On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave a speech in Washington, DC, to an immense crowd that filled the Capitol Mall. Revered and reviled in his time, King stood as the standard bearer in the fight for civil rights.
Clarence Jones, King confidante and one of those who helped draft the scripted [...]
Category Archives: Politics
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech
January 19, 2009 – 3:07 pm
Women’s Rights: Seemingly a Low Priority
January 6, 2009 – 12:14 pm
Following up my previous post on this topic, today I sent the letter below to the editor of the Finger Lakes Times in Seneca Falls, NY:
The struggle for women’s rights has an extraordinary history, and the struggle is ongoing.
My wife and I, on a recent vacation in the Finger Lakes area, made a special pilgrimage [...]
Rule Book Racism: Can a Black Athlete Celebrate?
December 2, 2008 – 2:41 am
Clay mouths off after defeating Liston
In 1964, Cassius Clay, then only 22, brashly boasted that he would upset 7-1 favorite Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship. “I am the greatest!” he shouted. In retrospect, Clay clearly was the greatest. Why did his outbursts upset so many white sportscasters and fans?
One of TO’s many celebrations
In [...]
Women’s Rights–Nothing Since 1993?
November 15, 2008 – 11:54 pm
Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody
On November 15, America’s military gave a woman four stars for the first time. The Army promoted Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, 55, to four-star rank. Breaking the brass ceiling, she will take over as commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Fort Belvoir, Va.
“I recognize that with this selection, some will view [...]
Canvassing in Colorado
November 3, 2008 – 2:20 pm
For the last two days I’ve been knocking on doors. Once a Rocky Mountain red, Colorado’s purple, on the eve of election, has tinted blue.
In surprisingly warm November air, I walked Lakewood, a suburb city northwest of downtown Denver. My streets were sidewalkless and potholed, the mailboxes nameplated with Lopez, Guzman, Escalante.
“Who you with?” a [...]
Daughter Blogs on Huffington Post!
October 24, 2008 – 7:56 am
A bit of kvelling!
In a blog posted today, my daughter supported (maybe, kinda, sorta…) Sarah Palin. Read it. Comment.
In part, Emily wrote:
[Sarah Palin] spent $150,000 on clothes and other grooming in the last few months. I have to cut the woman slack
The “Parade” of Misrepresented Presidential Tax Proposals
October 12, 2008 – 7:27 pm
Today’s issue of Parade, the fish-wrap magazine included gratis in my and many Sunday newspapers, included an article entitled: How Much Would You Pay in Taxes?
It purports to be a non-partisan evaluation of how the two presidential candidates’ tax proposals would affect citizens of various income levels, but it is an example of either [...]
Planetarium Earmark
October 9, 2008 – 9:38 pm
As former chairman of the Summer Science Program (SSP), an academic enrichment program for the very brightest teenagers, I know a bit about astronomy, the focus of SSP’s curriculum. I also know a bit about planetariums ["planetaria" is also accepted, but that sounds like a type of worm to me]. And since SSP once investigated, [...]
Vote Today Ohio–Day 6–Tote Board
October 4, 2008 – 8:51 pm
Our Friday traffic was heavy. We were canvassing every student at Kent State who came within eyesight of our van. We had two shuttles running all day long. Over the week the Vote Today Ohio teams ferried over 2,000 early voters to the polls, with over 800 of them new registrants.
Vote Today Ohio–Day 5–The Morning After
October 3, 2008 – 6:55 am
What to make of the Vice Presidential debate [transcript here] last night?
We err if we view Sarah Palin through the lens of our own ambitions and anxieties. Many assumed she would be apprehensive, even terrified by the prospect of facing millions of Americans. The future of the GOP was hers to destroy.
But this is not [...]
