Vol. 14 No. 53 -- Trump Golfs While America Burns
December 27, 2020
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Vol. 14 No. 52 -- My Favorite Things
December 18, 2020
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Vol. 14 No. 51 -- Silence is Not an Option
December 10, 2020
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Vol. 14 No. 50 -- Where's Our Apollo 8?
December 6, 2020
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If you are over the age of 50, there's a good chance that you have had recurring memories of 1968. Prior to 2020 becoming the Year of the Pandemic, the year 1968 was most often referenced as one of America's worst years. It may have been glorified in the rock musical Hair as "the dawning of The Age Aquarius," but there really wasn't that much that year in which we could take heart. It had been a year which saw the North Korean seizure of the U.S.S Pueblo and its crew, the Tet offensive and an escalation in the war in Vietnam. It was the year of a contentious presidential campaign that saw an incumbent driven from office, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, street rioting and the triumph of Richard M. Nixon in one of the closest elections in history. There were violent student protests around the world. The Russians invaded Czechoslovakia to crush a reform movement.  Even the normally serene Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City were shrouded in controversy and protests. Those were truly the times that tried men's (and women's) souls. However, in December 1968, there was an event that uplifted our spirits and reminded us that when human beings apply their intellect, curiosity and creativity, we can accomplish some truly amazing feats. Three U.S. astronauts flying aboard Apollo 8, became the first humans to escape the gravitational pull of the earth, circle the moon and safely return to earth. In a year filled with the stench of death and despair, the mission to the moon was like a breath of fresh air.  For the first time, humanity got to see itself as one from a distance perspective.  And while it ruffled the feathers of some atheists and civil libertarians, the astronauts' Christmas Eve broadcast from lunar orbit was inspirational. If but for one moment, all could see that we were all in the same lifeboat, literally a bright blue spot in an immense dark void. It was as if all of agony of 1968 had suddenly melted away. We were so moved that Time named the three astronauts its 1968 Men of the Year. As we approach the final weeks of this raucous and tragic 2020, one can only hope that we may have our own Apollo 8, an event that will transform this year of suffering and discord into one where we can look back and remember at least one satisfying and unifying moment.
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That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
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Vol. 14 No. 49 -- Try to Remember
December 1, 2020
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Today is the first day of the last month of a terrible year. One year ago today, who could have imagined the trials ahead of us?  When I entered December 2019, I was looking ahead toward my first year of retirement. The new year would bring with it travel to Ireland, several family weddings and reunions and my 50th high school class reunion. My favorite sports teams were doing exceptionally well, especially in college basketball. Three of them, Kansas (men) and Maryland (men and women) would go on to win their respective conference championships and were among the favorites to win a national title. Of course, none of that ever happened.  What promised to be March Madness turned into March Sadness as the COVID-19 global pandemic engulfed us. The prospects of a year of fun and travel became a year of quarantine and lockdown. This time last year, the President of the United States was about to be impeached. However, his tribal sycophants in the U.S. Senate would ignore his crimes and keep him in power.  Can you imagine what 2020 would have looked like if the Senate had done the right thing and sent Donald Trump packing? It is likely that President Mike Pence, freed of the yoke of Trumpian blind loyalty, may have actually listened to the scientists, sparing upwards of a quarter of a million American lives. In doing so, there would have been a high likelihood that Pence would have won last month's presidential election. Well, that didn't happen.  Trump lied, people died and the economy cratered. Of course, there were some good things that happened during the past year. I have a new, happy and healthy granddaughter. In fact, a bunch of babies were born this year in my extended family. Most of my family is in good health - although there are some serious concerns outside of my immediate family bubble. Heck, even the Maryland football team crushed Penn State, winning against the Nittnay Lions for only the third time in 43 tries. And, on that very same day, Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election. Of course, it is still 2020. Despite losing more than three dozen lawsuits, Trump has not conceded the election. Instead, he has doubled down by spreading conspiracy theories and lies, claiming he actually won. In doing so, Trump is undermining American democracy and making the United States the world's laughing stock. At the time of this writing, there are 51 days left until Inauguration Day. Since it is still 2020, one can only imagine the chaos the self-proclaimed "stable genius" will sow between now and then.  And we will not be certain Trump is gone until Biden puts his hand on the Bible on January 20. The most memorable song from the 1965 Broadway musical comedy The Fantasicks tells us "Deep in December its nice to remember although you know the snow will follow." So, was we enter what Dr. Anthony Fauci has said will be a "cruel winter" with coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths spiking to frightening levels, let's try to remember the promise of last December and pray for a rebirth of hope and civility by next December.

Vol. 14 No. 48 -- Buy Outs = Sell Outs
November 21, 2020
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Again this week, the hypocrisy and corruption of Big-Time College Sports was on display for the whole world to see. Wichita State University Head Basketball Coach Gregg Marshall resigned after it had been disclosed that he had physically and mentally abused players and staff during his 13-year tenure. In any other workplace, Marshall gets fired and potentially faces criminal charges. Instead, WSU gave Marshall and obscene $7.75 million buyout over six years.  I don't give a damn what kind of contract he may or may not have had. The school should stand on principle and summarily file him on the spot. Period. End of discussion. If he wants to sue, go ahead. I'm pretty certain that assault and battery are fireable offenses.  We've seen this act before. The University of Kansas should have fired Athletic Director Lou Perkins in 2010 for mismanagement of the ticket office - $1 million in tickets for stolen - and the illegal appropriation of school-owned athletic equipment for his home use (see Vol. 4 No. 35). Did they show him the door? Sort of - but with a $2 million payout.  I challenged the chancellor at that time over the payout during a faculty meeting. She basically said the buyout was the path of least resistance. Colleges and universities, including the athletic departments that represent them, must be held to the ethical and legal standards they profess to teach their students. You do not reward bad behavior. Gregg Marshall is an exceptional basketball coach.  But he is also an abusive slug who failed to live up the the standards and practices of the school he represented.  When it comes to personal conduct and potential criminal behavior, there is no middle ground.  I'd say the same thing if Bill Self at Kansas, Mark Turgeon at Maryland, John Calipari at Kentucky or the sainted Mike Krzyzewski at Duke engaged in the same behavior. Perhaps Marshall can redeem himself in much the same manner that Norman Dale did in the movie Hoosiers. I hope he can. But right now, he has 7.75 million reasons to do nothing but pat himself on the back for gaming the system.

Vol. 14 No. 47 -- Goose Neck
November 15, 2020
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Talk about a fish out of water! I am a Maryland Eastern Shoreman who has been landlocked for more than a half-century. You might say I grew up "on the water." Our home on Goose Neck Road in Talbot County was situated on the banks of mighty Tar Creek. It's not that Tar Creek was particularly spectacular. However, it led to the Tred Avon River, which, in turn, led to Chesapeake Bay which, in turn, led to the rest of the world. In fact, that progression-in-reverse describes how the region was inhabited by European settlers in the 17th century. (Yes, there was an indigenous population of Nanticokes, Algonquins and Yaocomicoes already on the scene when the William Claibornes and Leonard Calverts arrived in the 1630s.)  The little town of Oxford, which one can see across the water from my childhood home, was established as the Eastern Shore's only port-of-entry in 1694. This commentary should not to imply that I am a seafarer. At best, I am a wanna-be sailor. For most of the time we lived on Goose Neck, my family didn't have a boat. And when we did, it is my memory that we rarely used it. However, to me, a home on river that eventually leads to the sea is like having the world on your doorstep. Lakes are OK.  But I tend to think of them as imprisoned bodies of water. I've been thinking about the Eastern Shore a lot lately. This is my favorite time of the year in Delmarva. There's a bite in the air. The geese are migrating. The leaves are changing. The skies have an oil painting-like quality. The blue waters are soothing to the eyes and calming to the soul. Because these are turbulent times, I cannot help but be drawn to the gentle sound of the creek lapping in the reeds along the shoreline. (Fun Fact: Talbot County, Maryland, has more than 600 miles of tidal shoreline - more than any other county in the country!) I guess a part of this wistfulness has to do with recently celebrating my first post-retirement birthday. As one gets older, I imagine it is natural to try to cling to the threads of one's youth. I left Goose Neck in 1966, but it has never left me. There literally isn't a day when the fertile coastal plains of my childhood come to mind. The irony is that I didn't achieve personal happiness until I left "the Sho" and launched into my current trajectory. And yet, the Eastern Shore remains embedded in my heart and soul. And as my days - seasonally and figuratively - grow shorter, I can't help but wonder if and when I will return to the peninsula and that little stretch of road along Tar Creek that loom so large within my consciousness.

Vol. 14 No. 46 -- The Age of Anxiety
November 11, 2020
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I admit it: I am a political junkie. I have either followed, reported on or worked in politics most of my life. I am fascinated by the inner-workings of government and civic life. It's how democracy happens. Yes, I am a political junkie.  However, I am not a political masochist.  I have taken little pleasure about the conduct of American public affairs for the past two decades. Frankly, the events of the past week have raised my anxiety to a new level. It's been a week since the presidential election and five days since Joe Biden was widely recognized as the winner. The problem is that the current occupant of the White House is living on Fantasy Island. He is refusing to concede the election and is actively impeding the orderly transition to a Biden administration. Like a group of Chicken Littles, Trump toadies are screaming at the top of their shrill voices about election fraud - despite the fact that absolutely no credible evidence of that has either been presented or proven. And with the Squatter-in-Chief beginning to dismantle America's military and national security apparatus, one can't help but be concerned about the lengths to which President Bonespur might go to preserve his power. On top of this toxic environment is a record growth of the coronavirus pandemic. The United States has seen more than 100,000 new infections every day for the past week with no sign of things letting up. And the Current Occupant is paying as much attention to the virus now as he has during the past year -- meaning virtually none. As one who began his 69th journey around the sun on Sunday, I can't help but be concerned if America's greatest days are behind us. And for me to feel that way is remarkable. I have been an unabashed believer of American Exceptionalism for most of my life.  I'd still like to think that our best days are yet to come.  But until we get this pandemic under control and that Temper Tantrum Troglodyte evicted from the White House, we will continue to live in the Age of Anxiety.

Vol. 14 No. 45 -- Blue Friday
November 6, 2020
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If current trends continue, today will forever be known as "Blue Friday: The day the people made America great again." As we continue to tabulate the votes from Tuesday's record-shattering election, it has become evident that today will be the day the Joe Biden will be elected President of the United States. It is sweet irony that Democratic mail-in ballots helped the former Vice President overcome substantial early Donald Trump leads in Georgia.  After all, it is Trump who told his supporters that they should not trust mail-in balloting. Last night, in the most shameful display of reckless petulance in American history, Donald Trump - without a scintilla of evidence -  trashed the nation's most cherish institution, fair and free elections. The Sore Loser-in-Chief made baseless claims about an imagined conspiracy of Democrats, the media and high tech companies to steal the election.  However, as CNN's John King remarked this morning, "It's not fraud. It's not cheating. It's math." Sadly, the response from many Republican lemmings to Trump's diatribe has been "crickets" or or a broad gulp of the Q-Anon Kool-Aid. The nation's repudiation of this dictator-wannabe comes despite the Republicans' blatant voter suppression efforts. And, by the way, if there had been fraud, why is it that, other the Trump, the Republicans had a very successful election night?  No Republican incumbents lost in the House, they are likely to retain control of the Senate, and they appear to have held on a majority of the state legislatures. No, this election not about the success of a Deep State conspiracy. It's about a desire to return to the normalcy and civility that Joe Biden represents.The fact remains that Trump's hopes for reelection have not dashed by faulty vote tabulation, but by the nation's growing COVID-19 infection rate. The United States had more than 100,000 new infections for a second straight day yesterday - this, as Trump continues to claim that the pandemic is "rounding the corner." If Trump had paid attention to the growing danger of the pandemic last January, more than 230,000 American lives may have been saved and the economy would not have nose-dived.  In short, Donald Trump was the engineer of his own defeat. We are entering a dangerous period. Donald Trump is a wounded, irrational animal that will not leave office before January 20. But as we awaken on this Blue Friday, it is truly "Morning In America."

