can anyone still support this guy? I, personally, don’t like him. But I like to try to understand different points of view. I have some sympathies with conservative political views, and the few Trump supporters I know are not xenophobic … Continue reading "Empathy for the Right"
Libertarians vs. Progressives June 3, 2020 Our local paper, the Greenfield Recorder, had recently published an op-ed piece advocating a libertarian approach to the pandemic. This was my op-ed published a short while after. It was refreshing to read John Blasiak’s My Turn a while back, and to see all the dialog he stirred up. It advocated, as many probably know, … Continue reading "Libertarians vs. Progressives"
Generational Differences April 15, 2020 As I talk with my grandkids, I note the key disconnect between generations. Not just ours, but probably all since time began. I’ve been 20, and I’ve had kids who were, and now grandkids. And I’ve read some history. From that point of view it’s easy to see the general pattern of 20 year olds … Continue reading "Generational Differences"
Millennials and Boomers April 15, 2020 Being one of the first Boomers, born in February of 1946, I do tend to bristle a bit at the critiques of my generation. Like how we don’t get white privilege, we’ve let climate change destroy the planet, we’re complicit in huge economic disparity, etc. etc. Well, OK, that’s all true. But look at the … Continue reading "Millennials and Boomers"
Covid-19 and Anger March 28, 2020 Various healers through the ages have looked at the links between underlying emotions, or maybe Karma, or maybe God, and the trials people suffer. It’s in the Old Testament, Eastern religions, 1800s authors (See the Scarlet Letter or Moby Dick) etc. I don’t want to make a case for or against the idea here, but … Continue reading "Covid-19 and Anger"
Tales of a Dance Monarch September 20, 2019 The issue of complaints among dancers is a difficult one. Having been involved in running a number of dances for a number of years, I’ve decided to document some of the cases I’ve dealt with in an attempt to illustrate the complexity of the issue. A A was a, maybe 30ish, dancer who could best … Continue reading "Tales of a Dance Monarch"
Hire the Astrologically Handicapped July 17, 2019 I always thought that would be a good bumper sticker, as I feel the pain of my own astrological handicap. I’m a Pisces, the last of the signs, the sign that sees everything as shades of grey, the signs that always see the other side, and, as one joke horoscope said, the only sign that … Continue reading "Hire the Astrologically Handicapped"
Keeping Score July 8, 2019 I’m thinking keeping score takes the fun out of most games and sports. Take golf. It’s fun to walk around the course, it’s really neat that you can make the ball go so far, sometimes it lands where you want, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s simply a fun activity. Until you keep score. You might … Continue reading "Keeping Score"
Diversity & Contra April 1, 2019 I can’t imagine a more open and accepting group of people than those in the contra dance community. At any contra dance there are young people and old, rich and poor, conservative and liberal, blue collar and white collar, all sorts of different people from different walks of life. And almost all of Northern European … Continue reading "Diversity & Contra"
Women Characters in Fiction March 10, 2019 I read an article a while back, where a woman author was making the claim that a man couldn’t write a character who was a woman. This was similar to other comments I’d seen about writing characters of a particular race, or culture. I didn’t think too much about it until I’d seen another thread … Continue reading "Women Characters in Fiction"
Horror, Nazis, Fragrance January 18, 2019 I remember reading a while back a fictionalized account of some Austrian town during the Nazi occupation. It was based on real events. The main character was a young boy who had watched his parents get murdered in the street. There was a secret group of Jewish leaders in the town who did their best … Continue reading "Horror, Nazis, Fragrance"
White Privilege & Property Taxes September 14, 2018 The action item on most of what I read about white privilege is to “be aware.” OK. But then what? The institution that most effectively continues to support white privilege is our public school system and the way it is funded. By property taxes. This has two effects. One, it means people pick where they … Continue reading "White Privilege & Property Taxes"
Kavanaugh, EPA, Authoritarian Presidents July 28, 2018 I was reading about the devastating effect Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh could have on the environment. He is against the EPA policies enacted to fight global warming under the Obama administration. At first glance this seems bad to an environmentalist like myself, but when I read his reasoning I understood that he was exposing the … Continue reading "Kavanaugh, EPA, Authoritarian Presidents"
Black Panther & Obama April 10, 2018 In my lifetime I’ve seen the polite word for people of African descent go from “colored” to “negro” to “black” to “African American.” I have a real problem with the last one. There is culturally a huge difference between an individual whose ancestors were brought over in slave ships 200 years ago, and someone who … Continue reading "Black Panther & Obama"
African Life & Technology March 25, 2018 I’m from America. Over the last year or so I’ve been discussing technological innovation in Africa with Abel Viageiro of Mozambique. (Read his blog at www.abelviageiro.com.) Key to these discussions is an understanding of what is different, and what is the same between situations in Africa and in the Western world. Understanding that is critical … Continue reading "African Life & Technology"
Democrats Better? February 7, 2018 Let me say up front that I despise everything about the way Trump is running his presidency, and most vehemently how he divides the country. Even more than him, though, is the contempt I have for the Republicans in Congress who back him up. But was it better when the Democrats had the White House … Continue reading "Democrats Better?"
