Wiccan Pentacle Headstone at Arlington National Cemetery.

Editorial: Honoring the Dead

It’s easy to disregard the dead. They don’t have the ability to move you along if you’re loitering where you aren’t wanted. They have no control their own physical bodies any longer, nor over the space where they are interred. They can’t opt out of your pictures. They can’t tell you no.

Editorial: Failing the Dead

What surprises me most about the reactions to Trump’s use of Arlington for political theater is the silence from religious and spiritual communities. While many individuals have voiced their opinions on social media — some with more nuance, others with a creative mix of four-letter words — there has been little to no response from religious organizations.

Opinion: The Responsibility of Sacrifice

To sacrifice takes courage. In our ethics, to put others or our values above the desires of the individual means to appeal to the better parts of our nature.  How often do we teach our children or say to each other that we should “do the right thing”?  How often do we applaud words or deeds that demonstrate this higher form of sacrifice precisely because it is so difficult for many people and it is not what most might do if we were in that same position.