Author: Jack
I retired in 2008 and so I have more time now to devote to several of my interests The blog here is mainly for my interests in some current events but may have the occasional rant on other subjects. I have also decided to keep my genealogy posts and book reviews here instead of 2 additional blogs (and so simplify my life a little).

Congress fails again

Congress fails again

Posted on by Jack

It has been months, yet Congress fails to get serious. Our Congress fails again to seriously address the public heath emergency caused by the Zika virus.

President Obama requested $1.9 billion for Zika prevention about 6 months ago, but Congress has not been able to agree on a bill to fund this. Not much has changed since I wrote about this almost a month ago (see Zika, politics as usual) except that Congress has left on vacation without doing anything. Continue reading “Congress fails again”

Bernie or bust mistake

Bernie or bust mistake

Posted on by Jack

I watched part of the first night of the Democratic Party convention last night. As I expected, after the primary contest there was still considerable support for Bernie Sanders, his ideas, and the political revolution he started.

But Bernie came in second. It was a great showing, especially since many considered the primary process to be unfair to Sanders.

The convention will nominate the winner Hillary Clinton to oppose the Republican nominee Donald Trump. Some Sanders’ supporters think the best course is to sit out the election and not vote for anyone. This is the “Bernie or bust” group and I think they are making a huge mistake.

I doubt many of them would prefer a Trump presidency to a Clinton presidency. But that could be the result if Hillary Clinton does not get the support of all Democrats and progressives.

So “Bernie or bust” people think about it. Do you really want to take a chance on the outcome of this election? Well, we all take a chance every 4 years. Those who vote get a say in the outcome.

Scenic drives

Scenic drives

Posted on by Jack

We like driving get-aways. It might be a day trip or maybe a short journey of a few days. Sometimes you are in a rush to get somewhere but if you have the time, scenic drives make the journey worthwhile in itself.

We have a book I have mentioned here before, National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways: The 300 Best Drives in the U.S.. As the title tells us has hundreds of scenic drives in the United States.

This time we were going to spend one night away from home which gave us 2 days of sight-seeing. We decided to see the lower to middle Hudson Valley in New York. We had been there before but usually we had a specific destination in mind and were in a rush to get there.
Continue reading “Scenic drives”

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver

Posted on by Jack

I like Jeffery Deaver’s books. I know I have read several and enjoyed them immensely, especially the Lincoln Rhyme novels. So when I saw an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver on Netgalley, I immediately requested it. I was reading another book at the time which I planned on finishing and had several others in line to be read but this one jumped to the front of the “to be read” line.

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver is the latest Lincoln Rhyme novel. I had high expectations and this did not disappoint. Continue reading “The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver”

One Nation Under God

One Nation Under God

Posted on by Jack

I was driving and the show on the radio interested me. An author was being interviewed about his book.  I missed part of it.  The interview had started before I got in my car. I picked up on a show in-progress  but  I heard enough that I was definitely interested.

Has the United States always been a Christian nation?  I believe the answer is “No”.  Why do many others think the  answer is “Yes”?

In “One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America”, Kevin M. Kruse delves into the question of why so many believe that the United States always been a Christian nation.

I think the evidence is quite clear Continue reading “One Nation Under God”

The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett

The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett

Posted on by Jack

Before reading “The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett” by Nathan Ward, I knew very little about Dashiell Hammett. I had seen “The Maltese Falcon” and maybe another movie or two based on his books and knew he was an important figure in crime fiction but I did not know much more.

This book briefly describes a childhood in rural southern Maryland, Philadelphia and Baltimore. After leaving school and failing at several jobs, he found his niche with Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

Continue reading “The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett”

She loses and refuses

She loses and refuses

Posted on by Jack

The Rowan County Kentucky clerk still refuses to obey the law and issue marriage licenses to gay couples despite a Supreme Court Ruling making same-sex marriage a right nationwide and losing her court case and subsequent appeals claiming that to do so would violate her religious freedom.

She loses and refuses to do her job. She was elected to do the job of county clerk. She should do it. Not just the parts she likes, but all of it. Continue reading “She loses and refuses”

Rowan County Kentucky Clerk should resign or follow the law

Rowan County Kentucky Clerk should resign or follow the law

Posted on by Jack

The Rowan County Kentucky Clerk’s Office has decided not to obey the law and issue marriage licenses to gay couples despite a Supreme Court Ruling making same-sex marriage a right nationwide. The Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis claimed doing so would be a violation of her religious rights.

