THE UPSTATE AMERICAN

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We worry about the wrong things
From dress codes to climate change, our biases affect our thinking
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REX SMITH
2

August 2024

Blathering about the birds and the bacon (and commies, too)
An increasingly unhinged candidate flays his foe and wallows in vulgarity
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REX SMITH
4
What's with all this talk of joy?
Americans used to support optimistic candidates. This year presents a challenge.
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REX SMITH
1
Real heroics belong to the voters
In the land of Tim Walz, hard work matters, and that lesson is exactly what may save American democracy
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REX SMITH
5
Hope returns. Or is it just summertime?
Yes, there's some good news, but hope without effort is just wishful thinking
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REX SMITH
1

July 2024

Maybe Congress doesn't feel the heat
It's not just climate change. As Congress begins a summer recess, it's not meeting much of its agenda.
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REX SMITH
1
The lessons of the loon in 2024
What message do we take from the haunting cry that crosses northern waters?
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REX SMITH
2
When authenticity is at stake
Beware businesses and politicians posing as authentic -- and easily abandoning their supposed principles
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REX SMITH
2
What your lawn shows us about democracy
Nature needs diversity more than order, and that's true of politics, too
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REX SMITH
2

June 2024

Post-debate, it's time to clean the junk drawer
Democrats owe it to the nation to find a way to beat Donald Trump
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REX SMITH
3
Ten Commandments are not schoolwork
Louisiana's politicians may make a statement with their new law, but they're not doing anything for moral instruction in the schools
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REX SMITH
5
Outrage should meet this horror show
An increasingly apathetic society needs to remember that disengagement doesn't yield progress
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REX SMITH
2
© 2024 REX SMITH
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