Tag Archive for America

A Slogan for All Candidates

If you’re a regular reader, you know I don’t get into politics. This isn’t meant to be political It’s just that I’m heartsick at how people in high positions are treating others verbally. Name-calling, belittling them as people, criticizing their viewpoints as stupid or anti-American, saying negative things opposite to what the person said about them until that person did/said something that went against their wishes.

None of this serves us as human beings or as Americans.  In fact, it demeans all of us as we repeat lies, half-truths, and nasty verbiage.

I have a campaign slogan I want ALL political candidates to adhere to: MAKE AMERICA CIVIL, DECENT, AND RESPECTFUL AGAIN!

Who Should NOT Be Locke Away

This is a day we remember and honor Fred Korematsu, an internee who challenged the Japanese-American internment during WWII. So it’s appropriate that today’s Thursday Thought be a quote from him. It’s an important warning about our treatment of all ethnic, religious, and even socio-economic groups today.

Are You a Criminal when you Protest?

Ever notice how many protesters have their faces covered?  This is true all over the world, including here in the U.S.  Yet we have freedom of speech.  If I’m expressing beliefs and opinions I truly believe in, why don’t I want people to see my face?  If I’m hiding my identity because I’m doing something illegal, like smashing the store windows of people not involved in what I’m protesting against, and if I think that’s the right and moral thing to do, I should stand up to be counted–and let everyone see your face.

I understand the cover-up in countries where the regime will arrest and execute me just for speaking out, but not here in America. Come on, protesters, let’s see your proud, righteous faces as you sling that brick.





What Language is That?

I was fascinated by this map of common languages spoken in the U.S. We really ARE a diverse country! And each language and person speaking it adds to the richness of our American culture.

What the Little Bird Says

I REALLY, TRULY LONG FOR THIS.

Sex: Not Just the Catholic Church

This is NOT a defense of the sexual abuse by Catholic priests. We’re  very aware of their unconscionable crimes because priests are the ones getting most of the press. This is a warning that sexual abuse of children and adults and its cover-up is prevalent in many positions of authority. Here are only two.

Boy Scouts of America: This organization has 2.7 million kids and one million  volunteers. Before 1994, they had reports of approximately 2000 cases of abuse . Between 1992 and 2012, the courts ordered the BSA to release files that they were keeping secret. Only 1000 were revealed between 1965 and 1985. The courts now have 1800 out of 6000 files, with the others being kept secret by the BSA for “confidentiality” concerns.  Note that these numbers include only the boys who actually reported their abuse.

Police Officers: Here’s the list compiled by the Bowling Green State University–not including federal officers–of police officers arrested for sex crimes 2005 – 2013: 636 forcible fondling; 405 forcible rape; 219 forcible sodomy; 98 indecent exposure; 58 sexual assault with an object; 186 statutory rape. That totals 1,602 in eight years. Have these been covered up or simply dismissed within their ranks? We don’t know. All we know is that we haven’t heard of that many cases. And, again, the numbers reflects only the people who actually reported their abuse.

The point is, it’s not clergy (of any denomination) or youth leaders (BSA or any others) or police. It’s a society in which sexual crimes are far too abundant and too often covered up, leaving a trail of victims scarred for life. Plus a multitude of good people tarred with the same brush as the offenders in their job-categories.

It’s past time of blaming organizations and get down to fixing a society which is horrified by the abuse yet does little to change the attitudes and laws that keep these degrading, demeaning,  life-altering, emotional scars forming.

Guns: Where we stand in the World

The CDC has compiled all its 2017 statistics and revealed a startling fact: almost 40,000 people died last year from guns in the U.S. That’s the highest number in 40 years. (1999 saw 30,000 such deaths.)  It’s also the third year in a row of increase, after years of stable numbers.

Worldwide, our country makes  up 14.2% of gun deaths, surpassed only by Brazil, with 17.2% of the world’s gun-related deaths. Note that we aren’t talking war here–except individually against other individuals and ourselves. A good number of U.S. gun deaths (60%) are suicides, and we see daily news reports about someone shooting people in schools, venues, and places of worship.

You can read more specifics in the Huffington Post article U.S. Gun Violence Claimed More Lives In 2017 Than Ever: CDC.

I don’t care if you’re pro-gun, anti-gun, or something in between. It’s obvious that gun violence is an epidemic in America, one that needs a cure. Studies have shown that it isn’t because we have more people with mental health problems here–countries with similar numbers of those people don’t have the gun violence we have.

So what is the cause? We don’t know but must get serious about finding out. And what is the cure? Again, we don’t know but MUST get serious about finding out.

MY America!

In today’s Thursday Thought, “Sully” Sullenberger expresses what I feel about my country.

“This is not the America I know and love…We cannot wait for someone to save us. We must do it ourselves.”

Halloween Costume-Buying Guide

You may be planning to choose a last-minute Halloween costume this weekend for your kids or for an adult party.  Some people may say, “Wear what you want and to H-E-Double-Toothpick with what people think.”  Fact is, though, that you or your kids will be around a cross-section of America.  You know, the country that calls itself the “melting pot”?  And a population of people who have had some pretty bad personal experiences.

Keep that in mind.  If you have what you think is funny or perfect to wear, check out Don’t Even Think of Wearing These 14 Costumes for Halloween.  It explains why certain costumes should not even be considered.

Have fun on Halloween.  And let others happily enjoy themselves, as well.

We All Deserved It

I AM OUTRAGED!

Whomever is telling the truth, Christine Blasey Ford or Brett Kavanaugh, is NOT the issue. The Senate Judiciary Committee has treated both of them unfairly.

Ms. Ford was not allowed to present witnesses who would be subpoenaed to substantiate her claims under direct questioning  and oath. Yes, some submitted short statements, but, as any attorney will tell us, that doesn’t bring out as many facts that in-person, under-oath questioning does.

Judge Kavanau may have benefited from those witnesses, because they may have contradicted each other or said something to prove his side when under the heat of direct questioning. He, too, did not present in-person witnesses which could have bolstered his side of the story.

On both sides, a thorough FBI investigation would have uncovered truths, half-truths, and inconsistencies. Or a history that made one or the other or both suspect. That’s their job–the job they’ve done for accusations made in past nominations. But the Judiciary Committee decided to take on most of that task themselves.

Remember that this is a committee that is supposed to be non-politically biased, like a court. Yet they were drowning in political accusations, blame, and verbal fights. Both sides had political motives. So how could they make an unbiased decision, especially without knowing the whole story that an FBI investigation would foster?

Why are both parties being harmed? Neither has actually had their day in court. Neither is vindicated. Neither has had their good name cleared. Both have had themselves and their families go through a demeaning experience in these hearings. These are people, not pawns.

And our country loses, because we’ve added a person to the highest, most important, citizen-protecting court in our land who will always be surrounded by a cloud of suspicion as he makes serious decisions that affect our lives.

Why would a delay of a couple of weeks–with a vote still before the November elections–have been a bad thing?  Both of these people, and America, deserved it!