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Vol.
16 No. 46 --
Holiday
Traditions
December 20,
2022
X
As a
tumultuous
year comes to
a close - Come
to think of
it, when was
the last time
we have not
had a
tumultuous
year? - it is
natural for us
to gather with
our families
for the
holidays and
to slip on
that old,
familiar,
comfortable
coat we call
holiday
traditions.
Granted, not
all
individuals
have family
traditions to
fall back
upon. Still
others, for
reasons of
distance,
estrangement
or death, may
not have
families with
whom to
share.
That is why
holiday
traditions, be
they societal
or familial,
are so
important.
We need to be
reminded from
time to time
that there is
a certain
consistency in
the
universe.
Much like the
immutable laws
of physics,
there are
certain
psychological
benchmarks
upon which we
all rely to
maintain an
even keel. For
example,
there's my
wife's family.
For more than
50 years, the
family has
gathered at
Christmastime
to laugh, sing
carols and
perform
time-worn
holiday-themed
skits. In
fact,
practically
every one
watching those
mini-dramas
knows the
script by
heart because
it never
changes.
Sounds corny,
right? Not to
these people.
If anything,
it is a
reaffirmation
of what it
means to be
family. There
is also
comfort that
these
traditions are
being passed
along to new
generations.
That was
especially
important this
particular
year which saw
the passing of
of two members
what is now
the older
generation of
the family.
Are there
special things
that your
family does
every year?
Perhaps it is
going to
midnight mass.
It could be
that everyone
emerges on
Christmas
morning
wearing the
same
sometimes-gaudy
holiday
pajamas. Maybe
you go down to
the local
homeless
shelter and
serve a
holiday meal
to those less
fortunate.
When I was
growing up on
the Eastern
Shore of
Maryland, we
would wake up
Christmas
morning to
find that
Santa - or his
local
representative
- left
stockings
filled with
candy and
trinkets under
our beds as we
slept. My
brother Jimmy
would be in
charge of
taking over
the dining
room table and
setting up a
train set that
ran through an
magical
village. (It
was impressive
rail service
for such a
small town!)
Not every
tradition has
to be
grandiose or
even original.
Nor does it
have to be a
Hallmark
movie. All it
has to be is a
reminder of
who we are,
where we come
from and who
we love. If
you are
reading this
and say that
your family
does not have
any holiday
traditions,
perhaps you do
but just
haven't
recognized
them as such.
And if you
don't, start
some. Stake
your claim to
holiday
lore.
Create a
lasting memory
you can share
for decades.
Change is
inevitable.
But the fact
that there are
constants in
our
ever-evolving
world is very
comforting.
Not in the
holiday
spirit: Fake
it 'till you
make it. To
you and yours,
whether or not
you celebrate
Christmas,
here's wishing
you a joyous
holiday season
and a happy
and prosperous
new year.
X
That's it for now. Merry Christmas. Fear
the Turtle.
X |
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Vol.
16 No. 45 --
Writing With
Passion
December 15,
2022
X
It
will certainly
come as no
surprise that
I like to
write. After
all, this is
the 763rd post
to this blog
during its
16-year-existence.
I have also
authored or
co-authored
six books,
including a
new one, Thirteen
Minutes: Death
Of An American
High School,
which came out
in late
October.
This latest
book
represents a
significant
departure for
me. It is the
first time I
have attempted
to write what
I call
contemporary
historical
fiction.
By that I mean
is it is a
fictional
account
wrapped in an
historically
accurate
narrative.
In this case,
the story's
setting is in
the context of
an
almost
uniquely
American
tragedy,
gun violence
in our
schools. Thirteen
Minutes tells
the story of a
fictional
southeast
Missouri town
scarred
forever by a
mass causality
shooting at a
local high
school.
The book may
be in a
fictional
setting, but
it is based on
a factual
foundation
about the
causes and
effects of
such tragedies
on
communities.
You may ask
why I would
choose to
write about
such a dark
topic? The
answer is
simple: I like
to write about
the things for
which I have
passion.
Anyone who
knows me and
has read this
blog through
the years
knows that I
am a gun
reform
advocate who
believes we
can remove
weapons of
mass murder
from our
streets
without
violating the
Second
Amendment of
the U.S.
Constitution.
I am not
anti-gun. I am
anti-murder. I
am now in the
midst of
writing my
second attempt
at
contemporary
historical
fiction, a
book about
growing up on
Maryland's
Eastern Shore
during the
turbulent
1960s. As you
might imagine,
this is a more
personal
account.
And while most
of the names
and events
depicted are
products of my
imagination,
many of them
are based upon
personal
experience. An
example is in
a section of
the book where
I write about
what happened
in my
elementary
school on
the day John
F. Kennedy was
assassinated.
Again, I love
to write about
subjects for
which I have
great
passion.
It has been 52
years since I
called Talbot
County,
Maryland, my
home. Yet, I
still consider
myself an
Eastern
Shoreman at
heart.
For me, that's
the key: Find
a subject
about which
you have great
passion and
dive
head-first
into it. That
involves a lot
of research,
much of which
has been
eye-opening.
For example, I
interviewed a
former
classmate, the
first black
person I ever
really got to
know, about
his
experiences as
one of the
first students
to desegregate
a previously
all-white
school.
There's a lot
of things I
didn't know
and will try
to honestly
reflect in my
story. I make
no pretenses:
I do not
consider
myself a great
writer.
But I aspire
to be. And it
is that
passion that
drives me.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 44 --
The Dance of
Life
December 4,
2022
X
It's
been three
weeks since my
last post, a
memorial to a
friend and
relative.
Since then, I
have been
presented with
even more
reminders
about the
fragility of
life. People
on both sides
of my family
are in the
grips of what
is likely
life-ending
illnesses. And
as I write
this, my dog
is at the
Veterinary
Health Center
at Kansas
State
University,
awaiting
cancer
surgery.
Amidst all of
this is the
realization is
that my wife,
our siblings
and many of
our friends
are of an age
where the
permanency of
living cannot
be taken for
granted. In
case you are
wondering, I
am not writing
about this
subject
because, as
mentioned in
an earlier
post, I
recently
turned 70. As
I said at the
time, I am in
the best
health I have
been in
decades.
Instead, my
focus rests
upon the
realization
that no one
really knows
when their
personal end
is coming.
That being the
case, I
instinctively
know that
dwelling on
the end may
hasten its
arrival. It
seems the best
course of
action is to
go on living
as if there is
no deadline.
Of course,
that is easier
said than done
- especially
as one gets
older. It is
impossible -
and likely
would be
immoral.
The fact is
that all of
us, regardless
of age, engage
in the dance
of life
without
knowing when
the music will
stop. To me,
there's no
other option
than to just
keep on
dancing.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 43 --
Jeff Fillman
November 13,
2022
X
A
good man with
a keen mind
and an
eclectic soul
has left us.
Jeff Fillman,
my
brother-in-law
for the past
47 years,
passed away
yesterday in
his Owensboro,
Kentucky, home
after a long
and heroic
battle with
cancer and
kidney
disease. Jeff
was the older
brother to my
late wife,
Jan. He was
serving in the
U.S. Navy at
the time I
met, dated and
married his
sister. I
enjoyed
hearing his
stories of his
adventure in
the Navy and
the places he
had visited
while serving
aboard the U.S.S.
Saratoga.
He also talked
about his many
journeys
hiking the
Appalachian
Trail. In some
ways, he was a
man of
contradictions.
He'd come
across as an
uncomplicated
Kentucky good
ol' boy. But
once you'd
start talking
to him, you
would quickly
realize that
he was a man
of
considerable
intelligence
and
intellectual
curiosity. He
was an
electrician by
trade who
worked at an
Alcoa Aluminum
factory across
the Ohio River
in Southern
Indiana. He
married Debbie
Simpson,
herself a
woman of
considerable
musical talent
with superb
organizational
skills.
Together, they
made a great
team. Jan and
I enjoyed the
times we would
stay at their
house when we
came to visit
family in
Owensboro. A
favorite
memory is when
they came to
visit us in
Paderno del
Grappa, Italy,
while I was
teaching
overseas
during spring
2004. After
Jan's death in
2007, Jeff and
Debbie - all
of the
Fillmans, in
fact -
embraced me
and reminded
me that once
you are a
Fillman, you
are always a
Fillman. In
recent years,
it was a
common
interest in
music -
specifically
guitar and
mandolin -
that drew me
closer to Jeff
and Debbie. As
Jeff's health
declined in
recent years,
he kept up a
brave front.
As is often
the case with
long-term
illness, he
navigated
through a
series of ups
and downs -
often
appearing to
be on the road
to recovery,
only to suffer
a setback.
When Jeff
caught COVID
and was unable
to attend this
summer's
Fillman Family
Reunion in St.
Louis, a
mini-reunion
of sorts was
held last
month in
Kentucky. I
stayed four
nights at Jeff
and Debbie's.
Because
Debbie,
development
director for
the Bluegrass
Hall of Fame
and Museum in
Owensboro, had
an out-of-town
business
commitment
that weekend,
I extended my
stay a couple
of days so we
could visit,
as well. In
light of
yesterday's
tragic news, I
am very
grateful and
consider
myself blessed
to have spent
that time with
them. In the
next few days,
I will return
to Kentucky
and gather
with the
extended
Fillman Family
to celebrate
the life of a
special man.
We were not
related by
blood.
But he was my
brother of a
different
mother and I
will miss him.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 42 -- A
Wonderful Life
November 8,
2022
X
I
was born 70
years ago
today at the
Baltimore
Women's
Hospital. I
was the sixth
child and
fifth son of
Jane and Evan
Carey Guth.
One more
sibling, a
brother, would
follow nearly
two-and-one-half
years later.
At the time,
we were living
in rural
Baltimore
County,
Maryland. But
we wouldn't be
there much
longer as we
moved to
Talbot County
on the Eastern
Shore in the
Fall of 1955.
We were living
in a
three-story
farmhouse on
seven-and-one-half
acres of
waterfront
property that
had been part
of what had
been known as
the Goose Neck
Farm. However,
you wouldn't
recognize the
place today.
Goose Neck
Road is now
where the
wealthy and
connected
live. In fact,
that's pretty
much the story
for much of my
old stomping
grounds.
I doubt that I
could afford
to live there
today. After
graduation
from Easton
High School in
1970, I left
the Eastern
Shore, first
for college
and then in
pursuit of a
career. My
travels would
take me to
Kentucky,
Indiana,
Georgia, New
York, and
North Carolina
before I found
a permanent
home in
Lawrence,
Kansas. I had
pursued
careers in
broadcasting
and public
relations
before landing
my job of a
lifetime as a
professor at
the William
Allen White
School of
Journalism and
Mass
Communications
at the
University of
Kansas. I
taught, wrote
scholarly
papers and
coauthored
four books for
nearly 30
years before I
had the good
sense to
retired at the
end of 2019 -
just before
COVID
struck.
I have also
written two
books on my
own - one of
which is
coming out
sometime this
month - and am
in the process
of writing a
third. I was
blessed to
marry a
wonderful lady
from Kentucky
in 1975 and
together we
had a
daughter,
Susan. I lost
Jan in
2007. I
will always
love her and
miss her.
However,
lightning does
strike twice
and I was
blessed to
remarry to a
Kansas woman
named Maureen
in 2010.
(How could I
be so lucky?)
Between us, we
have four
fabulous
grandchildren.
As I look back
on seven
decades, I
can't say that
I don't have
some
regrets.
Who on this
earth doesn't?
But in so many
ways, I have
been blessed -
probably more
than I
rightfully
deserve. As I
have written
in this space
before,
there's
nothing to be
gained by
playing the
"coulda" and
"shoulda"
game. Life is
what it is.
Therefore, one
should make
the best of
what one has.
On this, my
70th birthday,
I am content,
surrounded by
loving family
and friends,
grateful that
I have made it
through all
the trials and
tribulations
that have come
my way. That
doesn't mean
that there
won't be more.
After all, no
one gets out
of this world
alive. But
that's my
point: I am
alive. And I
plan to
continue to
drink the
sweet nectar
of life for as
long as this
old body and
the good Lord
will allow.
And who could
ask for more?
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
|
Vol.
16 No. 41 --
Laura Kelly
for Governor
November 1,
2022
X
When
Kansans go to
the polls one
week from
today, there
are three good
reasons they
should vote to
reelect
Governor Laura
Kelly. The
first and
perhaps best
reason is that
she has done a
great
job. The
mess she
inherited from
her
predecessor
was
enormous.
The state's
economy was in
shambles.
The schools
had been
gutted. The
state was
nearly
bankrupt. She
came into
office, rolled
up her sleeves and
despite the
unrelenting
opposition of
radical right
factions in
the state
legislature,
she righted
the ship of
state.
Is Kansas
better off
today than it
was four years
ago? The
answer is an
unequivocal
"yes." The
second reason
is that
Governor Kelly
has been and
will continue
to be a
backstop
against
radical
elements in
the Kansas
General
Assembly who
are hell-bent
to play Robin
Hood in
reverse - take
from the poor
and give to
the rich. The
Brownbackian
tax cuts of
the past hurt
practically
everyone in
the state,
with the
notable
exception of
the Republican
campaign donor
class. In
addition to
the financial
ruin these
MAGA-maggots
brought to the
state, they
have also
tried to take
away the
people's right
to make their
own medical
decisions. Do
we really want
to the
so-called
religious
right - who
are neither
religious nor
right -
telling us how
to live our
lives?
The third
reason to vote
for Kelly is
her opponent,
Derek Schmidt.
During the
former
governor's
eight-year
reign of
terror,
Schmidt
marched in
lockstep - or
should I say
goosestep -
with Sam
Brownback. Add
to that the
fact that
Schmidt's
campaign
advertising
has been
filled with
outright lies
and, in at
least one
case, bordered
on the
obscene.
Just as I
indicated in
my last post,
you can tell
about a
candidate
based on the
kind of
advertising he
runs. By that
measure,
Schmidt is not
worthy of the
people of this
great
state. The
choice is
clear: Laura
Kelly has
earned the
right to serve
a second term
as the
Governor of
our state.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 40 --
Sharice Davids
for Congress
October 25,
2022
X
You
can tell a lot
about a
congressional
candidate by
the
advertising
she runs. Take
for example
those of
Republican
reactionary
Amanda Adkins.
She is trying
to unseat
two-term
Democratic
Rep. Sharice
Davids in the
Kansas third
congressional
district.
Adkins's ads
follow the
same,
tired-old
Republican
formula -- if
you don't have
any real
issues to run
on, gin up
false
ones.
She blames
Davids for
inflation, the
methamphetamine
crisis, high
crime and
election
fraud.
The last time
I checked,
none of those
issues are
under the
purview of any
single elected
representative
- not even the
President of
the United
States.
However, if
you believe
that Adkins is
trying to
blame these
problems on
the Democrats,
let's get the
record
straight:
These are all
products of
Republican
congressional
and
presidential
mismanagement,
incompetence
and outright
corruption.
What is
Sharice Davids
record? She
voted with the
Democratic
majority in
the House to
fix America's
ailing
infrastructure,
to lower drug
and insulin
prices, to
help families
make ends meet
during the
COVID
pandemic, to
protect a
woman's right
to make her
own health
care decisions
and to protect
the integrity
of electoral
process - all
things that
Adkins and her
Republican
reactionary
pals have
opposed.
And what is
Davids's
advertising
saying about
Adkins? It
says that
Adkins was an
architect
of Gov.
