Thoughts On Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day

We are told that education creates pathways to the future. That being said, how we are educated is dependent on who controls our what is or is not taught.

Yesterday was Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day.

Depending on where one lives within the United States determines if one and/or both holidays are listed on the calendar.

The purpose of both Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day is to honor and educate about the histories of both Italian Americans and Native Americans. But while Columbus Day has been part of our culture for generations, it’s Native American counterpart is relatively new.

The issue is that while we celebrate the “discovery” of America by Christopher Columbus, we are discarding the true history of the period. The New World, as it was known then by Europeans, was not empty. Nor was it waiting to be discovered. There were hundreds, if not thousands of Native American nations who lived and thrived on American soil long before Columbus “found” this land.

The “founding” of America by Columbus was the catalyst for colonization and the destruction of the Native American way of life.

The question is, how do we reconcile the truth of the past? The easy answer is nationalize Indigenous People’s Day as a holiday. But like many things that appear to be easy, the reality is that it difficult and complicated, especially in our current political climate. The truth is that I don’t have an answer.

But I do know that is time to give our Native American brothers and sisters the respect and the history they deserve.

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Do We Really Want a “Whites Only” President for Another Four Years?

Since we were children, Americans have been taught that we are a nation made up different people. But the one thing that binds us all together is that we are American.

As pretty as that statement is, it is a pipe dream, even in 2020. Racism and xenophobia still rule the day. It does not help when we have a President whose policies and beliefs essentially come down to one statement “whites only“.

Though he may deny it or walk about what he has said, there is no denying that his man is a racist.

The question is do we want a President for another four years who believes in “whites only?”

I don’t.

George W. Bush and the 2005 Pandemic Warning

Politics has a way of creating divisiveness like few things.

Back in the early 2000’s, former President George W. Bush was, like any President, liked or disliked based on where one stood on the political scale.

Just this morning, a news story caught my eye. Fifteen years ago, the former President Bush was on vacation and reading a book about the 1918 Pandemic. This book spurred him to push his administration to create a plan if a pandemic should occur in the future.

I was not a fan of his politics or his actions as President back then. But knowing now that they were preparing for a future pandemic, especially given the inaction of the current Presidential administration, I appreciate President Bush’s stubbornness in regards to the subject.

In 2017, Will Ferrell became President Bush once more at the Not the White House Correspondence Dinner. He asked the audience how they liked him now. If anyone would have asked me that question fifteen years ago, my answer would have been different than it is today. Right now, I like him as President much more than the current occupant of the White House.

Happy Sunday.

Throwback Thursday-Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (2016-Present)

For the most part, late night TV has been a boys game. Only a handful of women have been able to be successful in the genre.

Samantha Bee is one of them.

Her late night talk show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee premiered in 2016 on TBS and has been a smash hit ever since. Combining news with satire, social commentary and a biting feminist wit, Bee presents the news of the day with a perspective that I believe is sorely needed.

I am huge fan of this show. Bee is smart, inquisitive and incredibly funny. This show is the perfect antidote to the staid and sometimes scary news that tells the story of our era.

I absolutely recommend it.

Thoughts On Sex Ed for Senators

Logic states that when a major decision needs to be made, one completes research and gathers all of the facts before making said decision. Unfortunately, politics and logic don’t always go hand in hand.

In the wake of the Alabama abortion bill and the various fetal heartbeat bill that have passed in other states, I hope that the lawmakers consulted with anyone in the medical community or at least have someone on their staff check on the Internet before signing the bills into law. But hope often springs eternal.

The scary part of these bills is that these lawmakers are putting the lives of America’s women and girls in danger without blinking an eye. If they really cared about us, they would in the very least, speak to a medical professional or ask one of their staff to make sure that they have the right information. But they didn’t and because of that, who knows how many lives could be at stake?

Thank you, Samantha Bee for speaking the truth. If only we could all do the same.

Thoughts On The Difference Between The Samantha Bee And Roseanne Barr Controversies

There is not a day that goes by, recently, where some celebrity is in trouble for putting their foot in their mouth.

Earlier this week, despite the massive ratings and profits for the network from the first season of the Roseanne reboot, the show was cancelled. The show’s star and titular actor, Roseanne Barr made a rather nasty and racist comment about Valerie Jarrett, a political adviser to former President Obama on Twitter. This social media faux pas forced the network to cancel the show.

Last night,  during her weekly show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee host Samantha Bee referred to first daughter Ivanka Trump as a c**t.

While both comments are inexcusable, as I see it, there is a difference, which must be observed in context. Roseanne’s social media history is littered with outrageous claims and statements that are far from politically correct.

Samantha Bee is a comedian who uses her show to talk about the issues that we are dealing with. During this specific segment, she was talking about the children who arrive at our borders with their parents seeking asylum. These children are then taken from their parents by the government. The point of the segment was to point out that Ivanka, like the rest of those who work for and cater to you know who, are tone-deaf to the real issues that America is dealing with today.

Ultimately, this scandal will fade into our collective cultural history and another will take its place soon enough. I just wonder, that when these scandals fade into memory, will we be able to come together as a country or will we be torn apart forever?

John Kelly and the “Compromise” That Would Have Prevented the Civil War

It’s no secret that the Trump Presidency has been a hot mess since day 1. When General John Kelly became Chief of Staff earlier this year, there seemed to be a promise of  being the “adult in the room”.

That promise, if it ever truly existed, has not exactly come to pass. Kelly has just become another Trump crony repeating the “alternative facts” that has become a hallmark of the current administration.

The latest “alternative fact” coming from Washington D.C. is that The Civil War could have been prevented if the North and the South had simply compromised. I’m not an expert on that period, but I know enough to know that compromising was not an option. I could go further, but I will let Samantha Bee take over from here.

So much for being the adult in the room.