Aaron Barnhart's Blog, page 3

Sure, hemp used to be legal. So was slavery.

Congress is poised to legalize industrial hemp farming — a practice banned in 1970 by the Controlled Substances Act.

While introducing the legislation in the Senate, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell noted that hemp “was a foundational part of Kentucky’s heritage,” that THC levels in the plant are too low to get anyone high, and that recent research into hemp has shown its potential “in everything from home insulation to concrete and from health products to beer.”

Here in Missouri the state legislat...

TV’s most prestigious interview show treated MLK shabbily

During the April 1, 2018, episode of “Meet the Press,” moderator Chuck Todd took a moment to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the fiftieth anniversary of his death.

“Dr. King was on ‘Meet the Press’ five times, and in an appearance in 1965, Dr. King explained his advocacy of non-violent disobedience,” he said.

Wait a minute — five times??!

Let that sink in: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appeared on the nation’s most-watched newsmaker show just five times between 1957 and 1968.

But wait!...

TV’s most important interview show treated MLK shabbily

Power points “Meet the Press” had Martin Luther King Jr. on the show just five times in 11 years “MTP’s” creator and chief inquisitor, Lawrence E. Spivak, had a frosty relationship with MLK on and off the air There’s an important lesson here for every watcher of the news

During the April 1, 2018, episode of “Meet the Press,” billed as “the longest-running television program in history,” moderator Chuck Todd took a moment to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the fiftieth anniversary o...

Abigail Adams might've made a better president than her husband

Power points Our nation’s second First Lady is remembered for three words in defense of women’s rights, but she wrote thousands of private letters revealing a sharp political mind. She was also a high roller in financial markets, leaving her husband debt-free, unlike other prominent founders. Despite what others say, she was absolutely a feminist.

The second First Lady of the United States is best remembered for three little words she wrote to her husband, John Adams, in the year 1776:

...

The right way to deal with dishonest Confederate monuments

Power points Defenders of Confederate monuments accuse modern-day critics of “presentism” — using our present-day values to unfairly judge people in the past. But lots of people back then knew slavery was wrong — including many Southerners. There’s a better way to deal with Confederate monuments than either tearing them down or defending them to the hilt.

“Sixty Minutes” did a commendable job on Sunday covering the current political fights over Confederate monuments. Much of Anderson Coope...

True/False Film Fest, day by day

All weekend I'll be seeing the most promising new documentary films at one of the great nonfiction film get-togethers, the True/False Film Fest, now in its 15th year in Columbia, Missouri.

Of course, I will be aiming for films with historical themes to them, but that still offers pretty wide latitude for what to see. Right now I'm aiming for 15 to 16 screenings this weekend.

Reload this page for updates, or visit my new Film Fests blog.

Day 1: Amazing Grace

I saw three films on Thursday makin...

Kansas imprisoned more than 5,000 women and girls for having STDs

In May 1926, Arthur Pierson stormed into the Better Eats Cafe in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, where his wife, Alice Wilcox, was working the night shift. He was likely drunk and spoiling for a fight.

Take it outside, Alice’s boss said.

The Piersons had been unhappily married before splitting up in 1925. They had gotten back together earlier that month, though god knows why. Alice complained that her “husband drinks every day” and “never works.”

Out on Kansas Avenue, their arguing turned viole...

60 years before ‘Black Panther,’ there was Lorraine Hansberry

I’m so glad I saw “Black Panther” (along with seemingly half the country) before sitting down to watch “Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart,” the new documentary about the life of Lorraine Hansberry.

Watching the two films in tandem gave me new insight into the woman who gifted us with her masterpiece, “A Raisin in the Sun.” Lorraine Hansberry was not just trying to bring new voices to the stage — though she certainly did that.

This fierce and provocative artist wanted to usher in a new era for Africa...

‘Get out of my country’ has been our policy for 135 years

Two anniversaries are weighing heavily on HISTORY IS POWER.

One year ago today, a white male walked into a bar in suburban Kansas City, yelled, “Get out of my country!” at two South Asian men, then began shooting.

Killed was Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an engineer at Garmin, whose U.S. headquarters are just down the road from where the shooting occurred. Injured were Alok Madasani, who also worked at Garmin, and a third man, Ian Grillot, who stepped into the line of fire when he saw what was happen...

How we changed our minds about Presidents Grant and Eisenhower

In 1972 the holiday known as Washington’s Birthday suddenly became Presidents’ Day, thanks to a bit of congressional social engineering designed to reduce absences from work.

Since that time, the idea behind the third Monday in February has been “to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.”

But do we? Really?

There’s a reason George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are on all the Presidents’ Day sale ads. We the people can agree, those are two past POTUSes worth celebrating.

Beyond Washi...