Sam
Brownback's disastrous
tax
cuts for the
wealthy that
drove the
state of
Kansas to near
bankruptcy,
damaging our
schools, roads
and public
safety. Davids
also points
out that
Adkins would
have the
government
deny women the
right to an
abortion under
any
circumstance
not even for
incest and
rape. (Does
that sound
like a
freedom-loving
conservative
to you?) The
major
difference
between the
two candidates
is that
Davids's ads
are true and
Adkins's ads
are outright
lies. The only
reason this
race is
competitive -
Davids crushed
Adkins two
years ago - is
that the
reactionary
Republicans in
the Kansas
legislature
have tried to
gerrymander
Davids out of
office. Of
course, this
is the same
seditious
Republican
Party that
tried to throw
out the votes
of 81-million
Americans
after the 2020
presidential
election.
Those reasons,
alone, should
be enough to
vote for
Davids.
But let's
make it clear:
I am not
endorsing
Sharice Davids
because it is
a vote against
Amanda Adkins
and her
reactionary
Republican
cronies. I am
endorsing
Davids because
it is an
enthusiastic
vote for a
vision of
Kansas and
America that
believes that
there is
strength in
the diversity,
creativity and
Midwestern
ethic of our
people.
Sharice Davids
has earned
another term
in Congress.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 39 --
Just Say No -
Again
October 18,
2022
X
I am
constantly
amazed at the
ways the
Kansas
legislature
conspires to
take away your
rights.
As you may
recall, the
neo-cons in
the General
Assembly last
summer tried
to strip women
of their right
make important
medical
decisions
about their
own bodies.
Using
deceptive
language, they
tried to amend
the state
constitution
in such a way
as to open the
door to a
total ban on
abortions.
Fortunately,
the people of
Kansas are a
lot smarter
than these
huskers and
dilettantes
thought and
resoundingly
rejected this
blatant
attempt at
legislative
overreach.
Well, they're
at it again.
There are two
deceptively
worded
constitutional
amendments on
the November
ballot. The
first would
allow the
legislature to
veto or
suspend rules
and
regulations
enacted by any
executive
branch agency.
This is
another
blatant
attempt to
override the
will of voters
who elect the
Governor who
oversees these
agencies. It
is a dangerous
shift in the
delicate
balance of
power between
the executive
and
legislative
branches.
It is also an
unconscionable
attempt at
micromanaging
government by
a group of
legislators
who can barely
manage
themselves. It
doesn't make
sense to strip
any governor,
republican or
democrat, of
the powers
with which
they have been
entrusted by
the voters.
The second
amendment on
the ballot
would require
that county
sheriffs be
elected in
every county -
except, for
some reason,
in Riley
County - and
would take the
power to
initiate the
removal of
sheriffs from
office away
from local
district
attorneys.
Instead, the
legislature
wants to hand
that power
over to the
state's
attorney
general.
To put it
another way,
it will be up
to a state
official, not
a local
official, to
oversee the
potential
removal of a
local
official. Once
again, this is
a sign that
the neo-cons -
with an
emphasis on cons
- don't
think the
voters are
smart enough
to elect
individuals to
carry out the
constitutional
powers they
have been
entrusted for
more than 150
years. Let's
call a spade a
spade: These
amendments
represent a
power grab by
ultra-conservative
extremists who
claim to love
American
democracy but
absolutely do
not trust it
in the hands
of Kansas
voters.
Just as we did
in August,
let's tell
these
MAGA-maggots
to stick their
constitutional
chicanery
where the
Sunflower
State don't
shine. When it
comes to these
changes to the
Kansas
constitution,
just say no -
again.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 38 --
Poems and
Prayers and
Promises
October 5,
2022
X
Next
week will mark
the 25th
anniversary of
the death of
one of my
favorite
recording
artists, John Denver. The mop-top entertainer
with wire-rim
glasses and
boundless
enthusiasm was
both loved and
loathed by
millions. For
those who
liked his
music - and I
count myself
among them -
his music was
pure, simple
and from the
heart. His
music carried
messages of love,
hope, compassion,
environmental
stewardship
and respect
for all. John
Denver's
compositions
were aspirational -
urging us all
to be better
human beings
and stewards
of the planet.
Denver had his
critics who
thought his
music was
corny
insincere
schlock.
Frankly, they
didn't like
that he was a
middle-of-the
road performer
with a broad
commercial
appeal. They
attacked his
"Boy Scout"
image. Yet for
all the grief
that the music
critics hurled
his way, it
was John
Denver who was
the first of
the
entertainment
industry's
environmental
activists to
put his time
and money
where his
mouth was. One
can argue that
after Rachel
Carson, no one
has done more
to raise the public's
awareness of
the need to
protect the
environment than
John
Denver.
His problem
was that he
was ahead of
his time. No
one in the
entertainment
industry was
talking about
pollution and
global warming
in the 1970s -
except John
Denver. There
are people who
scoff when I
tell them that
I am a fan of
John
Denver.
That used to
bother me. But
one of the
advantages of
getting older
is that I have
reached a
point in my
life where I
don't really
give a damn
what others
may thing of
my music
choices. John
Denver came
out of the
folk music
traditions of
the The Weavers, The
Kingston Trio,
Pete Seeger and Peter,
Paul and Mary.
That was the
kind of music
that most
influenced me
in the
pre-Beatle
years. Even
today, as I
strum on my
Taylor guitar
- a retirement
gift to myself
- that's the
kind of music
I like to
play. John
Denver was the
embodiment of
that folk
music spirit.
He was also a
poet who knew
how to touch
our soul. He
talked of "poems
and prayers
and promises
and things
that we
believe in.
How sweet it
is to love
someone. How
right it is to
care. How long
it's been
since
yesterday. And
what about
tomorrow? And
what about out
dreams and all
the memories
we share?" He
lost his life
on October 12,
1997, doing
something he
loved, flying
experimental
aircraft. One
can't help but
wonder how
things may
have been
different if
he hadn't died
in that
accident. In
such a
discordant
time as now,
his voice is
sorely missed.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 37 --
Situational
Christianity
September 24,
2022
X
A
poll came out
this week
stating that
nearly two-thirds
of Republicans
want to
declare that
the United
States is a
"Christian
nation." That
is alarming on
two
fronts.
First, this
sentiment
ignores the
fact that this
nation was not
only founded
so we could
exercise
freedom of
religion,
but it was
also founded
on the
principle that
we should also
enjoy freedom
from
religion. Even
in the 18th
century, the
Founders felt
it necessary
to create a
constitutional
framework that
celebrates and
protects
diversity in
all of its
forms. And
yet, today's
MAGA-infested
Republican
party seems
all too
willing to
trash a nearly
three
century-old
social
contract. The
second reason
I am bothered
by this poll
is that there
is strong
evidence that
most
Republicans
have
absolutely no
idea of what
Christianity
is. They
claim to be
Christians.
They go to
church on
Sunday and
take the wine
and the wafers
while
professing
their love for
Jesus.
But do they
really love
him?
Maybe they do,
but they
certainly
don't follow
his
teachings.
Instead, they
practice what
I call Situational
Christianity,
adhering to
only the parts
of Jesus's
religious
teachings that
fit their
political
ideology. Does
anyone
actually
believe that
Jesus Christ
would have
approved of
the public
actions and
personal
behaviors of
the 45th
President of
the United
States? Would
Jesus have
approved of
desperate
Republican
efforts to
keep people of
color from
voting in
elections -
especially in
areas where
those people
are actually
in the
majority?
And what about
the immoral
behavior of
the Governor
of Florida: A
man who
misappropriated
state tax
dollars, sent
his agents to
another state,
lied to
political
refugees who
legally
immigrated
into this
country, and
dumped them in
blue Northern
state just to
make a crass
political
point?
Tell me what
part of that
charade even
remotely
resembles the
gospel
according to
Christ? I know
they won't
like the
comparison,
but the
relationship
to God that
MAGA
Republicans
have in the
2020s isn't
that much
different than
the that which
the Nazis had
in the 1930s -
in name
only.
Let's be clear
on a couple of
points. This
is not an
indictment of
all
Republicans.
There are
Republicans of
conscience who
are as
appalled by
the Jim
Jordans,
Marjorie
Taylor
Greenes, Ron
DeSantises and
Loren Boeberts
of the world
and are
actively
working
against
them.
However, there
are those
Republicans
who remain
silent and,
therefore,
have become
accomplices to
this moral
outrage.
Second, notice
that I have
said nothing
about
abortion.
I have strong
feelings on
the subject,
but I also
respect the
fact that
reasonable
people can
have strongly
differing
opinions on
the
subject.
I am only
offended by
those, for
example, who
lied to
Congress about
Roe v. Wade
being "settled
law" to secure
a seat on the
U.S. Supreme
Court only to
flip without
any legal or
moral
justification
to overturn a
half-century
of legal
doctrine.
Of course,
they say they
are
Christians. I
only wish they
would act like
it.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 36 --
Dear "Doc"
Marshall
September 14,
2022
X
Members
of Congress
have free
franking
privileges,
which means
they get to
send you
volumes of
meaningless
junk mail at
taxpayer
expense.
I just
received one
rather
annoying piece
of propaganda
from an
equally
annoying
lawmaker, Sen.
Roger Marshall
(R-Kansas). In
it, he tells
us - the
Senator refers
to himself as
"Doc" Marshall
- how he
fights
inflation. To
his credit,
Marshall,
along with
Sen. Dick
Durbin
(D-Illinois),
has introduced
legislation
designed to
enhance
competition in
the credit
card market -
something that
makes sense.
But then he
brags about
introducing
the
pretentious
"Stop The
Inflationary
Spending Spree
Act," a piece
of trash
legislation that
would
virtually
eliminate the
ability to
this or any
administration
to pass major
spending
bills. My
guess is that
the bill isn't
worth the
paper it is
printed on.
It's hard to
believe any
Congress,
Republican
controlled or
Democrat
controlled,
would
voluntarily
place itself
in such
dangerous
fiscal
handcuffs.
Then ol' Doc
Marshall takes
credit for
voting against
Biden's
"massive
spending."
And just what
did our Quack
Senator vote
against?
He voted
against
rebuilding the
nation's aging
infrastructure,
access to
clean water,
access to
high-speed
Internet,
fighting the
threat of
climate change
and
investments in
traditionally
under-served
communities.
On top of
that, Quacky
and his
cronies
successfully
blocked
efforts to put
a cap on the
price of
insulin. The
White House
estimates that
the bill that
passed without
significant
Republican
help will add
an average of
1.5 million
jobs a year
over the next
10 years. And
Marshall voted
against that?
And he's proud
of it? Dear
"Doc"
Marshall: Just
what color is
the sky in the
universe in
which you
live? Of
course, what
do you expect
from a Quack
who pulled political
strings to
have his
reckless
driving
charges
reduced
following an
incident which
Marshall
physically
assaulted one
of his
neighbors by
trying to run
him over? This
is also the
same guy who,
in one of his
first official
acts as a U.S.
Senator,
committed
sedition by trying
overturn the
legal election
of Joe
Biden as
president. No
wonder the
normally
gentile Dr.
Anthony Fauci
called him a "moron."
Heck, even Judge
Judy
agrees. So,
here's my
prescription
for ol' Doc
Marshall: Sit
down and shut
your pie
hole.
And keep your
junk mail to
yourself. THAT
is something
you can really
do to help
fight
inflation.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 35 --
Long Live the
King.
September 8,
2022
X
I
was born just
nine-months
after Queen
Elizabeth II's
ascension to
the throne.
That means
that I, like
most people on
this planet,
have never
known another
British
monarch - that
is, until
today.
Queen
Elizabeth's
passing today
in Scotland
was sudden,
although
hardly a
surprise.
After all, she
was 96 years
old and had
been in
failing
health. Yet,
we were
surprised.
After all, it
was only two
days earlier
that we saw a
picture of Her
Majesty
conferring her
appointment of
Liz Truss as
the United
Kingdom's new
prime
minister. Yes,
she looked
frail. But she
didn't appear
to be someone
in the final
hours of her
life. And what
a life. You
don't have to
be British to
have affection
for the late
Queen. Through
seven decades
of triumph and
tumult, she
has maintained
an unshakeable
and stoic
presence. And
while she may
not have had
any real
political
power as a
constitutional
monarch, she
had had an
immeasurable
well of moral
authority.
Did she make
any mistakes
during her
reign? She has
admitted as
much. But she
always knew
how to reach
out to her
subjects to
make amends.
Don't get me
wrong - I am
not an
Anglophile. I
much prefer
our
democratic-republican
form of
government -
even in these
times when it
is so much
under strain -
than I do the
British
system. But
that does not
mean that I
cannot admire
the integrity
of a woman,
cast into a
role she was
not born into,
who committed
herself at age
21 to a life
of service to
her nation.
She lived up
to that
promise and we
are all better
for it. Now
the United
Kingdom has a
new monarch,
King Charles
III. His
failure to
live up to his
wedding vows
to the former
Diana Spencer
is certainly a
black mark on
his record.
But should
that be the
only measure
of the man?
Whereas his
late mother
freely
admitted that
in many ways
she was
ill-prepared
to assume the
throne, King
Charles is
just the
opposite. One
can argue that
no person has
been as well
prepared for
his new
responsibilities
as he. He also
has also been
someone ahead
of the curve
on a wide
range of
public issues
- most notably
global
warming. I
hope the
people of the
Great Britain
and the world
give the new
guy a
chance.
I suspect that
was his
mother's dying
wish. Thank
you Elizabeth
Windsor for
your service
to your nation
and the world.
The Queen is
dead. Long
live the King.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 34 --
Back on the
Trails
August 26,
2022
X
As
the summer
begins its
slow
transition to
fall, the
morning air is
becoming
clearer and
cooler. As the
sun rises,
people - often
with their
dogs - emerge
from their
homes and walk
and run the
streets of
Lawrence. This
is a great
walking and
biking town
with a large
number of
well-maintained
paths and
trails. I live
about a mile
from Rock
Chalk Park, a
complex where
the city and
University of
Kansas have
built a
recreation
center and a
venues for
KU's softball,
track &
field and
tennis teams.
It also has
several miles
of walking
paths that
traverse
through a
thickly wooded
area. However,
it is just one
of several
hiking trails
situated
around
Lawrence.
There is a
fabulous bike
trail that
circumvents
the city and
plenty of
youth athletic
fields. These
investments,
along with the
community's
commitment to
the arts, is
what has made
Lawrence a
community
consistently
listed among
the best
places to live
in America.
When I retired
from KU at the
end of
December 2019,
I began to
take advantage
of these
facilities. I
was under the
gun from my
doctors to
lose weight -
and I
did.
However, heart
issues that
restricted my
exercise
regimen and a
return bad
habits
resulted in my
gaining back
most of what I
had lost.
After heart
surgery last
December and
bariatric
surgery last
month, I am
back on the
trails of Rock
Chalk Park.
This is an
easy time of
year to do
morning walks.
It is when the
weather turns
colder and raw
that the real
challenge will
come. I
once made the
mistake of
listening to
music on my
iPhone when
the weather
was so cold
that the phone
froze. Trust
me, you don't
want that to
happen to you.
However, when
the geese and
the weather go
south, I am
committed to
continue my
diet and
exercise
routine.
There's always
the indoor
track at the
recreation
center and my
own treadmill.
It's not like
I have any
other choice.
Fortunately, I
live in the
right place at
the right time
to tackle this
challenge. And
judging by the
number of
people - and
dogs - I see
on the dark,
early morning
streets of
Lawrence, I
know that I am
not alone.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 33 --
Who'd Have
Thunk It?
August 13,
2022
X
Who
would have
believed that
a former
President of
the United
States would
be under
criminal
investigation
for espionage?
In short:
EVERYBODY!!!
From the day
he gave the
Russian
ambassador
Israeli
intelligence
in the Oval
Office to the
time he
discussed
top-secret
defense
strategy in a
Mar-a-Lago
dining room
over "the
greatest piece
of cake " he's
ever had, the
defeated
former
president
(a/k/a "The
First Felon")
has played
fast-and-loose
with our
nation's
security. As
president, The
First Felon
could get away
with a lot of
things.
