Robert Pacilio's Blog, page 6

Teachers: The Soundtrack of Your Students’ Souls

What you can learn from their songs
This week the passing of my math colleague, Joe MacEachron made me revisit our poignant conversations about reaching all students—framed in our lexicon this way: “We’re in the Kid Business.” Joe was a master, and his sudden passing has reminded me of a debate we had many moons ago about music and how to relate to the 35 or so pupils we faced five times a day.
“Bob,” Joe said, “their music sucks!” Joe had a delicate way with words.“Joe,” I said, “we can’t think like that. We sound like grumpy, old men.”
He looked at me and didn’t need to say what he was thinking, even though we were in our mid-forties. It was true then that some ‘modern’ music had made a turn for the worst. I mean “Me So Horny” was a song one of my students identified with in a speech he made to the class. I quizzed him regarding the deeper significance of this choice, much to his chagrin. He was speechless and embarrassed; he came up with another song within the week. But the point I was making, and a lesson it taught me and my students, was that music was the one thing this baby-boomer teacher and his teenage students have in common. It is something we can talk about.
I told Joe that I could prove him wrong; that not all their songs suck. So one assignment I created was
called “Your American Identity.”  I asked each student to present a song that spoke to whom they are, wished to be, or perhaps how they saw their world. I required a power point slide with the lyrics. (Yes, I insisted that songs have meaning beyond “I can grind with my dance partner.”)

What the students in my American literature classes produced would have made Joe proud. Of the hundreds of presentations I watched, several remain ingrained in my memory. One was a girl named Lauren, who was generally quiet, but as she pushed play, I smiled at the lush melody of “What the World Needs Now (Is Love Sweet Love).” Jackie DeShannon, the singer, was part of my generation. That mattered not. What mattered was the timelessness of that song’s theme to a generation at least twenty years removed.
Naturally, most songs I heard that were new to me. However, another ‘ah ha moment’ came when another red haired young girl named Brandi cued up Jewel’s song “You Were Meant for Me.” It is a sad, perhaps to some, melodramatic ballad of a couple breaking apart, with the woman wishing it did not have to be. Notably, a young boy in class named Ryan asked her, “Do you think the girl in the song ever got over him?” There was a hush in the room. Brandi’s eyes watered as she faced the class, “I don’t know. What do you think, Mr. Pacilio?”
What I thought was this: it “meant” something to all of them. It touched a nerve. Heartbreak. Something everyone feared.  
One student seated in the farthest seat from me named Chris was often aloof in class. Perhaps he felt that he may not have the confidence to chime in to a conversation about Twain or Fitzgerald, and maybe he felt like some of the music I played in class was so “old school.” It didn’t resonate with him—Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, TLC, Don McLean, etc., it just wasn’t his kinda jam. So when he got up to address the class he softly admitted: “You know, I don’t really like some of Mr. Pacilio’s songs, and I looked and looked for a song that was more…me. And I just couldn’t find anything. So I went to my dad’s albums. I found this one song that just hit me.” He proceeded to play Joni Mitchell’s long ago indie hit “The Circle Game.” Its theme: “…we can only look beyond from where we came and go round and round and round in the circle game.”  To say I was surprised at the irony was an understatement. 
Oh, how I wish my dear friend Joe had been in my classroom that moment.
So the teacher learns from the students and the students get their chance to embrace the opportunity to express their view of life with all its twists and turns. It was the soundtrack of their lives.
Oh, Joe, I miss you, brother, and so do your former students. If I could choose a song to play for you, it would be James Taylor’s refrain: “Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone….” 
Goodbye, Joe. God Bless.

