“Dewey Defeats Truman” was the famously premature headline that trumpeted a Republican presidential victory in a Chicago newspaper. It didn’t take long for the bean counters to realize the mistake that had been made and Harry Truman was pronounced President of the United States for a second term about two weeks before I was born in November of 1948. Needless to say, I don’t remember a great deal about Harry Truman but somehow I recall my parents laughing about his “give em hell” attitude. They appeared to like his homespun ways and my mother often praised his wife for wearing unpretentious clothing and living a low key common woman kind of life in Missouri. I would later learn that Truman did a fairly decent job of shepherding our country after he was thrust into office upon the death of FDR but there would always be an element of controversy surrounding his willingness to use the atom bomb in Japan. I suppose that there is nothing simplistic about being the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world. Continue reading “Lifetime of Politics”
Category: Politics
True Heroism
There has been a great deal of talk of late regarding what constitutes a hero. The concept of bravery is especially relevant for me because today I will begin physical therapy for my knee. I wouldn’t be particularly worried if I hadn’t let my imagination run wild. The doctor, the nurse, and several websites have described the rehabilitation process as being “aggressive” and have instructed me to take some pain medication before my scheduled appointment. I find myself wondering what they might possibly do to my somewhat fragile limb that would necessitate narcotics and my instinct is to take flight due to my fright. On the whole I prefer enduring any painful situation under the influence of sedation. When it comes to aches and sharp twinges I am admittedly a bonafide coward but nobody would ever know it because I refuse to act the part. Instead I have always been known as someone who can take more than a fare share of hurt. I simply refuse to allow anyone to see that inside I am often a bowl of mush. Continue reading “True Heroism”
You’re Fired
If you follow my blogs regularly you had to know that I would not be able to resist the temptation to write about Donald Trump. For those of you who tend to be off put by political dialogue the short version of my analysis is that The Donald is and always has been a fake, a charlatan, a super salesman and huckster. Which is to say that he is a politician on steroids. Frankly I don’t think that we have seen a truly real and noble leader in my lifetime with the exception of Jimmy Carter who was eventually eaten alive by the usual folk who hang around the halls of government. Donald Trump is little more than a caricature of the political animal. If I thought that he had even a ghost of a chance of becoming the President of the United States I would be investigating the possibility of sitting out the next many years in Canada. Luckily I believe that rational Americans are already beginning to see through the smoke and mirrors that have been his stock and trade throughout his career. Continue reading “You’re Fired”
Hats in the Ring
A few weeks back I offered some advice to Hillary Clinton for her campaign for the presidency. In honor of July 4th and in an effort to be fair and balanced as they say, I’m going to offer my services to the Republican candidates. Of course, bear in mind that when I ran for student body secretary back in high school I was soundly trounced so I may not be the best critic but one might say that I learned a bit from defeat.
There are so many Republicans running for the presidential nomination that I’d like to begin by suggesting that a few of them just go ahead and drop out right now. The first to go should be Donald Trump who has managed in only a couple of weeks to turn his campaign into a clownish fiasco and he’s not doing much to help his party either. It’s one thing to be transparent and speak the truth and quite another to be hyperbolic and mean. Some of his comments have been so bizarre that there are some who think that he is actually a secret weapon of the Clinton campaign given that he and Hillary are friends from way back when. He certainly can’t think that he is doing himself or anyone else any favors with his obnoxious descriptions of Hispanic immigrants. If he really does believe what he is saying that’s even more evidence that he simply needs to go. Continue reading “Hats in the Ring”
Keeping Promises
Have you ever agreed to do something and later wondered what you were thinking? I’ve got that dilemma starting tomorrow. At the end of the school year I said goodbye to my tutees and began to dream of long days with no obligations. Surprisingly an email appeared in my inbox asking me to be part of the summer school program. I quickly pointed out that I had already made plans for a camping trip during the second week of the session believing that I would be off of the hook but soon a reply came. The sender announced that it would be just fine if I had to be gone for a time. Before I even took the time to reflect on the pros and cons I had agreed to take part in the session. Now that I am one day away I find myself wondering why I assented to doing such a thing. Continue reading “Keeping Promises”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 