However, as an
out-of-work
golf course
malingerer, he
is now in the
most serious
legal jeopardy
of his sordid
and spotted
career. Even
if you accept
his ludicrous
excuse that he
had a
"standing
order" to
declassify
sensitive
documents he
removed from
the Oval
Office - his
one with the
desk, not his
other one with
the toilet -
that still
doesn't
explain why
they were
removed to
Florida after
he was run out
of Washington
nor why he hid
them from the
FBI when he
was served a
subpoena in
June. The
First Felon
tried to take
the "Imperial
Presidency" to
a whole new
level. But
even he does
not have the
right to
declassify the
nation's
most-guarded
secrets
without
following a
legislatively
mandated
procedure. (In
case you are
wondering, the
President's
right to
classify and
declassify
documents is
NOT granted by
the
Constitution.)
This has been
a particularly
bad week for
The First
Felon. In
addition to
the FBI's
bountiful raid
on his Florida
hideout on
Monday, a
court ruled on
Tuesday that
Congress has
the right to
review his
income taxes.
He had to plea
the Fifth
Amendment more
than 400 times
during a
deposition in
a New York tax
fraud case on
Wednesday.
Also on
Wednesday, the
U.S. Supreme
Court ordered
the release of
more than 700
documents The
First Felon
had tried to
hide from the
congressional
committee
investigating
the January 6
insurrection.
On Thursday,
after being
outfoxed by
Attorney
General
Merrick
Garland, who
called his
bluff when the
defeated
former
president's
allies
questioned the
reasons behind
the search
warrant at
Mar-a-lago, it
was disclosed
that some of
the documents
the FBI seized
may have dealt
with the
nation's most
sensitive
nuclear weapon
secrets. The
House of Lards
crumbled on
Friday when
the contents
of the search
warrant were
released. They
stated that
there was
probable cause
that The First
Felon was
guilty under
at least three
federal
statutes,
including the
Espionage
Act. He
also lost an
attempt to
block ongoing
sexual assault
lawsuits he is
facing. It was
a terrible
week for The
First Felon,
as it was for
his pathetic
and sniveling
extreme
right-wing
republican
sycophants.
(Oh, by the
way, Joe Biden
had a fabulous
week of
fulfilling his
promises to
the American
people. Way to
go, Brandon!)
When that
bloated New
York business
leach
slithered down
his gold
elevator with
his tarnished
trophy wife to
declare his
candidacy for
the presidency
in June 2015,
who could have
imagined the
trail of
American
carnage he
would leave in
his wake? In
short:
EVERYBODY!!!
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 32 -- A
Big Win,
But...
August 4, 2022
X
The
Sunflower
State shocked
the world on
Tuesday when
its voters
overwhelmingly
rejected an
amendment that
would have
removed state
constitutional
protections of
a woman's
right to an
abortion.
Members of the
party once
known as the
Republican
party had
hoped that an
affirmative
vote on the
amendment
would open the
door to a
total ban on
abortions. And
considering
just how "red"
Kansas is,
they thought
the measure
would easily
pass. Instead,
they got their
arses kicked
in their
radical right
cheeks.
Democrats
across the
nation hailed
the defeat of
the amendment
as a sign that
they will be
able to turn
the tide
against an
anticipated
Republican
wave in the
November
mid-term
elections.
There may be
some truth to
that. The
Supreme
Court's
unconscionable
overturn of
Roe versus
Wade has
awakened both
Democrat and
Independent
voters who, up
until then,
lacked
enthusiasm and
threatened to
sit out this
election
cycle. The
Radical Right,
as it often
does, has
overreached
and ignored
American
public opinion
that
overwhelmingly
favors
preserving a
woman's right
to make her
own health
care choices.
That partially
explains what
happened in
the Kansas
referendum.
One factor
that that I
don't believe
is given
enough credit
is what I
believe to be
Kansans'
rejection of
clumsy -
frankly stupid
- efforts to
deceive
voters. From
the very title
and wording of
the amendment
to last-minute
text messages
that
deliberately
tried to
confused
voters, the
supporters of
the amendment
sent an
unmistakable
message to
Kansas voters
that they are
too stupid
catch on to
their
bait-and-switch
scheme. Guess
what? Kansans
are a hell of
a lot smarter
than they
think.
However,
before anyone
should get all
farts and
giggles over a
potential blue
wave in the
fall, here's a
dose of
reality.
It is still
going to be a
Republican
year. The only
question is
how big. The
party out of
power in the
White House
typically
loses
congressional
seats in the
midterms. The
degree to
which a series
of recent
Republican
blunders will
mitigate the
red wave
remains to be
seen.
Here in
Kansas,
Democrat
Governor Laura
Kelly is going
to have a
tough race
against
Attorney
General Derk
Schmidt. He is
not the
one-eyed
horned ogre
that
Republicans
have often
offered in
past
gubernatorial
races (e.g.
Kris Kobach).
But Kansans do
have a track
record of
reelecting
Democratic
governors who
have done a
good job. One
thing working
for Kansas
Democrats this
fall is the
presence of
Kobach on the
ballot as the
Republican
nominee for
Attorney
General. Like
an albatross,
he may prove
to be a drag
on the ticket.
However, the
Republicans
are virtually
assured of a
super majority
in the Kansas
legislature,
which means
the Sunflower
State is in
for another
four more
years of
right-wing
demagoguery no
matter what
happens in
November. With
the
constitutionally
questionable
congressional
redistricting
that places
Lawrence (in
eastern
Kansas) in a
district that
reaches to the
Colorado
border,
there's a
chance that
Sharice
Davids, the
only Democrat
in the Kansas
House
delegation,
could lose her
seat. Jerry
Moran, our
no-knowing and
do-nothing
Republican
U.S. Senator,
is assured of
reelection.
So, let's
celebrate
Tuesday's
temporary
triumph over
evil. However,
the true
contest is far
from over.
Evil never
goes away.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 31 --
Just Say "No"
July 26, 2022
X
Kansans
will go to the
polls one week
from today to
decide whether
they will
strip half of
the state's
population of
a
constitutional
right.
The ballot
features a
vote on
Amendment 2,
euphemistically
named the
"Value Them
Both"
amendment. It
is an attempt
by the
Republican
(re:
reactionary)
state
legislature to
undo a state
supreme court
decision last
year that
affirmed that
a woman's
right to an
abortion is
protected
under the
state
constitution.
A "yes" vote
would
eliminate that
right,
effectively
clearing the
way for the
neo-cons in
Topeka to
outlaw
abortion. I
respect those
who hold
deeply
religious
objections to
abortion. I
believe that
abortion, when
used
cavalierly as
birth control,
is immoral.
But I also
believe that
abortion may
be justified
in certain
cases. In any
event, my
strongest
belief is
that, in the
final
analysis,
whether or not
a woman
chooses to
have an
abortion is
none of my
damn
business.
The decision
to end a
pregnancy is a
moral one -
which means it
is a matter
between a
woman, her God
and no one
else.
Conservatives
have tried to
define
themselves as
people who
seek to
preserve
individual
freedoms.
However, they
want to
interfere in
the most
private and
painful
decision a
woman may ever
have to make.
Forget the
irony that
these most
fervent
defenders of
the rights of
the unborn are
also the same
folks who
don't want to
pay to
adequately
educate these
same children,
or provide
more
accessible and
cheaper health
care for them
and want to
inhibit their
most
democratic of
rights, the
right to vote.
But the
hypocrisy does
not end there.
Do you know
what I really
find morally
offensive? How
about two U.S.
Supreme Court
nominees going
before
Congress,
testifying
under oath
that Roe
vs. Wade
is settled
law, and then
vote to
overturn a
50-year-old
legal
precedent?
(And we are
supposed to
believe the
Kansas
legislators
who say that a
"yes" vote
doesn't
necessarily
threaten
abortion
rights?) There
is a reason
our Founders
framed a
constitution
that provided
a clear
separation of
church and
state. History
has shown us
that mixing
the two is
dangerous and
leads to
persecution.
Unfortunately,
the radical
right has
appeared to
embrace this
dystopian
approach as a
viable
political
strategy. It
has abandoned
fundamental
American
values and,
instead,
chosen to lead
the country
down the same
slippery
authoritarian
slope that
Hitler plunged
Germany into
during the
1930s. And
like those
Germans, the
once proud
Republican
Party is being
led to the
gates of hell
by a false
prophet - the
same one who
said he'd lead
his followers
to the Capitol
on January 6,
2021, and then
sat in his
White House
dining room
watching the
chaos he
unleashed
unfold on TV.
When it comes
to our rights,
these people
can't be
trusted. The
adoption of
Amendment 2
represents a
clear and
present danger
to the
maintenance of
individual
privacy rights
and the
religious
doctrine of
free will. It
is a moral
outrage. When
it comes to
Amendment 2,
Kansans should
show the rest
of the nation
the way to a
more just and
free America.
They can do so
if they just
say "no."
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 30 --
The Eyes Have
It
July 20, 2022
X
The
decision last
year by the
University of
Texas and the
University of
Oklahoma to
bolt the Big
12 Conference
for the green
(as in money)
fields of the
Southeastern
Conference has
set off
another round
of collegiate
conference
realignments.
That
precipitated
last month's
surprise and
sudden move by
UCLA and
Southern
California
from the
Pac-12 to the
Big 10. That,
in turn,
caused a lot
of sports
talking heads
to talk about
the
implications
for the
college
football
playoff system
and the
relative
strengths of
the
conferences.
Yes, football
is a very
important
consideration
in the current
college
athletics
reshuffling.
But it is
hardly the
most important
factor. In the
end, the eyes
have it.
Specifically,
the most
important
consideration
is the number
of eyes
watching
college
football (and
basketball) on
television
that really
matters.
And for all of
the SEC's
bluster and
on-field
football
superiority,
it is the Big
10 that has
the real upper
hand.
With the
addition of
USC and UCLA,
the Big 10 has
locked up the
nation's top
four Nielsen
television
markets (New
York, Los
Angeles,
Chicago and
Philadelphia)
and five of
the top 10
(Washington
#7). In
comparison,
the SEC has
only one top
10 market
(Atlanta #10).
That's why the
Big 12, which
has two of the
top 10 markets
(Dallas-Fort
Worth #5 and
Houston #9) is
trying to
secure its
future by
exploring its
own expansion,
most likely at
the expense of
the Pac-12. If
the Big 12
were to add -
as widely
speculated -
Arizona,
Arizona State,
Utah and
Colorado, it
would pick up
a slew of top
20 TV markets.
(If Stanford
or California
were in the
mix, that
would include
the San
Francisco-Oakland
market
(#6).
And why is
market size
important?
That's where
the money is.
The larger the
TV footprint,
the bigger the
TV
contract.
Notre Dame is
the wild card
- especially
since it is
the one
college
athletic
powerhouse
that has a
national
constituency
with appeal in
all TV
markets.
Should the
Fighting Irish
move to a
conference -
and that is
not for
certain - its
most logical
move would be
the Big 10.
There are,
however, some
discussions
underway
concerning a
television
alliance with
the Big 12 and
NBC, which
owns the
rights to
Notre Dame
football. And
where does
this leave the
Atlantic Coast
Conference?
Nowhere for
now, since the
ACC is locked
into an
ESPN-TV deal
through 2035.
Clemson,
Florida Stare
and Miami
would be the
most likely to
jump the ACC
ship - if not
for the $100
million exit
fee they would
have to pay.
(That's not to
say that deal
can't be
renegotiated.)
There's also
one other
aspect that
sportswriters
and fans
overlook - the
academics of
these
institutions.
Thirteen of
the Big 10's
newly
constituted 16
members will
be members of
the American
Association of
Universities,
which gives
them the
designation as
Research 1
universities.
That opens
those schools
to a wealth of
research
funding not
available to
the others. In
comparison,
even with the
addition of
Texas, the SEC
will have only
five AAU
members. The
Big 12 has
only one -
Kansas - but
could jump to
two with the
addition of
Colorado. My
point: There's
a lot more at
stake than
what is
generated by
football. We
haven't even
mentioned the
revenue
generated by
other sports,
especially
men's and
women's
basketball,
softball and
baseball. And,
oh yes,
merchandising
and college
enrollments.
Make no
mistake about
it, there's a
lot more at
stake than
which
conference
fields the
best football
teams. And as
I said, when
it comes to
what is the
most important
factor in
college
conference
realignment,
the eyes have
it.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 29 -- A
Fourth to
Remember
July 4, 2022
X
I
expect that
most Americans
can look back
and awaken
fond memories
of
Independence
Days past. I
know that when
I reflect upon
my nearly 70
years of July
4ths, I can
conger up a
bushel of
happy
experiences
that have been
woven into the
fabric of my
life.
Inevitably, my
thoughts each
July 4 go back
exactly 60
years to
Independence
Day 1962, when
my oldest
brother Carey
chose me from
among my four
other brothers
and my sister
to spend the
day with him
in Washington,
D.C. I was
nine years old
at the time.
Carey was in
his early 20s.
It was my
first trip to
the Nation's
Capital and we
crammed in an
amazing day of
activities. It
started with a
tour of the
White House -
something a
lot easier to
arrange in
those days. I
still have the
official White
House tour
booklet we
bought that
day, one that
included a
welcome from
First Lady
Jackie
Kennedy. From
there, we went
to the
National Mall.
I took an
elevator to
the top and
then walked
down the
555-foot high
Washington
Monument. We
also visited
one of the
Smithsonian
museums,
possibly the
National
Museum of
American
History. I
remember
seeing the
original Star
Spangled
Banner, the
flag that flew
over
Baltimore's
Fort McHenry
and inspired
Francis Scott
Key to write
what would
eventually
become our
National
Anthem. We had
pizza for
dinner -
possible the
first pizza I
had ever
tasted. The
highlight of
the day was
the fireworks
display at the
Washington
Monument. With
the possible
exception of a
papal Easter
service at
Vatican City
in 2004, this
was the
largest crowd
I had ever a
part of - at
least a
quarter-of-a-million
people. And it
was, without a
doubt, the
largest
fireworks
display I have
ever
witnessed.
Just after
dark, a
display of
sparklers was
lighted that
showed a
profile of the
President and
proclaimed
"JFK Welcomes
You." Soon
thereafter,
the aerial
show began. Up
until that
time, the only
fireworks
displays I had
seen were
those put on
every Fourth
of July by the
Tred Avon
Yacht Club in
Oxford,
Maryland. Even
then, my
brothers and
sister would
watch them
from a
nautical
distance of
more than a
mile from the
dock at our
home in rural
Talbot County.
I remember
thinking that
the opening
volley of
Washington
fireworks was
substantially
larger than
the grand
finale at the
Yacht Club.
After the
incredible
show ended,
Carey drove me
home in his
Chevy Corvair
back to the
Eastern Shore.
We arrived at
our home near
Royal Oak
couple of
minutes before
midnight, the
latest I can
remember being
up at that
time. I hated
to see the day
end. As it
turned out,
July 4, 1962,
would be the
best memory I
would have of
my oldest
brother. At
the time, I
had no way of
knowing that
he would end
of own life
just seven
years later.
It wasn't
until some
years after
his death that
I learned of
the trials and
tribulations
Carey
experienced
during his
relatively
short and
turbulent
life. However,
there are
aspects of his
troubled life
I experienced
myself. (Lord
knows my
family was not
the Waltons.)
However, some
60 years
later, I don't
think about
those dark
days very
much.