Vol. 14 No. 44 -- How I (May Have) Changed American History
October 30, 2020
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For a retired journalist, the approaching Election Day brings with it a lot of memories. For journalists, election days are a lot like Christmas morning. Instead of scouring the landscape for stories - in much the same manner as holiday shoppers search malls for Christmas gifts -- political stories come to reporters all at once. Election nights are nothing if not dramatic. There's victory, defeat, joy, sadness and, most of all, a sense of finality. It is one of the few occasions in life when we get a definitive answer to the nagging questions that have haunted us for months: Who will win? Sometimes that answer doesn't come overnight. It may take hours, days and even weeks. Nevertheless, the answer comes. The election night I remember the best was in 1984. I was a reporter/anchor for the North Carolina News Network. As such, I was a front-row witness to what was then the most expensive U.S. Senate race in American history.  Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt was trying to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Jesse Helms. That match-up may not strike a chord with most people some 36 years after the fact. However, think of Kennedy v. Nixon, Bush v. Gore and Godzilla v. King Kong rolled into one contest. It was the Super Bowl of North Carolina politics. The Hunt-Helms clash had been in the making for years. Both were easily the most powerful men in the state within their respective parties. In the end, Helms was able to ride a Ronald Reagan landslide to a third term. In doing so, it probably crushed any hope Jim Hunt had of running for President in 1988. However, for me, the most memorable moment came the day after the ballots were counted. During the campaign, Hunt and Helms had a series of televised debates. In one of them, reporters were asked to submit questions for use by the moderator. The question I submitted for Sen. Helms was: "Should the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee come open with this election, will you give up your chairmanship of the Agriculture Committee to become the new chair?" In Tobacco-is-King North Carolina, that was not an idle question. Helms had worn his Ag chairmanship as a badge of honor. He was Big Tobacco's biggest protector. However, everyone knew that Helms REALLY wanted to chair Foreign Affairs. When the moderator asked my question, the man known as "Senator No" quickly dismissed it by saying "no" and then launched into a diatribe against Hunt on an entirely different issue. On the day after the election - and after the Foreign Affairs chairmanship had, in fact, come open -  I got telephone calls from journalists around the state.  "Didn't you ask...?" they questioned me. I responded "yes," and told them exactly where in the debate that question was asked and answered. Helms had painted himself into a corner. And say what you will about Jesse, he was known for keeping his word. He turned down the Foreign Affairs chairmanship, which went to Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana, who had less seniority. In doing so, American foreign policy was insulated from Helms' aggressive and militaristic anti-communist philosophy for at least two years.  The Democrats became the majority in the Senate in 1986, the same election Sen. Lugar lost his seat. It wasn't until 1995, after Republicans regained control of the Senate, that Helms assumed the helm of the Foreign Relations Committee. By then, relations between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union had thawed - heck, the Soviet Union didn't even exist - and Helm's influence on East-West relations had been minimized. My question in 1984 may not have permanently changed American history.  But, then again, it may well have.

Vol. 14 No. 43 -- And Down the Stretch We Come...
October 26, 2020
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It's just one more week before the polls close and we start counting votes. One week remains in this nation's dirtiest presidential campaign. In 1864, the choice was between an incumbent determined to preserve the Union and a challenger incapable of taking decisive action to save it. In 1944, the choice was between an aging and ailing incumbent who had led us through the Depression while winning a world war and a challenger whose most notable quality was that he looked like the man on the top of a wedding cake. This year, it is the choice between a grandfatherly fellow who would be the oldest man elected president and an incumbent who is a feckless wannabe dictator who also would be the oldest man elected president. However, as I have made more than abundantly clear since I first mentioned his name in this blog on January 1, 2012, Donald Trump should not and must not be reelected next week. Democrats are nervous - and well they should be. It wasn't until 9:00 p.m. Election Night 2016 that the Democrats began to realize that they blew what should have been a lay-up. The polls said they would win. However, Hillary Clinton's train-wreck campaign managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. If she hadn't taken the upper Midwest for granted, Clinton would be facing reelection this year. It is also true that Democrats, being Democrats, are quite capable to shooting themselves in the foot again. Joe Biden's incoherent stance on fracking and the liberal wing's flirtation with Supreme Court stacking has certainly hurt their cause. But the Democrats have a secret weapon: Donald Trump. Every time His Expediency opens his bligly mouth, he undermines his own campaign strategy. Trump wants to make the case that Biden is not up to the job - only to engage in incoherent and irrational behavior.  He wants to paint Biden as corrupt. Yet practically everything Trump does reminds us of his own criminal behavior. He says he is the "least racist person in the room" - which makes you wonder if Trump mistakenly thought he had wandered into a KKK rally. And, lest we forget, Trump's incompetence has led to the death of more than 200,000 Americans. The signs are increasingly pointing toward a resounding public repudiation of Trump. Yes, the polls could be wrong - again. But I doubt it. That was then and this is now.  The conditions are not the same as they were in 2016. Trump's only chance of victory is through a narrow path in the Electoral College. The fact that his campaign is focusing on clinging onto more than a half-dozen states he won four years ago is a strong indicator that even he knows that he is neck-deep in his own doo-doo. From an Electoral Vote standpoint, Biden appears to be sitting in the catbird seat. However, that doesn't mean it is a done deal. Through the GOP's get-out-the-vote and voter-suppression efforts, this promises to be a hard-fought run down the stretch. And the close of polls next Tuesday night does not necessary mean the battle will be over. It may be just beginning. No one is quite sure how long it will take to count a record number of ballots.  And then there's the threat of court challenges.  (Trump's strategy is to have the conservative-leaning Supreme Court save his bacon. However, that is not a "given.")  I am confident that by the time the sun rises on November 4, we will know the outcome.  For the sake the nation, the world and the future of democracy, itself, one can only hope that we will wake up to a decisive Biden victory.

Vol. 14 No. 42 -- Now More Than Ever, Joe Biden
October 22, 2020
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Donald Trump's last and best chance at winning reelection has come and gone.  Oh, I'm not talking about tonight's debate. Very few minds will be changed by what happened on the Belmont College stage. Almost 50,000,000 people have already cast their ballots and the percentage of undecided voters is not that large.  Trump's faltering and mismanaged campaign was struck a fatal blow when Bob Woodward released tapes of their conversations. They laid bare all of Trump's lies and vividly chronicled the distortions and miscalculations that have characterized the administration's response to COVID-19. That's when the Trump campaign started descending into its death spiral. If anything, tonight's debate served as a reminder of why a clear majority of Americans feel it is time to evict Trump and his toadies from the White House. From the moment Trump schlumped upon the stage, he was in attack-dog mode. Daniel Dale, CNN's fact-checker, summed up the debate best when, comparing it to the first, saying "Trump was better behaved tonight, but he lied more." Most of what Trump accused Biden today was verifiably false  And here's a clue: When you preface an accusation against Biden by using the phrase "If this were true," then it means that the speaker doesn't know whether it is true. When Trump said the American people will have to "live with COVID-19," Biden reminded him that American people are dying with COVID-19. (And yes, the president again claimed he knew more about the pandemic than the scientists. Really? From the man who said we should inject Lysol to fight the coronavirus?) Trump's claim that he is the "least racist in the room" was laughable. Biden's comment, "This guy is is a dog whistle (for racists) as big as a foghorn," was a stake in Trump's evil heart. Biden ended the debate with a strong closing statement, framing the campaign as a contest about character. Game, set and match for Biden. In my blog post of January 21 - before COVID-19 was on most people's radar (Vol. 14 No. 4) - I discussed my Ham Sandwich Theory, a belief that most Americans would vote for a ham sandwich for president before they would cast a ballot for Trump.  Not only is my theory being validated by the record turnout, but Joe Biden has more than proven that he is up to the task of leading this nation out of the dark period.  Any questions about the former vice president's health or mental capacity should have been dispelled tonight. He brought his A-game against an X-rated opponent. Biden is a principled, compassionate man committed to healing the nation's wounds.  It's a tall task, but I think he's up to the job. While it will be no surprise to anyone who has read this blog on a regular basis, consider this my formal endorsement of Joe Biden for President of the United States. Now more than ever, we need an adult in the White House.

Vol. 14 No. 41 -- Barbara Bollier for Senate
October 12, 2020
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There are two medical doctors on the November ballot seeking to replace the (long overdue) retiring Pat Roberts in the U.S. Senate. However, only one of them has the right prescription for what ails America. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly eight million Americans have been infected, resulting in more than 215,000 deaths.  Here in Kansas, there have been more than 67,000 cases and 757 deaths - and the numbers keep climbing.  The democrat in the race, state Senator Barbara Bollier, says her main focus is on health care - specifically protecting the Affordable Care Act and expanding the state's Medicaid program. She has also said - correctly in my view - that the Trump Administration's response to the pandemic has been a miserable failure. Her republican opponent, one-term Congressman Roger Marshall, says reopening the economy is his highest priority. When he was in the state legislature, he opposed ACA and Medicaid expansion. He told the Lawrence Journal-World that he thinks the Trump Administration "has done everything it possibly can" to fight the pandemic. That might have been convincing if the White House, itself, wasn't a coronavirus hot spot. He backed Trump in opposing funding for clean energy research. Marshall opposed allowing lawsuits for discrimination in education. He opposed a much needed $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill. In fact, Marshall has voted with Donald Trump more than 98% of the time. Oh, it also bears mentioning that when it came to voting on a $3 trillion package to provide the American people relief against the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Marshall did not vote. All of this raises the question: Just what kind of doctor is Roger Marshall - a physician or a spin doctor? These facts, alone, should disqualify him from public office. Add to that the desperate need to wrestle the U.S. Senate from a bunch of do-nothing Trump syncopates, then the choice is abundantly clear.  Kansas is a Red State and hasn't elected a democrat to the U.S. Senate since the earth was cooling.  I'm not sure that this will be the year. As of this writing, the website Five Thirty Eight has given Marshall 75% chance of victory. However, according to OpenSecrets, her campaign has a lot more money on hand. And the percentage of money coming from contributors who gave less than $200 to her campaign is nine times larger than Marshall's campaign. (Conversely, Marshall's percentage of PAC contributions is nine times larger than Bollier's.) Nevertheless, the prescription for curing an ailing state and nation is to vote for those who champion people over party. And in the Kansas U.S. Senate race, that means voting for Barbara Bollier.

Vol. 14 No. 40 -- The "Rope-A-Dope" Debate
October 7, 2020
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In his 1974 heavyweight boxing title defense against George Foreman, Muhammad Ali introduced the world to the phrase "rope-a-dope." Its a form of defense where one of the combatants dodges and weaves to avoid heavy punches. In the "Rumble in the Jungle," Ali wore out Foreman and went on to knock him out. Tonight's vice presidential debate was very much like the Ali-Foreman fight.  Both candidates employed a debate strategy of ignoring the questions they didn't like by giving the answers they wanted.  Vice President Mike Pence ignored the moderator's questions almost as many times as he answered them.  Pence managed to score a few points, particularly on the question of whether the Democrats plan to pack the Supreme Court. But on the issues that the polls have consistently said matter most to the American people - the pandemic, the economy, racial justice and the integrity of our elections - Senator Kamala Harris dealt Pence some serious body blows. Interestingly, both candidates dodged questions about the future of Roe v. Wade. Moderator Susan Page of USA Today faced the same difficulties that Chris Wallace of Fox News faced in the first presidential debate. Short of having a microphone kill switch - or a license to kill - there is little a moderator can do in these debates when they go off the rail.  At least tonight's debate was much more civilized than last week's cage match.  The two candidates came into the debate with different goals. Pence's campaign is trailing badly in the polls, so he needed to be the aggressor. And he was certainly successful in getting in the key talking points his conservative supporters wanted to hear. However, the same can be said for Harris, who really hammered Trump's record into ground. But the most important thing she did was stand toe-to-toe with an aggressor without being objectionable or making any major mistakes. Pence's supporters will say he won. Harris's supporters will say she was the victor. (I agree with the latter.) But it doesn't really matter.  I don't think tonight's debate changed any minds.  And since the Democrats are in a superior position going into the final weeks of this campaign, a debate draw is really a Biden-Harris victory. Going back to the rope-a-dope metaphor, Pence's failure to "knockout" Harris is a loss any way you look at it.

