This is Mongolia, nestled between China and Russia and home to my daughter-in-law’s family. Ever since I read the TMV article about the Kindness of Strangers, I have thought about writing about my experiences in Mongolia which we have visited numerous times. Understand first that Mongolia is a huge country, about half the land mass of America, but with only 3 million residents, … [Read more...] about Finding the human bond in Mongolia
Call for Elections Commission members to resign
In the wake of the president's tepid response to the events in Charlottesville, business leaders began abandoning two presidential advisory panels. https://twitter.com/RichardTrumka/status/897575417430896645 In response, the president tried Twitter-shaming: For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should … [Read more...] about Call for Elections Commission members to resign
‘O Captain! My Captain!’
The Ship of State is rudderless, its once mighty sails shredded, and all the crew can do is look on in horror as the lifeboats are lowered. Everything we had feared about the Captain — his malignant narcissism, inability to separate reality from fantasy and so much more — has come to pass. In these once proud United States, we cower in fear of a "leader" who is unable to … [Read more...] about ‘O Captain! My Captain!’
Past Tense, Future Tenser
The day finally arrived, the day that Revolted Colonies was no longer past tense or future conditional. It’s all right out there in the open. The column has been quiet over this long, horrible weekend of the Charlottesville demonstration, riot and murder. So many people weighed in and so many people had meaningful things to say. Not a time for levity, so no new … [Read more...] about Past Tense, Future Tenser
He Just Doesn’t Get It!!
Donald Trump is supposed to be president of all the people, but time and again he seems wedded to the most extreme elements in his base, defending them after their hate-filled screeds and instigation of violence. He does this by equating their actions with those of their opponents on the left, which he did again earlier this week. Trump just doesn’t seem to get it. While he … [Read more...] about He Just Doesn’t Get It!!
Trump just hit a new low
WASHINGTON -- It's a case of being careful what you wish for. Critics left, right and center panned President Trump for his initial refusal to denounce the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, one of whom allegedly drove his car into counter-demonstrators, killing one and injuring 19. When Trump finally gave a canned and grudging disavowal of white supremacists, he was urged anew … [Read more...] about Trump just hit a new low
Cartoon: Alt-Trump
The Daily Stormer has lost its lease, accessible only via Tor browser
With both the Google and GoDaddy domain service saying sayonara to The Daily Stormer, the site is no longer accessible via a normal web browser. Instead, site visitors need to download the Tor browser and use that to access the notorious neo-Nazi website at dstormer6em3i4km.onion. The Tor browser facilitates anonymous browsing. On Sunday 13 August, the site published a … [Read more...] about The Daily Stormer has lost its lease, accessible only via Tor browser
Peaceful Wisdom
I love this. I can't imagine a much better image of peaceful wisdom. John Kelly. Image Art Brewer. Yokohama Bay. Reminder to myself: 1) increase your energy if possible even if it is the way you speak. "Energy makes people beautiful," says JACK LALANNE. "Nobody wants to hang out with somebody who is dead or who is bitching that it's a lousy fucking … [Read more...] about Peaceful Wisdom
New York Daily News Cover On Trump’s Widely Denounced Press Conference (Graphic)
The New York Daily News has perfectly summarized it again on its front cover: … [Read more...] about New York Daily News Cover On Trump’s Widely Denounced Press Conference (Graphic)
Cartoon: Trumpian
Trump Goes Dramatically Off-Script Over Charlottesville
President Donald Trump gave a rare press conference Tuesday at Trump Tower in Manhattan and perhaps unintentionally revealed why he and his administration have been so reluctant to answer questions from the media since he entered the White House. In what was supposed to be a discussion about infrastructure, Trump went dramatically off-script regarding violent clashes… … [Read more...] about Trump Goes Dramatically Off-Script Over Charlottesville
Cartoon: Trump’s “many, many sides”
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Responds Condemns President Trump For Again Blaming “Both Sides” For Violence In Charlottesville
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement Tuesday after President Trump once again sought to diminish the role white supremacist marchers played in a violent protest in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend: “The President’s statements today rubbed salt into the wounds … [Read more...] about Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Responds Condemns President Trump For Again Blaming “Both Sides” For Violence In Charlottesville
Cartoon: Trump and Klan followers
Trump sparks furor: There are” fine people” among Nazis, white supremacists
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there were some "very fine people" among Nazis, alt-right and white supremacists. The president also spread the blame for Saturday's deadly protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, to both sides, saying anti-Confederate groups also were "also very violent." Trump took to calling those protesters the "alt-left." He said there is "blame on… … [Read more...] about Trump sparks furor: There are” fine people” among Nazis, white supremacists
Regarding Confederate Monuments
Once again, the fate of Confederate monuments is on the the front burner of public debate in America. From the DFW affiliate of CBS News: "The debate about Confederate statues in Dallas intensified on Monday as a group made up of predominantly African Americans called for the monuments to remain standing. Several cities across America have now begun to remove or talk … [Read more...] about Regarding Confederate Monuments
Robert E. Lee: Setting the Historical Record Straight
Josh Marshall, who earned a PhD in history before becoming a journalist, tells the real story on Robert E. Lee's place in American history on Talking Points Memo. What is Robert E. Lee known for? This is what I mean by the margins of the debate. Lee is known for one thing: being the key military leader in a violent rebellion against the United States and leading that rebellion … [Read more...] about Robert E. Lee: Setting the Historical Record Straight
Harking Back to Moral Leadership
In the aftermath of the Charlottesville tragedies (pl.) and of Trump’s cowardly attempts to not ruffle his “alt-right” base’s feathers, many comparisons have been made of Trump’s faintheartedness to the words, moral leadership and clarity of past presidents. One of the most oft-quoted, pertinent statements on moral leadership I have seen in the past few days is the one … [Read more...] about Harking Back to Moral Leadership