Madeleine and Michelle: Speaking the Truth about Power

Madeleine Albright and Michelle Obama come from different generations and different continents; however, both have much in common: notably, overcoming virulent hatred stemming from racism. Both spoke their truth with undying patriotism to the United States: Ms. Albright on the international stage as “Madam Secretary” and Ms. Obama on a national stage from the White House—a house slaves built, her ancestors to be unambiguous.
Madeleine Albright’s newest memoir Fascism: A Warning is both a history discourse of villains, who wrap themselves in the cloak of nationalists, but her story concerns her own persecution from her native Czechoslovakia. Whether she is writing about her homeland, Russia, Turkey, the constellations of smaller satellites that once formed the USSR, or the less developed nations dotting South America, as well as the Middle East, Albright is clear how political corruption and vicious manipulation has led to dictators like those in Syria, North Korea and the Philippines to name but a few.
Ms. Albright’s most poignant metaphor deals with the attempt to burn to the ground the ethnic hatred that fed the fascism that shrouded the world’s landscape which the Axis powers coveted. After WWII ended, she argues that the ideology of hate seemed to be scorched on the earth’s surface; however, the roots of paranoia run so deep that after a generation those very seeds begin to break through the crusty soil. President Truman, she notes, spoke of this, “Hitler is finished, but the seeds spread by his disordered mind have firm root in too many fanatical brains.” Her warning is that those ideologies are not only growing, rather they are in full bloom today. One needs only to look to the tragedy in New Zealand this March to see this on horrific display.
Albright contends, Donald Trump is the latest manifestation of how today’s dictators operate. They begin, as Hitler and Mussolini did, by stoking the ambers of fear and discontent among their masses, then slowly they neuter the media and control public discourse. The judicial system is co-opted or maligned. Any challengers are bullied, and in the case of the worst of the monsters—imprisoned, made to mysteriously disappear, or simply boldly assassinated even within embassies existing for their protection. These so-called presidents have one refrain: they claim that they alone can save their nation from the invasion of those who seek to do harm.
Ms. Obama’s memoir is not a warning—far from it—it is clearly a Becoming. She passionately writes of the love of her parents, her upbringing on the Southside, her dedication to a cause worth fighting for and eventually meeting a man of such capability and ambition that she decides to take a road she feels is wicked and wondrous: politics. Naturally, her concerns about her children being raised in such a world concerns her greatly, and make no mistake, she does give witness to the dangers of being the first Black family to lead our nation. The peril her family faces equates to the constant security essential to protect her family and the President. From what you may ask? From the same bigoted adversaries who have never let go of the Original Sin of racism. Something this nation has failed to fully come to accept, and from which it has never made reparations. Above all, Michelle Obama and Madeleine Albright are optimists, but they remind the reader that turning a blind eye to the evil in the world does a free society great harm.
Ms. Obama’s most telling moment to me was the description of the bullet lodged in the impenetrable window of the First Family’s upstairs living area in the White House. Ms. Obama these windows never open for good cause. She laments that there is no fresh air. Even bulletproof glass could not stop Donald Trump, whom she can “never forgive” for the danger he so thoughtlessly (at best, sinister at worst) created, as even candidate Obama was under Secret Service protection far before others since death threats were ever-present. Trump’s ignorant insistence that Barack Obama was not born in America created countless malevolent conspiracies all cordoned off under the umbrella of birtherism. Trump, along with his dutiful messengers at Fox News, conjured a sick lie that put the Obama’s in harm’s way.
So these two women have a message for Americans. Beware. Ignorance is not bliss. There is no such thing as alternate facts; events happened or did not happen. Words were said. Actions were taken in churches, mosques, and on the streets of Charlottesville. Mr. Trump’s litany of bullying tactics and ignorance ranged from claiming Mexicans were murders and rapists; Hispanic federal judges could not render justice; Muslims needed to be banned from entering our nation (because he saw them celebrating in New York after 9.11); Africans would never want to go back to their shithole countries’; there were bad people on both sides of the riots in Charlottesville; he had no knowledge of David Duke (the Grand Dragon of the KKK); and anyone who contradicted his opinions were merely echoing fake news.
In the years before it became obvious what Hitler’s plans at genocide were, many Germans claimed they never imagined such a thing was happening. So many Americans believed that Obama’s election was the sign that a post-racial America had finally arrived. Despite the 17% increase in hate crime in 2017, far too many Americans just can’t believe that racial hatred really could be the catalyst to mass murder, Nazi protests, and white supremacy. Not here. Not now. Not us.
The antidote is knowledge. However, the campaign of misinformation, whether it comes from foreign adversaries or home-grown propaganda is real and threatens our republic and the civic discourse that makes America the “beacon of freedom.” These two women’s memoirs should be part of the curriculum  in every classroom in the United States, be it civics, American history, or sociology. This much I know: their life experiences are anything but fake news.
Robert Pacilio, the 1999 San Diego County “Teacher of the Year,” has authored “Meetings at the Metaphor Cafe” (YA) & “Meet Me a Moonlight Beach” (fiction).
Photo of Ms. Albright: Alex Wong/Getty Image North America 
Photo of Ms. Obama: (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