However, U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning felt differently and ordered the office to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. Continue reading “Rowan County Kentucky Clerk should resign or follow the law”

DARK and truth in food labeling

DARK and truth in food labeling

Posted on by Jack

A couple years back I wrote here about Truth in food labeling and said:

Ideally labels should have the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That is, they should at a minimum tell you everything added to the food and in addition have other information (organic,, genetically modified, etc) to the extent practical. Obviously, there will not be room enough to tell you everything but let’s aim to have everything a reasonable consumer might look for.

I was more concerned Continue reading “DARK and truth in food labeling”

William Greer Scotland to Brooklyn 1849-1943

William Greer Scotland to Brooklyn 1849-1943

Posted on by Jack

One branch of my family is descended from Ruth Allingham of Glencar, Leitrim, Ireland who married Matthew Greer.

William Greer (1849-1943) was Ruth’s stepchild. Born of Matthew Greer and Jane Burkhard in Scotland on Feb 14 1849 (according to his death cert). He was raised in Sligo, Ireland by Ruth and Matthew. It seems he was the first in the Allingham-Greer family to emigrate to New York (about 1872) and played an important part in gradually bringing over the rest of the family. He married Elizabeth Farrington around 1875.

Children of William and Elizabeth Continue reading “William Greer Scotland to Brooklyn 1849-1943”

Is Marie Greer really Maria Dresher ?

Is Marie Greer really Maria Dresher ?

Posted on by Jack

I was looking at the John Greer and Julia Hopkins Family of New York again and noticed a coincidence or maybe not.

I had noted a daughter Marrie born around 1909 who seems to have died in childhood, I assume the name is actually Marie or maybe Mary or Maria and it was just written with two “r”s in the 1910 census when she was less than a year old. I had assumed Marie Greer died young because she did not appeared in the 1915 New York census or any subsequent census records. Lottie is still Lottie Greer in the 1910 census.

But the 1915 census shows the daughter Lottie as Lottie Dresher with 2 daughters Maria Dresher (age 6) and Rita Dresher (age 2). Lottie and her daughters are living with her mother. Continue reading “Is Marie Greer really Maria Dresher ?”

What part of “any person” does Justice Roberts not understand ?

What part of “any person” does Justice Roberts not understand ?

Posted on by Jack

Today the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-to-4 vote that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. In his dissent Justice Roberts suggested that there was nothing relevant in the Constitution. How about the 14th Amendment?

Amendment XIV
Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

What part of “any person” does Justice Roberts not understand? I know Justice Scalia has trouble with concepts such as “all persons” or “any person” but I thought Justice Roberts was better.

#TheNewTen and #NewerDollars

#TheNewTen and #NewerDollars

Posted on by Jack

I just got back from Ireland and Northern Ireland and I see one of the discussions in the U.S. involves replacing Alexander Hamilton on the ten dollar bill with a woman (see #TheNewTen on twitter). And there are several woman candidates but we haven’t settled on one yet.

Well, I don’t think the ten dollar bill is the right place for at least 2 reasons. I also don’t see a clear reason to pick one of the suggested women over the other suggestions for this honor.

First to the ten. Alexander Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers. He never became president but is very important. He probably had more to do with getting the country off on a sound financial footing than anyone else. For this reason, it seems that keeping him on a bill is appropriate.

If we are to free-up a bill to honor a woman, I’d suggest the twenty dollar bill is more suitable. Continue reading “#TheNewTen and #NewerDollars”

John Greer in Folsom Prison

John Greer in Folsom Prison

Posted on by Jack

As mentioned before I’ve been filling in some details on collateral relatives in hopes I’ll find something that gives me some insight or additional direction on my more direct line. More specifically, I’ve been looking at the John Greer and Julia Mary Hopkins family of New York City.

I’ve previously written about two sons Charles John Greer and Horace A. Greer.

Now I add a third son with legal trouble, John J. Greer. I do not know what the J is for. It seems very probable that this is the same John J. Greer that was in Folsom Prison (Folsom, CA) in the 1940s. Second degree burglary put Greer in Folsom. His prior record included prison stays for theft and counterfeiting in New York, Connecticut, Atlanta (GA), and Lewisburg (PA).

If this sounds familiar to anyone, I’d be eager to hear and glad to share any information.