Beauty as a Curse January 29, 2018 Bob was an engineer at the first company I worked for. He had cerebral palsy. If you ever made cruel jokes as a kid trying to imitate such a person, well that’s what Bob was like. He walked with a shuffle, his hands were contorted and not that well controlled, he drooled a bit, and … Continue reading "Beauty as a Curse"
Movie Twists — The Good, The Bad January 27, 2018 There’s an art to making a movie or TV show with a twist, a surprise ending. Consider the movies Sixth Sense and Body Heat. When you learn the twist at the end, it’s AH-HA! Your mind races through the scenes in the movie as you realize one, and then the next, all have dual interpretations. … Continue reading "Movie Twists — The Good, The Bad"
Kids and their Electronic Devices January 3, 2018 I, and many of my generation, are dismayed at the way the younger generation is totally absorbed in their electronic media. We don’t understand it, and think how much better our world was, how we didn’t need to be looking at our phones all day. I guess I’m my mother’s son. When I was a … Continue reading "Kids and their Electronic Devices"
Relationship Rules January 3, 2018 The other day, I went to print something important, and found my printouts were all on recycled paper Nancy had left in the printer. The other day, Nancy went to print something important, and found her printouts were all on orange paper I had left in the printer. Clearly we need some rules about printer … Continue reading "Relationship Rules"
Marketing Phone Sex October 27, 2017 This is a post about the importance of having a rapport with the customer. A number of years ago I knew someone, D, who was dyslexic, MIT smart, a phone hacker, and a cross dresser. He was straight, and that’s important for the story, but wanted to live his life as a woman. This was … Continue reading "Marketing Phone Sex"
AlphaGo Zero October 25, 2017 AlphaGo Zero is the second version of AlphaGo. It’s a leaner, meaner, smarter version than its predecessor, which beat the best Go players in the World. This version beats them worse, and beats the first version every time. I’ve been fascinated with this due to my experience playing Go. I was a weak amateur player … Continue reading "AlphaGo Zero"
Conservative Issues October 20, 2017 I’d hardly call myself a Trump supporter, but I do have some conservative political roots. It is difficult, no maybe impossible, today to have a reasoned discussion of conservative vs. liberal ideas without the emotion surrounding Trump swamping the discussion. The screaming comes from both sides. For example, the ACA. The liberals are screaming about … Continue reading "Conservative Issues"
If I Were a Trump Supporter October 20, 2017 Some one asked, how can anyone still support Trump. Fair question. This is my take on how maybe a majority of those 40% or so who support him think. If I were a Trump supporter I would first of all have a conservative point of view, not a nasty one, but one that seeks more … Continue reading "If I Were a Trump Supporter"
White Privilege — Action Items October 15, 2017 I ended a post about white privilege (although it’s really more general, it’s dominent culture privilege (like would you rather be a Buddhist or a Muslim in Myammar today?)) with a question, that being, what is the action item? Those posting about it seem to simply want people to know it exists. But aren’t there … Continue reading "White Privilege — Action Items"
Guns 3 October 12, 2017 One meme shows a picture of an military-like gun next to a picture of lawn darts, saying one has been banned because of danger. Well, gun advocates will counter that one is protected by the second amendment. So what would our Founding Fathers think of this? I’ll bet they’re rolling over in their graves wishing … Continue reading "Guns 3"
Guns 2 October 12, 2017 The one argument for guns that drives me nuts is, we need our guns to protect us from the government. Note, these are people pleading to the government not to take their guns away, because they need them to be able to stop the government from taking their guns away. Huh?