Vol. 14 No. 39 -- The Fickle Finger of Fate
October 2, 2020
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And now, the humanity of the American people is being challenged. We learned overnight that the President and the First Lady have tested positive for COVID-19.  The circumstances of them contacting the disease are not known. Perhaps more importantly, neither are the ramifications of this disclosure. I have to admit, my initial reaction was the rich irony of Donald Trump contracting the coronavirus. As recent as yesterday, Trump said we had "rounded the corner" on the pandemic, even though the empirical evidence suggests otherwise.  We also remember Trump chiding former Vice President Joe Biden for wearing a mask during Tuesday night's presidential debate.  If you periodically read this blog, you are aware that I have made no effort to hide my disdain for Trump.  By his own words and actions - or should I say inaction - he has plunged this nation into its greatest public health crisis in a century.  However, it would be a grave mistake to believe that I am somehow "happy" or "amused" by these latest developments. To the contrary, I am concerned for the President's and First Lady's health, those of their family and of those of the people with whom they have had recent contact.  I take no joy in this disclosure. It adds yet another level uncertainty during these chaotic times.  I am reminded that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recovered from COVID-19. However, I am also reminded that former presidential candidate Herman Cain did not. I earnestly hope that the Trumps are asymptomatic and remain healthy.  I also hope that, by his actions, Trump has not infected the leadership of the three branches of the United States government, his staff, his supporters and, perhaps most of all, the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. We should not ignore the circumstances under which Trump has become infected. He should be held politically accountable for his incompetence in dealing with this pandemic. But that doesn't mean I have lost my sense of humanity. I hope he, his wife and all who have been infected with this insidious disease achieve full recovery - just as I hope they would do for me under similar circumstances.  This is not time to gloat. If you are so inclined, it is a time to pray.  The fickle finger of fate is now pointing directly at Donald Trump. And there is unquestionable anxiety over which direction that will take us all.

Vol. 14 No. 38 -- What The Hell Was That?
September 29, 2020
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When you can’t attack the facts, attack the source. That, in a nutshell, describes Donald Trump’s public life. And that was was on display for the entire world to see during tonight’s first presidential debate with Joe Biden. Donald Trump was not only the aggressor. He was a bully. And Americans hate a bully. One should always be wary of those spouting discredited conspiracies and shouting “fake news” at the top of their lungs. What we witnessed tonight was a desperate, cornered animal that has come to realize that his fate has been sealed. Trump actually began the debate with a strong defense with his Supreme Court nominee.  It's true, elections do have consequences.  But so do other things, like those that prompted Biden to say Trump is the "worst president the country has ever had." And anyone with an open mind who watched tonight's debacle would agree. Unlike Trump, Biden had facts to back up his rhetoric. Thanks to the incredible reporting of the New York Times, we now know that our alleged “stable genius” is little more than a tax cheat, a pseudo-billionaire, a financial incompetent and a national security threat. And less we forget his bungled response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he is also a mass murderer. In fact, Biden's attack on Trump's miserable coronavirus response was his strongest moment of the night - especially telling Trump to "get out of the bunker and get out of the sand trap" and come up with a health care plan. (Can you believe that Trump actually compared the COVID-19 pandemic to the H1N1 virus?) I truly felt sorry for moderator Chris Wallace.  (Next time, give the moderator a "kill switch" to cut off the mike of a candidate violating debate rules.  Or maybe, perhaps, a taser.)  Considering that Trump’s incessant attacks over the past few months on Biden’s mental abilities significantly lowered the expectations for the former vice president's performance, Trump was already the loser before the first question was asked. Ask yourself, which candidate on the stage tonight in Cleveland was out of control? I invite you to look at the closing moments of the debate.  It is unsettling to say that the President of the United States was mentally unhinged. Yet, that's is what exactly what he was, attacking opponents, past, present and imagined. Putin's petulant puppy (to embellish a phrase Biden introduced) was out of control. His mental illness was on display for the entire world to see. And how did professional political observers feel about the debate? The normally staid Dana Bash of CNN called it "a shit show." And who can argue? Make no doubt about, Biden not only won tonight, but it was also a knockout. No matter how Trump’s base base tries to parse tonight’s debate, Trump and his crime family are in a death spiral and Republicans don’t realize that it is too late for them to bail out to save themselves.

Vol. 14 No. 37 -- Tree Hugger
September 21, 2020
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Largely unnoticed by most of the world, Harvey Updyke died this summer of natural causes at the age of 71.  His name may not ring a bell, but he is remembered - and not fondly. Harvey was the rabid University of Alabama football fan who took revenge on rival Auburn University by poisoning two venerated oaks at an intersection known as Toomer's Corners.  For Auburn people, this was the equivalent of placing graffiti on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The trees died, Harvey went to jail and now he's gone. I bring this up because of people's fascination and emotional attachment to trees. For example, my grandmother had a huge mimosa in front of her cottage home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  I remember it became a major life accomplishment when I was finally able to climb to its top. My grandmother loved that tree and was deeply saddened when it was claimed by disease and had to be cut down. As it turns out, that is one of the complaints people have about mimosas; that they are very prolific when it comes to leaving seedlings, but are, themselves, very short-lived. (I tried to plant one at my first home in Lawrence, Kansas, but it couldn't survive the dry summers and harsh winters. Another tree that was the subject of great affection when I was growing up was the Wye Oak in nearby Wye Mills, Maryland. It was estimated that the tree, believe to be the largest white oak tree in the United States, began its life in the mid 1500s. It was so loved that it was designated the Official State Tree of Maryland and the land around it was maintained as a state historic site. Unfortunately, time, disease and a huge thunderstorm finally claimed the nearly five-century-old tree on June 6, 2002. The good news is that horticulturalists have been able to plant thousands of offspring from the Wye Oak. So, in a sense, it is still with us.  I think it is a natural reaction for people to think "why did they have to do that?" when they see that a construction crew has cut down and removed some trees. Honestly, I felt that way when I saw that the large tree in front of Stauffer-Flint Hall on the campus of the University of Kansas had been cut down during a much-needed renovation of the building. There may well have been a legitimate reason for doing so, but that doesn't mean I had to like it.  Trees are the largest and longest living lifeforms on this planet.  They are not only a great natural resource for making paper, furniture, baseball bats and any other sort of wooden object, but they are also a source of pride and value. For example, Raleigh, North Carolina, refers to itself as "The City of Oaks." That's why cities like Lawrence, Kansas, require developers to plant trees when creating new subdivisions. They are good for the environment and the economy. I have been in my current home in West Lawrence for 10 years. My wife and I are its first occupants. We have greatly enjoyed the majestic growth of the red maple tree, planted just before we moved in, that adorns our yard. We deeply treasure it, even knowing we will, within a couple of weeks, be laboring in our front yard raking up its fallen leaves. That is a price that we gladly pay for the beauty it brings to our home.  I'm not what one might call me a "tree hugger." But, come to think of it, that's not a bad idea.

Vol. 14 No. 36 -- Howard Baker's Question
September 9, 2020
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Forty-seven years ago this past summer, U.S. Senator Howard Baker (R-Tenn.) asked one of the most important questions in American history. As the ranking minority member of the Senate Watergate committee, Baker famously questioned, "What did the President know and when did he know it?" Of course, the president he was referring to was Richard Nixon and the subject of the inquiry was the burglary and espionage at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. From shortly after the June 1972 break-in until early August 1974, Nixon claimed that he no prior knowledge of the break-in and was in no way involved in obstructing a criminal investigation to hide it. However, by his fateful decision to secretly tape record his own conversations within the Oval Office, Nixon sewed the seeds of his own destruction. Once the tapes were released and proved that Nixon lied to the American people, it took only a couple of days before he was shown the door. Now, in 2020, tape recordings may undo another president. However, in this case, these recordings were not made secretly. Instead, Donald Trump, knowing that he was being recorded by one of the most famous investigative reporters in American history, nevertheless disclosed that he knew of the severity of the coronavirus pandemic as early as February 7. (Remember that date - it's important.) This disclosure, coming with the publication of a new Bob Woodward book, shows that the president has been lying to the American people for 7 months. And in doing, so he has recklessly put their lives in danger. Trump consistently suggested that COVID-19 was not as dangerous as those within the scientific community had claimed. Yet he acknowledged in those taped conversations that the airborne disease is both extremely contagious and dangerous and has persisted in characterizing the pandemic as a hoax and fake news. As late as this week, Trump ridiculed a reporter for wearing a mask at a White House news conference. Trump acknowledges that he has deliberately downplayed the pandemic, claiming he was trying to avoid public alarm. However, it seems more likely that he was more concerned that COVID-19's impact on the economy would disrupt his reelection campaign. A Columbia University study last May said that had Trump put social distancing rules and restrictions into place just one week earlier than he did on March 15, he might have saved the lives of approximately two-thirds of those who died from the virus. The study went on to say that had Trump acted two weeks earlier, more than 80 percent of those who died might have been spared. With the number of dead likely to be around a quarter-of-a-million people by Election Day, that translates into 200,000 lives needlessly lost. With his own words as evidence, Donald Trump has been proven to be criminally negligent in the performance of his duties. He should be forced to resign. However, for that to happen, every Republican on Capitol Hill would require backbone transplants. So now it is up to the American voters to do what their President won't do or can't do - preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. But the reckoning for Donald Trump can't end with an electoral defeat.  Donald Trump is a mass murderer and should be hauled into court to face the consequences. After all, we now know what the President knew and when he knew it.

Vol. 14 No. 35 -- The Republicans
August 28, 2020
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We saw Republican stagecraft in full display this week.  It could be argued that the GOP put on a more visually pleasing convention than their Democrat rivals. Venues such as the White House Rose Garden, historic Fort McHenry and the Jerusalem skyline gave us more vibrant pictures than almost everything the Democrats had to show. (In fairness, the Democrats' roll call of the states was far more interesting than the listless Republican version.) Yes, the Republicans gave us prettier pictures - even if it meant violating federal laws and ethics codes to do so. Unfortunately for them, most people did not mute their televisions and other devices when they watched the convention. The pictures of RNC-2020 may have been pleasing, but the sound track was absolutely horrifying. Yes, the Democrats injected negativity into the proceedings when they sharply criticized Donald Trump. However, their attacks had the benefit of being factually based. It should also be noted that Joe Biden's and Kamala Harris's acceptance speeches were mostly aspirational in their tone - a sharp contrast to Trump's and Pence's fear-mongering diatribes. The Republicans have mistaken volume for passion. Their rhetoric is reminiscent of the Trump's infamous "American carnage" inaugural address. The parade of speakers that preceded them was obviously unburdened by a need to tell the truth.  They painted a terrifying picture of an American apocalypse masterminded by the heartless and satanic Joe Biden. And they painted Trump as a brilliant, kind and generous man who cares about everyone, especially white suburban women. It makes you wonder what is the color of the sky on the planet where these Trump surrogates live? Virtually unmentioned all week was the coronavirus pandemic. And when Republicans did mention it, they talked about it in the past tense -- just as if it was all over. But it isn't. Nor is the economic disaster Trump's incompetence created.  Economists say the country's financial health may not rebound until 2022. Mike Pence promised in his acceptance speech that Trump will "Make America Great Again - Again." Again - Again? That sure sounds like an acknowledgement of failure. As for Trump's acceptance speech, it was one of his better-delivered teleprompter speeches, albeit filled with half-truths, outright lies and pure demagoguery. He delivered red meat for his adoring minions. He used China as his xenophobic whipping boy without mentioning that his good buddies the Russians interfered - and are still interfering -- in our elections. He claimed his COVID-19 response saved "hundreds of thousand of lives" when, in fact, it was his lack of leadership that killed approximately 180,000 people to date. Trump blames Biden and the Democrats for the civil unrest in America, ignoring his own role in fanning the flames of racial hatred. It is ludicrous that a man who has routinely broken the law and ignored the Constitution is running a "law and order" campaign. Equally outlandish is Trump's claim that America is broken and only he can fix it. That ignores a harsh reality: If America is broken, it is because Trump broke it and isn't really all that interested in fixing it.  Donald Trump cares only about Donald Trump. He is mentally unstable and morally unfit to serve as our President. A vote for Donald Trump borders on insanity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The Republicans are likely to learn in November that most American voters aren't buying what they are selling. In that regard, these four nights of right wing propaganda did not change a thing.

