Saturday, June 6, 2020 – not your ordinary Saturday

Saturday, June 6, 2020 is the day we should be commemorating the 76th anniversary of the battle that was the beginning of the end of World War II. It was on June 6, 1944, D-Day, the day that the allies landed on the beaches of Normandy and began the offensive against Nazi armies that ended in Germany’s surrender 10 months later.

But not this Saturday.

Are we at the crossroads between “In Union there is Strength” and “Divide and Conquer?”

Attorney General William Barr, of course, is one of the greatest enigmas in this whole sordid Trump mess. I don’t understand what motivates him and his behavior. But he’s clearly doing whatever he can to protect and defend this horror of a president and administration.

But there are others, as Anne Applebaum writes in The Atlantic, The Collaborators.

But finally, some former military leaders are speaking out against this president and this presidency.

GOP Senators take stand against Trump’s St. John’s Church visit and Bible stunt

As the country and the world move from one existential crisis to another; as we edge inextricably closer from being the USA to the USD (United States of Dystopia); as Donald Trump, along with his toadies, AG Barr, SecDef Esper, Gen. Milley, among others, clear peaceful protesters with mounted police, tear gas and flash bangs for the purpose of a phony photo-op, GOP senators finally stand for something…not being late for lunch!

“Plot, Plan, Strategize, Organize, and Mobilize”

Killer Mike: Before my daughter sent me a video of Killer Mike making his impassioned plea at a press conference on Friday with Atlanta’s mayor, I had never heard of him. I had no idea who Killer Mike was. Now I do.

Susan Glasser: The New Yorker writer’s tweet about the state of 2020 America made it clear – it’s only June 1 but we have four of the most horrific years in American history, 1974, 1918, 1929 and 1968 all wrapped up in one Trumpian package.

In Days of Discord, President Trump Fans the Flames

In these horrific times in America, two articles published today struck a chord with me.

The first, by Peter Baker of the New York Times, “In Days of Discord, President Trump Fans the Flames,” made it clearer to me why the world is pitying the United States.

The second, by San Francisco Chronicle sports writer Ann Killion, “Kaepernick and Floyd: 2 knees, 2 reactions, 1 issue,” highlighted the “disturbing irony” of those two knees.

“Raid the Mailboxes” and other street games we played

It’s probably hard to believe that a Trump presser in the Oval Office in which he railed about absentee ballots and voter fraud would remind me of growing up in Brooklyn. But it did…with a little “Around the Block – News with a Twist” imagination thrown in.

Nero fiddled while Rome burned; Trump tweets while Americans die!

On Memorial Day we spend time remembering those who lost their lives and could not come home, reflecting on their service, a service that has given us the luxury of freedom that we enjoy today. It is the holiday that most represents what America should be: “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.”

Who should be leading this tribute to our fallen heroes? Right – the President of the United States!

Except when the President of the United States is Donald John Trump.

Can Coney Island Survive This?

Lauren Vespoli’s NY Times article, “Can Coney Island Survive This?” reminds me of my own relationship with Coney Island; a relationship I first wrote about in 2012.

Why? Because Coney Island, is the magical place where my grandparents lived for many years and I lived the first year of my life.

Lauren Vespoli’s NY Times article, “Can Coney Island Survive This?” reminds me of my own relationship with Coney Island; a relationship I first wrote about in 2012.

Why? Because Coney Island is the magical place where my grandparents lived for many years and where I lived for the first year of my life. Frequent visits to my grandparents gave me the opportunity to get to know the mid–‘50’s Coney Island.