Instead, I
think of Carey
as a loving
brother and a
good guy who
some 60 years
ago today
shared with me
a memory of a
lifetime. May
God rest his
soul.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 28 --
Moments of
Truth
June 29, 2022
X
America
witnessed a
congressional
hearing
yesterday
unlike any
other in its
history. A
26-year-old
woman sat
calmly - at
times, almost
meekly -
before the
House Select
Committee on
the January
6th Capitol
Insurrection
and told an incredible
story of a
president out
of control and
out of his
mind. Cassidy
Hutchinson
came to
Washington as
a conservative
Republican and
as a Trump
loyalist.
However, in an
act of
incredible
personal
bravery, she
came to the
decision to
put the
interests of
her country
over those of
a
megalomaniacal
oligarch who
was willing to
trash the
Constitution
to maintain
power.
Hutchinson was
just the
latest of a parade
of Republicans
to come
before the
committee and
put country
over party.
Unlike folks
such as Rusty
Bowers, GOP
speaker of the
Arizona House
and Jeffrey
Rosen, former
acting U.S.
Attorney
General,
Hutchinson was
a minor figure
with little
power to
influence the
outcome of the
nation's
electoral
dispute. But
she was
uniquely
placed in the
corridors of
the White
House on
January 6,
2021, to
witness the
actions - and
inaction - of
her boss,
White House
Chief of Staff
Mark Meadows.
However, like
Bowers, Rosen
and other
Republicans,
such as Adam
Kinzinger and
Liz Cheney,
Hutchinson
reached a
moment of
truth when she
realized that
she could not
defend the
indefensible.
"As a staffer
that had
worked to
always
represent the
administration
to the best of
my ability and
to showcase
the good
things that he
had done for
the country, I
remember
feeling
frustrated and
disappointed,
and it really
felt
personal," she
said. "I was
really sad. As
an American, I
was disgusted.
It was
unpatriotic.
It was
un-American.
We were
watching the
Capitol
building get
defaced over a
lie."
(You can read
her entire
testimony here.)
While it is
true that
Hutchinson and
the other
Republicans
who have
testified have
held and in
some cases
continue to
hold political
beliefs that
many find
unpalatable,
it is also
true that when
it mattered
the most, they
(ironically)
put America
first. (You
might say they
helped Make
America Great
Again.) Take,
for example,
former Vice
President Mike
Pence. There
was no bigger
Trump toady on
the American
political
stage than
Mike Pence.
But when
goaded to
trash the
votes of 81
million
citizens and
to destroy the
Constitution,
Pence said
"no." Despite
all the bad
stuff he did
for his boss,
this singular
act of
defiance is,
and should be,
his legacy.
This is not
unlike former
White House
Counsel John
Dean, who was
instrumental
50 years ago
in unraveling
the Watergate
cover-up.
True, he was
also one of
the major
architects of
that scandal.
But he, too,
reached a
moment of
truth. Yes,
Dean was
motivated by a
desire to save
his skin and
to not be
scapegoated by
Nixon and his
cronies. And
some of those
Republicans
coming out
these days
against their
former leader
may have
similar
motivations.
However, their
motivations
don't really
matter. The
only thing
that does
matter is that
when
confronted
with the awful
truth of the
Trump
Administration,
these people
came to the
defense of the
Constitution.
And, for that,
we will be
forever
grateful.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 27 --
Save the
Country
June 26, 2022
X
This
is the worst
week the U.S.
Supreme Court
has
experienced
since Plessy
v. Ferguson,
a morally
questionable
decision in
1896 that
legitimized
racial
segregation
for another 70
years. In a
myriad of
judicial
dictates
devoid of
legal logic,
The Supremes
sliced and
diced long-established
judicial
precedents
from abortion
to gun
control, the
rights of the
accused,
voting rights
and public
funding of
religious
schools. In a
ludicrous
ruling that
ignored 100
years of
established
law, it said
that the state
of New York
does not have
the right to
require
permits for
carrying
concealed
firearms
outside of the
home. In
short, the
Court says
that the state
of New York
has no
legitimate
public
interest in
the matter and
that the
Second
Amendment is,
in essence, a
hunting
license. That
logic is
devoid of any
of the
reasoning
expressed in The
Federalist
Papers
at the time
the Second
Amendment was
adopted. To
put it another
way, the Court
has ignored
the
long-accepted
interpretations
of the
Constitution
in favor of
their own
political
doctrine. The
most egregious
decision of
the week (and
the weak) was
the Court's
5-4 decision
to overturn
its own 1971
ruling in Roe
v. Wade.
In doing so,
the court
ruled that it
was up to the
states to
determine what
constitutes a
human right.
The decision
essentially
gutted what
has long been
interpreted as
a
constitutional
right to
privacy. Taken
together, this
week's rulings
had the effect
of saying that
that the Court
will protect
the rights of
anyone to
carry firearms
without regard
to public
safety while,
at the same
time, telling
women that it
is up to the
state to
determine
whether or not
they carry
pregnancies to
full term
without regard
to their
health or
other critical
implications.
Among those
deciding with
the majority
in the
abortion
ruling were
justices Brett
Kavanaugh and
Neil Gorsuch,
two jurists
who said Roe
v. Wade
was establish
law during
their Senate
confirmation
hearings. In
short, they
lied.
In a just
world, Gorsuch
and Kavanaugh
would have
their sorry
butts hauled
before
Congress and
they'd be
charged with
contempt.
Unfortunately
these days,
the Congress
is just as
contemptible
as the Supreme
Court. Make no
mistake about
it, the U.S.
Supreme Court
this week took
away your
rights to walk
the streets of
America
without fear
of gun
violence and a
woman's right
to govern her
own body in
matters of
health and
safety.
This week's
rulings also
embolden
wingnuts
like Justice
Clarence
Thomas to
challenge
other
previously
settled
personal
freedoms, such
as same-sex
marriage and
the right to
obtain
contraceptives.
They also have
racists like
Sen. John
Cornyn
(R-Texas)
suggesting
that the Court
take
us all the way
back to 1896.
Undoubtedly,
Cornyn and his
confederates
will suggest
he was making
a joke. But he
wasn't. It was
thinly coded
language that
serves as red
meat to his
increasingly
hostile and
anti-American
constituency.
In 2020,
Americans went
to polls in
record numbers
to oust the
most dangerous
and
incompetent
president in
the nation's
history.
This November,
they need to
return to the
polls in the
same - and
perhaps
greater -
numbers to
reassert the
basic freedoms
that the
Republican
Party is now
systematically
trying to
strip away
from them.
It may be the
only way we
can save the
country.
X
That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 26 --
Texas: Where
Incompetence
Meets
Intransigence
June 22, 2022
X
My
first attempt
at fiction, Thirteen
Minutes: Death
of an American
High School,
will be
published
later this
year. It is a
fact-based
fiction of a
mass-causality
shooting at a
fictitious
Missouri high
school.
I completed
the manuscript
more than a
year ago -
well before
the current
rash of school
shootings. My
purpose was
and is to show
the cause and
effects of
these horrific
events. As one
might expect,
I did a
substantial
amount of
research into
gun violence
and past
school
shootings,
especially the
ones at
Columbine High
School and
Sandy Hook
Elementary.
Based on the
lessons of the
past, I
painstaking
made it clear
that the law
enforcement
officers
responding to
my imagined
attack acted
in a swift,
appropriate
manner. I made
sure that the
blame for the
incident lay
where it
belonged, on
the
perpetrators
and those who
taunted them
into action.
That is why I
am shocked -
actually, very
angry - at the
news coming
out of
Uvaldie,
Texas. Instead
of the focus
being on a
demented
shooter, the
world's
attention is
focused on the
most inept
response to a
school
shooting in
history. The
lesson of the
past,
especially
that from
Columbine, is
that police
must engage
the shooter as
quickly as
possible to
preserve life.
However, that
is not what
happened in
Uvaldie.
Despite the
fact that
police on the
scene had
enough
resources to
resolve the
shooting
within three
minutes of the
gunman
entering the
school, it
took 74
minutes
for School
District
Police Chief
Pedro "Pete"
Arrendondo to
act. How many
of the 21
people killed
in the attack
- 19 students
and two
teachers -
could have
been spared by
a quicker
response is
unclear. But
we do know
this: People
died
unnecessarily
because of an
incompetent
and
intransigent
incident
commander who
had no
business being
in charge in
such a
critical
situation.
This is
strikes me as
yet another
Texas-sized
failure in a
state where
everything
from its
power-grid to
its governance
structure is
antiquated and
third-world.
To me, leaving
the
ill-prepared
Chief
Arrendondo to
lead the
response to
this horrific
mass shooting
was like
making Gomer
Pyle the head
of the Joint
Chiefs of
Staff. There
were more
competent
people on the
scene better
prepared to
make
decisions.
Yet, Gomer was
in charge.
Yes, the
greatest blame
rests with the
gunman. But we
can't help ask
ourselves how
is it that an
18-year-old in
Texas is too
young to buy a
pistol, but
can buy an
assault rifle?
How is it that
local and
state
officials have
frequently
provided an
inaccurate
accounting of
what happen at
Robb
Elementary
School? Why is
it that
Governor Greg
Abbott
initially
placed himself
front-and-center
of the state's
response, only
to disappear
as the truth
of the inept
local and
state response
to this
tragedy
unfolds?
Thanks to the
systemic
incompetence
that has been
the hallmark
of Texas, we
have yet
another
example of
where innocent
people have
died. We don't
have to mess
with Texas. It
is a mess unto
itself.
X
That's it for now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 25 --
This One is
For the Dogs
June 7, 2022
X
I
have covered a
lot of
controversial
subjects
during the 16
years I have
been writing
this blog.
Today's post
may be the
most
controversial.
The subject is
certainly
about
something most
sane,
well-adjusted
people care
about: Dogs.
In this
particular
instance, I
have decided
to write about
something that
may generate
comment - and
even, in some
cases,
animosity.
Dogs are the
most noble
creatures on
this planet -
far superior
to humans. It
was during an
alcohol-infused
moment of
reflection
that I decided
to come up
with a list of
the Top 10
Fictional Dogs
of All-Time.
This is a high
subjective
list. Don't
even ask me
what are my
criteria for
making such a
judgment. It
is just a
visceral or
"gut" feeling,
make no bones
about it. And
I am certain
that I may
have left some
noble beasts
off my
spurious list.
So, here we
go. Number
10: Brian
Griffin from Family
Man. (He came
back from the
dead.) Number
9: Toto
from The
Wizard of Oz.
(Some in
Kansas will
think I rank
him - or her -
too low.
There's also a
great band named
after him - or
is it her?) Number
8: Benji,
famous for his
eight movies,
three TV shows,
two
documentaries
and one video
game. Number
7:
McGruff, the
Crime Dog. (I
feel a whole lot safer putting
him on the
list.) Number
6: Scooby
Doo. (He was solving
crimes before
McGuff was a
pup.) Number
5: Rin Tin
Tin, who was
solving crimes
in the Old West.
Number 4:
Kryto,
Superman's
dog. (Talk
about a crime
fighter. And he can fly!).
Number 3:
Old Yeller.
(His movie has been
preserved in
the National
Film
Registry.) Number
2: Snoopy.
(Everybody
loves him and
he fought the Red
Baron from
atop his
doghouse!) And
the Number
1
fictional dog
is, who else,
Lassie! (Timmy
would still be
in that well
if it were for
Lassie.) There
are bunch of
Honorable
Mentions:
Hooch (from Turner
and Hooch),
Spuds
McKensie,
Marley,
Beethoven,
Eddie (from Frazier),
Comet (from The
Little
Rascals),
Astro (from The
Jetsons),
Cujo, Clifford
the Big Red
Dog, and the
unnamed Taco
Bell
Chihuahua.
Coming up with
this list was
tuffff
and kind of ruffff.
But you can't
get enuffff
of this kind
of stuffff,
especially
when it is
off-the-cuffff.
So, don't give
me a lot of guffff
or stomp away
in a huffff.
(The preceding
blog post has
been approved
by Randi
Mabeline Guth,
the
self-appointed
Queen of
Carver Lane.)
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 24 --
Reflections of
Ireland
June 2, 2022
X
It
has been
almost three
weeks since
the conclusion
of my 12-day
tour of
Ireland. I had
planned to
write about
that
experience
immediately
upon my
return, but
mass shootings
in Buffalo and
Texas (among
many)
commanded my
attention.
That, in and
of itself, is
a shame.
Perhaps I was
living in a
false
paradise. But
for 12 days I
traveled the
length and
width of that
beautiful
country with
almost no care
in the world.
The trip,
which was
planned to
celebrate my
retirement at
the end of
2019, was
delayed two
years by the
Covid-19
pandemic. As
it turned out,
those two
years made a
big
difference.
I was in much
better health
in spring 2020
than I was
last
month.
Because of
chronic knee
problems, my
mobility was
somewhat
limited.
However, that
turned out to
be a mere
inconvenience
during an
otherwise
marvelous trip
of a lifetime.
Let's start
with the
scenery, which
is absolutely
breathtaking.
As much as I
enjoyed the
cities and the
castles, my
journey into a
desolation of
the
Burren and
the Cliffs
of Moher were
my favorite
parts of the
trip - with
the notable
exception of a
quiet dinner I
had with my
wife in Cork. More than a
mere
sightseeing
trip, my
journey around
the Emerald
Isle gave me a
real education
into the
history of British
imperialism.
Every American
schoolkid
knows - or at
least should
know - the
story of our
own
Revolution.
However, there
is no real
comparison
between life
in Colonial
America and
that in
British-subjugated
Ireland. For
one thing, the
quality of
life in 18th
century
America was
actually
better than it
was for most
Britons. You
can't say that
for 19th
century
Ireland, where
the British
stole their
lands, denied
the them the
right to
worship God as
they wish, and
created the
conditions
that led to
the Irish Potato
Famine
that killed
more than 1
million people
and led to one
of history's
greatest
migrations.
And yet, the
Irish
persevered.
Today, Ireland
is a young and
vibrant
country. It is
also a
progressive
country that
appears to
have a lot
more respect
for human
rights and
dignity than
here in the
United States.
Certainly,
Ireland is not
without its
own troubles.
It has been
nearly a
quarter-century
since the Good
Friday
Agreement
effectively
ended "The
Troubles," a
bloody
sectarian
conflict in
Northern
Ireland
between
Protestants
and Catholics.
While we were
touring
Ireland, Sinn Fein, a
Catholic-dominated
party favoring
a
reunification
of the two
Irelands, won
control of the
national
assembly for
the first
time. Whether
Sinn Fein
achieves its
goal or
increases the
likelihood of
more sectarian
violence is
anyone's
guess. But any
American who
tries to sit
in judgment of
Irish politics
should take a
good hard look
around at the
sorry state of
affairs in
this nation.
At the very
least, the
Irish are not
killing one
another with
assault rifles
in grocery
stores and
elementary
schools. Once
you get beyond
the "Lucky
Charms"
alcohol-infused
roughneck stereotypes,
you will find
that there is
a lot to
admire and to
learn from the
Irish.
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 23 --
One Every
Thirteen
Minutes
May 25, 2022
X
Uvalde,
Texas, has now
joined
Newtown,
Connecticut,
Parkland,
Florida, and
dozens of
other American
communities
forever
scarred by the
senseless
slaughter of
its children
in their
school
classrooms.
Yesterday's
murder of 19
elementary
school
students and
two adults is
the 30th -
yes, the 30th
- armed
assault on an
American
school this
year. And each
time it
happens,
elected
officials
wring their
hands, express
their morale
outrage and
then do
nothing.
As one
television
commentator
said this
morning, "I am
sick and tired
of saying that
I am sick and
tired." And
yet, here we
are again. The
latest of
these uniquely
American
tragedies
occurred in
Texas, where
the state's
governor
yesterday went
before cameras
to proclaim
that the
shooting at
Robb
Elementary
School is "a
horrific
tragedy that
cannot be
tolerated in
Texas,"
Really? This
isn't the
first mass
murder in
Texas. Anyone
remember El
Paso? How
about as far
back as 1966
and Charles
Whitman at the
Texas Tower?
