Time to Think

Dodos                                                #276 By Hank Silverberg  The Dodo bird was first noted by Dutch sailors on the island of Madagascar in the late 16th Century. But because of  hunting and exposure to predators (humans) by mid-17th century, the Dodo and some of its fowl cousins were extinct.  The Republican party was first noted by abolitionists in 1856. They took it to the White House in 1860 and the party had a successful run through much of the 20th century. But now, as the 21st century matures, The Grand Old Party that we knew may also be extinct?     The announcement by Senate Minority L eader Mitch McConnell that he will leave that job after the November election may be further evidence that the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan is finally dead. I disagree with McConnell on just about every issue he has ever d...

The Voter Fraud Myth                                  #275 By Hank Silverberg "If you tell a big lie enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."  The "big lie" theory, stated clearly in Hitler's Mein Kampf  and practiced for almost ten brutal years in the last century by Joseph Goebbels and his Nazi collaborators unfortunately works.  And I am sorry to say, we see it invading the truth again today here in the United States, with the continuing promotion of the election fraud myth by Donald Trump and his MAGA minions.  It's evident in exit polls from the primaries held so far this election cycle.  This week in South Carolina, where Donald Trump handily beat Nikki Haley, six out of ten of the people asked as they left their polling place said that there was fraud in the 2020 election and that Joe Biden was not legally elected president. That's 60%. G...

Borders                                            #274 By Hank Silverberg  Ukraine has withdrawn from the key eastern city of Avdiivka under heavy pressure from Russian troops in a major setback for the beleaguered Ukrainians. Part of the reason is the lack  of ammunition for their artillery. The Ukrainians will now form a better defensive line as they continue to hold off against superior Russian forces. At the same time, the U.S. Congress continues to hold off on any more aide for those forces.  A bill that would provide $95 billion in aide to both Ukraine and Israel continues to languish in the House because of the long-running debate over whether to include money for security on our own southern border as part of the deal.  There is a lot of presidential politics in play over this debate (Trump is against the bill), but our congressional leaders may be m...

Baby Boomers Unite                                #273 By Hank Silverberg    I was playing with my six-year-old grandson this past weekend and after a while of playing with his plastic Mario Brothers characters, we decided to turn on the TV and stream one of his favorite programs.  It was a frustrating experience for me because his parents don't own a TV remote. They use video game controllers to do the job instead. I kept hitting the wrong button until my grandson took over and found his show in a minute.  If I was running for president, would someone say I had dementia or Alzheimer's?     I remember laughing at my wonderful mother when she could never learn how to program her VCR.                        If you are over 65 or close, the world considers you a "senior citizen."  In many companies and jobs ...

Immigration Battle--Party or Country?            #272 By Hank Silverberg  There is no question that the immigration system in the United States is broken. It's been that way for decades. Now, with very large numbers of immigrants making the crossing into the U.S. illegally, there should be a bipartisan effort to fix it. But there isn't. For decades, Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on the best way to cut down border crossings and because of party politics, it has now reached what some are calling a "crisis".  Who is to blame? Well, both parties really. Until recently, there has been very little effort to come up with some kind of a solution short of putting up a huge wall and barbed wire, which will NEVER work (just ask the Israelis).  This week there is some hope. A bi-partisan group of senators, after months of work, says they have a deal on a $110 billion package of international aid that includes money to beef up the border and sp...