lisastoddardreeves
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Compressing Complexity: The Seduction of Simple Answers
Human beings are meaning-making creatures. We don’t simply experience events, we interpret them. We weave them into stories about who we are, who other people are, and how the world works. Our brains are constantly asking, What does this mean?… Continue reading
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The Remaking of Utah’s Supreme Court: Why Utahns Should Care
Utah friends: Why should you care? Because courts are one of the safeguards that protect our rights, our freedoms, and our ability to hold those in power accountable. Independent courts protect all of us. Regardless of where you fall politically,… Continue reading
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Twenty+ Years of Power: Stuart Adams’ Record Under Review
Guest Post by Kimberly Harris Wagner Senate President Stuart Adams is arguably the most powerful politician in Utah. With more than two decades in the legislature, he has wielded extraordinary influence over Utah public life. What should Utahns expect from… Continue reading
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A Whiter Version of Memory: The Erasure of Black Soldiers at Margraten
I recently visited the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, where nearly 8,300 American soldiers from World War II are buried. It’s a beautiful, solemn place. It’s also now the site of a disturbing controversy. In spring 2025, two panels were… Continue reading
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Call to Action: Tell Utah Leaders to Protect Our Courts
Most people are not following what is happening with Utah’s courts, but they should be. It affects everyone in Utah, regardless of party. An independent judiciary is one of the few safeguards ordinary citizens have when political power overreaches. You… Continue reading
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When Harm Is Leveled, Truth Is Lost
But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. ~George Orwell I study religion, society, and culture, with a particular interest in how ideas take shape in everyday life. I tend to look at these questions through the lens… Continue reading
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The Politics Behind The SAVE Act
Utah Congressman Mike Kennedy recently argued that Americans must show ID to do things like drive a car, board an airplane, or cash a paycheck. Those activities involve proving identity in a single transaction. Voting, however, works differently. Elections operate… Continue reading
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How Fear-Driven Politics is Reshaping Courts and Elections
This was published in Utah News Dispatch and while it is Utah focused, it does relate to the political moment more broadly. Here’s an excerpt: “What we are watching in Utah is not new. It’s the state-level expression of a national… Continue reading
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The Sermon on the Mount and the LDS Divide
Immigration, Discipleship, and Moral Responsibility In “Divided by the Sermon on the Mount,” legal scholar David Skeel argues that contemporary public conflict is not merely political but theological, rooted in divergent interpretations of Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the… Continue reading
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The Rich Pay Most of the Taxes and Other Half Truths
From Faith to Free Markets, Part 2 By the 1980s, the fusion of theology and free market economies had matured into an article of political faith. Ronald Reagan’s famous line “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is… Continue reading
The Little Stream: Where Soul Meets Society — Reflections on Well-Being, Religion, and Power 