Vol. 14 No. 34 -- The Democrats
August 21, 2020
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Politics and content aside, I give the Democrats high marks for conducting the first virtual presidential nominating convention.  There was no template to follow. They created this event from scratch. And while there were some hits (such as the 50-state roll call) and misses (such as Bill Clinton lecturing on integrity in office), the blue-staters placed down a marker that the red-staters will be challenged to surpass in their virtual convention next week. However, it is ridiculous to put politics and content aside - it was a political convention, after all. My post-convention analysis is that the Democrats not only reminded America why it should vote against Donald Trump, but also made a compelling case for voting for Joe Biden. Biden and running mate Kamala Harris let their surrogates - most notably Barack and Michele Obama - hammer away at Trump's negatives.  I was struck by the palpable emotion exuded by the Obamas in their remarks. On the other hand, the speeches by Biden and Harris tended to be more aspiration in their tone. I'd like to think that's what a nation weary of four years of Trump's dumpster-fire drama wants to hear. Frankly, I was a little underwhelmed by Harris's remarks. I think she tried to accomplish too much in too little time. But I was blown away by Biden's speech. This was not "Sleepy Joe." Even more so than former President Obama, you could really feel the raw emotions of joy, anger, grief and empathy in Biden's acceptance speech.  While I think this was by any measure a successful convention for the Democrats, I don't expect there to be much of the traditional "convention bump" in the polls. First, the Republicans will have their say next week, which could cancel out any positives generated by the Democrats this week. Second, television viewership has been weak - although it may have been boosted by coverage on social media platforms. And most important, I don't believe that there are that many undecided voters left. The electorate is polarized The key challenge for the Democrats this week and the Republicans next week is to get their supporters to vote. The Democrats have presented their case. It's now the Republicans' turn. Stay tuned.

Vol. 14 No. 33 -- The "Safe" Choice
August 12, 2020
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Several pundits have declared that presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden made the "safe" choice yesterday when he named Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice presidential running mate. Having already promised on March 15 that he would name a woman and under intense pressure following the Black Lives Matter protests to choose a person of color, the selection of Harris seems logical.  Logical, yes. But "safe," not really.  It is not that I think the selection of Harris is a risky choice. I believe it was the "best" and "right" choice.  Name one Democrat with more governing experience, a compelling life story and broad demographic appeal than Harris? While her ideology skews to the left, she has repeatedly demonstrated during her public life that she is a pragmatist. And even if you consider yourself a moderate skewing to the right, the Harris selection shouldn't make you uncomfortable.  Frankly, her selection sets up a sharp contrast between a Democratic ticket that stands for fairness and social justice and the Republican ticket that stands for nothing but itself. It isn't that the American people are concerned about the direction of the nation. What they are really concerned about is the lack of direction and the absence of real leadership during a pandemic and self-inflicted financial crisis. And let us not forget that this nation is undergoing dramatic and irreversible demographic change.  The base of the Trump Party - there is no Republican Party anymore - is disappearing. White males without college education is no longer a winning coalition. This is especially true since Trump has alienated almost every other group -- and his poll numbers show it. Trump can't run a "fear the boogeyman" campaign when, in fact, he is the boogeyman. Kamala Harris is a "safe" choice? No, she is the right choice. Biden-Harris is a winning combination.

Vol. 14 No. 32 -- Objectivity, Facts and Opinion
August 8, 2020
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Forty-six years ago tonight, President Richard Nixon announced that he was resigning his office because of the Watergate scandal. On that night, I listened to his speech from a broadcasting trailer parked on the grounds of the city hall in Tell City, Indiana. (The reason I was there is a story for another time.) Today's anniversary also takes me back to the summer of 1972, when I was a rising junior enrolled in my first journalism class at the University of Maryland.  At that time, I was a Nixon republican, which meant I tended to be fiscally conservative, moderate in domestic policies and an internationalist. While I thought of myself as a "radio-TV major," I was beginning to realize that journalism could provide me inroads into the broadcasting industry. As probably happens in every "intro to journalism" class, there was the great debate over the definition of objectivity. Is it humanly possible for anyone to be totally objective? The general consensus was that total objectivity is virtually impossible. We all view the world through the lenses of our own experiences. I remember that the debate quickly transformed into a discussion of bias, context and transparency. Or, to put it another way, it comes down to fairness. When I went to college, I entered with the certain knowledge that the media were anti-Republican.  After all, that's what my parents had told me. However, once I began to learn about the profession of journalism, its craft and its ethics, my world view changed.  The world is not a place of perfect balance.  There are not just two sides to any story, nor are good and bad (however you define them) equally proportioned. The challenge was and still is to differentiate between opinion and truth.  Some truths are undeniable. Once I began to weigh the good that Nixon had done against his clearly unconstitutional and criminal actions, this republican came to the conclusion that Nixon must resign. In 2020, the deeply divided American people appear to have trouble differentiating between opinion and truth. For that, the media are largely to blame.  It may surprise many, but when it comes to actually covering a news story, there usually isn't a dime's difference in how it is presented on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC or the three broadcast networks. Facts are facts, no matter who is delivering them. The problem is the failure of many to differentiate between information presented by news anchors and that presented by opinion hosts -- the latter of whom consume the overwhelming majority of air time. The fact is that even Fox News has reported that many of the statements of Donald Trump are inaccurate, misleading and dangerous.  Is Chris Wallace of Fox News biased when he corrects a Donald Trump false statement to the President's face? Is Jeff Tobin of CNN being unfair when he reminds viewers that Trump's powers are limited by the Constitution? Of course, they are not because what they have been saying is factual - not an opinion.  Just because we may not like what we hear doesn't mean that it is untrue.  The truth be told after 46 years, there are still many things I admire about Richard Nixon. But that admiration didn't blind me from fairly and objectively weighing the facts and concluding that the country had been better off by his resignation.  As we prepare for what may be the most consequential presidential election of my lifetime - and yours - I can only pray that the American people understand that objectivity and fairness are not defined by one's party affiliation.

Vol. 14 No. 31 -- Teamwork
July 26, 2020
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I have had several reminders of the value of teamwork in recent days. As a volunteer for the American Red Cross, I am a member of team that just completed production of - if I say so myself - a pretty slick fundraising video. Operating under COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, people working remotely in four cities in two states were able complete a vital task that advances the Red Cross's humanitarian mission. At the same time, the revision of the fifth edition of a widely used writing textbook I have coauthored is nearing publication. Facing the same COVID-19 restrictions, Chuck Marsh, Bonnie Short and I are putting the finishing touches on a book in which we can take justifiable pride. Bonnie is working from her home in North Carolina. Chuck Marsh is here in Lawrence - but in the Age of Coronavirus, he just as well could be living on the far side of the moon. And our publisher is in Boston - which some might say is on the far side of the moon. (That's a joke - its a lovely city.) Chuck and I have collaborated on 12 editions of three different textbooks for more than two decades. It has been a mutually beneficial partnership and, I'd like to think, and even better friendship. As significant as those two examples of teamwork are, one that is even more important to me comes on the heels of Friday's birth of my fourth grandchild, Hayden Elizabeth Novotney. Her parents, Craig and Susan Novotney, exemplify teamwork. They are loving and supportive partners and parents. Susan is my only child and no parent can be blessed with a greater gift than to have his or her child prosper in the full glory of adulthood. Hayden is their second child as the beautiful and energetic Marlee was born in 2018.  I have two other spectacular grandchildren, Nolan and Mary. Their parents, Stacy and Zack Deeds, are models of teamwork and parenting. Maureen and I couldn't be happier with the family with which we are blessed. The Great American Mythology is the preeminence of individualism and the belief that one person, alone, can change the course of history. And yes, there are many examples supporting that view. However, in this time of national discord, it is important to remember that America's greatness came from the blending of ideas and cultures. Moses may have come down alone from the mountaintop to bring us the Ten Commandments, but the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were products of collaboration and compromise. E pluribus unum - out of many, one. As we struggle to get our troubled nation back on the path of justice and righteousness, we would be well served to let our children lead the way.

Vol. 14 No. 30 -- Free Speech, Not Cancel Culture
July 12, 2020
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Goya CEO Robert Unanue feels as if he is a victim of what he calls  the "cancel culture." It seems as if many Hispanics and Latinos, the main consumers of Goya's food products, are upset that Unanue appeared in the White House Rose Garden last Thursday and heaped praise on President Trump as much as one ladles salsa on a chimichanga. At a so-called "White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative" event, the tone-deaf CEO said "We are all truly blessed...to have a leader like President Trump." That's an amazing statement, considering the racist antipathy Trump has slathered on Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and anyone not born in the United States. (An odd stance, since neither his mother nor wife were born here.)  Unanue is upset that he has been attacked on social media and in the press for his vocal support of a man many Latinos find repulsive. (To be fair, Trump has had good support in the Hispanic and Latino community.  However, recent polls show that it is softening in the face of Trump's incompetent response to the pandemic.) With many Latino leaders calling for a boycott of Goya products in protest, Unanue has gone ballistic. He claims his First Amendment rights are being trampled upon by a corrosive "cancel culture." In fact, they are not. He's had his say. Now those who disagree with him are having theirs. The First Amendment not only protects political speech, but it protects political expression. The decision to not buy a particular brand is a form of expression that is older than the nation, itself. Remember the Boston Tea Party? Under our Constitution, individuals are free to pick and choose with whom they will do business - and with whom they will not do business. And they can do it for whatever their reason they want. For example, I will never do business with the Mayflower Moving Company. (Fans of the former Baltimore Colts will understand why.) If Mr. Unanue wishes to support President Trump, that's OK.  But if people choose to boycott Goya products because of the CEO's support of the malignant and belligerent buffoon currently infesting the White House, that's OK, too.  After all, it is the American way.

Vol. 14 No. 29 -- An American Tune
July 4, 2020
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When I woke up this morning, the 244th anniversary of American independence, there was music playing in my head.  It was Paul Simon's 1973 song An American Tune, a subdued, post-Vietnam and Watergate era ode to what Jimmy Carter later called (correctly, I might add) an American "malaise."  I am not surprised that song came to mind. The year 2020 feels a lot like that same period of American crisis and self-doubt. Frankly, its not a bad thing for Americans to look critically at their nation. After all, hasn't it been the "America, right or wrong" crowd that has gotten us into the biggest messes? It was arrogance that led us to the twin tragedies of slavery and racism, to wars in Vietnam and the Middle East, and now to the criminally bungled response to a global pandemic.  That makes me think of another popular tune of the past, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, written in 1955 by the immortal Pete Seeger. It keeps asking us the question that we, as a nation, never seem to answer: "When will we ever learn?" All of this having been said, I'd like to think I am a positive person. So, on this troubled July 4, 2020, I look toward the hopeful signs of the future. I am confident the world's scientists - maybe even American scientists - will develop a vaccine to remove the scourge of COVID-19. And the recent, dramatic turn in the polls suggest that come November 3, the American people will overwhelmingly vote to remove the infection currently infesting the White House. That doesn't necessarily bring to mind a song. Instead, I am reminded of this nation's greatest oratory - so extraordinary that it almost rings poetic. On November 19, 1863, in the midst of the deepest, darkest period in our nation's history, our greatest President summoned forth his vision of the future: "That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Yes, in spite of the disease, disharmony and deception the American people are confronting this Independence Day, I remain confident - and somewhat defiant. And I still believe that our national prayer will continue to come true: May God Bless America.

