Pensees

  I'm a lucky guy.  I have enough resources to pay my bills, put food on the table, and to give family members Christmas gifts.  There are a LOT of Americans who cannot say the same this Christmas.  It's a pandemic Christmas.  Some (far too many) are hungry, desperate, and out of options. Accordingly, I have pasted below a Pandemic Christmas Story by Jonathan V. Last.  Jonathan writes for The Bulwark website, but this poignant story is behind a pay wall.  That's too bad...it should be available to all.   Early in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he’d spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too. Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket — even though he now stations more employees at the entrance, asks shoppers to leave

                                                                                  Rick Wiles I admit it.  I was stunned by what I read about Rick Wiles.  At first, I figured he was just another right wing whacko with a basket of debunked conspiracies.  In other words, not someone who could be mistake for a serious political commentator.   I think there's a good chance I'm wrong.  People do take him seriously.  People like President Trump.  More on that below, but first here's a taste of his Biblical balderdash: 1.  Rick Wiles claimed President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to bring back the firing squad as a form of execution so they can shoot Democrat and media “traitors” before leaving office. 2.  After being asked on his TruNews show why the Trump administration is fast-tracking the reimplementation of execution methods like firing squad, Wiles said, “I’m not trying to be funny, but because they plan to shoot some people.” 3.  “They’re going to have a bunch of

"If labor laws and union contracts do not change the balance of power, nothing else will change." I wrote those words on November 17, 2020 in a post about police reform.  I was not optimistic. Such a change takes a LOT of effort to overcome entrenched stake holders (read:  Police Union).  Much to my surprise, there is already one example of overcoming the Police Union's strangle hold on discipline and transparency. It seems the Hawaii legislature passed Act 47, a bill to undo the requirement to keep police discipline records confidential.  The police union is fighting Act 47 with all the resources it can muster: "The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers responded by filing several legal challenges in all the counties arguing that Act 47 should be declared unconstitutional because it infringed on officers’ privacy rights and violated the union’s collective bargaining agreement, which includes numerous confidentiality provisions meant to keep officer miscond

So... 2020 has been a challenge for all of us.  Between a hard fought fight for "The Soul of the Country" to 260,000 victims (so far) of a vicious pandemic, nothing was normal this year. That said, now is the time to give thanks for blessings we have even in the worst of times.  Here's a few from my list: 1.  Essential workers.  Be they doctors, nurses and medical staff, first responders, the grocery store guys and gals who stock shelves on the graveyard shift, the staffs at nursing homes, and a gazillion others who go to work every despite the risks. To all essential workers, my thanks to you. 2. To the families sifting through the ruins of covid, whether they have relatives suffering or even those whose family has lost a parent, a child, a brother, or a sister.  You have shown us how to suffer a loss with dignity. Thanks.  I share your suffering; your grieving is my grieving. 3.  Those who have lost so much to the pandemic, as jobs change and disappear by the millions.

I was born in Rochester NY.  It's the 3rd largest city in New York, and parts of it are as gritty and forbidding as some of the streets of New York City.  It used to be a thriving city, with Xerox and Kodak as major employers.  Kodak's photo business has collapsed, and Xerox has been downsizing for years.  I don't have many ties to Rochester anymore, but an item popped up that I had to share. A white police officer shot a black man : "Silvon Simmons was shot three times in an upstate New York city. Then he was accused of trying to kill the cop who fired at him. His story is a study in the kinds of police practices that have sparked protests across America – and it shows the enormous challenge cities face when trying to enact change." "By the time Officer Joseph Ferrigno shot a Black man from behind, court records show, the Rochester cop had drawn at least 23 misconduct complaints in nearly nine years on the force." "Ferrigno fired four shots, hittin

                                                                             Trailer:  "Good Lord Bird" If you have access to Showtime and you haven't checked out "Good Lord Bird," it's time to get it done.  The series is based on James McBride's novel of the same name.  Knowing it's a novel, you don't expect 100% historical accuracy, and "Good Lord Bird" definitely takes some historical liberties with John Brown's attack on the Harper's Ferry armory in 1859.  As the show opens, there's a banner that says "This is True" (or words to that effect) followed by a notice that most of it actually happened.  It helps when the film maker admits up front that it's not historically accurate. What follows is an inspired performance by Ethan Hawke as John Brown.  Hawke is barely recognizable in his 1850's costume and make up.  That's no small feat, as his face is easy to recognize from his other films.  Here he bec

                           Vice President Elect   Kamala Harris on assault weapons.   This is just a few minutes long (2;19), to be exact, and it's well worth watching.  When this clip was shot, she was still a candidate for President.   For those who like to quote the 2nd Amendment phrase "shall not be infringed," I have news for you. You cannot buy an automatic weapon.  You cannot buy a gun if you are a felon.  You cannot buy a gun if you are mentally ill.  You cannot buy explosives.  You may buy a semi automatic rifle, but you may soon have a lucrative offer to buy it back.   See the first video on this link .

                                                    Pope John Paul II   WARNING:  This post is critical of the Catholic Church.  It is NOT intended to offend anyone, but some readers may be sensitive about this issue.  Please do not take this post personally.  If you disagree with anything below, please put your disagreement in the comment section.  I will not be offended by your take on this post, even if you think I will burn in hell for eternity. I was raised Catholic.  I left the Church at the age of 22, for reasons that are not necessary to this post. Except for the occasional wedding or funeral, I haven't been in a Catholic Church since 1970.  I struggled some with my decision at the time, but since 1970, the Catholic Church has confirmed the wisdom of my disengagement many times. Which brings us to the matter of Pope John Paul II and his 2000 decision to promote Theodore McCarrick to Archbishop of Washington DC.  At that time, Pope John Paul II knew that there were allegatio

  It's been nearly 24 hours since (Sleepy) Joe Biden was declared the winner of the election.  It's still a little early to predict the political consequences of Biden's victory, but here's some thoughts on how this might play out. 1.  I'm very glad Biden is now the President Elect.  Governing by chaos has been a total failure, and those days are behind us. 2.  After 24 hours of Biden being declared the winner there has been minimal civil unrest.  I sincerely hope we can still say that in a week, in a month, in a year.  For that, I credit the MAGA voters who are licking their wounds and grieving their loss.  I hope the restraint we've seen so far continues. 3.  Overall, I have mixed emotions about the election.  It was not a Biden Blowout.  Rather, it was a nail biter that could have reelected Trump.  Considering the last 4 years of corruption, lies, and chaos, it should not be this close. 4.  I'm disturbed about the growth of Trump's base.  In 2016, he