My Top Ten Blogs!... and adding the blog platform--Medium

To all the 43,500 page viewers (and 38 followers): Fist a huge thank you. You folks have helped me forge a platform for various topics from music, politics, books and movies, and personal heroes. I know that my four novels have been reaching a wider audience because of you.

I will still be posting on Blogger, but I am also writing for the blog MEDIUM. It will give me a wider reach than my Facebook followers. (1,600 if you believe the algorithm really reaches that many.)


However, I wanted to let you know after 106 blogs here are the TOP 10 viewed pieces. I thank you for all your support. You can see any of these by 1. going to https://robertpacilio.blogspot.com/

Entry Pageviews The Moshers: Jack and Karen: The Autumn of Their L... Oct 6, 2017, 4 comments 4347 To All Teachers: 'Opening Day' Heroes Still Making... Aug 11, 2016, 7 comments 2858 Everything I needed to know I learned from 'To Kil... Jul 7, 2017, 2 comments 1920 MEET ME AT MOONLIGHT BEACH: we are LIVE!! Oct 4, 2018, 1 comment 1691 Seven Rows from Springsteen ! Dec 15, 2017, 4 comments 1624 Do You Understand This Man? We Think We Do…But Do ... Mar 29, 2018, 2 comments 1546 To All Teachers: The Passing of the Baton ! Aug 30, 2016, 1 comment 1268 To All Teachers- The Sequel: Ideas for a Winning S... Aug 13, 2016 1173 John McCain: For Whom America's Bell Tolls Aug 3, 2018, 3 comments 1147 Chris Saunders: the hero next door: a remembrance ... Oct 23, 2017, 4 comments 1143

A Guest Writer to the Metaphor Cafe: Rich Clark: A Tribute to his Civics Teacher

To all folks who understand the power of a civics teacher on a student’s mind. The words are Rich Clark, Mt. Carmel alumni:“I remember the first day of 12th grade Civics class. I had Ms. Estelle Ricketson...her first words were, "Good morning, take your seats, close your mouth and open your mind. Someday, this class will make sense too you. Our constitution, the framework of our country, is the real textbook. I will teach you things that I hope never come to pass, but are essential to understanding how our country works." Never, would I have thought that our country would be in this precarious position, in the midst of a constitutional crisis. But here we are. My first supervisor in the Air Force told me he makes it a point to read the constitution every year on his birthday. He did this as a reminder of why he wakes up every morning and puts on a uniform. I followed his sage advice. I hope you do too. Today I would hope that the DOJ policy of not indicting a sitting president would be challenged in court. Why, it is unconstitutional. Why would I make this claim that the president is NOT immune from prosecution? It is in the constitution. Article II, section 4 states that The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. How on earth could you have a conviction if a sitting president can't be indicted? The language is specific about the President and Vice President and includes other civil officers. If they are convicted they SHALL be removed from office on impeachment. Thank you Ms. Ricketson...I paid attention in your class. Moreover, we are seeing an abuse of power in the executive branch that is creating the crisis at hand. Although the words, "separation of powers" aren't used in the constitution, the framework is laid out to keep each branch in check by the other two branches. John Kingdon a political science professor at the University of Michigan gives us the idea that, "its complexity as one of the reasons for lower citizen participation." The complexity of the separation of powers is what gives ordinary people the power and responsibility to influence any of the three branches of government. This my friends, is what truly makes our country great. Not a country that throws its weight around on a world stage, not a country that makes it nearly impossible to legally immigrate into, not a country where a President is completely unclear in their motivation and vision. George Washington, when he was 16, wrote the Rules of Civility, quite a list for a 16-year-old. President Trump should read them as sage advice from the original predecessor of the office which he now holds.The evidence that we have seen is clear, and more will come from the Special Counsel Report. The President does not value the constitution in the same light as you and I. In his book, The Art of The Deal, he implies the he has crafted his businesses around the premise that if it fails, so what, I have hedged my bets and will profit from the failure, just not as much. Unfortunately, Mr. President, the “Board of Directors” of your “Company,” We the People, don’t see it that way. What we see is a man who has an insatiable hunger for power. A man willing to shatter the very document that formed our country, a man willing to do anything for power, whether real or perceived. My dear friends and patriots, it is now time to look at the document that declared us free from the tyranny of England and, King George III. “When in the course of human events…” It is the second thing I read on my birthday. I yield the balance of my time….”

