Parkland

Seventeen lives cut short is a tragedy. Of course it is. Every school shooting is a tragedy. So is every shooting. So is every murder. So is every untimely death caused by gang violence, drug abuse, motor vehicle mishaps, and a host of other causes.

On its face, it appears that the latest school shooting in Parkland, Florida has generated an unprecedented amount of public outrage. We have angry students and parents at a town hall, denouncing a US Senator and NRA spokesperson a “murderers”. We have companies severing connections with the NRA. We have the President of the United States attempting to placate the mob with new legislation.

America’s Journey

Hello Examinerland. It’s been a little over two years since I began a new, unique personal journey. That my journey culminated in a book I ultimately titled America’s Journey is no coincidence. It’s been an interesting couple of years.

History has always been a hobby. I devour it. Very early in my life I thought I would be a historian, before ultimately opting for a career in the sciences. It’s been a personally fulfilling career in every way that a career should be. Yet, that urge to write history never left me and, back in 2015 when I was stuck out in the desert, I decided it was put up or shut up time. So I went to work.

Celery-iously

Political correctness, that mortal enemy of what we used to call “common sense”, dealt another body blow to the latter as a yet another humorless special-grievance group found something in a kid’s movie deeply offensive. It shouldn’t surprise me any time we sink deeper into the PC quagmire, but somehow it always does. How can rational human beings behave so unrationally?

I’m sad to say that this latest instance of boorish hypersensitivity comes from a nation that once proudly thumbed its nose at its enemies and the enemies of civilization for centuries: the United Kingdom.

Comey-Tose

Ex FBI Director James Comey and most of the left were not happy about the House Intelligence Committee’s decision to declassify what we are now calling the “Nunes memo” and President Trump’s approval of the move. For Comey and the MSM, the release was a disgraceful violation of the public trust and – by the way – the memo contained nothing that should lead anyone to believe the FBI did anything wrong.

Lawlessness

As I write this, we are in day 2 of the latest government shutdown. By the time you read this, hopefully it will be over.

I’m not particularly bothered by government shutdowns, with the notable exception of the hardship it imposes on military families. Other than that, I don’t think the country suffers too much from a temporary reduction in bureaucratic red tape production.

London Burning

According to Stephen Timms, a Minister of Parliament in the United Kingdom, the city of London has more acid attacks per capita than any other city in the world.

Shortly after Timms’ unhappy news hit the streets, the UK Sun ran a story about the epidemic under the headline “London acid attack map reveals the areas of the capital too dangerous for delivery drivers because of the epidemic. Moped drivers now stop work after dark because of the danger of attacks.”

Dust in the Wind

Published by Examiner Publications – January 3, 2017.

It is somewhat unfair to pick on one reporter, when I am morally certain that many others have written similar stuff, but the story that landed in my inbox was penned by one Alex Ruppenthal, so it is Alex whom we will critique.

The story, dated December 22, 2017 and published at chicagotonight.wttw.com involves my old Southeast Side stomping grounds, so it is particularly near and dear to my heart. It involves all of the pieces that are required when covering environmental issues in this day and age: a supposedly heartless industrial villain, an innocent populace being placed in grave danger, and a cadre of do-gooders riding to the rescue of the poor, ignorant villagers.

Dreaming

Published by Examiner Publications – December 20, 2017.

Let me start out by saying that I really like Father Bill Zavaski. Father Bill, a retired priest who helps out from time to time with services at my home parish, Holy Family Catholic Community, is a genuinely good man who – from all I can tell – genuinely practices what he preaches and harbors no hidden animosity toward anyone. As I am about to use a sermon delivered by this good man as an example of how good men and women of all sorts can be fooled by false promises and twisted truths, I want to make it infinitely clear at the outset that Father Bill is not the enemy here. The enemy are those who try to fool good people like Father Bill.

In a nutshell, Father Bill used this week’s homily to urge the congregation to support the so-called “DREAM Act”. Doing so would be a Christian act, he said, because more than 700,000 children were living in fear of being deported should the DREAM Act not become law. He urged us to contact our legislators to vote for passage of the measure.

Managing the Middle East

Published by Examiner Publications – December 13, 2017.

Perhaps someone knows how President Trump’s domestic policies and decisions will ultimately bear fruit, be it sweet or be it poisonous. I’m not savvy enough to offer a confident opinion. The continually record Dow Jones numbers and continually decreasing unemployment numbers suggest the Prez is doing something right, but economics are a complex field, so I’ll defer final judgement in this subject area for the time being.

That said, as a well-travelled fellow, I have no doubt that Trump is nailing it on the foreign-policy front. We are not always blessed with Chief Executives who understand that the President’s proper role in executing foreign policy is to set achievable goals and to then step back and let the professionals achieve those goals.

I Never Knew

 

Published by Examiner Publications – December 6, 2017.

Even at the tired old age of 58 a fellow can find himself exposed to a new bit of knowledge that shakes up his world-view. Such was the case last week when this particular 58 year old fellow discussed the Matt Lauer story with a co-worker.

We’ll call her Jane, in order to protect her anonymity. She’s an all-around good egg: a thirty-something mother of two, a talented engineer and possessed of the kind of personality that most people she meets instantly take a liking to. I would not describe Jane as a radical feminist, but nor would I define her as someone who would put up with blatant misogyny.