The American Dream
28/06/23 09:24
June 28, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 28) - The American nation will celebrate the 247th anniversary of its independence next week. It should be a time for celebration. Our nation is at peace, the economy is on the mend and our nation has, once again, is seen as the leader of the Free World - a delightful change from where we were just three years ago. However, there are millions of American who approach our nation's birthday with a sense of fear and dread. They have chosen to live as LBGTQ+. And they are under attack by politicians and demagogues who find it easier to win votes by stoking a fear of people who choose to live a non-traditional lifestyle than by tackling the real problems that threaten public safety, such as gun violence, Big Pharma's price gouging and climate change. It's a lot easier to attack a bogeyman than it is to address real issues. This is not to say that some of the issues that have been raised do not merit serious public discussion. I know that things such as gender-assignment surgery for minors and the role of transgender athletes in women's sports are not black and white issues. Nor do I claim to have any answers. But I do know this: Our nation was created under the premise outlined in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Are these mere words on a paper, or do we honor them as our founding principle? In simple terms, those sacred words tell me that as long as you are not doing something that harms me or anyone else, you should be free to live your life as you choose. In short, I don't care what your pronouns are. However, I do care what kind of person you are. It is interesting that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. evoked those very same words I quoted from the Declaration in his "I Have a Dream" speech. Another line from King's speech asked that his children - and all God's children - be judged by not what they look like but by "the content of their character." As we approach this Fourth of July holiday, I do not think that is an unreasonable request. Yes, there are some issues that we need to figure out. But let's engage in a thoughtful conversation and measured tones and not at the top of our voices. And the only guiding principle that should govern these discussions is an understand that we will respect everyone's pursuit of their American Dream. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.Audacity
21/06/23 04:02
June 21, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 27) - In this, my 71st year on the planet, I have reinvented myself - again. Upon graduation from college just before Christmas 1973, I set out on a career as a broadcaster. Over the next decade, I was a disc jockey, ad salesman, reporter, anchor and play-by-play announcer. I eventually reinvented myself as a public relations practitioner, first for a small private college and later in several roles in North Carolina state government. Because I knew that my government job was totally dependent on the man or woman sitting in the governor's office, I reinvented myself again. I earned a master's degree from the University of North Carolina, a move that made it possible to change my career path for a third time and to become a college professor. In addition to being a teacher, I was also researcher with much of my focus on public relations history. That's a role I filled for nearly three decades. Now that I am retired, I have spent much of my time reinventing myself yet again. I have become a writer of historic fiction. I recently published my first attempt in this genre, a novel about a school shooting in an imaginary Missouri town (above). How successful is it? I have no clue. I've only received one quarterly sales report to date, one that doesn't reflect any of my marketing efforts. To be truthful, I didn't write the book to make myself rich. I wrote it because I have great interest in the subject of tragic gun violence. That passion for a subject is the same reason I wrote an earlier book, the history behind the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1952. Now, I am in the long, tedious and often frustrating process of finding a publisher for my second attempt at historic fiction, a story about growing up on Maryland's Eastern Shore during the 1960s. It is not autobiographical. However, it does reflect the times, events and places where I spent my formative years. I admit that trying to become a fiction writer in one's 70's takes a certain audacity. I like my newest novel. But there is absolutely no guarantee that others - especially publishers - will agree. But you don't know until you try. And, if this doesn't work, I have enough audacity left in me to reinvent myself again or, to put it another way, to keep on keeping on. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.Indicted. Again.
09/06/23 05:24
June 9, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 26) - I know that a criminal defendant is innocent until proven guilty. However, when it comes to Donald Trump, all we have to do is take his word for it to know that he is guilty of a variety of crimes. Word came out last night that a federal grand jury in Florida indicted Trump on at least seven counts related to his illegal possession of classified documents. These include documents with the highest level of classification, ones that are not supposed to be outside of highly secured areas. And yet, we've seen reports of the former president waving around documents outlining scenarios for an attack on Iran. We've also repeatedly seen Trump make the ludicrous claim that he has unlimited power to declassify documents, even by just thinking about it. He has said enough on the public record to make the federal government's case. So, presumption of innocence aside, he's guilty. The one question that remains unanswered is "why?" Why did Trump want these documents? Are they trophies for him to show off to his guests at Mar-a-Lago? Or is he planning to hand them over to our foreign adversaries, much like he did in giving Russia secret Israeli intelligence during an Oval Office meeting in 2017? Considering his mounting legal bills, there's a legitimate fear that Trump will sell American secrets to the highest bidder. It's no surprise that within minutes of Trump announcing his own indictment, the Great Grifter began fundraising off of it. You have to admit it, the defeated, twice-impeached and now twice-indicted ex-president has chutzpah. And while we are asking "why," we need to ask why so many republicans like Rep. Jim "pedophile enabler" Jordan and Sen. Josh "Sieg Heil" Hawley are willing to trash the foundations of American jurispurdence to provide political cover for a man likely to face additional criminal charges in the coming weeks? So many questions and so few answers. But we do know this: Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury comprised of his fellow citizens for crimes under the Espionage Act and for obstruction of justice. Tuesday afternoon, he will be under arrest. Again. That's a good start. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.May God Bless the Carters
01/06/23 05:37
June 1, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 25) - We learned this week that former First Lady Rosalynn Carter is suffering from dementia. And we have known for some time now that her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, is in hospice care. The news has a very personal impact upon me, as I have met both of them and have spent some time in their Plains, Georgia, home. I met Mrs. Carter first. I was the news director of a radio station in Americus, Georgia, which is just down the road from Plains. I interviewed her in her home in September 1975 just as she was getting ready to embark on her first solo campaign trip on behalf of her husband's presidential campaign. She was gracious and, I freely admit, as a 23-year-old reporter I was somewhat smitten with her. I met the former president a few weeks later on my birthday. Mr. Carter, just a few months out of office as governor of the state, was making appearance at a local air show at Souther Field - the place where aviation hero Charles Lindbergh first soloed. The good people of Plains had a celebration in his honor that evening. It was not just for what he had done as a local school board member, state senator, lieutenant governor and then governor. Judging by the huge "Home of Our Next President" banner on Main Street, the people of Plains were also celebrating what he was doing to do next. Very few people were taking Jimmy Carter's candidacy very seriously at that time. Even The Atlanta Journal-Constitution famously once asked the question "Jimmy Carter is running for WHAT???" As we would all eventually learn, he was running for president - and would win. On this evening, however, he was home among friends. When I interviewed him, I was honored that he treated me, a small hometown radio reporter, with the same respect he'd show Walter Cronkite. I had already met his son, Chip, a member of the Plains Town Council. I liked him very much. It was obvious that Chip had grown up in a loving and caring household. On the day after Christmas 1975, I gave the Carters a holiday fruitcake my wife baked for them. (He met me at their door and said, "No fruitcake, no interview" with that famous Carter smile flashed across his face.) I've even filled my car with gas at brother Billy's service station. I left that first encounter convinced that Jimmy Carter had the intelligence and political savvy to win the presidency. Our paths would cross several more times. My wife Jan and I were honored to receive an invitation to his inaugural and one of the inaugural balls in January 1977. That was heady stuff for a couple of newlyweds in their early 20s. For those memories, alone, I am forever grateful. Many may debate how successful he was as president. Certainly, it is a mixed record. And to be sure, Rosalynn Carter was not as flashy and socially connected in the role of First Lady as her successor. But no one can question the morality, humanity and simple human decency of the Carters. My prayers are with them, the extended Carter family and the good people of Plains who nurtured them and will forever cherish their memory. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.