Guns October 12, 2017 I’ve never really liked guns. Didn’t particularly enjoy going to the shooting range at Boy Scout camp. Not very comfortable with the thought that the people I encounter on the street, or the driver who cuts me off, might be armed with lethal force at his fingertips. But that’s just me. Can logic change a … Continue reading "Guns"
White Privilege September 11, 2017 Why am I so bugged by the various posts explaining White Privilege? I’m thinking maybe it’s the time old problem of an old person (71) not liking being told how it is by young ones. This example from a 19 year old: White Privilege, Explained in One Simple Comic And this the one that got … Continue reading "White Privilege"
Jefferson Davis’ Civil War August 1, 2017 Growing up in the North, I learned that the Civil War was about slavery. But I’d heard, that in the South, they all thought it was about state’s rights. In 2004 I moved to Asheville, NC and was wandering about the library when a book almost jumped off the shelves at me. It was Jefferson … Continue reading "Jefferson Davis’ Civil War"
Biased vs. Fake News February 14, 2017 There appear to be polls that show a large percentage of Trump supporters believe the mainstream media is fake news, and that Trump’s tweets are more trustworthy. Many on the more liberal side of things are surprised by that. But I’m not too surprised. First, there is a huge difference between fake news and biased … Continue reading "Biased vs. Fake News"
Center – Affordable Care Act February 10, 2017 This is the start of what I hope to be a series of blogs looking for the center. Not a rant from the left or the right, but a view from the center. The Affordable Care Act — I feel it should be called by it’s official name, because ObamaCare it definitely is not. Obama … Continue reading "Center – Affordable Care Act"
Judicial Philosophy and the Immigration Ban February 8, 2017 This isn’t really an opinion, but more like a report on what I just learned. In reading about Gorsuch I learned he was a ‘literalist’, which is a conservative way of being a judge. It means a judge interprets the law based on the words in the law and nothing else. That is as opposed … Continue reading "Judicial Philosophy and the Immigration Ban"
Miracle of Diminshed 7th Chords January 25, 2017 Jazz Chords for Baritone Ukulele — Now part of the full book! I’ve been working on learning jazz chords, and how to derive them myself, rather than try to memorize lots of dots on frets diagrams. I’m using the baritone ukelele for this because it only has four strings, which line up nicely with the … Continue reading "Miracle of Diminshed 7th Chords"
29% Interest January 22, 2017 In the 1990s credit card companies came up with an extremely efficient way to transfer money from the poor to the rich. 29% interest on credit card debit. Elizabeth Warren thought this was just plain wrong. She tried to get Congress to stop it. She lost. Congress thought it was just fine. This was during … Continue reading "29% Interest"
If Hillary Won January 22, 2017 There is tremendous outrage against Trump, and I am as outraged as the next person. But let’s consider what might have been. If Gary Johnson had won… sigh, nevermind, not going there. If Hillary had won, we would have a President who respects women. We would have a President who claims to respect the rights … Continue reading "If Hillary Won"
The 1% January 19, 2017 The latest data on wealth distribution leaves me with questions. The 8 wealthiest families are worth as much as the bottom 50% of the World’s population. My first thought is that really reflects more on the extreme poverty of so many people. Billions of people with net worths of zero. This is a serious problem, … Continue reading "The 1%"
Change November 9, 2016 It’s change people yearn for. Do you remember 8 years ago? In the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton was the front runner, but she was upset by, get this, a black man. A black man (in this so called racist country) beat out the establishment politician. And why? He promised change. This year, a crazy billionaire … Continue reading "Change"
Baritone Ukulele, not Guitar, not Small Ukulele November 8, 2016 Jazz Chords for Baritone Ukulele — Now part of the full book! Well finally this election is coming to a close, and I can focus on my new hobby. That’s learning about jazz chords and how to use them on the baritone ukelele. Why not a regular uke? Well it’s got too tinny a sound … Continue reading "Baritone Ukulele, not Guitar, not Small Ukulele"