Vol. 14 No. 28 -- The False Equivalence of Bigotry
June 24, 2020
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I always take what I see in social media with a grain of salt. Frankly, you'd have to be pretty damn gullible to believe everything you see. Nevertheless, I saw a Facebook meme this morning that really frosted my buns.  It was a picture of the Auschwitz death camp. It's caption implied that preserving the memory of the holocaust is the equivalent of Confederate statutes that preserve the champions of Southern Heritage. In short, tearing down statutes is destroying history. That kind of logic is known as a false equivalency - a safe harbor for the bigoted and the dimwitted. Memorial and memory have the same root. There are people and things we want to remember. But as we do so, it would also be intellectually dishonest to not take in the entire context. Auschwitz has been preserved as a warning against tyrannical regimes that use genocide as weapons of terror. However, a statue of Robert E. Lee situated in a place of honor is totally inappropriate. Lee committed treason. That's all you need to know. Any claims of protecting Southern Heritage do not stand up to the fact that Lee engaged in an armed rebellion against the United States of America.  He is responsible for the death of U.S. soldiers.  He violated his oath to the Constitution. Now naysayers will ask, "What about statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson? They were slave owners. Shouldn't their statutes come down, as well?" (That's another false equivalency.) Washington and Jefferson lived in a time when slavery was the norm and they operated within the accepted morality of the times. And while we should remind people that Washington and Jefferson were slave owners - as well people with flaws much like any of us - they were also revolutionaries that helped to create a society that allows people, among other things, freedom to demonstrate in the streets against the government. To put it simply, Washington and Jefferson operated in the context of their times. So did Robert E. Lee. However, Lee's actions are not just seen today as treasonous, they were seen as treasonous at the time he committed them. In any other country, Lee would have been executed for his crimes. Instead, he was pardoned and allowed to live out the remainder of his life in peace. So spare us the juvenile logic of all things being equal.  We need to study the nuances and context of history, not bludgeon it with tortured logic to fit a nonsensical narrative.

Vol. 14 No. 27 -- Empty Promises, Empty Seats
June 21, 2020
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I would have loved being a fly on the wall of Air Force One last night as it returned from Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa - but only if flies can wear masks. What had been a horrible week for Commander Bonespur got dramatically worse. Trump expected 100,000 MAGA partisans to show up for his ego-driven event. Only 7,000 were in attendance in the 19,000 seat arena. Outside, there were far more protesters than Trumpets. (Even worse, the protesters were well-behaved.) This on the same day he fired a federal prosecutor from the Southern District of New York investigating Trump's allies Michael Cohen and Rudolph Giuliani. And then, in a singular act of courage, he denied it and said the firing was Attorney General Barr's idea. (As if William Barr ever had an original thought.) A federal judge and the U.S. Supreme Court dealt the Orange One a trio of legal defeats during the week. John Bolton's kiss-ass and tell-all book is going to be released this week. Trump's own niece has a book coming out that apparently will, in the vernacular, rip Trump yet another one. His prospects for reelection are fading as his poll numbers tank. And, as he arrived in Tulsa claiming the COVID-19 pandemic is waning, six of his own campaign's advance team tested positive for the virus. And no, for the record, the pandemic is not fading away. In some places, it is on the rebound. And not one to miss shooting himself in the foot as he places it in his bigly mouth, Trump told his Tulsa rally that the high infection numbers were due to increased testing - which is why he told his people to slow it down. (The White House has since said that was a joke - the same "joke" he made several times in the days leading up to the rally.  The Buffoon from Bedminster wouldn't lie to us. Would he?) Yup, it's been a lousy week for President Pinocchio. But hey, it's Father's Day. Perhaps he can bask in the love of children, especially Eric and Donald Junior. That may be the last Father's Day he gets to socialize with them outside of visitor's hours.

Vol. 14 No. 26 -- Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
June 6, 2020
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As one whose favorite years as a wage-earning professional were as a radio broadcaster in the 1970s and 1980s, it is not surprising that I have developed a strong affinity for podcasts.  There is nothing that can beat the power of the skillful blend of voice, music and sound effects in the theater of the mind. Until recently, time constraints restricted my ability to listen to podcasts. Unlike terrestrial or satellite radio, one cannot treat a podcast as background noise.  Good podcasts require - and demand - your rapt attention.  However, I am now retired and have time on my hands. When I go for my morning two-four mile walks, I will slap on my ear buds and listen to my favorite podcasts. The two I listen to most regularly are Mobituaries featuring CBS correspondent Mo Rocca and Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend. It should come as no surprise that comedians/humorists are the best storytellers - an essential for a great podcast. However, the best podcast I have listened to was created by a serious journalist, Rachel Maddow. Bag Man was the story of the rise and fall of former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. Maddow goes into incredible detail about how a man who could have become President of the United States was consumed by clumsy greed. Looking for a podcast that covers your particular area of interest?  There's a good chance you can find one. There are now over 850,000 podcasts with more than 30 million podcast episodes.  It has been estimated that more than half of Americans above the age of 12 regularly listen to podcasts. Being a journalist - once a journalist, always a journalist - I favor some of the podcasts connected to news organizations such as The Daily (New York Times), Up First (National Public Radio) and The Chuck Toddcast (NBC). As much as I enjoy podcasts, I cannot stress enough that they are not a replacement for watching, reading and listening to the daily news. I regularly watch different newscasts with differing perspectives - even Fox News. I believe it is every citizen's responsibility to listen to the various points-of-view and then make their own value judgments. That being said, podcasts are a delightful diversion from a world seemingly gone mad. Sometimes, they help explain why things are the way they are. At other times, they allow us to escape the sturm und drang of everyday living, if even for just an hour.  

Vol. 14 No. 25 -- Onward Christian Soldiers
June 2, 2020
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"Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before." That is the familiar opening line and the refrain from an 19th century English hymn that remains popular today.  It was written as a processional hymn. However, it has taken on added meaning through the years. Perhaps the most dramatic performance of the hymn occurred on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales.  (Check at the 4:04 marked the linked video.) In August 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed to the Atlantic Charter and joint action against Hitler. When the two greatest leaders of the 20th century sang that hymn during an on-deck religious service, they issued a clarion call to arms against pure evil. Last night, in his own clumsy and inept way, Donald Trump tried to hijack Christianity to what he considers the most important cause of the 21st century - himself. No, he did not sing the hymn. But he brazenly brandishing a Bible - a book one doubts he has ever read - and threatened to unleash American soldiers upon American citizens exercising their God-given right to free speech. Trump said he is the "law and order president" who will crush what he claimed is left-wing violence that has erupted across the nation. It comes in the wake of what two medical examiners have called the homicide of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, at the hands of four brutal police officers. (And make no mistake about, the overwhelming majority of police officers in this country were repulsed by what those four Minneapolis officers did.)  And Trump is right, the violence cannot be tolerated. But to suggest that is all generated by liberals and promoted by weak Democrat mayors and governors is a lie. There is a growing body of evidence that much of the violence has been perpetrated by Trump's own extreme right-wing supporters - those "fine people" who carry torches and Confederate flags. In fact, the only real violence that occurred in the national's capital last night was that initiated by the federal government, which attacked peaceful and lawfully congregated protesters.  And why did the feds do it? To create a photo opportunity for Trump. They cleared Lafayette Park to allow President Bonespur to stand in front of one of the nation's most historic churches with a borrowed Bible in hand to proclaim that he will make America great again. In fairness, Trump did briefly mention the need for justice for the family of George Floyd. However, did Trump ever appeal for calm? No, not really. Instead, Trump was more interested in the optics of being a strong leader than actually being a strong leader. As some commentators have noted, his supporters on the religious right are willing to overlook Trump's immoral and amoral behavior because he can give them what they really want - political power. However, Trump's Bible-thumping gambit is going to backfire because he has forgotten the rest of the words to the hymn: "Like a mighty army moves the church of God. Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are not divided; all one body we. One in hope and doctrine. One in charity." 

Vol. 14 No. 24 -- Ulysses S. Grant
May 28, 2020
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The History Channel just completed its first-run of Grant, a three-part documentary/miniseries about Civil War hero and President Ulysses S. Grant. It was one of the best documentaries I have seen in years. Unlike a lot of superficial and puffed-up cable programming, including some on the History Channel, Grant was a serious, in-depth examination of a brilliant, but flawed leader. He was a determined strategic thinker willing to admit and learn from his own mistakes. Grant was also a values-driven modest man who exuded confidence in those around him. His primary fault was that he was loyal to people who, frankly, did not deserve his loyalty. This included inferior and vain generals during the war and corrupt and inept subordinates during and after his presidency. The thesis of the documentary was that Grant has been unappreciated as a result of revisionist history that redefines succession as an attempt to protect the Southern lifestyle instead of the treasonous act it really was. The fact is that when it comes to Ulysses H. Grant - his real name until his middle initial was changed to S on his West Point application - his record is neither black nor white. And it is more than various shades of gray. There were a multitude of colors, hues and textures that defined who he was and how he led. And that's true of all leaders. John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and, to a much lesser extent, Dwight Eisenhower risked destroying their careers in pursuit of forbidden fruit. Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were both brilliant and visionary, only to destroy their presidencies by overreaching. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were genuine, compassion leaders who were underestimated by smug opponents who felt they were smarter.  However, both suffered Grant's failing, blind loyalty to those who ultimately did not deserve it. This November, we will elect someone to serve as our president for the next four years. As the documentary Grant demonstrated, our leader doesn't have to be a bigger-than-life Olympus devoid of flaws. More than anything, we need someone more like us - perhaps imperfect, but with a vision for our nation while always striving to adhere to their values and learning from their mistakes - much like Ulysses S. Grant. 

Vol. 14 No. 23 -- To The Class of 2020
May 17, 2020
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Congratulations on your graduation from high school or college! While it may seem easy to minimize this moment, please don't. You have achieved something that millions of people on this earth can only dream of - an education with the ability to apply it. You have taken a huge step toward assuming your role in civil society. And regardless of what you perceive to be your station in life, you have the power to establish the trajectory of your future. Some of you may be doctors, scientists or lawyers - great and noble professions. Others may be bus drivers, mechanics, secretaries or stay-at-home parents - equally honorable pursuits. Remember that the position that you hold or the size of the paycheck you receive does not define your worth as a human being. You, alone, are the master of that outcome. It is unfortunate that a global pandemic has dramatically curtailed what should have been a joyous time in your life. However, regardless of the cancelled games, proms and graduation ceremonies, you are not passing into the next phase of your life in silence. Listen very carefully - your parents, family and friends are applauding you for your perseverance. Perhaps it is unheard, but rest assured that all are beaming in pride of your accomplishments. Truth be told, every generation faces great challenges.  Your grandparents (or great grandparents) survived the nation's worst economic depression and then saved the world from the tyranny of evil.  My generation, the so-called Baby Boomers, challenged the status quo and made possible significant social, cultural, political and spiritual changes that made the world a more just and egalitarian place.  Our children, perhaps your parents, are stretching the bounds of science, technology and, perhaps most importantly, social and environmental justice. However, the truth be told, each generation has its own weaknesses and failings it leaves for those who follow.  The greatness of each generation is not measured by the power or wealth it accrues, but by whether it leaves the world a better place. The challenge facing your generation is to regenerate our nation's faith in democracy, its institutions and in a fair and just civil society.  This needs to be a world in which opinions are not substituted for truth. It needs to be a place where brashness and bombast is not mistaken for true leadership. It is your challenge to see to it that everyone gets a fair shake and that the wealth of one's parents or the lack of a moral backbone is not a guaranteed path to power. We should be willing to seek harmony by identifying our common goals and values and accepting reasonable compromise. However, harmony achieved by failing to address of failings of our leaders or society is not patriotic. It is morally indefensible. The greatest gifts you have achieved on this, your day of graduation, is a sound, fertile mind that allows you to observe and analyze the world around you and a voice that will permit you to shape it. You've earned your right to put your stamp on the world. Please use these gifts wisely.