What parts of The Constitution protect us from tyranny?

One of my good friends, Karen Temerius, who founded the  organization SMART, asked her followers this question. 

"Our nation’s founders feared a tyrannical executive. What parts of The Constitution protect us from tyranny?"

Here is my answer:

What protects America is the courage of our representatives in Congress to recognize that the nation’s Constitution, and the checks and balances therein, must outweigh partisan ambitions. 

No one wanted to storm the beaches at Normandy, facing near certain death, but there were forces that needed to be stopped. 


No one wanted to be beaten as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge with John Lewis, but they did because there was injustice to be rectified. 

There comes a point when all politicians of every stripe must recognize this president is compromised, unqualified and willfully ignores the rule of law. 

Those who do not stand up to him today will find that history will paint them as cowards and opportunistic fools.

To all Teachers and Music Lovers: Music at the Grammy's Provide Teachable Moments

Teachers used to ask me this: How do you know about the music that kids listen to? The truth is that they are asking the wrong question. The question really should be: What kind of music speaks to the soul of all human beings...not just "kids?" My former students were not 'kids'--they were beginning their journey and they are looking for answers to life's pressing "storms"--and adolescence is the hurricane that often blew them away. They looked for a foothold, for someone to steady them, someone that they could admire. So at the last evening's Grammy Awards everyone should see two artists who provide shelter to the storm.At the Grammys, Kacey Musgraves song "Rainbow" is an extended metaphor, and its chorus about the inevitability of "storms" was eloquent and evocative. And it clearly a teachable moment. What are your student's rainbows and how do they face their storms? These two questions can be shaped into an artistic project, with written answers, to the colors of their rainbow. The Grammy's also displayed the essence of compassion for the marginalized in Brandi Carlile's song "The Joke." Here is what NPR wrote of the song: ""The Joke" exemplifies the album's massive ambition. A country-rock aria dedicated to the delicate boys and striving girls born into — and, Carlile insists, destined to triumph over — this divisive time, "The Joke" offers a stunning vocal performance from Carlile,"'The Joke'... reflects the compassion she has developed as a seasoned artist, parent and activist." [Carlile explains,] "'There are so many people feeling misrepresented [today],' she said. 'So many people feeling unloved. Boys feeling marginalized and forced into these kind of awkward shapes of masculinity that they do or don't belong in... so many men and boys are trans or disabled or shy. Little girls who got so excited for the last election, and are dealing with the fallout. The song is just for people that feel under-represented, unloved or illegal.'" Naturally, their are other wonderful songs that the Grammy's featured, but for my energy, these two were music to my ears.

The Jenga President’s Tower

I lived through President Eisenhower to Trump. I’ve studied Lincoln, FDR, Truman, and naturally, the early forefathers. I’ve even studied the candidates who lost: Dole, Dukakis, Humphrey, Romney, McCain, McGovern, Perot and Ford. One thing they all had in common was the degree in which they respected the dignity of the Office of the President.
Until now, that basic tenet has never been a question. The Presidency has never been denigrated.
Yes, Nixon took his thirst for power so far as to reach into a bag of dirty tricks. And, sure, Clinton was guilty of sexual impropriety—never mind his definition of the word is. Clinton knew he was wrong, but he did it, as he told Oprah’s audience on TV: “because I could.” However, neither of them ever endangered this nation. They can be viewed as figures of disgust, true. But they were not a danger to our nation (even if Nixon had an “enemies list”).
Why? Two reasons come to mind. First, our government had a fully functioning system of checks and with Republican votes. Clinton’s lies were a scar on his character. He was not guilty of “high crimes”; however, his personal life and his stature were shredded. For that, few will forgive him, myself included.  Again, checks and balances on the Executive Branch were there as a bulwark to keep the power of the Office of the Presidency cordoned off from outrageous power that so many dictators crave.balances. Nixon was to be impeached; he had the good sense to resign before he was cast out of office…