Governor
Abbott, what
have you done
since to
safeguard the
lives of our
children? Why
is is possible
for an 18 year
old to stroll
into a Texas
gun shop and
purchase two
weapons of
mass
destruction
without so
much as a
background
check? And why
are these
weapons,
designed for
nothing else
than killing
human beings,
even available
at all? While
watching the
news last
night, I also
heard U.S.
Senator Ted
Cruz (R-Texas)
expressed his
moral outrage
at the
shootings. But
does anyone
really believe
that Cruz or
other members
of the
Senate's
sedition
caucus are
going to do
anything to
advance any of
the 20 gun
control
measures they
have blocked
since the
Sandy Hook
Elementary
School
shootings 10
freaking years
ago? The
Senator from
Cancun said
the best
deterrent to
school gun
violence is
having armed
law
enforcement on
campus. The
Texas Attorney
General last
night even
went so far as
to suggest
that the
teachers
should be
armed. In
other words,
his answer to
the problem of
guns in
schools is to
introduce even
more guns into
that
environment.
Do we really
want the lunch
lady packing
heat? And then
there's
Kellyanne
"Alternative
Facts" Conway
who, within
minutes after
the news of
yesterday's
tragedy broke,
told Fox News
viewers that
answer was to
divert unused
COVID-19
relief funds
toward
increasing
school
security. I
doubt that
would be
enough. I
wonder if
she's willing
to increase
taxes so we
can place
metal
detectors and
armed guards
in each of the
nation's
131,000 public
and private
schools.The
truth is that
these
out-of-touch
politicians
and wannabe
commentators
said nothing
about the
Republican
elephant in
the room, the
unfettered and
largely
unregulated
access to
firearms. The
truth is that
suggesting
that turning
our schools be
transformed
into armed
compounds is
the moral
equivalent of
suggesting
that the best
way to stop an
arsonist is to
provide
victims with
more fire
hoses. Why
should we be
reactive when
we can be
proactive?
President
Biden
accurately
expressed
America's
sorrow, anger
and
frustration in
his remarks
yesterday.
"When in God's
name are we
going to stand
up to the gun
lobby?" he
asked. It has
been noted
that all
countries have
people with
mental health
issues and
those who want
to violently
act out their
grievances.
But only in
America do our
elected
officials make
it easy for
these troubled
individuals to
transform
these vague
evil
inclinations
into what is,
in essence,
government-sanctioned
mass murder.
It is ironic
that the
nation's
largest gun
lobby will be
holding its
annual meeting
in Houston
this weekend.
I am certain
that the
attendees will
send their
thoughts and
prayers to the
poor people of
Uvalde. They
may even hold
a moment of
silence for
the murdered
children. But
then they will
accuse gun
control
proponents of
exploiting
this tragedy
for political
purposes. They
will also
remind us that
guns do not
kill people.
They will say
that people
kill people. But
the truth is
that people
with guns kill
people in
the United
States at the
rate of one
every 13
minutes. This
insanity has
to stop. You
have the power
to make it
happen. Stop
sending people
to our state
legislatures
and to the
Congress who
are unwilling
to take
reasonable,
constitutionally
acceptable
steps to curb
this senseless
orgy of gun
violence and
mass murder.
Do it for our
children and
grandchildren.
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 22 --
Replacement
Theory
May 17, 2022
X
My
wife and I
returned from
a 12-day trip
to Ireland
Saturday
night. It had
been my plan -
once I got
over the
inevitable jet
lag from a
trans-Atlantic
flight - to
write my
observations
of the Emerald
Isle. However,
the tragic
events of this
past weekend,
especially the
senseless
murder of 10
people at a
Buffalo
supermarket,
has put those
observations,
at least for
now, on hold.
To say it is
disheartening
to return to
my native
country in the
midst of an
orgy of
mindless and
racist
violence is an
incredible
understatement.
I have made my
position on
the need for
gun control
crystal clear
over the
years. My
position on
this subject
has, at times,
resulted in
death threats
against me and
my family. (Vol
7 No. 44).
And my
experience is
not unusual.
Any one who
seeks to stop
the flood of
guns on
America's
street becomes
figuratively
and literally
a target. Its
times like
these that the
wingnuts who
oppose any
reasonable gun
regulation cry
crocodile
tears and
accuse folks
like me of
trying to
exploit the
tragedy for
political
purpose. "This
is not the
time," they
say. To that,
I say, "If not
now, when?"
However, these
same people
have now
reached a new
low. The sick
miscreant who
drove 200
miles to kill
people in a
black
neighborhood
store cited
so-called
"replacement
theory" as his
justification.
Unfortunately,
there are
Republicans in
Congress and
Fox News
talking heads
who are
promoting the
idea that
Democrats and
liberals are
trying to
replace white
people in the
electorate
with persons
of color. And
they claim criticism
directed at
them is an
attack on
their free
speech.
Let's set the
record
straight. Just
because you
have the right
to spread
discredited,
moronic and
racist ideas
does not
prelude the
rights of
others to call
you out.
That's the
beauty of free
speech - its a
knife that
cuts in both
directions. No
one, including
me, is
accusing
Tucker Carlson
of
specifically
telling white
supremacists
to go out an
kill black
people. But I
am calling him
out for reckless and immoral
rhetoric that
fans the
flames of
violence. And
I am also
saying he is
stupid. (Hey,
that's my
right!) As for
"replacement
theory," its a
load of
hogwash.
Demographers
have been
telling us for
the last 50
years that the
United States
will become a
majority-minority
nation by
the mid-21st
century. It's
happening all
by itself. It
is not some
grand scheme
by George
Soros and
Hillary
Clinton to
allow
Democrats to
seize control
of the
country.
(Considering
the recent
track record
of the
Republican
Party, that
may not be
such a bad
thing.) The
time has long
passed for
people to stop
looking under
rocks for
conspiracy
theories to
explain why
the country is
changing.
Replacement
theory,
itself, should
be replaced
with an
understanding
that change is
constant and
that the
increasing
diversity of
America is not
a liberal
plot. It is
just the will
of God.
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 21 --
Attack of the
Killer
Tomatoes
April 29, 2022
X
I am
among the
millions and
millions of
people who did
not see the
1978
self-professed
musical comedy
horror movie, Attack
of the Killer
Tomatoes.
It was a
parody film
produced by J.
Stephen Pence.
It even billed
itself as the
"Worst
Vegetable
Movie Ever
Made." The
plot? The
title tells it
all. If you
are looking
for a 21st
century
equivalent to
Attack of
the Killer
Tomatoes,
it would be Sharknado,
the most
ridiculous
film ever
made. Like Sharknado,
Attack of
the Killer
Tomatoes
spawned a
number of
spins offs.
Apparently,
its latest
spinoff came
this week,
starring
former
President Man
Child. It
seems that the
Defeated
Former
President,
who,
ironically,
looks like a
Sunkist
Orange, is
afraid of
having deadly
fruits and
vegetables
thrown at him.
At least
that's what he
said in a court
deposition.
He was forced
to testify in
a lawsuit
brought by a
group of
protesters who
said they were
assaulted by
his security
guards at a
2015 campaign
rally.
Apparently,
Trumpty Dumpty
and all of the
wannabe King's
Men heard
rumors that
the protesters
might throw
vegetables.
That was all
the
justification
they needed to
behave like
the Gestapo.
Former
President Bone
Spur actually
testified
"It's very
dangerous
stuff. You can
get killed
with one of
those things."
So, there you
have it. The
Cowardly Liar
has now given
cover for
every kid (and
few adults)
who do not
want to eat
their
vegetables:
Tomatoes
kill. I
am somewhat
sympathetic.
I gag when I
eat lima
beans. And a
thrown
pineapple can
really hurt -
as long as it
had been
previously
canned by the
Dole company.
But I, like
every other
sane person on
the planet, do
not live in
mortal fear of
celery and
grapes. Every
time that
tiny-handed
buffoon opens
his mouth,
something
incredulously
moronic spews
forth. You
just can't
make this
stuff up. In
its review of
The Attack
of the Killer
Tomatoes,
Variety
wrote "it
isn't worthy
of sarcasm."
Unfortunately,
this latest
iteration of
murderous
fruits and
vegetables is.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 20 --
Echoes of 1962
April 16, 2022
X
In
the
not-so-distant
past, I used
to remind my
journalism
history
students that
history
doesn't
necessarily
repeat itself,
but that it
often rhymes.
That bit of
"sage-on-the-stage"
wisdom came to
mind this week
while watching
the horrifying
events in the
Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin, a/k/a "Rootin' Tootin' Vlady Putin" and
the "Nippled
Avenger,"
raised the
prospect of
using nuclear
weapons
against those
who oppose his
Soviet-empire-building
ambitions. For
those of a
certain age,
it is
beginning to
feel like the
Cold War once
again. This
fall will mark
the 60th
anniversary of
the most
dangerous
moment in
human history,
the
Cuban Missile
Crisis.
Back then, the
Soviet Union
pushed the
world to the
brink of
thermonuclear
war by placing
offensive
nuclear
weapons
threatening
the United
States and the
entire Western
Hemisphere in
Cuba. It was
only through
the skilled
leadership of
President John
F. Kennedy
that the world
was spared a
planet-killing
disaster. I
vividly
remembering
gathering in
front of the
television
with my
parents at
7:00 p.m. EST
on a Monday
evening in
October to
listen to the
President draw
a proverbial
line in the
sand.
While I was
just a few
weeks shy of
my 10th
birthday,
there were
unmistakable
signs of the
gravity of the
situation. My
step-father
built a
fallout
shelter in our
basement. At
St. Michaels
(Maryland)
Elementary, we
practiced
"duck and
cover" drills
in the central
hallway of the
building.
There was a
run of
supplies at
grocery
stores. While
we didn't have
the
wall-to-wall
coverage we
would see
today, the
television was
dominated by news
about Cuba.
And then, the
crisis ended
just a days
later almost
as quickly as
it started.
The Russians
backed down
and world
peace was
maintained.
Kennedy
engineered the
Russian
retreat by
allowing
Russia to save
some face by
promising not
to invade Cuba
then or in the
future. (An
important
concession,
considering
the bungled Bay
of Pigs
invasion
just one year
earlier.)
Moving forward
60 years, it
is our hope
that the
Madman in the
Kremlin and an
experienced
leader like
President Joe
Biden will
remember the
words
delivered by
President
Kennedy on
that fateful
Monday night
almost sixty
years ago: "The
cost of
freedom is
always high,
but Americans
have always
paid it. And
one path we
will never
choose is the
path of
surrender. Our
goal is not
the victory of
might, but the
vindication of
right in this
hemisphere and
around the
world. Not
peace at the
expense of
freedom, but
peace and
freedom. God
willing, that
goal will be
achieved."
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 19 --
Don't Fear The
Reaper
April 12, 2022
X
You
may have heard the old saying "Getting old isn't
for sissies."
Whoever came
up with that
nugget of
wisdom hit the
bullseye. For
the first time
in my nearly
70 years on
this planet, I
am feeling my
age. Nothing
is a simple
and easy as it
used to be.
For example, I
sustained a
muscle pull
getting into a
car last week.
The irony is
that it
happened while
attending my
granddaughter's
gymnastics
meet. (Oh, to
be that
flexible once
again!) When I
was still
working, my
personal
calendar was
filled with
meetings and
events. Now,
it seems that
the only items
on my schedule
are doctors
appointments.
It seems the Rolling
Stones were
wrong. Time is
not on
my side. Once
you accept
that reality,
there is a
choice to be
made. Some
choose to sit
and wait for
their grand
finale.
However, I
choose to run
toward it.
There are a
lot of things
I want to do
before the
Grim Reaper
comes calling.
God and
COVID-19
willing, my
wife and I
will be
finally able
to take our
twice-delayed
retirement
trip to
Ireland next
month. In the
little more
than two years
since I
officially
retired from
the faculty at
KU, I have
spent
countless
hours
volunteering
for the
American Red
Cross and have
written a book
that will be
published
later this
year. (Time to
start working
on another.) I
have also
spent hours
playing my
guitar. (My
summer tour
dates have not
yet been
announced.) My
wife and I
also have a
busy travel
schedule laid
out for the
summer. At
times, I seem
to be busier
than I was
when I was
working for
living. I am
not implying
that I feel
none of the
effects of
aging. I do
not move as
fast as I used
to, not that I
moved all that
fast in the
first place.
Nor am I as
mentally
nimble as I
once was. I
hate it when I
have to search
my brain for
just the
right...wait a
minute...what
is the word am
I looking to
say? It's on
the tip of my
tongue. Oh, I
got it. Search
my brain for
the right word.
Sure, I think
about the end,
my grand
finale, more
than I used
to. It could
come this
year. It may
not come for
30 years. Who
knows? So,
there is no
use in me
sitting around
waiting for
the
inevitable. I
am reminded
that Ben
Franklin
accomplished
more in the
second half of
his life than
in the first.
I can do that.
I also vow to
try to not be
a curmudgeon
who likes to
proclaim at
the top of his
voice how much
better things
use to be. I
prefer the
role of a sage
who lends
advice and
perspective -
but only when
he is asked to
do so. Come to
think of it,
this blog may
been an
exception to
this rule. In
any event,
carpe diem.
(Seize the
day) To put it
another way,
one that is
more musical,
Don't Fear the
Reaper.
Instead,
invite him in
to sit a spell
and offer him
a drink, Then
you can send
him away with
a smile on his
face. Tell
him, "time's
a'wasting and
I've got
plenty of
things to do.
See ya
later."
I embrace the
philosophy and poetry
of Bob Dylan
who wrote "Ah,
but I was so
much older
then. I'm
younger than
that now."
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 18 --
One Shining
Moment
April 6, 2022
X
There's
nothing quite
like living in
a Final Four
town. The
energy, the
vibe is
something
special to
behold. And
when the local
team wins it
all, as the
Kansas
Jayhawks did
two nights ago, one witnesses an explosion of community
pride and joy.
There were an
estimated
70,000 people
on
Massachusetts
Street - Mass Street to us
locals - after
the final
buzzer in a
nail-biting
72-69 win
over North
Carolina.
(Amazingly,
there were
only three
arrests, three
more than
during the
2008 title
celebration).
At the same
time,
thousands of
people,
including my
daughter and
son-in-law,
rushed the
court at Allen Fieldhouse -
"The Phog"
- where they
watched the
game on the
arena's
scoreboard
display. My
wife and I
watched the
game and the
ensuing
celebrations
at home on
television - a
sane thing for
people of our
age to do. I
also spent
some time
answering text
messages and
telephone
calls from
relatives in
Virginia,
Florida, North
Carolina and
Illinois. Some
of these
correspondents
were genuinely
happy about
the Jayhawks'
triumph.
Others were
being gracious
despite their
disappointment
that it wasn't
their favorite
team cutting
down the nets.
This is the
second time
Kansas has won
the national
championship
during my 30
years in
Lawrence. My
personal
reaction on
those two
championship
nights were
quite
different.
When the
Jayhawks beat
Memphis to win
the title in
2008, it was
just one year
after my wife
Jan passed
away, The
title run and
the
celebrations
provided a
much-needed
emotional lift
and helped me
emerge from my
period of
mourning. This
year, no such
lift was
needed.
I am retired
and living in
martial bliss
with my wife
Maureen, who
happens to be
a KU graduate.
