Government
Words To Live By: “Let There Be Justice For All …”
Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves. ~~ NELSON MANDELA, speech, May 10, 1994
Words to Live By: “It Is Not Enough To Understand …”
It is not enough to understand, or to see clearly. The future will be shaped in the arena of human activity, by those willing to commit their minds and their bodies to the task. ~~ Robert Kennedy
BTSN Book Feature: A GAME OF PROOF by Tim Vicary
Whether British or American, we like to think of our laws and our legal system as the bright moral lines in the sand of our respective communities. Those clear points where we’ve collectively agreed thou shalt not cross. Sure we know no institution is perfect, nor the people within them. Still we hold firm to […]
In Remembrance
… Rest, comrades, rest and sleep! The thoughts of men shall be As sentinels to keep Your rest from danger free. Your silent tents of green We deck with fragrant flowers Yours has the suffering been, The memory shall be ours. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from Decoration Day poem
Of Mothers and Journeys
One year ago, I became a published author. DIRTY WORDS ON CLEAN SKIN detailed my journey from fearful news junkie to outspoken activist. The disturbing parallels between my own mother’s life and the misogynistic media treatment of Hillary Clinton and other politically inconvenient women in 2008 motivated me to take action. Notwithstanding the teeth gnashing involved […]
What About West, Texas?
My heart breaks for the community of West, Texas. While the media endlessly looped their limited information on the manhunt of the remaining Boston Bombing suspect to the exclusion of all else on Friday, I kept thinking — what about the explosion in West, Texas? What’s happening there? How is that small rural town coping […]
Words To Live By: “The Secret of Change …”
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~~ Socrates
Words To Live By: “The Duty of Criticism”
“The duty of criticism is neither to depreciate nor dignify by partial representations, but to hold out the light of reason, whatever it may discover; and to promulgate the determinations of truth, whatever she shall dictate.” ~~ Samuel Johnson, The Rambler #93, February 5, 1751
Join One Billion Rising to “Break the Chain”
Join a global flash mob on Valentine’s Day and dance to “BREAK THE CHAIN” to end violence against women. “202 countries and territories are participating–nearly every country on the planet” Who: Women, Children — and Men What: Global Flash Mob (Dance) to “Break the Chain” (video below) When: 1:00pm Thursday, Febuary 14th (not all flash mobs […]
BTSN Book Feature: SENATOR by Richard Bowker
“…a fascinating insider’s depiction of political life, and a compelling morality tale.” When should a senator (or any politician) stop serving in government? Is the slow seep of corruption in values and interests inevitable? Do politicians even know themselves when they’ve stopped serving the people’s interests except as a means to re-election? Senator James O’Connor […]
A Day of Honor and Resentment
Memorial Day is a national holiday of picnics and parades. It is also a deeply personal day in remembrance of the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. I am honored and humbled that those who serve feel their country and fellow Americans are worthy of their sacrifices. Yet wars […]
BTSN Book Feature: PASSAMEZZO by J. E. Mathieson and A. A. Guest
The subtitle “Who is trying to kill the boss of bosses“ clues you into its thriller plot and the gangster hat on the cover points you to its Canadian crime family subject. The authors J. E. Mathieson and A. A. Guest describe their riveting, well written and thoroughly researched novel as a “docu-novel” (fictionalization of […]
Honoring A Mother, A Dog, And Those Who Give Shelter
Domestic violence is something Author Anita Finlay saw first hand growing up and is part of what compelled her to speak up about fair and equal treatment for women and write about the violent undertones of sexism during our last presidential election in her book Dirty Words on Clean Skin. (My review is here.) Anita is also […]
BTSN Book Feature: DIRTY WORDS ON CLEAN SKIN by Anita Finlay
The media dubbed 2008 the year of the woman because of Hillary Clinton’s and Sarah Palin’s historic runs for political office, but it really was the year millions of ordinary women from both parties were “rudely awakened” from their political complacency and found their voice. The backlash we received in response showed us the ugly […]
BTSN Book Feature: ‘Admit The Horse’ by P. G. Abeles
Admit The Horse is a fictionalized telling of the 2008 primary and general election. Not the myths developed and created by the political gods and marketed 24/7 by mass media. But the back story of ordinary citizens engaged in a historic election and participating in ways they never dreamed possible. Each person discovers or holds the […]