Second, all the previous modern day American Presidents understood what service to our nation entails. It is a divestiture of personal economic power. Historians may quibble, but our Presidents did not personally profit from the presidency while in office. They did release their tax returns. They were not financially beholden to foreign nations—simply put, they did not ascend to office with the purpose of “improving their brand.” They put assets into a blind trust. Some, like Carter, had to resurrect their private business after years of service. (One can read about it in his latest autobiography.)
Mr. Trump never thought he would win. He has no intention of giving control of his private company to anyone, no matter what he says about his family’s involvement. His wealth is another gimmick. His debts were so significant that he could only borrow from a German bank that was bankrolled by Russian money. There is no mystery why he is so enamored to Putin’s Russia. His decisions are based on what he perceives as a good investment—the ultimate “what’s in it for me?”
But that is only part of why he is unfit to be President. What makes him truly horrendous is his amorality. He believes in nothing but what fills his ego and his businesses’ coffers. He believes what makes America “great” is money. The more you have, the more American you are. If a foreigner is wealthy, they are in; if poor, then wall them off. Government and its rules and regulations are just a mere nuisance, something to avoid at all cost. That is why he refuses to reveal his taxes. He even claimed that paying no tax makes him smarter, proud—after all, only a sucker pays taxes—he implies.

He ignores commitment, but demands loyalty—blind faith, that “I alone can” …do blah, blah, blah. He declares: “I’m smarter than the Generals….I could have been one.” His intelligence agency heads “need to go back to school.”
The Emoluments Clause of The Constitution is just another law he has ignored. He has received millions upon millions of dollars, paid to him personally via his hotels, etc. He sees no conflict of interest in any of these “deals” because his very existence in office is a conflict of interest.
Hotels in Moscow. Check.The same in Saudi Arabia. Check.Undocumented workers paid (or stiffed) at his property. Check. Contradict him and become labeled: “Fake News”. Check. “Witch Hunt.” Check.
So what happens when the foundation of his Trump Tower, built on such shaky ground, begins to tumble? What happens when the plethora of investigations begin to reveal the rot and corruption inherent in his business and his presidency? Who is going to “pay off” the mistresses? Pay back the loans? Who’s going to be his “fixer”? When the Jenga tower falls, it’s going to fall on the backs of American citizens. We are already paying the price for electing a man who said, with a straight face, “Climate change is a hoax! Invented by the Chinese.”
Consider the difference between these chants, and you will understand the measure of a candidate for One claims, “Yes we can.” And the other starts the rally cry, “Lock her up.”President:

The walls will start crumbling down. We all need to hope the next President will know how to repair the damage done to our fractured, angry society. In the meantime, keep your eyes open before something crashes on top of you and yours.

TO ALL TEACHERS: A 2019 Halftime Pep Talk

My 28,000 one hour shows equal 5,000 kids in the audience over a 32 year high school teaching
career. The playing field—aka, my classroom from  1977 to 2010. It was a great ride! We had many winning seasons. Really. I mean it. Never a perfect, undefeated season, but always in the hunt, always finishing with a winning record.

What was the magic trick? The secret? The ace up my sleeve? We will get to that shortly but first, gather around, huddle up, it’s halftime and it’s time to have a serious gut check.
Ah, I can see the doubters out there—the teachers for whom the burdens of teaching have set you into a cynical spiral of despair. You’re down, and it’s only the half way point of the year. Your classroom seems like “Groundhog Day” (the movie) in which things that drag you down are repeated over and over.
Let’s make a list: unruly kids; way too many of them; lack of supplies; tepid admin support; parents who either don’t care, don’t want to know what’s wrong with their children—or worse, they ask you what to do!
Have I touched on some of your problems? I bet I have. But let’s not forget these mind numbing fumbles: the paycheck is dismal at best; the curriculum you are told to teach is boring, not just to the kids but to you, as well. One more thing. You have no social life, no money for one, and no idea how to get out of this funk.
Is that what’s ailing you? Yes, I know. I just caused you to cry. “Are you crying? Are you crying? There’s no crying”… in teaching. (Okay, you can cry a little: but there is no crying in baseball). Now wipe away the tears, and as they say “Huddle up and listen.”

