Category: Current Events

What does “Defund the police” mean?

What does “Defund the police” mean?

Posted on by Jack

“Defund the police” is seen in protests but widely, and often purposely, misunderstood. I had written about this earlier but ran across an interesting article that may give some more useful information relevant to the “Defund the police” slogan which widely misunderstood.

So what is actually meant by this and how is it misunderstood?

Admiral James Stavridis, writing in Time, penned an informative article entitled What Police Can Learn From the Military About the Effectiveness of Soft Power.

Read how the military experience of Admiral Stavridis adds to this important debate.

Protect Democracy from President Trump

Protect Democracy from President Trump

Posted on by Jack

I’m a bit behind in my reading. I’m reading an issue to Time magazine that has been sitting on my coffee table for at least 2 weeks. There were a number of interesting articles about the state of American society but I want to discuss one of those articles today. I think there is at least one more that I will write about later.

Trench Lawfare: Inside the Battles to Save Democracy From the Trump Administration by Molly Ball starts like this but you really should read all of it.

Continue reading “Protect Democracy from President Trump”

Read how the administration is undermining and endangering public health

Read how the administration is undermining and endangering public health

Posted on by Jack

As a retired CDC employee and scientist I read the recent perspective in the Washington Post by 4 former directors of that public health agency.

It starts like this:
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Repeal ACA now and maybe replace later

Repeal ACA now and maybe replace later

Posted on by Jack

President Trump has joined with other Republican officials in a lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA). (see Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Strike Down Affordable Care Act.)

A brief quote from that article:

If successful, the move would permanently end the health insurance program popularly known as Obamacare and wipe out coverage for as many as 23 million Americans.

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The commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence

The commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence

Posted on by Jack

Once again the flaws in our justice system are on display. Senator Mitt Romney calls this ourtrage “Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president.”
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Poor President Trump

Poor President Trump

Posted on by Jack

OK, a bit ambiguous there, Poor President Trump could mean he is just a victim of events or it could mean he is doing a poor job as president. The poor job is the one I am thinking of.

Looking back over the past 4 years or so, I do not notice very many nice things. Check out my archives of Trump or Trump-related posts: https://www.jackreidy.com/blog/tag/donald-trump/

Also you might want to see Trump the victim: President complains in private about the pandemic hurting himself

Save the children from the President

Save the children from the President

Posted on by Jack

President Trump thinks we are in a good place regarding the pandemic. He would like schools to open in the fall. Of course most parents would like that too. And doctors and teachers agree. However all of those groups would like our schools to be safe when they open. The lives of children should be a top priority.

President Trump is pushing an opening. He will pressure governors. He has threatened to deny federal aid to those areas not fully opening. He is pressuring CDC to water-down guidelines. School safety seems less important. Has he learned anything as a cornavirus spreads in states that have reopened before they were ready?
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What do you have to lose?

What do you have to lose?

Posted on by Jack

President Trump suggesting an unproven cure for Covid-19 asked “What do you have to lose?”. Candidate Donald Trump put it a bit more colorfully when he asked black voters, and maybe by extension all of us, “What the hell do you have to lose?”

Now about 3 and a half years into the Trump Presidency we know at least part of the answer.
Continue reading “What do you have to lose?”

MAGA: USA or CSA

MAGA: USA or CSA

Posted on by Jack

Make America Great Again. That was the slogan in 2016 and most of us were a bit confused by it. So what is it about?

I’m old enough to be called a “senior citizen” and as long as I can remember the United States of America was always a great country. Leader of the Free world and all that. Not perfect but we were working toward a more perfect union (as they say).
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Masks are commonsense public health methods to stop the spread

Masks are commonsense public health methods to stop the spread

Posted on by Jack

Wearing a mask or not should not be a political statement. Masks are commonsense public health methods to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. You should wearing a mask when in public both to protect yourself and those you come in contact with.
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Country before party

Country before party

Posted on by Jack

There is just too much partisanship. All of us who are citizens of the United States and eligible to vote should consider the good of the country rather than loyalty to any political party. This would also apply to our elected representative in both houses of Congress.

This is why it was pleasant to hear Carly Fiona, a Republican candidate for President a few years ago, say she would vote for Joe Biden because she cannot support the re-election of President Trump.
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President Trump’s purge continues

President Trump’s purge continues

Posted on by Jack

Is President Trump going to eventually try to fire everyone in the federal government who is insufficiently loyal. The list of federal officials fired is too long to recount here. I know several places had made lists but I’m not sure if they have been able to keep up with all the firings.

The purge continues.
Continue reading “President Trump’s purge continues”