Vol. 14 No. 22 -- 500 Miles
May 7, 2020
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Don't be fooled by the title of this post.  It is not the name of a popular folk song recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962. Instead, it refers to the number of miles I have clocked during walks since I acquired a pedometer in September of last year. That's more than 1.1 million steps. The reason I know this is because I began recording my diet, time exercising, steps and weight as a participant in the University of Kansas Weight Management Program. By recording one's activity, you are making yourself accountable. My doctors put me under the gun last year, saying I had to lose at least 25 pounds or face the prospects of surgery. As it turned out, I've lost 70 pounds since September and just under 100 since I began a serious focus on exercise and weight loss last May. Now, let's get something straight: There are others with more impressive exercise and weight loss statistics than mine. However, for me, this is a BIG DEAL.  When I played football in my senior year of high school, I weight about 135 pounds - which explains why I didn't get any football scholarships. However, over the years, I actually passed the 300-pound mark at one point. (No excuses - it was all on me.) Many people have asked me if I feel better now that I have dropped that weight.  I instinctively tell them "yes," even though I haven't - in a physical sense - really noticed. Yes, it is easier to walk distances. Beyond that, I haven't really noticed the change. However, the big change is that I feel better about myself. It's a real shot to one's self-esteem when you go shopping and drop from size 48 pants to size 38. (Of course, the downsize to weight loss is that I have a bunch of clothes that no longer fit!)  I completed the program at the end of February and am now in what is called "the maintenance phase."  I've done OK, staying within a three pounds plus/minus range the past two months. Not bad, considering that the Lawrence Aquatics Center and the Sports Pavilion at Rock Chalk Park have been closed since mid-March because of the pandemic. I have substituted long walks within a 2-mile radius of my West Lawrence home, usually early in the morning. This a more personal and quiet approach to exercise than one gets in a noisy public facility. However, I do miss seeing my brothers and sisters in sweat and look forward to the day we no longer have to stay-at-home. As I reach this 500-mile milestone, I can't help but be pleased with myself. I am not soliciting adulation for my accomplishment - after all, it just me correcting a problem of my own creation. But I am pleased that I have increased the likelihood that I will really get to know my grandchildren - including one on the way - and, when my time comes and I pass on, they will remember me. That's what makes this 500-mile journey worthwhile.

Vol. 14 No. 21 -- COVID-19's Silver Lining
April 30, 2020
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At the moment I am writing this blog post - if everything had gone as planned - I would be on a plane en route to a 12-day visit to Ireland. Maureen and I had been planning this trip for a long time as a sort-of 10th anniversary and retirement celebration. It was going to be the highlight of a spring filled with travel and fun. As you may have already surmised, none of that happened. And our story is not uncommon during the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are still making memories, but not the ones we expected. Yes, this pandemic is one huge bummer!  However, it is not my purpose here to complain or have a pity party.  I tend to be an optimistic guy and even this dark cloud has a silver lining. Through carefully orchestrated socially distanced encounters, I have gotten to know my Westwood Hills neighbors. That may not have happened if we hadn't been forced to slow down, stay at home, and make the best of our surroundings. With the weather improving and nothing but time on my hands, I have been taking one or two long walks a day. I am actually getting healthier during the pandemic - a trend I hope continues. Although I have played guitar off-and-on for 50 years, I now have some time to practice and memorize some songs. I also have spent my "idle hours" doing volunteer work for the American Red Cross and have gotten to know some amazing people. I even discovered that my wife knows how to cut hair! And I also discovered that my 2005 Equinox is getting about three months to the gallon! While I obviously wish that there had been no pandemic and that the responsible authorities in Washington had acted more responsibly, there is no reason to sit around and mope. That will accomplish nothing. Instead, I believe that this is a time when we all should refocus our energies on helping others and improving ourselves. Some short-sighted individuals worried about the economy (and reelection) have said that cure for coronavirus may be worse than the cure. But that's only true when we don't take charge over things in your life that we can control. Yes, we need vaccines. And we need to get back to work. But, more than that, we need courage, compassion, fidelity and faith if we are to emerge from this crisis stronger than before.

Vol. 14 No. 20 -- We Need a Court Master
April 17, 2020
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Thirty years ago when I was the chief spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Correction, much of my agency's efforts were focused upon avoiding a federal court-ordered takeover of the state's prison system. During my four years with the agency, we had spent nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars trying to improve the conditions of confinement in our system, thus avoiding the appointment of a federal court master who , in effect, would have taken management of the system out of the state's hands. We avoided that by strong-arming the state legislature into agreeing to a settlement of the major class action lawsuit we faced.  I bring this up because, after watching the unhinged and erratic performance of Donald Trump, I have come to the conclusion that desperate times deserve desperate measures.  I believe state governors should seek an emergency order from the Supreme Court appointing a court master to oversee the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic. There is more than ample evidence to show that Trump has been derelict in his duties, is incompetent and unable to lead the nation in the midst of a national crisis, and is mentally unstable, thereby posing a clear and present danger to the nation. Yes, my proposal calls for a radical and unprecedented assertion of the court's powers.  Some might say it borders on a coup d'etat.  However, I would argue that such as coup has already occurred. Trump has repeatedly said - as late as this week - that the president can do whatever he wants. Of course he believes this - the U.S. Senate gave him pretty much a blank check after blindly acquitting him of high crimes and misdemeanors in February. Trump is so embolden that he has threatened to shut down Congress, itself. Ideally, a majority of the cabinet could remove him from power under the 25th Amendment. But no one expects the feckless Mike Pence and his merry band of cronies, criminals and spineless minions to put the nation's interests ahead of their own lust for power. If Trump has all of the power that he claims, then why has he done virtually nothing?  If anything, the federal government's and Trump's lack of leadership has made things worse. For example, having the states adopt an every-man-for-himself Game of Thrones approach to obtain much-needed medical supplies is idiotic. And with Mr. Trump so desperate to relive the economy - which had been the only thing one might argue could justify his reelection - there is no telling what he might do next. There's even been speculation that he may try to delay this fall's presidential election.  President Pandemic is trying to shift the blame for his administration's lack of action in the face of repeated warnings by blaming this growing state of death and misery on governors - especially the democratic ones - the media, former President Obama, Joe and Hunter Biden, the World Health Organization and, perhaps, even the Easter Bunny. Yes, I know this idea of a coronvirus court master probably won't fly. If nothing else, such a lawsuit - even if it is unsuccessful - would send an unmistakable message to the people of this nation that more than just a loud-mouth, self-absorbed, treasonous and self-enriching sexual predator, Donald Trump is a mass murderer.  Enough is enough.

Vol. 14 No. 19 -- Thou Shall Not Kill
April 10, 2020
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One of the greatest challenges - and frankly, blessings - of living in a constitutional democracy is when our rights come into conflict. We are seeing that issue this weekend as Americans weigh the public good of staying at home and sheltering during the COVID-19 pandemic and the right to worship in a church on Christianity's holiest day.  It is not a cut and dry issue, as both sides have merit.  Your rights end where my begin. But it works both ways. However, from a legal and moral standpoint, there seems to be one clear answer. Legally, freedom of religion, like the freedoms of speech, the press and the right to petition the government, are rooted in the First Amendment. Keeping in mind that I am as big of defender of the First Amendment as you will find, even I know that it is not absolute. The highest court in the land has ruled on numerous occasions that you cannot yell "fire" in a crowded theater, you can not incite violence and that you cannot spew knowing falsehoods or show reckless disregard for the truth in attacking someone's reputation. Even the 10 amendments of the Bill of Rights are under restrictions designed to protect the public good. (Yes, you Second Amendment zealots - that includes you.) The greater good in restricting public gatherings during an pandemic is unquestionable. And to suggest that there are no other ways to express one's belief in God ignores all of the gifts of communication that he has given us through his divine inspiration. If you are truly a believer, then how about following his teachings? Mathew 7:12 - "Do unto others whatever you would like them to do to you." Unless you have a death wish, surely you don't want well-intentioned parishioners spreading a killer virus to you and your family. And I'd hope the opposite holds true, as well. Talk about the first 10 amendments to the Constitution - let's discuss the Ten Commandments. Remember "Thou Shall Not Kill?"  Even if you are an unknowing carrier of coronavirus and, knowing today what we didn't know at the beginning of this pandemic, infect someone who later dies, you are as responsible for that death as if you had put a gun to that person's head and pulled the trigger. Maybe it won't be first degree murder. But it is definitely negligent homicide. And allow me to make one final point: Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity. If he was willing to sacrifice for us by suffering a painful death, why can't you make your own, relatively small personal sacrifice and worship his glory this Sunday from home?

Vol. 14 No. 18 -- Our New Normal
April 6, 2020
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With public health officials warning that this coming week will bring dire news in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, I want to bear witness to how life in America has changed. At the moment I write this, Johns Hopkins University reports that there have been just under 338,000 COVID-19 infections in the United States, with 9,600+ deaths. The death toll has doubled since my last blog post five days ago. This week is supposed to get worse. In the nearly four weeks since my wife and I began to take protective measures, our life has noticeably changed. We haven't sat down in a restaurant since March 17. Anything we don't cook for ourselves is take-out. While some have cautioned us against leaving the house, we have weighed the risks against the desire to help our local businesses that are in peril. With the news darkening further and further, we have curtailed such visits in the past week. When we do venture out, we have been satisfied with the protective cautions the merchants have taken to protect us and themselves. Shopping hasn't been an issue, thanks to the advice we got from our children some weeks ago.  We may need to do some shopping this week for perishable items, but not for much more. Our state of mind has remained pretty good during the past month. For one thing, it helps to have a strong marriage. Maureen and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary on June 19. Of course, the nature of the celebration remains to be seen. (As readers of this blog know, our long-planned tour of Ireland has been postponed for year.) We have also been buoyed by the spirit of our family, friends and neighbors. Meeting on driveways and in the backyards - at a safe distance - we have gotten to know one another better. Out of a desire to check on the well-being of family members, I have talked on the telephone or via Facetime with my siblings and extended family more than usual.  I have enjoyed watching the various YouTube videos of people coping with this new normal - especially those of a friend of mine who has a passionate relationship with Magnum ice cream.  Her spirit, as well as those of the other folks I have mentioned, is a good kind of infectious -- perhaps a strange thing to say in the midst of a pandemic.  Even in this contentious political year, most people are willing to put their red state/blue state differences aside to embrace - at a safe distance, of course - the shared sacrifice and concerns of one another.  We have also joined in a single voice of praise for the doctors, nurses, first responders, store clerks, truckers and all others who have taken great risks so that we could all get through this, the greatest crisis since the Second World War. Thomas Paine wrote in The American Crisis in 1776 that "these are the times that try men souls."  However, I prefer to quote singer-songwriter Billy Joel, who, in the opening lyrics of "Summer, Highland Falls" said that "these are not the best of times, but they're the only times I've ever known." Joel went on to write, "For we are always what our situations hand us - it's either sadness or euphoria." The point, simply said, is that it is what it is. And how we react - and interact with one another - sets the course for our future. Rest assured, I will return to my usual social and political commentary in future blog posts. But for now, let's take comfort in knowing that this, too, will pass and that we are all in this together.