It was fun to
watch her
reaction to
events,
especially on
Final Four
Saturday when
we had all the
kids and
grandkids
watching the
game at our
house. In the
minutes and
hours after
the
championship
game, people
all over
Lawrence began
the search for
the magical
T-shirts, hats
and other
national
championship
souvenirs. I
got up early
Tuesday
morning after
only a few
hours of sleep
to acquire my
own
championship
shirt. I
wanted to wear
it for my
weekly 10:00
a.m. Red Cross
Zoom meeting.
(It received
the desired
reaction from
my Red Cross
colleagues.)
That search
for
championship
paraphernalia
will continue
as thousands
of shirts
flood into
town from
various
printers. By
my
calculation,
about half of
the nearly $30
price for each
shirt is pure
profit to the
sellers.
Printing
championship
T-shirts is
almost like
printing
money. And
yet, we
willingly pay
for it because
it makes us a
part of that One
Shining Moment
that heralds
the end of a
long quest for
glory.
Emotional ties
to the schools
we attended
are strong.
Many of us
live and die
with our
teams. I
especially
felt that joy
when my alma
mater, the
University of
Maryland, finally
won the title
in 2002 after
nearly 30
years of near
misses. In a
world
seemingly
always in
conflict and
strife, my
greatest wish
is that
everyone at
least once
experiences
that One
Shining
Moment.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 17 --
Radio Days:
Good Morning
Americus
March 23, 2022
X
Americus,
Georgia, in
the mid-1970s
was not unlike
a lot of
Southern
towns. The
architecture
was antebellum
and its
political
mindset was
pre-Civil War.
I had never
lived in a
town where the
disparity
between white
and black
residents was
so pronounced. I went to work at an AM/FM combination,
WDEC-AM and
WIPE-FM. Yes,
those are
unfortunate
call letters.
And I do not
think it was a
coincidence
that WIPE-FM
was the
station
programmed
with a black
soul music
format.
The "morning
man" on the AM
station
featured a
racist
repartee with
a
stereotypical
"step-and-fetch-it"
and
subservient
black man who
called the
announcer
"Missah
Arthur." (When
I suggested
that this
character was
offensive, I
was told that
audience
"loved" it.)
While I had a
mid-day
"air-shift" as
a disc jockey
on the AM
station, my
role was
primarily to
serve as the
news director
for both
stations. It
may surprise
many to learn
that Americus,
the county
seat of Sumter
County, gave
the nation two
very special
gifts: Habitat
for Humanity
and Jimmy
Carter.
Having lived
in that
largely
impoverished
town, I can
understand how
a
forward-thinking
organization
like Habitat
and a
progressive
young
president like
Carter could
get their
start there.
They saw a
need for
change in a
town that
vigorously
fought it.
Interestingly,
Americus was
located
between Jimmy
Carter's
hometown
Plains and
Andersonville,
the site of
the most
notorious
Confederate
Prisoner of
War camp. (Not
surprisingly,
locals said
the rebels
suffered as
much as the
nearly 13,000
Union soldiers
who died
because of the
inhumane
conditions in
the camp.
Really?) It is
the only job I
ever quit
without
notice: I
walked off the
air after the
morning man,
who was also
the station
manager,
verbally
assaulted my
wife. That's a
decision I
have never
regretted.
However,
taking that
job is one
that I do
have. Nearly a
half-century
later, I hope
that Americus
has evolved
into a more
modern and
inclusive
community.
However, I
have
absolutely no
desire to go
back to see if
that has
happened.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 16 --
The X-Factor
March 21, 2022
X
Since
my last post,
little has
changed in
Ukraine - with
one major
exception. The
flailing and
failing
Russian Army
has now
resorted to terror tactics against Ukrainian
civilians. The
Russians have
attacked
homes,
apartment
buildings,
daycare
centers,
schools, bomb
shelters and
hospitals. By
any
definition,
these are war
crimes.
However,
Rootin'
Tootin' Vlady
Putin, the
Nippled
Avenger,
doesn't care.
He believes
that there is
nothing the
West can do to
stop him. And
he is right.
And he is
wrong.
President
Biden and
other Western
leaders are
correct in
avoiding a
direct
military
confrontation
with Putin.
It's not that
we are scared
of facing the
Red Army. The
events of the
past few weeks
have shown
that the
mighty Russian
Army is a
disorganized
and
unmotivated
fighting force
that is
questioning
why it is in
Ukraine in the
first place.
On top of
that,
conservative
U.S. estimates
puts Russian
deaths at more
than 7,000 in
three weeks.
That's more
than the
number of
Americans
killed in 20
years of war
in the Middle
East. The
economic
sanctions we
have imposed
on Russia are
destroying its
economy. I
also believe
that President
Biden's call
to Chinese
President Xi a
few days ago
sent a strong
and
uncompromising
message: Help
the Russians
wage war and
you will face
heavy
consequences.
(For all his
bluster, Xi
knows that the
U.S. is more
powerful
militarily and
economically
than China.)
However, the
X-Factor in
all of this is
Putin,
himself.
One need only
listen to his
rhetoric and
watch his body
language to
know that he
is a few fries
short of a
Happy Meal.
When the
United States
had a mentally
imbalanced
leader, we
voted him out
of office and
sent him into
exile at
Mar-a-Lago.
Unfortunately,
things don't
work that way
in Russia.
While public
opinion plays
a role in that
country's
affairs, the
only opinion
that really
matters in the
Russian
Federation is
that of the
military. As
the events of
the failed
Russian 1991
coup d' e'tat
showed us, it
is only when
the military
says "enough
is enough"
that regime
change can
happen. The
threat is that
an angry and
frustrated
Putin may
resort to
chemical or
nuclear
weapons -
which will
have to be a
red line for
the West. If
we are forced
to intervene
militarily
against
Russia, God
help us all.
Things could
swiftly spiral
out of
control.
There's a
simple truth
here: The
safety of the
world and the
future of
humanity may
rest on some
Russian
general
willing to say
"no" to Putin
and remove him
from
office.
The world
prays that
Putin leaves
the Kremlin.
It doesn't
care whether
he does so
vertically or
horizontally.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X
|
|
Vol.
16 No. 15 -- A
Prayer For
Peace
March 14, 2022
X
The
war in Ukraine
is steadily
becoming more
dangerous.
Russian
President
Vladimir Putin
has seriously
miscalculated
the military
resistance he
would get from
the Ukrainians and the economic sanctions he would
receive from
the West.
While the
Russians are
in no way
losing on the
battlefield,
one could
hardly say
they are
winning,
either.
Putin's forces
have been
committing war
crimes against
noncombatants
in an attempt
to break the
stalemate. In
a geopolitical
sense, the
invasion has
been a
disaster.
However, the
fear is real
that it could
become a
global
disaster. Just this past weekend, the Russian
dictator said
he will attack
any nation
that supplies
weapons to the
Ukrainians.
That means he
is willing to
attack NATO
and that means
war. War with
Russia has
been a fight
the United
States has
been trying to
avoid for more
than seven
decades.
President Joe
Biden has been
tougher on
Russia than
any of his
predecessors.
But he has
also said he
is not willing
to commit
American armed
forces to the
defense of
Ukraine out of
a concern that
doing so would
ignite World
War III. It
all comes down
to Putin, who
appears to
have stumbled
into a
quagmire
without an
exit strategy.
Very real
concerns have
been raised
about Putin's
mental
stability -
something he
may have been
deliberately
cultivating.
Because of
COVID-19, the
Russian leader
has largely
been isolated
for the past
two years. The
images of
Putin
separated from
his advisers
in meetings by
abnormally
long tables
suggest that
he may suffer
from
germophobia.
Or it simply
could be some
sort of power
trip for the
man. Whatever
the reason for
odd staging,
it just isn't
normal. But
little does he
care.
Dictators can
take actions
without
bending to
public
opinion. So
can the
leaders of the
democratic
nations.
However, both
kinds of
leaders run
risks when
they ignore
the voices of
their people.
In
democracies,
the leaders
can be voted
out of office.
In
dictatorships,
a reckless
disregard for
the will of
the people
often ends in
a coup d'
e'tat or
assassination.
As an
increasingly
hostile and
unstable Putin
is pressured
by Ukrainian
and Western
resistance,
the margin for
error or
miscalculation
is narrowing.
The United
States and
NATO may have
no other
choice than to
retaliate
militarily if
any of our
humanitarian
or military
assistance
efforts are
attacked by
the Russians.
However, that
could evoke an
even stronger
counter-reaction,
sending events
spiraling out
of control. As was the case during the Cuban Missile
Crisis, the
American
response to
Russian
aggression has
to be nuanced.
We can't paint
Putin into a
corner.
Like it or
not, we have
to find a way
for him to
save face as
he extricates
himself from
his
self-inflicted
disaster. With
dark clouds
forming on the
horizon, it is
a real good
time to pray
for peace. It
also is a time
for
Republicans
and Democrats
to put aside
their
differences to
help President
Biden present
a united front
against
tyranny. So
far, for the
most part,
they have.
President
Biden also has
to be willing
to take
counsel from
both sides of
the aisle, as
well as that
from the
American
people. So
far, he has,
as well. For
me, my prayer
for peace is
that the
Almighty grant
the political
and military
leadership of
this nation
the courage to
stand up
against naked
aggression
without
thoughtlessly
igniting a
firestorm that
could engulf
the world.
X X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 14 --
Regime Change
in Red States
March 9, 2022
X
One
needs only
look at the
front page of
the morning
newspaper to see that authoritarianism is on the
rise. Despotic
and
disillusional
leaders abuse
their powers
to strip
people of
their basic
human rights
while ignoring
their voices
in what are,
on paper at
least,
democratic
societies. But
that's enough
about Florida
for now. Let's
take a look at
the despot
that
Florida
Gov. Ron
DeSantis
appears to
admire most -
other than
Donald Trump,
of course.
We're talking
about Rootin'
Tootin' Vlady
Putin, the
Nippled
Avenger from
St.
Petersburg. He
is currently
engaged in the
greatest
European war
of aggression
since Hitler
attacked
Poland. (Of
course, Russia
became a party
to that
atrocity when
it occupied
the eastern
half of that
country.) He
doesn't listen
to common
sense advice
from people
in-the-know.
Instead, he
has surrounded
himself with
sycophants who
tell him only
the things he
wants to hear.
The effect on
public policy
and people's
lives has been
devastating.
People have
unnecessarily
died because
of him. Oh, I
slipped back
into to
talking about
Sunshine
Ronny, the
Florida
Reactionary.
Back to Putin:
As much as I
would like to
bomb the crap
out of Moscow
- and perhaps
Tallahassee -
such a move
would be
foolish and
dangerous.
President Joe
Biden is doing
the right
thing. He is
squeezing the
Man From Vlad
by crushing
the finances
of the people
who have
propped him up
for two
decades, the
oligarchs. At
some point,
those Vodka
Vermin will
understand
that the best
way to restore
their opulent
and immoral
lifestyles is
regime change.
Cut off the
snake's head.
It's kind of
like the way
the American
people rallied
in November
2020 to remove
Despot Donny
from his
Golden Throne
in the White
House loo -
except it will
probably be a
lot more
violent.
(Let's not
forget that
the Defeated
Former
President and
many of his
right-wing
Republican
czardines have
expressed
admiration for
Putin's
invasion of
Ukraine.) My
tone in this
post may be
somewhat
flippant. I
can't help
throwing shade
upon those
whom I
despise. But
my message is
one that is
both serious
and clear: For
the sake of
the democracy,
we need regime
change several
Red States. In
Moscow. And
Tallahassee.
And, while we
are at it,
let's throw in
Austin, Texas,
too.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 13 --
Vision Versus
Revision
March 1, 2022
X
The
American
people - at
least those
who cared to
watch -
Tuesday night witnessed the stark differences between
congressional
Democrats and
the NeoCons
a/k/a the
Republicans.
While
President Joe
Biden used his
State of the
Union address
to lay out a
vision for
America, Iowa
Gov. Kim
Reynolds used the Republican rebuttal to feed
Americans
a bitter dose
of revisionist
history. Biden
laid out a
tangible and
realistic plan
to strengthen
America's
position in
the world
economically,
militarily,
diplomatically
and morally.
However,
Governor
Reynolds spent
most of her
time in the
spotlight
placing a
decidedly
warped spin on
reality.
She would have
you believe
that the Biden
has wrecked
the American
economy.
However, the
cold, hard
facts show us
that, in fact,
Biden has done
a remarkable
job of helping
this nation
recover from
the economic
train wreck
the Defeated
Former
President
created during
his four
chaotic years.
Yes, there are
still
challenges
that remain,
but Biden
presented a
reasonable
plan for
helping the
economy to
heal and
become more
just. Imagine
that: Making
billionaires
pay taxes.
What a
concept! Reynolds
tried to say
that Biden's
so-called
abandonment of
Afghanistan
enviably
created the
crisis in
Ukraine. What
she didn't
mention was
that President
Bone Spur's
unilateral
announcement
in May 2020
that we were
cutting and
running from
that miserable
country in one
year created a
collapsing
house of
cards. That
left Biden no
choice but to
evacuate more
than 110,000
of our friends
- which should
be a point of
pride. He also
ended a war
that his
predecessor
promised to
end - but
didn't. It is
also important
to note that
former
President
Putin-Puckerer
virtually
guaranteed the
attack on
Ukraine with
his constant
embrace of
Russian
authoritarianism
-- a drumbeat
he amazingly
continued this
week. And yes
- Governor
Nimrod also
suggested that
President
Biden
curtailed
basic American
freedoms by
making people
wear face
masks during
the pandemic.
What she
seemed to
forget that it
was that
hundreds of
thousands of
Americans were
denied their
most basic
freedom - life
-
because of
former
President
Pandemic's
decision to
place his
reelection
ahead of
public health.
The Republican game plan last night was
simple - and
simple minded.
It was based
on the
strategy of
deliberately
torching a
house and then
blaming it on
the fire
department. While
Biden's
remarks were
thin on
specifics in
some areas, it
was
considerably
more
substantive
than we have
seen from most
of the SOTUs
during the
past two
decades. Pay
no attention
to the
Governor in
the Red Dress
hiding behind
the curtain.
She was about
nothing more
than smoke and
mirrors.
Instead, we
need to
embrace much,
if not
necessarily
all, of Uncle
Joe's message
of hope and
promise. As I
have said
before, it is
nice to have
an adult in
the White
House.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 12 --
Ya ne ponimayu
February 24,
2022
X
Around
the turn of
the century, I
was privileged
to make four
trips to the Russian Federation on behalf of
the U.S. State
Department.
Those were the
heady days of
a young,
emerging
post-Cold War
democracy in
the former
Soviet Union.
President
Boris Yeltsin
had just
turned over
the reins of
government to
his vice
president,
Vladimir
Putin. Along
with my
colleague Tom
Volek, I would
help train
Russian
government
public
information
officers on
how to
communicate
within an open
democratic
environment.
Unfortunately,
I did not
speak very
much Russian
and required
the services
of State
Department
translators.
One of the few
Russian
phrases I knew
that proved to
be useful when
I was on the
streets of St.
Petersburg
without a
translator was
"ya ne
ponimayu" (yah
neh
pon-nee-MIGH-yoo),
which means "I
do not
understand."
That's a
phrase that
has come to my
mind a lot in
the past few
hours. Putin,
without
provocation,
has ordered
Russian troops
to invade the
sovereign
territory of a
neighboring
nation,
Ukraine. By
his own
admission, he
did so out of
a fear of
Western
nations along
his western
borders. He
sees the NATO
Alliance as a
threat to
Russian
national
security.
However,
history has
shown that
NATO is not a
threat to
world peace.
If anything,
it has been a
stabilizing
force against
Russian
aggression
that had
helped
maintain peace
in Europe for
more than
seven decades.
However, Putin
is like a lot
of older
Russians who
yearn for the
"good old
days:" the
time when the
Russian Army
occupied
neighboring
countries to
create a
buffer zone in
which it could
feel safe.
