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Donald Who? Forgetting Trump
The discarding of Donald Trump and his minions into the dustbin of history
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The Bizarro World- Trump Style
First Month of Trump's Second Term
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Stop the Steal
A look at the 2024 election
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Wwftd- What Would Franklin and Teddy Do? Leadership for the 21st Century- Part VI
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WWFTD—What Would Franklin and Teddy Do? Leadership for the 21st Century
The last three presidents of the US have not done much to unite the country.
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WWFTD- What would Franklin and Teddy Do? Leadership for the 21st Century Part IV
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WWFTD- What Would Franklin and Teddy Do? Leadership for the 21st Century- Part III
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WWFTD: What would Franklin and Teddy Do? Leadership for the 21st century- Part II
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WWFTD- What would Franklin and Teddy Do? Leadership for the 21st Century
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Bernie vs Biden
the battle between the establishment and outsider
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What's in a Name: Changing the Culture of Washington, Slowly
CHANGING SOME OF THE OUTDATED ASPECTS OF WASHINGTON DC
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You Don't Know Burma (Neither Do I)
Most people in the United States might be hard pressed to locate Burma on a map, or realize it is the scene of the world's worst humanitarian crises since Rwanda in the 1990's.
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The First 100 Days in Trumpland
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Better Than Our Leaders
The sad state of American politics
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TEDDY AND THE DONALD
TEDDY AND THE DONALD Donald Trump’s bruising battle with his fellow candidates for the Republican nomination and the party leaders harkens back to Teddy Roosevelt’s struggle against the establishment in 1912, to gain what he rightly...
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Dogmas of the Past-Racism in the U.S.
President Abraham Lincoln and the issue of race
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Like We Have Been There Before, a Return to Civility
LIKE WE HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE, A RETURN TO CIVILITY A person only needs to watch a few minutes of any cable news station to witness another blast from the Trumpanator- Donald Trump, billionaire businessman and erstwhile Republican...
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George Washington- the Call of Duty
A much needed example for the 2016 presidential candidates
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America's First Family- The Roosevelts
America's most successful political family- TR and FDR
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The Irish Machiavelli
The story of Eamon DeValera, Irish statesman of the 20th century
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Down the Home Stretch- President Obama at the 3/4 Pole
analysis of President Obama's first 6 years in office
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A Political Prisoner of the U.S.
The sad story of Leonard Peltier and the United States government
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Foreign Policy Follies
FOREIGN POLICY FOLLIES Watching the U.S. sink deeper and deeper into the Middle East quagmire, much of which is of our own making, one cannot but think of a term the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart employs a lot these days: clusterf**k. Hard...
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LBJ- Consummate or Conniving Politican?
LBJ- CONSUMATE OR CONNIVING POLITICIAN? Lyndon Baines Johnson is one of the most interesting and ultimately tragic figures of American History in the 20th century. Yet it is hard to feel much sympathy for the man because his downfall...
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Thomas Jefferson- Contradictory Genius
THOMAS JEFFERSON- CONTRADICTORY GENIUS While reading Jon Meacham’s “Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power”, I was struck by the jumble of contradictions that made up this titan from the Founding Fathers generation. Unfortunately, several of...
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BLAME AND SHAME GAME
THE BLAME AND SHAME GAME The Republicans are holding the country hostage. President Obama refuses to negotiate. Useless finger-pointing that does nobody any good, while the nation sinks deeper into the mire. I feel a disclaimer is...
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UP THE IRISH!-XI- 26+6=1
UP THE IRISH! XI- 26+6 =1 Almost lost in the struggle between supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and its opponents was that the fate of 6 northeast counties in Ireland had been decided the year before. The Government of Ireland Act...
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UP THE IRISH X!- WAR OF INDEPENDENCE/CIVIL WAR, 1919-23
UP THE IRISH! X- WAR OF INDEPENDENCE/CIVIL WAR 1919-23 The British promise of self-government for Ireland at the end of World War I proved hollow. The Irish people did go to the polls in December, 1918, and voted overwhelming for Sinn Fein (73...
