Time to Think

No Beautiful Day in This Neighborhood By Hank Silverberg I am writing this on Sunday morning in the social hall at my temple. There is a group of students nearby practicing for their B’Nai Mitzvah. It is a cold fall day with rain in the forecast, and two Stafford County, Virginia, Sheriff’s deputies are sitting in their patrol cars in the parking lot. On the other side of the wall, in the sanctuary, sits a Torah scroll that was rescued from the city of Nymburk, in what was once Czechoslovakia, during the Holocaust.   It has found a safe place at this temple, which is a place where I too feel at home while my wife helps run the congregation kitchen.  My four-year-old grandson is in nearby classroom learning the Hebrew alphabet, and his younger brother is crawling on the floor near his mother's ever-watchful eyes. It is 10 a.m. on Sunday when millions of Americans are at church or temple in what has been labeled as the most segregated hour in America. Yet I must question wha

                                                                                                                                            Politics Wars—A New Hope By Hank Silverberg One thing I continue to hear from many people across the country as we move towards the November mid-term elections is the worry that the Democrats provide no real options for Americans. The voters see no leader in the Democratic Party who can step forward and counter the country’s dramatic slant to the right. They don’t see it in the current leadership, but are more worried that they don’t see any new hope on the horizon, such as someone younger than 50.     The old school Democrats like Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) or House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are really not leading anything but an anti-Trump movement, which by itself can not move us forward again. Someone, from somewhere, must come forward and take charge. It presents the scenario where Trump and his rubber

True or False By Hank Silverberg 17) True or False: Most mainstream news organizations produce fake news based on a political agenda. (3pts) It seemed like a very easy question for students in my Introduction to Communications class. We had spent an entire session talking about the difference between pundits and reporters, slant and bias and how to detect fake news organizations. (See my blog from 2/2/18). I was dismayed when half the students in the class got it wrong. The answer to the test question is "FALSE."     I have gone over my notes and power-point from that lecture wracking my brain trying to figure out why the reality didn't sink in.  I intend to ask them about it when we go over the exam this week. But I think I already know the reason. Despite all the tips I gave them about how to detect fake news, what constitutes a mainsteam news organization or a news organization in general, and what “slant” and “bias” mean, they are still constantly bomb

The New Supreme Court By Hank Silverberg Brett Kavanaugh is now a Supreme Court Justice. He was sworn in just a few hours after the Senate gave final approval to his nomination. The media continued to focus on what Maine Senator Susan Collins said, or how Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia bucked his party and voted in favor of Kavanaugh, or how big of a success the appointment was for Donald Trump. Only a few news organizations, including The Washington Post , reported that the D.C. Appeals court clerk forwarded more than a dozen complaints of “judicial misconduct” against Kavanaugh in recent weeks to Chief Justice John Roberts. Roberts chose not to forward them to a judicial panel for an investigation. (Not surprising, since it was Kavanaugh, as a lawyer in George W. (Chief Justice John Roberts, SCOTUS photo)  Bush’s White House, who recommended Roberts for the high court in 2005. Mr. Bush writes about the recommendation in his  book.)    Wh

The Country is Very Sick---of Politics By Hank Silverberg An interesting experience this past Saturday has led me to the conclusion that many people in the United States are suffering from politics-itis, a new unclassified disease that makes people run from anything political. You may have experienced this as well at the dinner table with friends or at your workplace.  I had a chance to sell some of my books at the Fredericksburg Book Festival. There were many genres of  books at the gathering, from Science Fiction to children’s stories, to graphic novels.   I was selling three of my books, two with political themes and one about growing up in the suburbs in the 60’s.  My table had two big posters of my latest book, “The Campaign,” attached to it. Early in the day as people walked by each booth, they seemed to turn away from my table as soon as they read the posters.   About an hour into the Festival I started with a new greeting letting people know the political boo