Yes, one can
understand
Russia's
desire for
security in
light of its
World War II
history with
Nazi
Germany.
But let's not
forget that
Russia's fate
was sealed in
1939 when it
chose to make
a deal with
the devil
himself, Adolf
Hitler, to
divide Poland.
As I have
written in
this space
several times
in the past,
Russians like
Putin suffer
from a huge
inferiority
complex in the
face of losing
the Cold War.
Last night's
invasion of
Ukraine has
nothing to do
with Russian
national
security. No
one - and I
mean no one -
in the West
was
threatening
Russia. In
fact, its
improved
relations with
the West since
the fall of
the Soviet
Union has
greatly
improved the
quality of
life among
Russian
citizens. But
now, out of a
maniacal
desire to
recreate the
old Soviet
Empire, Putin
is risking all
of that with
his cowardly,
immoral and
illogical
assault on
world peace.
If anything,
Putin's
foolish action
has
strengthened
the Western
alliance to a
point where
its economic
sanctions
could destroy
the Russian
economy and
undermine
Putin's
ability to
remain in
power.
Vladimir Putin
is not a
stupid man.
But stupid is
as stupid
does. And his
attack on the
Ukraine is
stupid. Ya ne
ponimayu.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 11 --
Hail to the
Chef
February 20,
2022
X
Tomorrow
is observed as
President's
Day, a
congressionally
mandated mash-up of what used to be separate
Washington's
and Lincoln's
birthday
holidays.
Unfortunately,
there isn't
any
traditional
food
associated
with this
particular
celebration,
unlike
holidays such
as Christmas
(turkey),
Thanksgiving
(turkey,
again) or even
Independence
Day (turkey
hot dogs). As
a public
service, allow
me to offer
some culinary
suggestions of
food
associated
with our past
Commanders in
Chief to help
you prepared
your holiday
menu. Let's
start with the
first
president born
in the 20th
Century, John
Kennedy. Being
wealthy and
aristocratic,
like is likely
that caviar
and champagne
were frequent
offerings in
JFK's White
House..
However,
considering
the mythology
of where his
family made
its fortune,
bootleg
whiskey may be
a more
appropriate
substitute.
Lyndon Johnson
fanciers might
be inclined to
have some Texas
barbecue -
although
Kansas City
barbecue would
be much more
palatable. The
food Richard
Nixon is most
associated
with is
hamburgers -
owning to the
fact that he
ran a makeshift
hamburger
stand to
boost the
morale of the
men under his
command while
serving in the
South Pacific
during the
Second World
War. A vanilla
milkshake
could
encompass the
energy and
excitement of
Gerry Ford's
personality.
(Or maybe a
mayonnaise
sandwich on
white bread.)
As for Jimmy
Carter, what
else: peanuts
and Coca Cola.
Ronald Reagan
loved jelly
beans. George
H.W. Bush
loved pork
skins with
Tabasco sauce
- just as long
as you don't
serve them
with broccoli. Bill
Clinton's refined
pallet
preferred a
Big Mac and a
side order of
fries. George
W. Bush liked
just about
everything -
except the pretzel
he once choked
on while
watching a pro
football
playoff game
in the White
House
residence.
Barack Obama
was a hot dog with
yellow-mustard
kind of guy.
(Don't you
dare offer him
catsup for his
frankfurter.
He told the
late Anthony
Bourdain that
he considers
that a capital
offense.) It
becomes
problematic
when it comes
to culinary
habits of
Defeated
Former
President Bone
Spur. It would
be impolite
for me to tell
you what I
think he should
eat. And Lord
knows that the
man has no
clue as to how
to eat a pizza.
Perhaps
Defeated
Former
President
Jabba the Gut
should be
remembered for
his cultural
insensitivity
demonstrated
by eating a taco
bowl to
commemorated
Cinco de Mayo.
As for our
current
president, it
is well-known
that Joey from
Scranton is
content to
dine at lunch
on a peanut
butter and
jelly
sandwich.
Come to think
of it, so am
I. So chow
down, America!
Let's sing the
praises of PB&J
and celebrate
President's
Day by eating
something that
is dang
delicious and
nutritionally
deficient!
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 10 --
Russian
Roulette
February 17,
2022
X
Some
smart
journalists have just now figured out what I realized
a few weeks
ago: Vladimir
Putin isn't
the only
person
deciding the
fate of
Ukraine. By
now, the
Russian
dictator has
realized that
he has bit off
a lot more
than he can
chew. That
hasn't always
been the case.
Based upon the
U.S. and world
reaction to
his annexation
of the Crimea
in 2014, Putin
thought he
could take
control of
Ukraine in a
cakewalk.
After all,
there were no
meaningful
consequences
in 2008 when
he invaded
former the
Soviet
republic of
Georgia and
then stole a
part of
Ukraine six
years later.
To make
matters worse,
President
Toilet Flusher
willfully
did Putin's
bidding
by undermining
the NATO
alliance and
weaponizing
Ukraine during
his
unsuccessful
reelection
campaign.
Considering
this history,
it is only
natural that
the
bare-chested
bare-back
riding bully
from St.
Petersburg
thinks the
West is too
weak to stop
him. However,
Putin didn't
count on Joe
Biden. There
is now an
adult in
charge in
Washington.
Putin's
assumption was
that Obama's
vice president
would be like
his former
boss and fold
like a cheap
lawn chair
when faced
with Russian
aggression.
But he was
wrong. It is
Biden, not
Putin, who has
the best hand
in this deadly
game of global
poker. Yes,
Putin has
130,000 or
more troops
poised for
invasion on
three sides of
Ukraine.
However, Biden
and the West
can hit the
Russian
apparatchik-turned-wannabe-Czar
where it
really hurts,
in his wallet.
Vladimir Putin
has remained
in power
because of his
corrupt
relationship
with Russian
oligarchs. As
long as they
are happy,
Putin can
remain on his
throne.
However,
Putin's pals
will not be
very happy if
their access
to Western
financial
markers is cut
off and their
foreign assets
are frozen.
The threatened
Western
sanctions
could wreck
the Russian
economy. Keep
in mind that
the U.S.
recently demonstrated
that it also
has people who
can
maliciously
hack into
critical
computer
systems. Joe
Biden has the
capability to
turn the
Russian
Federation
upside down
without ever
firing a shot.
No one, not
even the
mighty Putin,
could survive
that. It is
also important
to remember
that while
Putin's Crimea
annexation
appeared to
surprise Obama
and West,
there are no
surprises this
time. Biden
has been craftily
telling the
world that
he knows
exactly what
Putin is up
to. In
the global
public
relations
battle,
Putin has
already lost.
Still, one
must realize
that Putin has
painted
himself into a
corner and may
not know how
to extricate
himself. We
don't want him
to think that
invasion is
his only
option.
That is why it
is important
for Biden and
the West to
find some way
to help Putin
save face
while backing
away from the
abyss - much
like John
Kennedy did
with Nikita
Khrushchev
during the 1962
Cuban Missile
Crisis.
NATO may have
to provide
private
assurances
that it will
pause its
expansion into
countries that
were once a
part of the
Soviet bloc,
as it has done
in Poland and
the Baltic
States.
However, Biden
and company
should not
waver on one
fundamental
point:
Ukrainians,
and not
Russians,
should
determine
their nation's
fate. Will
Putin invade
Ukraine? I
don't know. My
guess is that
he won't. But
if he does, he
will be
playing a
dangerous game
of Russian
Roulette that
may send him
down a path
toward his own
destruction.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X
|
|
Vol.
16 No. 9 --
Radio Days -
Hawesville
February 12,
2022
X
On a
cold and rainy
afternoon in
February 1974,
I was driving
my Volkswagen
Beetle loaded
with
everything I
owned down
U.S. 60 in
Western
Kentucky. It
was the second day of a journey marking by
entrance into
adult hood.
Early in the
morning one
day earlier, I
left College
Park,
Maryland, for Hawesville,
Kentucky, where my first job out of
college
awaited my
arrival. I had
responded to
an ad in Broadcasting for
a radio
announcer/advertising
salesman job.
I had
responded to
more than a
dozen similar
ads with no
luck until I
heard from WKCM-AM.
The country
was in the
middle of a
recession, so
I felt I
should take a
chance of
going to radio
station and
town I had
never seen. I
knew it was a
"Modern
Country"
station, which
meant it
didn't play
much of the
early twangy
country songs.
Still, I had
joke with some
friends back
in College
Park that I
was going to
station WHIC,
where we play
all-hick
music. Imagine
my surprise
when, about
thirty minutes
from my final
destination, I
drove past the
real WHIC-AM
in Cloverport,
Kentucky.
Shortly
thereafter, I
tuned my AM
radio to 1140
on the dial to
hear WKCM for
the first
time. It just
so happened
that the
station was
playing a
syndicated
radio comedy
show called "Chickenman."
It was both
both hilarious
and
unexpected. I
began to feel
good about my
decision to
accept a job
offer in a
place unseen.
After spending
a couple of
hours on the
winding and
narrow U.S. 60
out of
Louisville, I
rounded a bend
in the road
and there,
below, lay the
Ohio River
town of
Hawesville. My
first
impression was
that it looked
kind of
beat-up and
dreary. I
became more
anxious when I
followed the
road through
town and saw
the radio
station where
I was about to
begin my
professional
career. It was
located in a
white
one-story wood
frame house.
The station's
antenna was so
short that the
FAA did not
require that
it to have a
red navigation
light on top.
(As it
turned out, I
learned that
WKCM was a
500-watt
daytime only
station
located on a
clear-channel
frequency. If
the antenna
were higher or
we stayed on
after dark, we
would have
interfered
with
clear-channel
station WRVA
in Richmond,
Virginia.)
Before I
walked through
the station's
front door I
took a deep
breath and
said to myself
"This is it.
No turning
back now." To
my relief, I
was warmly
greeted by the
staff and
management at
WKCM and
immediately
knew I was in
the company of
good people.
Because it was
late
afternoon, the
station
manager
suggested that
we all go
downtown to a
restaurant
called The
Captain's
Table. There,
we were served
by an
extremely cute
waitress
wearing a
white dress,
gold
wire-framed
glasses and
blue
pantyhose. I
worked at that
station for
nine months
before I was
laid off
because of the
recession.
However, as I
loaded my VW
bug with all
of my
belonging for
my next radio
stop in
Madison,
Indiana, I did
not leave with
bitterness. If
anything, it
was the most
important job
I ever had.
Sure, it was
the first step
on what would
prove to be a
long and
winding career
path.
But I got
something even
more important
from that
experience.
That cute
waitress with
the glasses
wearing blue
hose was Jan
Marie Fillman.
I would marry
her 18 months
later.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X
|
|
Vol.
16 No. 8 --
Radio Days -
"Dangerous
Dave"
February 7,
2022
X
My
professional
career was
divided into
three
segments:
broadcast
journalist,
public
relations
practitioner
and college
professor.
While all were
rewarding,
none of them
was as fun
(and
impoverishing)
as my days in
radio. Since
this is the
first in a
series of
periodic posts
about my time
"on-the-air,"
it only makes
sense to start
at the very
beginning. My very first broadcast was as a
disc jockey on
WEMD in my
hometown of
Easton,
Maryland, on
June 12, 1971.
I had obtained
through the
Federal
Communications
Commission
what DJs
called their
"ticket," a
third-class
radio
operator's
license. It
allowed me to
monitor the
transmitter
and sign the
programming
logs without
the presence
of an
engineer. I
worked on
Saturday
nights during
that summer
from 7:00 -
11:00 p.m.
playing Top
Forty records
(mostly 45
RPMs) and I
didn't earn a
single penny.
I was doing it
for free - and
for the
experience I
could put on
what was then
a paltry
resume. It was
fun. I
started using
the moniker
"Dangerous
Dave," a title
I "borrowed"
from a
Baltimore DJ
known as
"Dangerous Dan
Donovan." I
thought many
of my recently
graduated
classmates
would be
bemused and
bewildered by
the Dangerous
Dave persona,
since it was
the exact
opposite of
how I was at
Easton High
School. I
would later
"borrow" a
sign-off line
from my
favorite disc
jockey and
mentor, Paul
Rogers of the
WCAO in
Baltimore:
"Keep your
garbage can
covered, the
dog tied
tightly and
the baby fed.
Until next
time..." (That
didn't last
long. My
program
director hated
it.) The
very first
record I
played after
"rip-and-reading"
an Associated
Press news
summary at the
top of the
hour was "Don't Pull Your Love"
by Hamilton,
Joe, Frank and
Reynolds. The main news story in my first broadcast
was about the
impending New
York Times
release of the
Pentagon
Papers in
its Sunday
editions.
There I was:
young, green
and not
particularly
good. But for
four hours
every Saturday
night, I
commanded the
airwaves. WEMD
has since been
sold and
changed its
call
letters.
Some years
later, I
actually
interviewed to
become the
station
manager of the
new iteration
of the
station, WCEI.
Managing a
station in my
hometown would
have been
great. But I
didn't get the
job and
probably
shouldn't
have.
Programming
and news
experience
does not
necessary
translate into
advertising
and management
experience.
While I had a
moderately
successful
career in
broadcasting,
I certainly
didn't do as
well as that
wide-eyed kid
out of high
school thought
he would in
the summer of
1971.
However, it
set me on a
path to where
I am today.
For that, I am
grateful.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 7 --
The Worm Turns
February 5,
2022
X
What
a difference a
week can make.
Last week at
this time,
President
Biden was
reeling from
bad ratings
and bad news.
While it may
take some time
for the
ratings to
tick up, his
fortunes have
clearly
changed.
In the last
seven days,
the Commander
in Chief
approved a
successful and
virtually
flawless military
operation that
resulted in
the death of
the leader of
ISIS. He
received
indications
from a number
of Republican
senators that
they may
support his
upcoming
Supreme Court
nomination.
Yesterday, the
nation learned
of an unexpectedly
strong jobs
report,
allowing Biden
to boast of
the greatest
record of job
creation in
the the first
year of any
presidency in
American
history. Guess
what?
The U.S.
economy is
recovering
from from the
mismanagement
of the
Unstable
Genius. This
wealth of good
news should be
enough to put
a smile on
Uncle Joe's
face. But
there is more.
The Republican
party is
beginning to
show signs of
its
long-expected implosion. A large number of
Republicans
responded
negatively to
the suggestion
that The
Defeated
Former
President, if
returned to
office, would
pardon
the
January 6
Insurrection
criminals.
Then former
Vice President
Mike Pence
made a strong,
unequivocal
statement that
the Covfefe
King is
flat-out wrong
that Pence had
the authority
to
unilaterally
overturn the
votes of 81
million
Americans.
At almost the
same hour, the
Republican
National
Committee
managed to shoot
itself in the
foot by censuring
the two GOP
members of the
congressional
committee
investigating
the January 6
Insurrection
for
"participating
in a
Democrat-led
persecution of
ordinary
citizens
engaged in
legitimate
political
discourse." As
if to drive
home the
wrongness of
that
sentiment, the
Department of
Justice
released new
video from
the
insurrection
that shows a
moron
literally
calling for
Mike Pence's
head. (As I
have noted in
this space
before, it is
not very
bright to
video oneself
in the act of
committing
sedition.)
Documents have
been uncovered
to show
planning was
underway to use
the military
to overturn
the election.
(Nor is it
bright to
write your
seditious
behavior on
paper.) And if
all that was
not enough,
there was Rudy
Guiliani's inexplicable
appearance
on The
Masked Singer.
Sure, Biden
still faces
serious
challenge from
the Russians,
the Chinese,
inflation and
the English
language. But
all-in-all, it
was a good
week for Joey
from Scranton
and a
devastatingly
bad week for
the Neo-Cons
formerly known
as
Republicans.