Vol. 14 No. 17 -- Malice in Blunderland
April 1, 2020
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Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice In Wonderland is considered one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre. Logic and reality are turned on their head, much to the delight of generations of readers. However, in 2020, we are now living the Donald J. Trump novel Malice in Blunderland - and not to our delight. The conduct of the President of the United States has bordered on criminal negligence. From the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the boy who would be king has lied, deflected and misdirected. He has done almost everything except lead. A shortage of coronavirus tests? Trump says that's news to him.  A shortage of critically needed ventilators in virus-ravaged New York City? Trump says New York doesn't really need them. Not enough masks for doctors and nurses? Trump says they must be stealing them. Is that what counts for leadership in 2020? Perhaps, in Wonderland, but not here in Blunderland. Trump's first major misstep was in May 2018, when his administration eliminated the National Security Council's Global Health Security Unit. In essence, Trump dismantled the nation's early warning system against this pandemic. And why did he do it? Because President Obama created it, that's why. And yet President Malice, trying to escape down a rabbit hole of his own making,  has had the cajones to blame Obama for the pandemic. Even with the pandemic exploding around the world in January and February, White House economic adviser and former Fox News talking head Larry Kudlow said as late as February 25 "we have contained this."  It wasn't long thereafter that the President moved into crisis mode - but not the crisis you think. To him, the crisis is the threat the pandemic presents to his reelection. That is why until yesterday the White House of was Happy Talk Central. The message: Things are not really that bad. He famously said the initial 15 U.S. cases of COVID-19 would eventually dwindled to zero and magically "go away." There have since been nearly 200,000 cases of coronavirus in the United States, with the death toll (as of this writing) nearing 4,000. Even when his administration released its 15-day guidelines for coping with the virus, Trump was predicting we'd be able to fill churches on April 12 for "beautiful Easter Sunday services." (Not that you would actually find Donald Trump attending Sunday church services.  Not when it cuts into his valuable "executive time" on the golf course.) Yesterday, a sullen - almost frightened - Donald Trump said we should continue taking protective actions through April 30.  To his credit, Trump has lived up to the pledge to "Make America Great" - if you think leading the world in coronavirus infections is a sign of greatness. And instead of the virus magically going away, Trump acknowledged that the United States may suffer up to a quarter-of-a-million deaths. Let that sink in for a minute: A quarter-of-a-million deaths.  We all pray that it doesn't get that bad. But the very fact that we are entertaining the possibility is an indictment of the callous incompetence of Donald J. Trump. Vice President Mike Pence should gather the Cabinet, invoke the 25th Amendment, and have Trump sent to a mental health hospital for much-needed evaluation, treatment and confinement. But don't expect the syncopathetic Pence to challenge America's self-professed "Stable Genius." For now, we must rely upon career public health officials in state and federal governments, as well as the leadership of the nation's governors and mayors, to get through this dark moment in American history. And then, in November, we must send Trump and his Merry Band of Morons packing. And then, on January 21, 2021, let the indictments begin.

Vol. 14 No. 16 -- The Boy Who Didn't Cry 'Wolf'
March 28, 2020
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Not so very long ago in a kingdom not so far away, there was a boy who inexplicably became the kingdom's leader. He was neither kind, friendly nor empathetic. In fact, the only thing he was passionate about was himself. One day, a wolf appeared in the kingdom. The boy leader's scientific advisers had warned him of the wolf. So had his thoughtful, compassionate predecessor, a man the boy leader despised. In fact, the boy leader hated his predecessor so much that he chose to ignore an effective plan that had been developed for dealing with the wolf. The boy leader thought, "things are going great.  Why worry people about the wolf?" So he minimized the risk presented by the wolf and bragged how he made made the kingdom great again. (Funny thing: The rest of the world thought just the opposite had happened.) When the wolf began menacing parts of the kingdom that had not voted for the boy leader, their cries for help were ignored. "If they are not nice to me, why should I be nice to them?," he said. When the number of wolf attacks sharply increased and could no longer be ignored, the boy leader claimed that he had been worried about the wolf for a long time and blamed his predecessor for not doing enough to protect the kingdom. When the wolf attacks had a devastating effect on the kingdom's economy, the boy leader ranted and raved and said he was the victim. He then did everything he could to provide financial support for himself and his friends, giving the rest of his kingdom's loyal subjects only a pittance. He also said he might place his signature of the checks, just so the people would know he was responsible. Never mind the fact that the money was appropriated in a parliamentary compromise between the boy leader's camp followers and the loyal opposition. And when the loyal opposition imposed oversight on the dispersing of the money, the boy leader said, "forget the Constitution. I will do as I please." However, the wolf attacks spread to places in the kingdom that had blindly supported the boy leader. They began to wonder how could he have done this to them? Why did he abandon them? And later that fall, on the Day of the Great Decision, the boy leader and his camp followers were swept out of power. Peace and tranquility in the kingdom were restored. The moral of our story: The boy who refuses to cry 'wolf' when this is a wolf menacing the people, will eventually be eaten by it. And that's no fairy tale.

Vol. 14 No. 15 -- We Are In This Together
March 22, 2020
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It's a cold, rainy Sunday morning in Lawrence, Kansas. With a few exceptions, it's been pretty much the same all week. The weather pretty much sums up the mood of the American people during the first week of social distancing in the age of Covid-19. Our normal patterns have been disrupted. We have self-isolated ourselves out of a sense of self-preservation. We miss March Madness, the movies, playing bunko or whatever activity helps define who we are.  However, it is as good a time as any to remind ourselves of exactly who we are: We are Americans. We have never shied away from a challenge and we won't this time. And regardless of what those in power do or don't do, there's plenty we can do to help one another get through this. First and foremost, follow the medical advice and keep your distance. The Centers for Disease Control has said that no one - regardless of age, geography or social standing - is immune from the virus. Just because you may not get sick doesn't mean you can't pass the virus on to a loved one who could get sick and die. Second, support local businesses by ordering takeout. The hospitality and restaurant industries are being crippled by this virus. Help them and their employees stay afloat. (By the way, remember that most chain restaurants such as McDonald's or Subway are owned and operated by a local franchisee.) Don't get greedy. There's no need to corner the market on toilet paper. The nation's supply chain is still intact. Experts suggest having a two-week supply on hand is sufficient under current conditions. When you hoard food or supplies, you are denying them from others who likely need them more than you do. Are you really that kind of person? Finally, remember that we are Americans. We have always handled crises with grit, determination, humor and faith. We also respect and observe the American values of respect, empathy, diversity, charity and justice. When this crisis ends - and it will end - there will be time to evaluate our actions. What did we do well? What could we have done better? How well did those given the public trust for the security, health and safety of all Americans - and those from other nations residing among us - meet their responsibilities? For now, let's hunker down with a smile on our faces. Is there something you've been meaning to do around the house but haven't gotten to, such as cleaning the garage? If so, there's no better time than the present. After all, there are no games, concerts or movies to miss. See, every cloud has a silver lining. And, most of all, as we trudge along in the coming days and weeks, let's remember that we are Americans and we are in this together.

Vol. 14 No. 14 -- Prepper America
March 19, 2020
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I did some early morning shopping today. It was not for the purpose of hoarding supplies and food as some of our fellow citizens have done. But it was because of those hoarders that I left the house at oh-dark thirty.  Who thought that getting a bag of potatoes was so difficult? However, this is the "new normal" in Trumpdemic America. I picked up some coffee for my wife - I don't drink the stuff. Fortunately, there was plenty on the shelves. It's hard to image how crazy things would really be if we ran out of coffee. I picked up bottled water - a medical necessity because I use a C-PAP machine. Most of that was gone. I did, by chance, nab some hand sanitizers. I was lucky - the store had been open 15 minutes and they were almost gone. And I picked up a few items, such as soda, which we usually grab every trip to the grocery.  I didn't buy any toilet paper - they didn't have it and I don't really need it. (I am not as full of crap as some people think!) I was disturbed to see on the news that there are places where people are lined up to buy guns. My instincts tell me that these are probably the last people on earth we want heavily armed. (What's going to happen when the coffee runs out?) I was a Boy Scout and am a crisis communications expert. I know the value of being prepared.  But hoarding things as if it were the end of the world is not justified by the current circumstances. If you exercise appropriate precautions when its time to go to the store and resupply, you will be just fine. (By the way, for those nimrods who are blaming the media for this panic, that is advice I heard from the media. If you are looking for a scapegoat, may I suggest you go to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.) As I indicated in my last post, I am not thrilled at how this Trumpdemic has ruined my post-retirement plans. (BTW, the Ireland trip has been cancelled, as predicted.) But life is what it is. I can think of a lot of worse things to do than staying at home.  In fact, there are very few things that are better than hanging with my wife Maureen and our dog Randi. (Randi loves having the company. But then, again, she's a dog and not a cat.) So, for the time being, you will find me at home writing, playing my guitar and mandolin, doing some chores and looking forward to the Hallmark Christmas movie marathon. But before I settle in, is there enough beer in the house?

Vol. 14 No. 13 -- Seeking Serenity in Trumpdemic America
March 16, 2020
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When I retired from the University of Kansas on December 31, my plans for a celebratory year of fun and travel were set. But that was then and this is now. Everything I planned is either cancelled or in doubt because of the coronavirus pandemic. It all started to fall apart last week. For the first-time, I had full-session tickets to the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament in Kansas City. Cancelled.  My granddaughter's second birthday party tomorrow has been cancelled, as has the St. Patrick's Day parade. Opening Day with the Kansas City Royals? Forget it. Because of my age and health - a 67 year-old diabetic - my attendance at a family wedding in Kentucky in a couple of weeks is uncertain. Will "Beautiful: the Carole King Musical" at KU's Lied Center - an event for which I bought tickets last summer - go on as scheduled? The recreation centers where I have my daily workouts have been closed. So have the public and university libraries. My 401-K has gone down the toilet. And the big one: Will my much-anticipated trip to Ireland at the end of next month be cancelled? My guess is "yes." And these are just the events in the next couple of months. Who knows what happens after that? To top it off, because of our ages, it has been highly recommended that my wife and I remain cloistered in our home. To make things clear: I feel great, have lost about 100 pounds and feel better than I have in more than a dozen years. And yet, the government's advice is that I act like a shut-in. No, this is not the retirement I expected. Because of that, I find myself going through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. If you are a regular reader of this blog or my social media posts, it will come as no surprise where my anger is directed. Donald J. (as in Jackass) Trump ignored warnings of this virus three months ago and continued to do so until the stock market crashed. He and his administration have refused help from the World Health Organization. He constantly contradicts the advice and counsel of his own medical experts. Trump has left it to state and local governments to formulate the all-important initial response. And let us not forget that his intense hatred of Barack Obama caused him, in an act of stupefying spite, to shut down in 2017 the office in the Centers for Disease Control that was designed to help the United States address this very situation. Think of how different things may have been if there had been a responsible adult in the White House. Trump has reaped the wind. Come November, he will reap the whirlwind. So now, in this winter (and soon to be spring) of my discontent, I turn to acceptance. I am not alcoholic, but my late parents were. They were also members of Alcoholics Anonymous who were recovering alcoholics at the time of their deaths. AA instilled in them the tenants of the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." They passed that advice along to their children. That is pretty good advice for all of us here in Trumpdemic America. This, too, will pass. And so will Donald Trump's presidency.

