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The Case for Passage of HR1

Jessica Andrews makes the best case for passage of HR1, the sweeping voting rights, election ethics and campaign finance reform bill referred to as the For the People Act. ‘Nuff said!

Not Kunta Kinte’s ‘ “Kizzyy”

Meet the woman who is being credited with designing the COVID19 vaccine being produced and distributed by Moderna: Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Shanta Corbett (born January 26, 1986) is an American viral immunologist at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIAID NIH) based in Bethesda, Maryland.  She earned a PhD in…

A Midterm (Exam) Question

The Electoral Count Act of 1887 “Of the current 538 electors, an absolute majority of 270 or more electoral votes is required to elect the president and vice president. … Each state and the District of Columbia produces two documents to be forwarded to Congress, a certificate of ascertainment and a certificate of vote. The count of the Electoral College ballots during a joint session of the 117th…

East Jerusalem and what’s happening in Sheikh Jarrah

When Israel was founded, the Arabs who managed to say within Israel’s borders became citizens. When Israel annexed the West Bank, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula (since returned to Egypt in exchange for peaceful relations) in the 1967 war, those areas were considered occupied territories and not part of Israel proper, so the Arabs there were not given Israeli citizenship. East Jerusalem is…

I am about to present a fictitious scenario. Hillary Clinton is the star, if the word applies here, of the scenario, but this in no way indicates that Senator/Secretary Clinton would ever behave like this in a million years. I am certain she wouldn’t for a variety of reasons, starting with that she actually has character.  The results of the 2016 election are reversed and Clinton wins. It’s now…

One sentence post: Fringes

Political fringes happen when ordinary people dismiss the legitimate grievances of other ordinary people.

Why Trump? A Question and Answer

Why does Trump continue to exist and persist in the American body politic? Trump is a caricature of the incarnation and personification of the embodiment of the ‘Great White Hope’ that has been conjured by intractable and recalcitrant white people who see him as the political expression of their fears of the inevitable shift in American demographics. In short, Trump is the composite face of the…

It was the top of the 8th inning in game 1 of the 1955 World Series. The Yankees were leading by two runs with two outs and a 1-0 count on pinch-hitter Frank Kellert, Robinson broke for home against Yanks left-hander Whitey Ford. Ford went through with his over-the-head windup delivery and made a precise throw home to Berra, who was ready to lay the tag on Robinson, who slid in feet first.…

Today’s New Pet Peeve: Banning Menthol Cigarettes

The Biden administration wants to ban menthol cigarettes because menthol cigarettes, long most popular among communities of color, have been targeted by advocacy groups that believe menthol cigarettes are a “gateway” product in the mistaken belief that menthol cigarettes aren’t as “harsh” as regular cigarettes. That’s hogwash. Menthol cigarettes are not smoother than regular cigarettes, says the…

I have mentioned my 100 pound Yellow Lab before.  Today was just another day with Miles.  In between conversations via email, I took Miles out to his favorite park, which is exactly 20 miles away.  It was 18 miles, but I found an alternate route on the freeway which is 2 miles longer, but quicker, and has considerably less crazy lane switching through the interchange in the middle of town.   On…

Walking in the Dairy Aisle

Do you have a most memorable time that you went to buy milk?  I do.  Buying milk, for me, used to be a fairly ordinary thing.  It isn’t today mainly because I don’t really use it anymore.  Like most Americans, I had a habit of pouring milk on breakfast cereal.  We all grew up with that.  As it turns out, that is not the most healthy breakfast, but this isn’t about that.  This is about buying milk…

Walking in America with Robert Ford and Jesse James

Walking is something that most of us take for granted.  We might get up and walk across a room, or we might walk across town, and not much thought is given to it.  We spend probably a year or so of our lives learning how to manage walking.  We struggle with balance, and then basically manage that.  Then we struggle with direction and endurance, and…basically manage that for our purposes on a…

Guilty On Alll Counts!

Chauvin has been found guilty on all counts. But, what if anything has changed?

Sometimes when you’re right, you’re wrong.  And sometimes when you’re wrong, you’re right.  How can this be?  Well, life can be quite complex with the addition of just a few variables to the basic level of experience that we are generally on.  And depending on your experience, you may or may not be applying the appropriate level of complexity to your thinking as you try to understand an issue. …

Walking in Futenma Town

I remember walking in Futenma Town back in 1985.  I was 21, and something like 11,000 miles from home.  I spent 365 days on Okinawa, aside from the days that I was being flown around various countries in the Far East.  Futenma Air Station was my home base.  I don’t know how many mental images I have from that year, probably many.  Maybe your memory works like this too.  You may not be able to…

Pat Robertson, when you’re right, you’re right!

I have repeatedly taken the position that: “If social justice is to be achieved it won’t be because black and brown people persuaded or convinced conflicted and ambivalent white people of anything at all. It will be because white people make the case to reluctant and recalcitrant white folks that a just society and more perfect union isn’t about bestowing the benefits of freedom on black and…

Back in The Game

More interesting… More challenging… And, Much more lucrative… If I seem to be MIA, now you know why…