For the sake
of the nation,
let's hope it
is the first
of
many.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 6 --
Lock Up The
Covfefe King
January 31,
2022
X
The
Defeated
Former
President this
weekend
continued to
spew his
venomous form
of verbal
diarrhea to
his follows at
a Klan-wannabe
rally in the
mismanaged
state of
Texas. He
hinted that he
may run again
for president
and, if
elected, he
would pardon
those arrested
in connection
with the
January 6
Capitol
Insurrection.
He then later
released a
statement
reaffirming
the BIG LIE
that former
Vice President
Mike Pence had
the authority
to overturn
the 2020
presidential
election. As with most statements coming
from His
Muddled-Mindedness,
there's a
deeper
psychological
context. The
real reason
that Mouth
Vesuvius was
spouting off
this weekend
is that he is
scared. Just
like Al
Capone, the
law is closing
in upon
him. He
is facing
state criminal
probes in New
York for
financial
misdeeds and
Georgia for
coercion and
electoral
interference.
The
significance
of that is
that even if
the Slimy One
were to
somehow become
president,
he'd have no
control over
state
investigations.
And lest we
forget, the
State of New
York has his
tax
statements.
Long before
his fantasized
return to
power could be
completed,
Captain
Craptastick
will likely
face federal
charges
ranging from
tax fraud and
insider
trading to
sedition and
treason. (Yes,
I know its
hard to make a
case for
treason.
But I wouldn't
be surprised
if we learned
that Vladimir
Putin hadn't
been
blackmailing
his orange
sock-puppet
for years.)
The more we
learn about
President Bone
Spur and his
henchmen, the
more apparent
it is that he
continues to
be the most
dangerous
threat to
American
democracy
since the
British burned
the White
House in 1814.
The difference
is that the
Defeated
Former
President
isn't trying
to destroy
buildings.
Instead, he is
trying to
torch the
Constitution.
And yet he has
a solid base
of determined
dim-witted
followers who
believe he is
the best hope
for the
country - just
like the
millions of
weak-minded
Germans
thought Adolph
Hitler was
their nation's
best hope. And
how did that
work out? As I
noted in my
last blog
post, a lot of
Americans
appear to be
willing to
blame Joe
Biden for the
chaos four
years of
President Man
Child wrought.
Make no
mistake about
it, The
Covfefe King
is the most
dangerous man
in America.
And every
breath he
takes outside
of a prison
cell is a
waste of
oxygen. To
borrow a
phrase he and
his cronies
made famous,
"Lock Him Up!"
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 5 --
The
Republicans'
Greatest Trick
January 20,
2022
X
If
you have ever
seen the movie
The Usual
Suspects,
you are no
doubt familiar
with its
iconic closing
scene. Kevin
Spacey's
character led
everyone to
believe that
instead of
being the
mastermind
behind all of
the chaos, he
was, instead,
an innocent
bystander.
After his
character gets
away with his
ruse, he
reminds us
that "The
greatest trick
the devil ever
pulled was to
convince the
world that he
did not
exist." On
this, the
first
anniversary of
the
inauguration
of President
Joe Biden,
that movie
quote rings
true. For the
better part of
two decades,
the rabble of
reactionaries
once known as
the Republican
Party,
representing
less than 40
percent of the
American
population,
have blocked
almost every
single piece
of meaningful
social
legislation on topics such as immigration,
tax reform,
civil rights,
climate
change, voting
rights and gun
control. They
have made a
shambles of
the United
States Supreme
Court and
loaded the
federal
judiciary with
anti-Constitutional
stooges who
put politics
above the law.
In pursuit of
their
political
goals, these
so-called
Republicans
have not only
ignored
science, they
have demonized
it. Instead,
they have
developed the
bizarre
concept of
"alternate
facts." Their
congressional
leaders have
publicly
stated that
their sole
purpose was -
and still is -
to undermine
every
popularly
elected
Democratic
president. And
since last
year, they
have not only
demonized the
world's best,
most honest
and accurate
electoral
process, but
they have
tried to
dismantle it.
Recognizing
that they can
no longer win
elections,
they feel the
need to rig
them. In
foreign
policy, these
ne're-do-wells
have damaged
our
relationships
with long-term
allies while
giving aid and
comfort to our
enemies. Lest
we forget, it
was the rash
decisions of
Biden's
predecessor
that resulted
in an American
abandonment in
Iraq
and Afghanistan.
All President
Biden did was
successfully
rescue more
than 100,000
of our friends
from this
Republican-induced
disaster.
Perhaps the
worst thing
these Sunshine
Patriots have
done is to
ignore the
world's worst
pandemic in
more than a
century and
undermine all
responsible
efforts to
deal with it.
As as result
of Republican
ostrich-like
leadership, hundreds
of thousands
of Americans
needlessly
died from
COVID-19. The
Cult of Trump
also wrecked
the American
economy,
disrupted the
supply chain
of goods and
services,
launched
Vietnam-era
inflation and
created
catastrophic
workplace
disruptions.
Has Joe Biden made mistakes during his first year in
office? Yes.
And, unlike
his man-child
predecessor
who repeatedly
lied
to the
American
people, Biden
has owned up
to them and
made
meaningful
corrective
efforts. In
sharp contrast
to the New
York slum lord
who preceded
him in office,
Biden hasn't
made vague,
unsubstantiated
and unhinged
claims about a
Deep State
conspiracy.
Instead, Uncle
Joe has
restored a
sense of
sanity and
decency to the
American
government in
an
increasingly
dangerous
world. Yet,
on this first
anniversary of
the return of
adult
leadership to
the White
House, public
opinion polls
suggest that
this
disruption is
somehow all
Joe Biden's
fault. The
greatest trick
the
Republicans
ever pulled
was to
convince the
world that the
two decades of
disaster they
orchestrated
is somehow,
miraculously,
not their
fault. But
it is. And if
we don't
recognize it
soon, the
American
Experiment in
Democracy will
die.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 4 --
Dump Jake La
Turner
January 13,
2022
X
One
needs only
take a cursory
look at the
voting record
of Second
District
Representative
Jake LaTurner
(R-Kan.) to
wonder who he
really
represents in
Congress.
LaTurner,
whose job
record
suggests that
he is a social
climber
interested in
power, was
elected in a
strongly
Republican
district in
November 2020.
Yet his very
first actions
following that
election, one
in which
Republicans
closed the gap
in the House,
were to deny
its validity.
According to GovTrack.us,
La Turner was
part of a
coordinated
campaign to
pressure
then-Vice
President
Pence to
unconstitutionally
ignore the
results of Joe
Biden's
resounding
victory and to
keep the
autocratic
Defeated
President
Donald Trump
in power. He
also supported
the
unsuccessful
effort to
invalidate
certified
state election
results in
Arizona and
Pennsylvania
despite the
absence of any
proof of
irregularities.
That was bad
enough, but
LaTurner's
record since
has been
abysmal. He
voted against
the Child
Abuse and
Treatment Act
(supported
by 83 percent
of Congress).
He voted
against the
repeal of the
2002 Authorization
for the Use of
Military Force
in Iraq
(supported by
62 percent of
the Congress).
He voted
against the Protecting
Democracy Act,
the Immunization
Infrastructure
Modernization
Act and
the Build
Back Better
Act
-
all of which
were essential
pieces of
legislation
required to
repair the
significant
damage created
by Defeated
President
Trump's clumsy
and
incompetent
administration.
Using private
funds,
LaTurner sent
two staff
members last
summer to a
conference
sponsored by
the so-called
Congressional
Institute,
a right-wing
think tank
paid for by
lobbyists.
What really
ticked me off
is that
earlier this
week, LaTurner
didn't have
the common
decency to
attend a memorial
service in the
House chambers
for those
killed and
injured during
the January 6,
2021, Capitol
Insurrection -
the one that
LaTurner has
supported in
his words and
deeds. I
recognize that
I will not
always be
represented in
Congress by
people I
support.
But I expect
anyone who
takes an oath
to preserve
and protect
the
Constitution
to live up to
that promise
and to conduct
themselves in
the best
interests of
their
constituency.
Defeated
President
Trump camp
follower Jake
LaTurner has
failed
miserably is
this regard
and must be
replaced by
voters in this
year's
congressional
elections.
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 3 --
Book 'Em,
Dano!
January 7,
2022
X
Today
marks the last
day on the job
for one of
Galesburg,
Illinois',
finest,
Officer Dan
Williams.
Williams, who,
like me, is a
Fillman Family
Outlaw
(Fillman by
marriage, not
by blood), is
retiring after
more than 22
years as a
member of the
Galesburg
Police
Department.
Even during
the best of
times, being a
law
enforcement
officer is
difficult
work. And if
you have been
reading the
newspapers or
watching the
news during
the past few
years, you
will know that
these are not
the best of
times.
However, it is
a mistake to
paint the
actions of all
based upon the
misdeeds of a
few. And as
one who was
worked closely
with law
enforcement as
a journalist
and as a North
Carolina state
official, I am
admittedly
biased toward
the men and
women in blue.
From where I
sit, Officer
Dan Williams
has been an
exemplary
husband,
father and
member of his
community's
first
responders.
This is not to
say that he is
without
faults. After
all, he is a
fan of the
Pittsburgh
Steelers. But
I will not
hold that
against him -
much. I know
him as head of
a family I
love dearly.
(Actually, his
wife Julie
probably runs
things in the
Williams
household.
But, on this
day, she won't
mind the
distinction.)
I haven't had
much
opportunity to
interact with
Officer
Williams in a
professional
capacity.
However, as a
relative and a
friend, I know
that Dan
Williams is
solid gold.
(Not black and
gold. I try to
discourage
that Steelers
thing.) He is
one of three
police
officers in
the Fillman
family. Chris
Burns wears
the badge for
the Owensboro,
Kentucky,
Police
Department and
Brian Burdick
serves with
the LAPD.
These three
are people of
character and
courage with
whom I would
trust my life.
Therefore, it
is fitting to
salute them
all on this
day for their
service. As
any fan of the
two Hawaii
5-0 television
series knows,
one of the
lead
characters is
Detective Dan
Williams.
Therefore, it
is easy
imagine that
Galesburg's
Dan William
has probably
suffered a
billion "Book
'Em Dano"
jokes during
his
illustrious
career.
However, he
appears to
have embraced
his Hawaiian
doppelganger.
And why not?
He gets to
share his name
with a legend
and does 5-0's
Dano one
better -
Galesburg is a
much nicer
place to live
than Honolulu.
On this,
Officer Dan
Williams' last
day at roll
call, allow me
to thank him
for his
service,
congratulate
him for an
exceptional
career, and
wish him and
his wonderful
family the
very best for
the years to
come. So, for
one last time:
"Book 'em,
Dano!" betet's
not forget
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 2 --
Justice
Delayed Is
Justice Denied
January 3,
2022
X
This
Thursday marks
the first
anniversary of
one of the
darkest days
in American
history. Under
the direction
of an
incompetent
and immoral
President of
the United
States, a mob
attacked the
Congress in an
attempt to
overthrow the
government. To
date, more
than 700
people
have been
arrested in
connection
with this
assault on
democracy. And
yet, the man
most
responsible
for that
tragic event
is still free
to lie about
the outcome of
the 2020
presidential
election and
continues to
undermine the
very
foundations of
our republic.
One can argue
about whether
what the
man-who-would-be-king
was guilty of
sedition or
treason. And
we do not
definitively
know whether
the January 6
Insurrection
was a planned
activity or
the action of
an
out-of-control
and
out-of-its-mind
mob. But we do
know that
Donald Trump,
his sons, several
congressmen
and
attorney-turned-servile-slug
Rudy Giuliani
incited the
mob the march
on the Capitol
using
inflammatory
language. We
have the video to prove
it. And we
have the
judgments of
more than 60
judges -
Democrats and
Republicans,
many of whom
appointed by
Trump, himself
- that have
affirmed that
claims of
voter fraud in
the 2020
presidential
election are without
merit. And
yet, Donald Trump and his seditious camp followers, such as
U.S. Senator
Josh Hawley
(R-Mo.), the
man who gave
the January 6
mob a Nazi
salute,
continue to
perpetuate the
Big Lie. We
cannot and
should not
allow these
seditious
creations to
continue to
pour fuel on a
smoldering
fire. The U.S.
Supreme Court
has said
seditious
speech is not
protected
speech under
the First
Amendment. In
Brandenburg
v. Ohio,
the
Court maintained
that seditious
speech—including
speech that
constitutes an
incitement to
violence—is
protected by
the First
Amendment as
long as it
does not
indicate an
"imminent"
threat.
January 6 was
as "imminent"
a threat as it
gets. What
more do we
need to
arrest, try
and convict
these
criminals? If
Attorney
General
Merrick
Garland is too
timid to act,
I suggest that
Donald Trump,
who was acting
as Commander
in Chief,
should be
tried in a
military court
of justice for
failing to
follow his
oath to
"protect and
defend the
Constitution."
Either way,
the time for
action has
passed. An overwhelming
majority of
Americans
demand legal
action against
the former
president.
Let's not
forget that
Trump also
faces the
threat of
state and
federal court
charges in
connection
with his long
history of
questionable
financial and
tax dealings.
Will Trump go
to jail? I
hope so, but
don't really
know. But I do
know that he
needs to
answer for his
actions now,
just like any
other citizen
of this
country would.
Justice
delayed is
justice
denied.
et's
not forget
X
That's it for
now. Fear the
Turtle.
X |
|
Vol.
16 No. 1 --
The Year of
Being Mortal
January 1,
2022
X
There
comes a time
when we are
all faced with
our mortality.
This is my
year of being
mortal. I had
a second round
of heart
surgery just a
couple of days
after
Christmas. The
three-hour
procedure was
designed to
address a
condition
commonly
referred to as
a-fib or
atrial
fibrillation.
In layman's
terms - and
trust me, I am
a layman -
that's when
the heart
beats at an
irregular
pace. This
could result
in clotting
and,
eventually, a
stroke. My
first heart
surgery was in
August 2018
and my surgeon
did an
excellent job
to fixing the
issue.
However, it
was my failure
to maintain
what had been
a significant
weight loss
that led to my
most recent
heart
problems. Over
the summer, I
experienced
what the
doctor has
called a
"flutter" and
tachycardia
(rapid
heartbeat).
Most memorable
was an a-fib
attack while
doing what
should have
been the least
stressful
activity on
earth, fishing
on a Wisconsin
lake. I was
told that the
most recent
round of
surgery was
"extensive" -
and I believe
it. While I am
not in pain,
per se, I can
feel every
beat of my
heart. And it
is that
constant
cardiac
awareness that
has forced me
to face my own
mortality. I
am now in my
70th year and
fully realize
that I am well
past the
midpoint of my
life. I am not
sitting in the
corner fearing
death.
Instead,
perhaps too
late, I am
becoming
proactive. I
have been more
closely
watching my
diet and when
I get
clearance from
my physicians,
I plan to
resume walking
- an activity
I thoroughly
enjoyed until
cold weather
and a series
of physical
setbacks
(including the
a-fib) caused
me to halt my
personal perambulations. I am also planning to undertake
a bariatric
procedure once
I get cardiac
clearance from
my doctor and
after I return
from my
twice-delayed
trip to
Ireland in
May. While I
may be more
aware of my
mortality, I
am also aware
of the value
of living in
the moment and
enjoying
whatever life
I have. I owe
that to my
wife,
children,
grandchildren,
family and
friends. Most
important, I
owe that to
myself. You
may be asking
why I have
chosen to be
so frank about
what is a very
private
matter.
There's a
simple answer:
By doing so, I
am making
myself
personally
accountable
before God and
the world. And
I would have
it no other
way.
X
That's it for
now. Happy New
Year and Fear
the Turtle.
X |
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