Monsanto, Cable Companies, Government November 7, 2016 This is the real business of government that affects our everyday lives. Vermont (Bernie Sander’s state) has GMO labelling laws. Food producers are currently adding GMO labeling so they can sell in Vermont. But they don’t like it. So they invested a lot of money and influence on a federal bill that will override the … Continue reading "Monsanto, Cable Companies, Government"
American Nihilistic Jihad October 31, 2016 Nihilism appeared in two articles in this weeks Economist. I had to look it up. The first definition is about a rejection of all religious and moral guidelines because life is meaningless. But what struck me more was the third definition, from the Russian Revolution. It was the belief that there was nothing of value … Continue reading "American Nihilistic Jihad"
Election Depression October 30, 2016 I have never been so emotionally affected by an election. I was getting to a state of comfort, as Hillary was ahead in the polls. Safe from Trump, I could cast my vote for Johnson/Weld hoping they make it to 5% to create a legitimate, government-funded third party for next time around. And now the … Continue reading "Election Depression"
Elizabeth Warren, SEC, Obama October 15, 2016 As far as I can tell, Elizabeth Warren is the only one fighting against corporate control of Congress. Here’s her latest battle. Warren wants Obama to fire Mary Jo White, head of the SEC, because she refuses to require corporations to list their political contributions. Warren thinks corporations should be accountable for their political contributions. … Continue reading "Elizabeth Warren, SEC, Obama"
Small Donations, Taxes October 11, 2016 No way I’d want to see Trump as president, but he made some very good points about taxes. He is a wealthy businessman, and took advantage of the tax code, just as every businessman, and probably most individuals do. (How many homeowners refuse to take the mortgage interest deduction because it’s an unfair tax subsidy … Continue reading "Small Donations, Taxes"
Why It’s So Difficult Today October 5, 2016 Pondering the polarized debate of today, I was wondering how we got there. I think a key moment was depicted in one of the movies about Louisiana politician, Huey Long. The movie started with him making deals, and you saw him talking with white business folks about how to keep the negroes in their place. … Continue reading "Why It’s So Difficult Today"
Would that it were… October 5, 2016 The VP debate was refreshing. There were two civilized individuals presenting the classic Democratic and Republican positions. I suspect that, if these two were representative of our congress people, that they could talk to each other and reach compromises that best serve all Americans. But those two classic positions are very frustrating. I was taken … Continue reading "Would that it were…"
My Oxen October 3, 2016 “It all depends on whose ox is getting gored.” — Wilbur Beach, my grandfather. There are those that are pretty insulting towards anyone with an inclination to support Johnson/Weld. How could I, they say. Well it’s about my oxen. My politics are based on my life, just as everyone else’s is based on theirs. I … Continue reading "My Oxen"
Vacuum in the Center October 3, 2016 Everything I fear, I tried to describe in my last post, summed up: “Trump doesn’t scare me; he can be contained. What scares me is the vacuum that sucked him onto center stage. The space he occupies held something else once, but it has vanished.” Walter Kim, Psychedelic Trap, Harper’s October 2016 It’s a fascinating … Continue reading "Vacuum in the Center"
Trump Supporter’s Oxen October 3, 2016 So much of the dialog around this election is people, with one point of view, being angry that other’s don’t share that point of view. My mother raised me to always consider the other sides of issues, and she got that from her father, my grandfather. One of his favorite quotes was “It all depends … Continue reading "Trump Supporter’s Oxen"
An Influence of Johnson/Weld October 2, 2016 For those who say the third party candidacy is a waste of time, Florida Today reported on political changes, unrelated to the presidency, that have been inspired by the Johnson/Weld push for open debates. The organization that sponsors debates for the Florida senate race is being sued to let in the other candidates. There is … Continue reading "An Influence of Johnson/Weld"
Anger Management October 1, 2016 So I decided to start a blog so I can channel my election frustrations away from silly arguments on FaceBook. Well it turns out it worked like a charm. As I tried to get WordPress going I ran into software frustrations and annoying useless technical support, so now I’m angry about the Mojo install support … Continue reading "Anger Management"