On the Oh so familiar Roy Den Hollander or #WriteWriteAgain

In the wake of murder of Judge Esther Salas' son and and wounding of her husband, followed by the suicide of seeming perpetrator, Roy Den Hollander, we are learning about the specifics of this crime: the misogyny and racism of the perpetrator, and distracted by the extraneous facts: that he was married to a Russian …

Our “Original Sin,” and Our Modern Day Sinner(s) – Part II: This IS Who We Are

I began part I of this post with appreciation of Michael Gerson's Washington Post op ed declaring (FINALLY!) that the racism he -- a George W. Bush speechwriter - had witnessed in recent days was a bridge too far. I then spent some time talking about the government's role in facilitating racism, and showed how …

Our “Original Sin,” and Our Modern Day Sinner(s) – Part I

So many thoughts about this moment and its connection to history. Very grateful to George W. Bush (43)'s speechwriter, Michael Gerson, for pushing past the temptation to ignore 45, his vitriol, his white nationalism and how those ignited a fire that exploded in El Paso this past weekend. Gerson raises many valid criticisms and concerns, …

Liberty and Justice for Whom: A Predictable [and scripted, it turns out] Distraction

 Of the many things I could say or focus on at the moment is the fact that regrettably, so little here is new: ask Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Frederica Wilson about 45’s attacks, and demeaning comments.  We have seen the rallies, and the incitement of crowds typically with, “lock her up,” thus Wednesday’s, “send her …

On “Those” Views and Where They Come From

I trust that any shock from events of the weekend of 8/12/17 --wherein white supremacist groups terrorized protestors gathered in a church on Friday night, then wrought mayhem all over Charlottesville, VA, culminating in the death of Heather Hyer, a female protestor-- is starting to wear off.  I can confess to not being particularly shocked as …

On Being a Patriot in the Days to Come

Yes, I'm back, though this will be a blog of relatively few words. We're 6 months into this regime, and still, in too many ways, being bested by a predator/game show host. He has, in too many ways to recount, fueled the id of America. Why go high when you can go low, then lower …

Some Quick Kaepernick Thoughts

The Black on Black Crime Argument (September 10th update) "Black on Black crime." One of of the many reactions you hear to Colin Kaepernick's protest.  It implies that Black folks are killing each other, so why are do we have a problem with police behavior. It's the same analysis that gets folks to trot out that Freddy …

Of Bathrooms and Boogey(wo)men

By any reckoning, these are strange times ... we  have a reality tv star, appealing to people's basest instincts, and yet winning the race for the Republican presidential nomination.  The guy who recently dropped out, had already picked a running mate, though --on that, PLEASE see Charles Blow's reaction, if you have not, already--that privilege is …

We Say Black Lives Matter [AGAIN] because …. It’s Groundhog Day

Back for more:  July 15, 2016 I wanted to further update my post after having had a chance to listen to both the remarks of both Presidents Obama and Bush at the Dallas memorial service.  Some have extolled Pres. Obama's remarks, while others have found them to be political, and I wanted to hear for …

On Mass Shootings, Mental Illness and More …

Crazy is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. Every time there is a mass shooting -- and what kind of country is this where this sentence rolls easily off the page and reader's back because such shootings are ridiculously commonplace -- we start talking about people with mental health challenges. As a …