Vol. 14 No. 12 -- "An Abundance of Caution"
March 12, 2020
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We woke up this morning to the not-necessarily brave new world of coronavirus (covid-19). And the phrase we are hearing more and more is "out of an abundance of caution." It is out an abundance of caution that a majority of post-season college basketball games will be played in empty arenas without spectators. It is out an abundance of caution that the National Basketball Association has suspended play in the middle of its regular season. Travel to and from Europe has been suspended for the next month out of an abundance of caution. Even America's favorite couple, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, are self-quarantined in Australia out of an abundance of caution because they have been exposed to coronavirus.  On a personal level, my wife an I are well aware that we - both in our late 60s - are members of the most vulnerable populations. (And our children are aware and concerned of that, as well.) Judging from the empty shelves at local stores, it appears as if hand sanitizers, toilet paper and face masks have  become the new panic-buying items of choice, replacing eggs, milk and bread. Am I worried? Honestly, yes. I am not worried about contacting the virus. I am, however, concerned about the cascading effects of this crisis.  As I write this, I am watching the stock market plunge into chaos - down 23 percent in just 22 days. (So much for my 401K.) I know that I will not be attending this weekend's Big XII Men's Basketball Tournament in Kansas City - something I had really been looking forward to. What about opening day for the Kansas City Royals on April 3? My wife and I am supposed to travel to Ireland at the end of April - are we going? And then there is the question about the nation's leadership.  If President Trump's address to the nation was designed to calm people and stock market investors, it has had the opposite effect. (The Dow Jones Index was down 1,700 points at its opening this morning.) He scolded the European Union for failing to act decisively to prevent spread of the virus when, it fact, it is the United States that failed to heed months of warning and failed to adequately prepare for a virus outbreak in this country. So, out of an abundance of caution, we will all have to adjust to a new normal. No shaking hands. Washing them multiple times throughout the day. Limiting unnecessary contact with others. (And, perhaps, limiting sentence fragments.) Perhaps most important, come November, we have to elect a new president who is a competent leader actually interested in the welfare of all of the American people. Of course, we should do that out of an abundance of caution.

Vol. 14 No. 11 -- Bernie's Choice
March 11, 2020
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After the latest round of Democratic presidential primaries, two truths have emerged. The first is that former Vice President Joe Biden is going to be the nominee of the party. If the last 10 days have told us anything it is that the moderates are reclaiming control of the Democratic Party. Every exit poll says the most important factor in deciding who to vote for as the Democratic nominee comes down to one question: Can the nominee beat Trump? In overwhelming numbers, Democrats are saying that Biden is that candidate. They are not thinking about race, gender or ideology. It's all about winning - not just the White House, but the House and the Senate. Biden is the only candidate that gives Democrats confidence that they can achieve that. Sanders' recent pronouncements on socialism, Castro and China have done more to cripple his chances of winning than anything his opponents dished out. The fact is that a sizeable majority of Democrats just do not have faith in Bernie Sanders. The second truth is that, for a second straight presidential election, how Sanders accepts his defeat may determine the outcome in November. Sanders continued to campaign vigorously and harshly against Hillary Clinton in 2016 even after his path to the nomination closed. Because of his failure to rally his supporters to Clinton in the general election, Sanders earned the distinction of the being the man most responsible for the election of Donald Trump.  Sanders goes into a Sunday night debate with Biden after being clobbered in four states yesterday.  And while he may win the popular vote in Washington state and North Dakota, from a delegate-count standpoint, those states will be considered a draw. How Sanders approaches the debate will tell you a lot about the man he is.  He can expose policy differences with the former vice president without being caustic, vindictive and personal. He can also spend less time attacking Biden and more time attacking their real enemy, Trump. If next Tuesday's primaries go as expected, the Arizona debate may be Sanders' last moment in the sun. The Vermont senator has a choice: Exit the race gracefully and commit himself to supporting his party's nominee or be remembered as the angry old man who enabled Donald Trump.

Vol. 14 No. 10 -- Authenticity
March 5, 2020
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I have enjoyed watching political analysts struggle to explain what happened on Super Tuesday.  Why and how did Joe Biden successfully steer against the tide of conventional wisdom?  I have heard many theories into how the former Vice President won or nearly won states where he was outspent and, in some cases, never campaigned. He's even knocked Michael Bloomberg out of the race. (Mike will always have American Samoa as a point of pride.) And after her miserable showing - third place in Massachusetts - Elizabeth Warren cannot be long for joining Mike on the sidelines. I've heard all of the theories, except one: Authenticity. The American people hunger for leaders who say what they mean - even if they have a hard time saying it. It doesn't matter whether they are Rhodes Scholars or silver-tongued orators. In times of stress, Americans want their leaders to be a lot like them: unpretentious, imperfect and personable. Joe Biden is one of those people.  He has a compelling personal story and a very human touch. After four years of the Trump Dumpster Fire, the American people are looking toward a return to sanity. They want to elect someone with whom they are comfortable seeing on television every night. They are willing to overlook some of Biden's malapropisms because they like him and - just as important - they do not like the opposition. That's how Bill Clinton in 1992, George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016 won races they should have lost. In the eyes of voters, they were more authentic than their opponents. Biden hasn't won the nomination or the presidency yet. But "Joey from Scranton" plays much better in all time zones than Bernie the Curmudgeon and, most of all, the Bombastic Bastard of Trump Tower.

Vol. 14 No. 9 -- Trump's Virus
February 28, 2020

Vol. 14 No. 8 -- Who Do You Trust?
February 16, 2020

Vol. 14 No. 7 -- Idealism - Realism = Fantasy
February 10, 2020

Vol. 14 No. 6 -- The State of Our Disunion
February 5, 2020

Vol. 14 No. 5 -- Following Khrushchev's Path
February 1, 2020

Vol. 14 No. 4 -- The Ham Sandwich Theory
January 21, 2020

Vol. 14 No. 3 -- She's No Margaret Chase Smith
January 16, 2020

Like many others, I once had hope and respect for U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). She appeared to be a voice of moderation and common sense in a political party that has in the last decade lost its way and abandoned its moral compass. Hers use to be a voice of reason and compromise. However, she has lost her voice. I was once hopeful that she may be a Republican legislator who took her job seriously and wouldn't automatically cow-tow to the megalomaniac currently occupying the White House. However, I was abused of that notion after I heard her tortured defense of her vote in favor of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination in 2018. Instead of being the conscience of the Senate, Collins turned out to be just another Donald Trump toady. Recently, she revived my hope that she had come to her senses by saying she felt witnesses in Trump's Senate impeachment trial may be appropriate. However, she poured a bucket of cold water on that notion yesterday - once again obediently following the Trump line. Gone is the hope that Collins would follow in the footsteps of another great Republican U.S. Senator from Maine, Margaret Chase Smith.  As McCarthyism and its name-calling and fear-mongering reared its ugly head in the early 1950s, Smith courageously took on reactionary demagogues by making a "Declaration of Conscience" on the Senate floor. She implored her party to abandon the use of the Senate as "a forum of hate and character assassination" and called for a renewal of "the right to independent thought." While most Americans applauded her, she was the subject of derision among McCarthy supporters and those too afraid oppose the junior senator from Wisconsin - much like most republican senators are afraid to cross swords with Donald Trump. I am willing to respect the opinion of those who, upon careful consideration, believe that Donald Trump should not be removed from office. After all, overturning a democratic election should be an action of last resort. Unfortunately, "careful consideration" in Washington was abandoned by tribalism and political expediency long ago. (That criticism, by the way, is directed at members of both parties.) Susan Collins is no Margaret Chase Smith. She's just another Joni Ernst selling her soul for conservative votes. Collins is a lost cause. There's still Mitt Romney, who passes in today's context as a Republican moderate in a fairly safe seat. However, even he has not yet shown the moral courage to stand up to the President when it counts most. John F. Kennedy famously wrote - or had Ted Sorenson write for him - Profiles in Courage, a book chronicling great figures in American history who put the country ahead of their self-interests.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate today appears to be populated by people like Susan Collins - too much profile and not enough courage.
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That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
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Vol. 14 No. 2 -- Why Now?
January 3, 2020

Last June, the President of the United States said he wanted to send Iran a message after it shot down an unmanned U.S. drone.  His message was going to be in the form of air strikes against military targets inside the Islamic Republic.  The planes were only 10 minutes out from their targets when Trump, without consulting most in his administration, the Pentagon and (as the law requires) the congressional leadership, called off the air strikes. Then last fall, the President tweeted that he was pulling American troops out of Syria -- essentially abandoning the Kurds, our long-standing allies, and handing the Middle East over to Vladimir Putin. Now, with the President impeached and more evidence piling up against his corrupt administration, Trump decided to avenge the death of a civilian contractor killed in a December rocket attack.  In doing so, more than a dozen innocent Iraqi civilians were killed.  That resulted in violent protests at the U.S. consulate in Baghdad, likely planned and supported by Iran. And then last night, Trump ordered a drone attack killing Iran's top military commander just outside of the Baghdad International Airport. And God only knows what will happen next.  As I write this, the Pentagon announced that it is deploying thousands of troops to the Middle East. (Wasn't this the president who said he wanted the U.S. out of the Middle East?) Am I sorry that Qasem Soleimani is dead?  Hell, no. He deserved it.  But make no mistake about it, the United States has just committed an act of war. And anyone who believes that there are not dire consequences for taking such a reckless action are fooling themselves. The question you should ask yourself is "why now?" The White House says it acted to preempt a planned terrorist attack against Americans.  That may be true, but it was no less true last summer when Trump got cold feet and called off an air strike.  It was no less true this fall when the United States decided to cut and run from the Syrian battlefield and abandon our allies.  In fact, those spineless and impulsive actions may have set the recent rash of violence into motion. It is also true that this president has told more that 15,000 documented public lies since taking office. How do we know when he is telling the truth? Perhaps the "clear and present danger" that provoked these latest military moves are Trump's fear of is his removal from office. Remember 1998, when President Clinton, on the eve of his own impeachment, ginned up a flimsy excuse for conducting bombing raids on Iraq? (Folks in the military referred to them as "Monica Missiles.") That military action was a failed attempt at misdirection - a strategy that this president has tried time and time again. One can only conclude that we have a mentally unstable, emotionally uncontrollable and politically reckless Commander in Chief bent on maintaining power. We are entering a dangerous period in our history. Those who continue to blindly follow this president may soon have blood on their hands.

Vol. 14 No. 1 -- A New Chapter
January 1, 2020

Today is, quite literally, the first day of the rest of my life. As of midday yesterday, I have officially retired from the faculty of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas.  I am very proud of my 28.5 years of service there, was well as my prior service in the fields of journalism and public relations. But that's enough of looking at the past.  This is a new day in a new year in a new decade.  Instead of research papers, lesson plans and correcting grammar, my days will be spent as a writer, photographer and as a volunteer for the American Red Cross.  In one sense, I am looking back.  I was involved with the ARC  while living in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, during the early 1980s. I am also trying my hand at writing non-academic factually based fiction.  I get to devote more time to the thrill of grandparenting three fabulous kids - Nolan, Mary and Marlee. And Maureen and I plan to do some traveling, although those plans have not been firmed up at this time.  I spent much of the past year preparing for this day.  Because of soon-to-be-completed renovation at Stauffer-Flint Hall, one that eliminated my campus office space, I spent my final semester at KU teaching an online class from an office in my home.  That allowed me - as well as Maureen and the dog - to get used to me being around more than ever before.  My dear wife summed up her desires for my retirement in a simple declaration, "I married you for better or worse, but not for lunch."  So, I plan to make a point of getting outside of the house as much as possible.  Lawrence, Kansas, is a great place to make one's retirement home.  The quality of life is high and there is so much to do.  Of course, I don't think I'd move to some other community.  Lawrence has been my home longer than any other place in my lifetime, even my beloved Eastern Shore of Maryland.  There's something to be said for having firmly planted roots. This new year is going to be pivotal for our nation.  Our democracy is besieged by internal and external threats. I plan to continue to lend my voice, in this forum and in other places, to efforts to remove the cancer that has invaded America's social fabric.  This is not a time for sunshine patriots. It is a time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country. So, as you see, I have plenty to do in retirement.