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UP THE IRISH IX- THE EASTER RISING 1916
UP THE IRISH! IX- THE EASTER RISING 1916 Not only did the British government employ the start of World War I as an excuse to delay Home Rule for Ireland, but made participation in it the stick for the Irish to get the carrot of...
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UP THE IRISH!-VIII- PARNELL AND HOME RULE
UP THE IRISH!-VIII- PARNELL AND HOME RULE The great upheaval of the Famine did not solve the problem that was its greatest cause: the landlord system. James Fintan Lalor had pinpointed the solution in 1848, “A secure and independent...
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UP THE IRISH !- VII- THE FENIANS
UP THE IRISH !-VII-THE FENIANS While the country was in the depths of the Famine, a group of men still schemed to break Ireland’s chains from Britain. Coming from the well-to-do classes, Protestant and Catholic, they had been able to escape...
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UP THE IRISH!-VI- AN GORTA MOR- THE GREAT HUNGER
UP THE IRISH! VI- AN GORTA MOR- THE GREAT HUNGER Ireland in the early 1800’s was a land whose appearances were very deceiving. The introduction of the potato the previous century had allowed the population to double from 4 to 8 million....
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UP THE IRISH!-V- RISING OF THE MOON 1798
UP THE IRISH!-V- RISING OF THE MOON 1798 Though the 17th century mercifully ended for Ireland, the 18th would bring little relief, at least to the native Catholic population. Their status was succinctly stated by the English Lord...
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WISDOM OF OUR ANCESTORS-III- FIRST PEOPLES EDITION
WISDOM OF OUR ANCESTORS-III- FIRST PEOPLE’S EDITION In this segment, I have chosen quotes exclusively from Native American voices of the past. Despite their great variations in culture and language, all First Peoples believed achieving...
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UP THE IRISH!-IV- NA GEANA FIADHAINE- THE WILD GEESE
UP THE IRISH!-IV- NA GEANA FIADHAINE- THE WILD GEESE It is tragic when the history of one’s country is so intertwined with that of another, but for Ireland this has been the case. The decision by King Henry VIII of England to break with the...
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NEW POPE, NEW DIRECTION?
NEW POPE, NEW DIRECTION? The news that Pope Benedict would be stepping down on February 28 stunned the world, but I found it to be the most positive step taken during his term as pontiff. I have no personal animus against his holiness, but...
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UP THE IRISH!-III- COIMHTHIOCH
UP THE IRISH!- III- COIMHTHIOCH Coimhthioch is the Irish word for foreigner, and sadly, invasion and conquest by outsiders would play an ever increasing role in Ireland’s history for over 1000 years. First to arrive were the Vikings in...
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WISDOM OF OUR ANCESTORS- II: ABRAHAM LINCOLN BIRTHDAY SPECIAL
WISDOM OF OUR ANCESTORS II- ABRAHAM LINCOLN BIRTHDAY SPECIAL February 12th being the 204th anniversary of the birth of our greatest president, I thought it might be appropriate to share some of his musings on the imperative issue of his...
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UP THE IRISH!-II- THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY
UP THE IRISH!-II- THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY Religion in Celtic Ireland before St. Patrick was based on following the rhythms of the seasons, overseen by the druids. These “pagan” superstitions had deep roots, and their traditions...
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A CALL FOR ELECTORAL REFORM
A CALL FOR ELECTORAL REFORM Washington plods from crisis to crisis- the fiscal cliff, the debt ceiling (this one they kicked down the road a few months), funding the government- all situations Congress and the president created through their...
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UP THE IRISH!-I- "SING OF OLD EIRE"
UP THE IRISH-I- “SING OF OLD EIRE” To most, Ireland is known for its lush, green fields, hard-drinking on St. Patrick’s Day (and the rest of the year for that matter), and bitter fighting between Catholics and Protestants in the northern...
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A LETTER FOR THE SECOND TERM
A LETTER FOR THE SECOND TERM Congratulations, Mr. President, you are our 17th Chief Executive to have been elected for two terms. Included in that group are the greatest presidents- Lincoln, Washington, FDR, Jefferson; a few good ones- Monroe,...
