I Could Be Wrong.

  Trump has sent the National Guard into Washington, D.C. The first question one should ask is, why Washington, D.C.? I know the Administration is telling us what a crime-ridden city Washington, D.C, is. When you look at the numbers, that is not what the numbers say. Crime was already down over 30 percent before Trump ever sent in the troops and federalized the police department. Before the National Guard invaded Washington, D.C., the city had implemented several programs that were achieving great success. First was the investment in community-based violence intervention, Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and the Near Act (Neighborhood Act Engagement Achieves Results). The programs deployed trained “violence interrupters” to mediate conflicts before they escalate.   Second , they concentrated on Youth Development & Prevention . The city supported over 100 programs focused on mentoring, life skills training, and Youth employment, targeting middle and high school student...

  “Law and order” has long been the battle cry of the Conservative Movement. To today that battle cry is just the cry of a group that wants to manipulate and shield themselves from accountability, suppress dissent, and entrench inequality. Conservatism, at its best, was for restraint, tradition, and individual liberties. In recent decades, a form of radical conservatism has weaponized legality, not to uphold justice, but to legitimize harm and what some may view as corruption. Conservatives are great with phrases like “election integrity,” which is cloaked in laws for suppression. They use “national security” to justify the crackdown not only on illegal immigration but also on legal immigration. They use a conservative playbook that relies on legalities to advance unethical behavior. The end of our “Pledge of Allegiance” does not end with the words law and order. It ends with the words “Liberty and Justice For All”. Not just all conservatives. Not just for Republicans. Those should...

  The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only museum in the United States devoted to the African American Experience, and it is under attack.   America has always tried to hide the many scars its policies have left on human history, and Slavery is just one of them. This is not new. Since 2021, over 40 states have proposed or passed laws to restrict how race, slavery, and systemic racism can be taught in our schools. They have called pretty much any teaching of Black history or the Black experience in America as teaching Critical Race Theory. Local school systems have banned books about slavery and the Black voice to silence the truth. In Florida, where I live, the state has outlawed the teaching of anything critical about race relations in America. One could say that the State of Florida has been whitewashing American History. Now the Trump Administration wants the Smithsonian to do the same. The Black experience actually starts not in...

  Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin, the man who put a bounty on American soldiers in Afghanistan. He clapped as Putin walked toward him. He had a flyover to honor Putin. Is this how a person starts a negotiation, or is this a way a salesman tries to sell a house? The way Trump greeted Putin did not appear to be that of a person who wanted to negotiate, and he sure didn’t look presidential at all. He looked more like a salesman greeting a man whom he was trying to sell a timeshare to.  That made sense to me after I gave it some thought. The United States has a man in the White House who didn’t negotiate business deals; he built and sold real estate. Is solo diplomacy bold or reckless? I don’t think that it is either. What I think is that it is another case of grandstanding by Trump to bring more attention to himself. It just may be another attempt to distract the world from the Epstein scandal. Where was Ukraine whe...

  Donald Trump’s taking control of the Washington D.C. police force has gained much of the country's attention. I just thought it was just a power move to show how tough he is, but now I think it goes a little deeper than just trying to look like a badass. Historically, Washington, D.C., has always been kind of a sanctuary city. He hates sanctuary cities and has threatened to cut off funds to some of them unless they conform to his bigoted agenda. I am sure that was one of the reasons why he wanted to take control of the Law Enforcement of Washington. To Trump, all sanctuary cities were harboring undocumented criminals, which Trump considered “Hardened Criminals”. The problem with that is that it is mostly untrue. Trump and most of the Republican Party love to call our undocumented immigrants criminals. Do you know that crossing the border illegally is not even a felony? That's right, it's just a misdemeanor with the maximum penalty of 6 months in jail or a fine. We are s...

  Trump has now declared a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C. He has invoked emergency powers under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control. He sees this as a “historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor”. He has also announced the deployment of 800 National Guard troops to the Capital. Trump cited a surge in violent crime as justification. In the announcement, he mentioned a recent assault on a government staffer. The problem with all of this is that it contradicts what the data is saying. The data says that violent crime in D.C is down 35 percent and is actually at a 30-year low. Homicides, robberies, and carjackings have all seen a significant decline this year. According to the data, Mayor Muriel Bowser has described the move as unsettling and unprecedented.   Trump called it “Liberation Day”. Many Americans consider this a hostile takeover. When the Brit...

  Social media is obsessed with the Epstein files and the cover-up that is happening at our highest branches of government. I will admit that it is a huge problem that has grabbed not only the attention of the country but also the world. I don’t think that problem will go away until the White House is cleansed of the corruption that has infiltrated it and is threatening to destroy our great country. Only when we move beyond that corruption can we begin to address the real economic and social problems that have plagued our country since Reagan. Income inequity refers to the unequal distribution of income across various segments of society. While some gap is expected in any economy, extreme inequity can lead to social unrest, reduced economic mobility, and weakened democratic institutions. We must explore the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to income inequity in the United States and globally. Over the past four decades, income growth has stagnated despite rising prod...

  We are entering the busy part of the Hurricane Season. Living in Fort Myers, I pay close attention to that stuff. They have predicted a more than average Hurricane Season, and that always concerns me. My morning routine involves starting the coffee and turning on the Weather Channel to check on the tropics. I know most people turn on the News first, but to me, the weather is the most important thing. Why? Because there are lives at stake. I am not saying that having a pedophile in the White House isn’t a big deal. I am not saying the corruption in the Supreme Court is important. I am not saying that the Republicans cheating in the elections so they can acquire more power isn’t important. They are all important. The way our government responds to the weather is a direct reflection of how it addresses the needs of the people. We have had terrible flooding in Texas with great loss of life. How could this have happened? The flooding in Texas was very devastating, with more than 130...

    What is Extortion? According to Wikipedia, “Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions, it is likely to constitute a criminal offense. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded threats in order to obtain an unfair business advantage is also a form of extortion.”   We have all heard of protection rackets where organized crime would demand money in exchange for not damaging your business. We have also seen that same practice where the police offer extra protection or turn a blind eye to illegal activities for money under the table. Extortion has a long history in America, but I feel that it is being taken to new heights. Trump is demanding $500 million for Harvard as a settlement of a dispute over accusations of civil rights violations related to the treatment of Jewish and Israeli students and the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies...