Category: News

  • Nothing Changes, Except the Names

    I have been pretty pissed off for the past two days. And now, as well. The shooting in Uvalde, Texas has been on my mind, as I know it has been for just about all of us. I grew up in Texas. I spent one Summer in San Antonio, and so I knew where Uvalde was. I knew it was a small west Texas town, in all the good ways that a town could be small, and in west Texas. When I heard where the shooting had taken place, I knew, heartbreakingly knew, that everyone in that town knew everyone who had been killed.

    And as a parent, with a child about the age of the kids who were murdered, my soul is just wounded for the parent in Uvalde. I drop my kid off every morning. I hold her hand as we cross the street, and kiss the top of her head as she walks away from me to get in line for class. And I stand there watching her walk into school. And yes, the dark, evil, depressing thought does cross my mind that this might be the last time I see her.

    I don’t have that thought because of Uvalde. I have had that thought since I first started dropping her off at school, over a year ago, because I live in America.

    I could use logic to point out the odds of a school shooting, or the likelihood that my daughter would even be involved in one. I could use logic and be rational, and come up with a well-reasoned argument for or against gun control.

    But I’m tired of that.

    I’m tired of all of it.

    I’m tired of nothing changing.

    I wish I was a better writer, because a really good one summed up how I am feeling. Roxane Gay touched on how after these tragedies, there is a call for civility, but she is right; who is served by the people being civil in an uncivil situation?

    This is what I think we should do; read their names. When you get in an argument over guns, take out your phone, find them, and then read their names. Don’t make this an abstract discussion, make it personal. Read the kid’s names and their ages.

    No screaming, or yelling, but forcefully; read the kid’s names. Interrupt them if you have to, but keep reading the names.

    Read the names.

  • ODDS and ENDS: KBJ, Anti-Rent Protests, Tottenham, and Hiking

    (I drink coffee and know things.)

    Ketanji Brown Jackson will be on the Supreme Court. That’s a pretty big fucking deal. I like it when American institutions start looking more like America. The process was pretty disgraceful, but I want to focus on the fact that we are a step closer to getting to RBG’s dream, which was an all-woman Supreme Court. Come this Summer, there will be four women on the Court. I think the next Justice should also be a woman, and this way one of the three Branches of Government will be Woman majority. But, I do digress. What I keep thinking about is how representation matters. My daughter is seeing more women in leadership roles in the nation. And I also know, there are a bunch of little girls that are going to school today, and their teachers are going to show them a picture of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and those little girls are going to see someone who looks like them, doing important and great things. That matters. That’s huge.

    I just found this out today, but in upstate New York, back in the 1840’s, there was an Anti-Rent War. It had to do with back rent being owed under the manor system that traced back to the old Dutch Colony days of New Amsterdam. Reading up on it, I had two thoughts. First, early America really didn’t like the rule of law, and took up arms pretty quick. Second, if you protest enough, you can get the law changed in your favor. Basically, people broke a 200-year-old system of land ownership and leasing because the rent was too damn high. It happened in the past, so what’s to say that it can’t happen again.

    Tottenham has found a way to get to fourth place in the Premiere League. There is no way they will catch Man City or Liverpool, but if things got really crazy, they could pass Chelsea for third by the end of the season. But, this is Tottenham we are talking about. They do have problems closing out. They need to beat Aston Villa if they want to keep ahead of Arsenal. I will say this, if the Spurs can stay up and qualify for the Champions League, there is a chance Harry Kane might stick around. Just saying.

    Anyone want to go hiking? I know I do.

  • The Slap

    I will say this; We are all united in having an opinion over “The Slap.”

    Even if that opinion is “I’m still processing what just happened.”

    But whatever happens next with Chris Rock or Will Smith, the video of that incident will also be attached to them, forever. When the day comes and both of these men pass away, the clip will be played. They cannot escape it. It is done and now a part of our collective culture.

    And that does make me feel rather sad for both of them.

    I do think Chris Rock is one of the greatest comedians of all time. I see him as an artist. One who keeps testing himself and trying new things.

    Will Smith is one of the last great Hollywood actors. Not unlike Tom Hanks, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Cary Grant. That leading man that everyone likes, and has the acting talent to back it up.

    But now, does this change the perception of them? Is one the good guy, and the other the bad guy? Are they both bad guys?

    A friend of mine, who is much more perceptive than I, has called the incident a cultural Rorschach test; Everyone will read into it what they want.

  • Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Family

    I have been watching some of the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings. What I wish is that both political parties would take this thing seriously. The Republicans are attacking her as an act to placate to their base, and Democrats are throwing softball question to her that, either won’t garner any controversy, or giving Judge Jackson a chance to defend herself. What I would have liked to have seen, from both parties, is a real deep dive into what shaped her judicial philosophy, what does she see as the most important cases in history, and just giving her a chance to talk about the courts so I can get a better understanding on what she is going to bring to this position. We all know, barring some explosive revelation, she will be on the Supreme Court, so let us learn about her.

    But that is asking too much. I know.

    And this is when I go back to bashing the Republicans; what they are doing to her is beyond disrespectful. From what I have read about Judge Jackson, this has been a life-long goal, and she has made sure that she has an outstanding career record, and has stayed true to who she is, so she can capitalize when this opportunity presented itself. (I still believe there are good ambitious people left in this world.) So, when the Republican Senators go after her with nothing, and cut her off, and try to trap her with questions, it makes me angry. And also, very disappointed that this is where we are.

    But Judge Jackson has handled herself amazingly. She hasn’t let anything rattle her, and been patient with a lot of dumb questions. I feel very fortunate to be alive to see this accomplishment, and get to know that she will be on the Court. I am alive in the time when our Institutions are beginning to look more like the Nation that they are there to protect. It also makes me feel good that a very smart person will be at the wheel.

    Which brings me to Judge Jackson’s family. I want to give them a whole bunch of credit as well. I’m talking about her parents, who clearly did a very good job raising their daughter. She could not have arrived at this place without their support. But also, the poise they are showing in this hearing. I don’t know how they are sitting there, watching their daughter get attacked in that way, and not yelling back. Hell, I would have thrown a shoe at Ted Cruz if he talked to my daughter like that. Nope, they are better than me in that regard. My guess is that they know their daughter can take care of herself, that nothing anyone can say will change what they know to be true. Judge Jackson’s parents are my new heroes.

    The last thing I want to say on this subject was best said by Senator Corry Booker yesterday in the hearing:

  • Talking to My Daughter about Ukraine

    It’s been very hard over the past week to talk to my daughter about the war in Ukraine. A hard conversation, but one that I know we need to have. She’s seven, and sees the world as good guys vs bad guys, which I do think makes explaining this war to her a little easier. Putin is the bad guy for starting this war, that’s the easy part. Everything else has been challenging.

    I have found that the “Mr. Rogers Rule” works really well. That rule is simple, “Look for the helpers. When things are bad, there are always people wanting to help.” Luckily, there are still parts of humanity that aren’t garbage, and we have been pointing out how the people of Poland, and other nations as well, are helping with the refugees; giving food, shelter, medical care, and safety. We have even talked about what we can do here, to help all the people over there.

    Now, we don’t purposefully have her watch the news. Most of the time, when we tell her that we are going to put the news on, she will leave the room as that stuff is boring to her. But now and then, she’ll walk into the livingroom and catch something, an image; a building on fire, a blown up tank, or a dead body in the street. My gut reaction is that I don’t want her to see these things, but I don’t want to shield her, nor stop her from asking questions about difficult subjects.

    The one thing that I think she is grasping is that war is not good. Even the “good” wars were still awful.