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SOME THOUGHTS ON GUN SAFETY
SOME THOUGHTS ON GUN SAFETY It is perhaps not the best idea to dive into a debate where emotion could overrule reason, which is very understandable in the wake of the Sandy Hook grammar school shootings, but I have contemplated the issue of...
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THE COVER-UP TO PROTECT THE BRAND NAME:PENN STATE AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, PART II
Joe Paterno seems to have been driven by a desire to protect his god-like image, rather than money. The man had more money than perhaps one would think a football coach should have. This of course is part of the problem. Something is definitely...
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THE COVER-UP TO PROTECT THE BRAND NAME: PENN STATE AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
THE COVER-UP TO PROTECT THE BRAND NAME: PENN STATE AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH One would not usually associate an institution of higher learning and a church with the term “brand name”, but over the last 30 years or so, education and...
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A DAY THAT CHANGED AMERICA
A DAY THAT CHANGED AMERICA 150 years ago this year, on September 17, 1862, the bloodiest day in United States History occurred outside a sleepy, little town in Western Maryland called Sharpsburg. The Battle of Antietam (named for the...
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THANKSGIVING: A NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE
THANKSGIVING: A NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE Officially, Thanksgiving was designated a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 with the following words: “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United...
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'YOUR WIFE WEARS COMBAT BOOTS"- MUDSLINGING IN POLITICS
‘YOUR WIFE WEARS COMBAT BOOTS”- MUD-SLINGING IN POLITICS Well, another presidential campaign has come and gone. It will take awhile to clean-up all the mud flung fast and furious by both sides. Mitt Romney would deny women their...
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CAPITALISM, COMMUNISM, SOCIALISM: WHAT'S IN A NAME?
CAPITALISM, COMMUNISM, SOCIALISM: WHAT’S IN A NAME? If you watched FOX News for any length of time during the just finished campaign, you heard the words Socialism, Communism, and Capitalism peppered in the analyses of their “experts”....
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THE MIDDLE EAST QUAGMIRE: WILL IT EVER END?- CAMPAIGN 2012
THE MIDDLE EAST QUAGMIRE: WILL IT EVER END? 3 wars in less than 20 years. Thousands of American lives lost, hundreds of thousands wounded or maimed, many for life. Non-combatants struck down, such as our ambassador to Libya, Christopher...
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PLAYING THE CLASS STRUGGLE CARD- CAMPAIGN 2012
PLAYING THE CLASS STRUGGLE CARD-CAMPAIGN 2012 Rich people, hide your money, fancy cars and vacation homes, Obama and the Democrats are coming to steal these extravagances and re-distribute them to the poor, like Robin Hood of old. They...
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WISDOM OF OUR ANCESTORS
WISDOM OF OUR ANCESTORS Feeling a little lost? Not quite sure life has any meaning? Overwhelmed by the loud, in-your-face consumer society we live in? Don’t know where you get the strength to make it through each day? You are not alone. Just...
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WE SUCK LESS!/THEY SUCK MORE!- CAMPAIGN 2012
WE SUCK LESS/THEY SUCK MORE- CAMPAIGN 2012 After watching delegates at the DNC stumble and bumble, trying to come up with a slogan for President Obama’s campaign for Jon Stewart’s cronies, the above mantra popped into my head. Perfect for the...
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PART III- NATIONAL CONVENTIONS- 1860- RISE OF THE REPUBLICANS
PART III-CONVENTIONS-1860- RISE OF THE REPUBLICANS In stark contrast to the Democrats’ funeral dirge at Charleston, Republican delegates descended on Chicago in a loud, boisterous and celebratory mood. They had good reason to make noise,...
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CONVENTIONS 1860- THE DEMOCRACTS' DEBACLE
CONVENTIONS 1860- PART II- THE DEMOCRATIC DEBACLE Douglas persuaded Congress in 1854 to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which contained what the Little Giant hoped was the final answer to the slavery question- Popular Sovereignty. Let the...
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WE ARE HERE TO NOMINATE... ZZZZZZZ
WE ARE HERE TO NOMINATE……ZZZZZ Could the Republican and Democratic National Nominating Conventions have been any more boring? Perhaps the only thing comparable would be watching C-Span three hours a night for two weeks. At least on the...