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).

Nazis are not Nice

Nazis are not Nice

Do you like Nazis or allied groups such as White Supremacists? Do you think they are good for America? If you answer “yes” to both questions you probably won’t like this book. But it might open your eyes if you decide to read it anyway.

Personally, I don’t like Nazis. They were bad for Germany. We fought them in World War 2 at tremendous cost. These hate groups were fringe in the United States but are becoming more mainstream.
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Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

Jon Meacham has provided us with a great biography of Abraham Lincoln. It is especially good and timely because of the many divisions in the United States. Our country is more divided than any time since the Civil War. And learning about Lincoln and the evolution of his beliefs could yield a few useful lessons that could help us through the current situation.
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Donald Trump should be prosecuted

Donald Trump should be prosecuted

Just Security has done it again. This memo lays out the case of why Donald Trump should be prosecuted.

I believe Donald Trump should be prosecuted for many crimes but this just lays out the case for the crimes related to removing and keeping national security documents and obstruction of the investigation into his handling of these documents.

Here it is – Mar-a-Lago Model Prosecution Memo

https://www.justsecurity.org/84168/mar-a-lago-model-prosecution-memo/

Something to consider as you vote

Something to consider as you vote

I am now reading And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham. And enjoying it as a wonderful biography. I’m only a little past Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858 now but so far I’ve been very pleased with the book. I also think it contains important lessons for us.

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Insurrectionist Wing of the Republican party

Insurrectionist Wing of the Republican party

The insurrectionist Wing of the Republican party is something to fear. Beware of allowing them to take charge.

Should our political leaders be chosen by other politicians ? For example, should the state legislatures be able to override the will of the people as determined by an election ?

Should violent factions choose our leaders as they tried on January 6, 2021 ?

Or should elections determine the results ? I would think most Americans would prefer that.

Making Medicare more expensive

Making Medicare more expensive

Republicans Have sponsored a bill that would raise your Medicare costs. With Democrats in the majority, the bill would probably not ever get out of committee. With a Republican majority, you will likely face higher costs.

What are Senators Mike Lee [R-UT] Cynthia Lummis [R-WY]. James Lankford [R-OK], and Marco Rubio [R-FL] thinking?

A Republic, if you can keep it.

A Republic, if you can keep it.

Benjamin Franklin was asked after the Constitutional Convention what type of government we would have. He replied “A Republic, if you can keep it.” Back in 2018 I posed the same question ‘ “Can we keep our republic ?”.
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Pro-choice is the conservative position

Pro-choice is the conservative position

I am an independent. I feel neither party represents my views fully, although the extremism and pro-insurrection stance of the Republican party is moving me away from that party so I do support Democrats almost exclusively. To be clear, not all Republicans share those views but the party seems to and so do most politicians.

One controversial area is the abortion issue.
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One Thought Scares Me…

One Thought Scares Me…

Richard Dreyfuss argues passionately and convincingly in “One Thought Scares Me…” that a major problem in our educational system is that schools gave up civic education about 50 years ago. I first though the argument was flawed.  After all, I think I had a pretty good civic education.
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I do not understand

I do not understand

I do not understand what Republicans are thinking.

Recently President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 which includes several provisions to reduce prescription drug costs for people with Medicare and also lower drug spending by the federal government. Sounds like a win-win; the people on Medicare save and so does the government.
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New Political Party

New Political Party

I have often thought that our representatives in both the House and the Senate should think independently about the good of the American people and the good of the county when voting (see More RINOs and DINOs needed). Our 2 political parties have become too powerful. The uncompromising party loyalty is the problem.

I had thought the answer was to elect more independents. But the recent appearance of the Forward Party suggests a possibility I had not considered. Independents often have a hard time being elected because of lack of logistic and financial party support. Here there is party support and no pressure to conform to an ideology.
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1989 by Val McDermid

1989 by Val McDermid

Welcome to 1989. This is the second novel in Val McDermid’s series featuring journalist Allie Burns.  I liked the first one (https://www.jackreidy.com/blog/2021/10/04/1979-by-val-mcdermid/) and now it is 10 years later and there have been quite a few changes in 10 years.

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Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle

Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle

The full title is The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth by Diana Preston.

And it is an extensive story of that journey which was so important for our understanding of the development of life and how life and the Earth changed over time. At almost 500 pages it is rather long and detailed for the casual reader. There are extensive quotes which made the book enjoyable for me.

I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read it in advance. The book was published October 4 so It should be readily available at you favorite source

A Life Care Plan: Helping You Navigate The Aging Journey

A Life Care Plan: Helping You Navigate The Aging Journey

I had my reservations about this book after reading the first few pages. It seemed like a promotional advertisement for a specific firm. The full title is A Life Care Plan: Helping You Navigate The Aging Journey by Barbara McGinnis; Bryan J Adler; Tim Takacs; Jerold Rothkoff; Debra King; Kathleen Magee; Jacinda Graham
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former Republican book review – Why We Did It

former Republican book review – Why We Did It

The book is “Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell” by Tim Miller.  Many of us may recognize the author fr0m his TV appearances as a commentator.

I liked it.  For those of you who like a short summary you could stop there but please don’t.
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