What makes a great teacher? I’ll tell you what. Endurance. Curiosity. Compassion. Selflessness. faith that you have something to offer those kids every single day. Ask yourself if that is what you are out there playing for? Are those qualities the ones you value, not just as a teacher, but are those the qualities you are teaching kids?Humor. A solid work ethic. And the most important element—

That’s right. I just identified the real ‘Lesson Plans.’ You don’t teach to a test. You are the test.You set the goal. You emulate the skills that you want them to begin to value and someday maybe master.
Let me add one important quality that I implied: patience. Malcolm Gladwell (if you don’t know who he is, then you are not paying attention to the way we learn) argues it takes 10,000  hours of productive practice to master anything; a musical instrument, a sports game, the act of public speaking, and on and on. 
So, for all you young guns out there teaching: patience, endurance. It’s going to take a while to learn the art that is teaching. Each year is a marathon, and summer is when you collapse at the finish line (or try to, if you’ve saved enough money…more on that later).
So what to do? Teach them to sing. To dance. To listen. To create with their hands or finger tips. Whatever you do—you do it first and preferably with them. Show them that it’s doable. Heck, you were once a student and you did it. They can, too. Go watch “Dead Poets Society” or “Stand and Deliver” or “To Sir with Love”—break the mold. Go read my novel “Meetings at the Metaphor Café.” (I don’t mean to shamelessly plug my book, really).
I found lots of teachers who felt they hated what they were teaching. Take WWI, for example. Boring? Really? The gas used in that war is much like what Assad used on his Syrian people. It’s what Saddam Hussein used on the Kurdish citizens to keep control. It’s the weapon of choice for dictators. Ask the kids what we, as Americans, should do about it? And how different is that, really, when it comes to knowingly allowing drinking water in Flint, Michigan to be poisoned with lead? Get them pissed off. Remember, the sins of the past will repeat if you, their teacher, do not help your students to learn from the mistakes of our elders.
That’s your job. Your job is to get them to rise up. To ascend to a high level of thinking, of competence, of humanity. That is so notboring. And if you are not flying out of this huddle fired up to make a difference, then you may not belong in this arena. 50% of teachers can’t cut it and quit after less than five years. But if you have been reading this far into my pep talk, I’m betting you are not a quitter. I’m betting that you give a damn about most, if not all, of your kids.
I know the pay sucks. But stick together. Unions made the difference for me. We took pay cuts for medical coverage to kick in after we retired until 65. That was very ‘Union’ smart. We had to save for retirement, and those pensions that teachers have are golden—just ask folks in the private sector about that. You are a professional, so keep fighting for that profession. Those who can’t teach often don’t have the patience, the selflessness, the vision of a bigger picture, the persistence to get something right. They may have more money, but let me tell you, the Beatles got it right, “Money can’t buy you love.”
And when this season is over, when the scoreboard says you have won more than you lost, when the  kids start meandering out of your classroom—that’s when you will notice that ‘Thank You’ note left on your desk that reads “You don’t know how much it meant to me  when you ran out to the parking lot to ask me if I was ‘okay’. It mattered a lot.”
So, after the Super Bowl, the season really begins anew.
To quote John Keating, “What will your verse be?”

