Don’t Run Out of Money in Retirement by Allen P. Harris

Don’t Run Out of Money in Retirement by Allen P. Harris

Posted on by Jack

The full title is Don’t Run Out of Money in Retirement: How to Increase Income, Avoid Taxes, and Keep More of What Is Yours by Allen P. Harris.

After the first few pages, I thought I would not like this book. Those pages seemed more about how the author’s company was helping the community and I suspected this would be more of an advertisement than a substantive book on retirement. I was wrong.
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Becoming FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President

Becoming FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President

Posted on by Jack

I’ve read several biographies of President Franklin Roosevelt over the years. I think the last was 3 or 4 years ago. I’m not sure why I thought it a good idea to read another but I’m glad I did.

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Humor on current events

Humor on current events

Posted on by Jack

From the New Yorker and Andy Borowitz

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/feds-seizing-documents-at-mar-a-lago-unable-to-find-trumps-health-care-plan

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/mcconnell-accuses-biden-of-violating-traditions-of-congress-by-accomplishing-things

Be careful what you say

Be careful what you say

Posted on by Jack

A legal search warrant allowed FBI agents to search ex-President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-A-Lago.

We now next to nothing about why this was done. We do know there was convincing evidence of a crime or items related to a crime for a warrant to be issued. The FBI or Justice Department has not commented on what that crime they are investigating with this warrant or what they expect to find.

Yet despite the clear legality of this search many Republican politicians insisted this was an abuse of power similar to that of the Nazis or other dictatorial governments. Continue reading “Be careful what you say”

The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley

The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley

Posted on by Jack

I had never read Lucinda Riley’s books before.  But I ran across “The Murders at Fleat House” on Netgalley and it sounded interesting. Since it was available and I was in the mood for a good mystery so I thought I’d give it a try.

It was a mystery written many years ago, before Lucinda Riley became a published writer and her only crime novel.

According to the brief introduction by her son (the author had died), the novel was unchanged since his mother had written it in 2006 and it had not been published until now.

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After the Ivory Tower Falls by Will Bunch

After the Ivory Tower Falls by Will Bunch

Posted on by Jack

I never really understood the division in our country that political analysts said was between college graduates and non-graduates.  It seemed to be real, yet made no sense to me.  I know people on both sides of that divide and they did not seem all that different to me.

But there are many issues.  Several are discussed.  The cost of college is a big one and much of the book is about that.
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They Want to Kill Americans

They Want to Kill Americans

Posted on by Jack

I’ll start by saying this is a frightening book. But then we do live in frightening times. The title is They Want to Kill Americans by Malcolm Nance. When I first saw the title, I immediately thought of foreign terrorists.

But I quickly realized a was wrong. The subtitle (The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency) gives that away. This book is about Americans who wanted to kill other Americans who disagree with them.
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On overturning Roe v Wade

On overturning Roe v Wade

Posted on by Jack

The Supreme Court has overruled Roe v Wade. Why?

As Justice Alto says in the majority decision:

“Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views. Some believe fervently that a human person comes into being at conception and that abortion ends an innocent life. Others feel just as strongly that any regulation of abortion invades a woman’s right to control her own body and prevents women from achieving full equality. Still others in a third group think that abortion should be allowed under some but not all circumstances, and those within this group hold a variety of views about the particular restrictions that should be imposed.”

So one paragraph into it, I am in agreement. It is a complicated issue. So how should we decide? But it goes downhill from there. The disagreement begins.
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Not a good week for Separation of Church and State

Not a good week for Separation of Church and State

Posted on by Jack

The Supreme court has been busy demolishing the Separation of Church and State.

In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District the conservative majority ruled 6-3 that both the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment require a public school district to permit a football coach to publicly pray on the field following a game.

Does the publicly funded coach have a special obligation to be religiously neutral? Can a random person from the stands come onto the field to offer a prayer from any religion?
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Primer on the January 6th Select Committee hearings

Primer on the January 6th Select Committee hearings

Posted on by Jack

I’ve been a fan of Just Security and their new coverage of the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. Their coverage of this and other issues has been great. In particular I like their January 6 Clearinghouse .
Continue reading “Primer on the January 6th Select Committee hearings”

Don and Ted’s stupid idea on schools

Don and Ted’s stupid idea on schools

Posted on by Jack

In the wake of the school shooting in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and the failure of police to limit the elementary school massacre, many ideas were presented to prevent similar tragedies.

Perhaps the stupidest was suggested by Senator Ted Cruz and former President Donald Trump. Of course, Senator Cruz should get credit for being first.

Trump’s suggestion that school buildings should have just one entrance echoes calls from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz earlier this week. School and safety experts say that such a measure is unrealistic, as many schools have thousands of individuals who could take hours to go in and out of buildings. As a result, a single entrance could also pose a fire hazard. Older schools would also need to spend significant money renovating their buildings to meet such a standard.

Source: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/27/donald-trump-nra-houston/

There are many situations where schools need to be evacuated quickly. Fires and bomb threats come to mind but there are others.

Will Donald Trump be prosecuted?

Will Donald Trump be prosecuted?

Posted on by Jack

Will former President Donald Trump be prosecuted for crimes in his efforts to remain in office despite his clear election loss? I think he should.

There was an article in Just Security a few days ago that lays out the case that his role in the Insurrection of Jan 6 warrants criminal prosecution. It is well worth reading no matter how you would answer my title question.

Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident

Pryor & Cummings: The GAIA Incident

Posted on by Jack

I read and reviewed another book by Rod Pennington about a year ago, and enjoyed it very much so I jumped at the chance to read his new one and review it. Like the other this one was characterized by his sense of humor (I liked it but others could feel differently) .

I thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication.

I enjoyed this mystery with its many twists and turns. The book is schedule to be published on May 24 so you can plan ahead if interested.

The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America

The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America

Posted on by Jack

This is a book about failure. The Senate, specifically the Republican Senators, failed us. For four years we had Donald Trump who failed at being President. And that was compounded by the failure of the Republican Senators to check his power. I thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication.
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