“The little voice in your heart must guide you”- my daughter’s letter to her children
The Friday Photo January 20, 2017 reposted with permission from my daughter McKinsey Cummings An Open Letter to My Children on MLK Day 4 days prior to the inauguration of He Who Must Not Be Named: I’m sorry. Sorry that the world you were born into is about to change. Sorry that the value I … Continue reading "“The little voice in your heart must guide you”- my daughter’s letter to her children"
If your plane has been hijacked….
This saying has been circulating since the election, and I understand the thinking behind it. It also reminds me of the passenger-heroes of Flight 93, who overtook hijackers on their September 11, 2001 flight, forcing the plane to crash in a Pennsylvania field instead of its intended metropolitan target. If your plane has been hijacked, … Continue reading "If your plane has been hijacked…."
Check the dictionary
The Friday Photo January 13, 2017 I did some checking on definitions last night. Carl Bernstein, who, with fellow reporter Bob Woodward, earned a Pulitzer Prize for the Washington Post after uncovering and reporting the Watergate break-in and resulting coverup, tagged Donald Trump’s campaign manager and staffer Kellyanne Conway, as the incoming administration’s Propaganda Minister. Bernstein … Continue reading "Check the dictionary"
Nine points on Trump’s “press” conference
There were LOTS of things said during Trump’s “press conference” today that either conflict or contradict what he has said or Tweeted in the past, or were simply outrageous. A few of the highlights: 1. Trump made all kinds of claims about removing himself from any business conflicts, or rather his attorney did in an … Continue reading "Nine points on Trump’s “press” conference"
Judge by actions, not words
Kellyanne Conway, former campaign manager for Donald Trump, told CNN that people should stop judging the President-elect by his words, and instead judge him by his heart. OK. Let’s use his actions as a measure of his heart. Trump mocked a reporter who is physically disabled. Beauty pageant contestants said he would walk into dressing … Continue reading "Judge by actions, not words"
Required reading
The public intelligence report on Russian interference in our Presidential election last year was released from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence yesterday. It is less than 25 pages long in content. Reading this is where the work of being an engaged citizen begins. Showing up at the voting booth isn’t enough.
Odds and ends
Trumps cuts the diplomatic corps loose Last night a report from the The New York Times was making the rounds about an edict from the incoming Trump administration that all politically appointed ambassadors are to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day. This directive runs counter to previous administrations of both parties. Trump didn’t understand until … Continue reading "Odds and ends"
Finding grace in the second verse
The weekend’s news was filled with the glitter and fluff of New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world. According to several reports, the criticism of Mariah Carey’s appearance Saturday night on national TV quickly dissolved into trashing Carey, her plea to the audience to sing, and barbs between Carey and the show’s producer over sound … Continue reading "Finding grace in the second verse"
Being Present Redux
I thought the hardest day of 2016 was going to be the morning of November 9th. My eight year old grandson, who said a woman ought to have a chance at being president, called to ask me who won the election. I couldn’t choke back my tears. I guessed the worst thing I would do … Continue reading "Being Present Redux"
Certificate of Impact
The Friday Photo December 2, 2016 Wear, wash, repeat.
Sitting Shiva, Jehovah’s Witnesses wearing safety pins
Sitting Shiva Since the wee hours of last Wednesday morning I have wondered how long I would leave the Clinton/Kaine sign up in my yard. Over the weekend, my cousin in California, parked in their driveway within sight of their Clinton/Kaine sign, had a car window smashed. Someone with a Trump/Pence sticker on their car … Continue reading "Sitting Shiva, Jehovah’s Witnesses wearing safety pins"
Van Jones put his finger on it last night
Last Thursday I drove to Hendersonville, North Carolina for an annual event called Life Is A Verb Camp. On the way home Sunday afternoon I opted for less interstate and more two lane roads. In addition to the fall-colored leaves I saw lots of Trump/Pence signs, which really didn’t surprise me as a fellow Southern … Continue reading "Van Jones put his finger on it last night"
Trump has no idea how our government works
Today Trump said he would call a special session of Congress to roll back Obamacare if he and a Republican controlled Congress are elected. He can’t do that until he is sworn in. And duh, guess who else will already be in town and ready to work? We can’t afford to have a President who … Continue reading "Trump has no idea how our government works"
Trump’s word salad with a side of crazy
Yesterday Donald Trump served up a word salad about the rate increases rolling out for 2017 coverage under Obamacare. It raised the question among reporters and pundits about whether Trump even understands the most basic premise of Obamacare. Trump told Fox News, as Tweeted yesterday by Sopan Deb at CBS, “Well, I don’t use much Obamacare … Continue reading "Trump’s word salad with a side of crazy"
Try this on for size
Trump supporters, male and yes, female, are burning up Twitter with the hashtag #repealthe19th. The 19th Amendment gave women the vote. Multiple polls show that if only women voted in November, the slam-dunk for Clinton/ Kaine, and probably most Democratic Congressional candidates, would be deafening. I have a suggestion for men and women who think … Continue reading "Try this on for size"
Trump is NSFW or the Oval Office
Get out the Twister mats! Donald Trump supporters will have to contort themselves into world-class Twister champions to defend their candidate’s comments revealing that he is a perpetrator of sexual assault. Donald Trump, the standard-bearer of the party President Dwight D. Eisenhower represented, told reporter Billy Bush that he sexually assaults women he considers beautiful … Continue reading "Trump is NSFW or the Oval Office"
Git yur guns, boys!
What started after the 2008 election with the election of a black man to the White House, threatens to come full circle to a full-on “take back the government” uprising if Hillary Clinton is elected. Jimmy Arno of Georgia is just one of many who say they will be, I don’t know, marching to Washington, … Continue reading "Git yur guns, boys!"
Last night’s greatest hits
As a historian, I am a believer in hearing things for yourself and reading primary documents. Ezra Klein has excerpts from last night’s debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Ford Motor Company had to fact check Trump on September 15th (below), followed by some of the greatest hits from the debate: … Continue reading "Last night’s greatest hits"
Still timely after 42 years
Instead of a Friday Photo, I’m posting a Friday Video. This song by Stevie Wonder has been discussed as one of the best protest songs ever. Released in 1974, it is still timely.
The Truth About Interracial Marriage in 2016
Reposted with permission from Grace Kelley. The original post appeared on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 on The Millennial Falcon, All the list-icles that are fit to print. The Truth About Interracial Marriage in 2016 Yesterday, when the shooting of Terence Crutcher started going viral, I posted this as my Facebook status: “All my Facebook memories … Continue reading "The Truth About Interracial Marriage in 2016"