A Bully on the Pulpit: Insulting All with His Wrath

On Twitter, there are no “do-overs.” What you write can and will be used against you in the ‘Court of Public Opinion (not to mention the US Justice Department…more on that soon)
So here is a sampling of what Mr. Trump has Tweeted (thanks to the NY Times research dept). Let’s start with his once respected friends and members of his White House team:
Rex Tillerson:Former Secretary of State: “dumb as a rock; couldn’t get rid of him fast enough; lazy as hell.”Jeff Sessions:Former Attorney General: “Should be ashamed of himself: so unfair.”Sam Nunberg: Former adviser to Trump; “a drunk, drugged up loser.”Michael Cohen;Trump’s lawyer: “a rat; guilty on so many charges not related to me.”James Comey:former FBI Director: “Worst FBI Director in history; leaking lair.”Steve Bannon:Former Senior Strategist: “Sloppy Steve; cried when he got fired begged for his job; dumped like a dog by almost everyone.”Omarosa Manigault: former Trump aide: “Wacky, deranged, a crazed, crying low life; vicious.”Rod Rosenstein:Deputy Attorney General: “Totally conflicted.”
And those are the people he hired and praised…until they did not do his bidding .
Then there is the media: Twitter, Google, and Facebook “So biased towards the Dems” (Yes, he said the same thing of all three.)The Federal Communications Commission: “So sad and unfair; disgraceful.”Comcast: “Liberal Fake News”NBC’s Lester Holt“got caught fudging my tape on Russia.”             Finally, Some Americans who have served this nation with distinction:
Senator Tammy Baldwin: “someone who has done very little.”Vice President Joe Biden: “actually he is weak mentally and physically. Crazy Joe.”John Brennan: former CIA Director: “worst CIA director in history.”James Clapper:former National Intelligence Director: “lying machine.”Senator Dianne Feinstein:“very disrespectful, sneaky, a disgrace.”Barbara Underwood:Acting New York Attorney General: “does nothing but rant, rave against me.”President Barack Obama: “Cheatin' Obama, why didn’t he do something about Russian meddling”?
But this final insult of the OVER 500 insults he deliver JUST in 2018 is just going way over the top…
Oprah Winfrey: “very insecure. Hope she runs so that she can be exposed and defeated like all the others!”
So is this the kind of man who can claim to Make America Great Again? Or rather has he lead a movement to Make America Hate Again?
(Ironically, his wife Melania regards this as her ‘mission’: to stop Cyber bullying.)

To “Like”—Just a “Click”Away, But Is Skin in the Game?

Last election I did not just click “Like.” For the first time (and I must add that I am retired from the 9-5 job), I participated. I’m not trying to elevate myself as something grand or bold. I merely exercised my citizenship. I got out there and phone banked, went to meetings, blogged my views, paid my dues (in cash), and really got behind Mike Levin for Congress.
Boy, was I on pins and needles on election night! This time it mattered personally. Mike won. But the real winners were the folks who set records for protesting at Mr. Issa’s office—rain or shine—every Tuesday. The real winners were those who step up to the plate, in whatever means they have, to make a difference. Who else stepped up? John McCain did so famously by putting his thumb down and saving the Affordable Care Act. 
Dr. Christine Ford stepped up to the cameras and told the nation what happened to her, with nothing to gain (but self respect) and everything to lose. One succeeded and one failed…on paper that is.
Atticus Finch said that “Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you do it anyway…you rarely win, sometimes you do….” It’s not always about whether you win or lose, but it is the principle at stake. I don’t know if I have that kind of courage—to sing my song and thus attract the attention of those “hunters’ out there. But I thought that this time I was not just going to sit out another election and shake my head at the folly of our politicians.
This brings me to my point. It is easy to click like…or love…or tag on an emoji (I’m not an emoji guy), but it matters so much more to respond. It can be with words, but it is better with deeds. These actions are based on values that are not heroic—they are American. Selflessness. Concern for others. Listening to the facts.  All are noble, but all must be followed with some action. That’s what Alan Sorkin’s new adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” argues for. And I for one, applaud him.

So thanks to all who step up. We have much to do to reset our ship of state back on course.  
And as an aside, thanks to the 1,673 people who “liked” my blog about my newest novel “Meet Me at Moonlight Beach”...it’s available on Amazon (just a click away), and I am speaking around town—this Wednesday 1/9/2019 at the Second Chance Brewery in Carmel Mt. Ranch from 5-7pm. Support this fine local brewery that has graciously waived fees to have me there. 
Oh, and thanks to the Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito for their support of my novel in December. Now there’s a group that steps up to help those in need. Bravo, Ladies.