Fox News.com, “fair and balanced,” and this from their Twitter profile page: “Follow America’s #1 cable news network, delivering you breaking news, insightful analysis, and must-see videos.”
We have heard and read much over the years about how Fox News gets it wrong, forgets the “fair and balanced” thingy, does their level best to create conspiracies, and probably blames the president for the sun rising in the east.… [Read more]
Although the nation’s current political temperature isn’t at the same fever level as it was during the last national election, many issues remain unresolved. One such issue is money in politics. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case opened even wider the floodgates of cash pouring in from special interest groups and their well-compensated lobbyists.… [Read more]
God gets a bum rap on just about everything and it’s not fair. Human beings blame God for the many, many deaths, famines, wars, murders, accidents, disease, etc., etc, and this has been the case throughout recorded history. So, let’s look at God from a different perspective.
I’ve had religious experiences where I truly felt the presence of God in my life and I’ve included a link to the most wondrous of those experiences at the end of this post.… [Read more]
Events in the news this week have some of us thinking about change on a national and global level. Today we’re posting this week’s “Say It In Song” pick: Bob Dylan’s “Things Have Changed.”
“People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
What do you do when all of your relatives want to run for President?
Barbara Pierce Bush,
Flushing, New York
Dear BooBerry Piecebush,
So sorry to be addressing your inquiry so many years after receiving your letter; the envelope was just so unattractive and I am so sensitive to cheap perfume that I had to keep it sealed in a black Ziploc® bag, which I had to paint black myself, because they didn’t make those back in 1988 when it arrived and I could have really used one because, P.U.… [Read more]
Did you miss last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
In terms of a little background, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) is an group of journalists who cover the U.S. President and the White House. According to WHCA, the organisation was founded in 1914 by journalists in response to a rumour that a Congressional committee would select which journalists could attend press conferences of President Woodrow Wilson.… [Read more]
Money is on the mind today. Perhaps it’s because we’re moving beyond the trauma caused by filing our annual tax returns a couple of weeks ago, or maybe it’s because we heard the money-related news about how Congress moved to end the sequester only in an area which directly affects them; they quickly passed a bill to end Federal Aviation Administration furloughs right before they fled Washington to go on recess.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
I’ve been busy trying to keep my family alive and in a house for so long, I’ve forgotten why everyone hates George W. Bush! Except, you know, those swell people he knew and changed laws and regulations for, so that they could make so much money that I almost don’t even recognize us as members of the same species any more.… [Read more]
It’s the end of a week that’s ‘one for the books.’ Endless news coverage has reminded us that we’re living in times during which not much can be taken for granted. It has been exhausting.
The week brought a vote by the House of Representatives to invade citizens’ privacy on one end, and a win by the National Rifle Association against all voices in support of sane gun control legislation on the other.… [Read more]
Richie Havens’ cover of “What’s Going On” is this week’s “Say It In Song” pick. Some of us feel it helps to have a moment of reflection and quiet contemplation when things appear to have gone crazy. The week brought a vote by the House of Representatives to invade citizens’ privacy on the one end, and a win by the National Rifle Association against all voices in support of sane gun control legislation on the other.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
What do you think of the odds that Baby Kim will launch his missile but that it will land on him?
Regards,
Novak Kardashian
Dear Novacaine Ashcan,
There’s a lot of chatter these days about North Korea’s technoknowledgetical advances, especially since Kim Jong Un got that 238th lovable limited edition Pluto I Am!… [Read more]
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. It gives you the energy that you need to get a head start on the things that need to be completed. Why, then, are so many kids and adults reluctant to give this meal the emphasis that it needs?
Many times we use insufficient time or even the lack of appetite as a reason for not eating breakfast.… [Read more]
“There is no more important domestic issue on which we have to have a national consensus than social security, because it affects just about all of us either as current beneficiaries or current taxpayers. Continuing the minimum benefit for present beneficiaries reflects a bipartisan consensus, which I strongly support.” ~ Ronald Reagan, December 29, 1981
Subsequent to that time, interfund borrowing ensued as what was supposed to be a temporary solution to fix financing difficulties faced by the Social Security program.… [Read more]
This week’s “Say It In Song” pick is an oldie but goodie by famed R&B group, The O’Jays. ‘Backstabbers’ feels appropriate based simply on its definition; it means to attack someone particularly in a sneaky, deceitful and underhanded manner.
Doesn’t that seem like what’s going on in U.S. politics today? We have elected officials in place to make the nation better for its citizens but, clearly, the agenda is controlled by far too many special interest groups.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
Who will you miss more, Margaret Thatcher or Annette Funicello?
Regards,
Walter Rodentia
Epcot Correctional Institute
Tuskaloosa, Fluorida… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
I’ve got a puzzler for you from the most northern, whitest and most frigid state of the union! It is regarding the kindest, gentlest way to handle awkward social situations that arise when old people embarrass themselves unintentionally by cluelessly referring to people they hold in contempt with candid racist slurs that both affirm their own feeling of superiority while dehumanizing the humans that made their Daddy’s business so profitable in a frozen hellhole.… [Read more]
The Scottsboro Boys were nine Afican-American teenagers who were accused in 1931 of the rape of a white woman in Alabama. The legal case that resulted included a frame-up, attempts at lynching by an angry mob, and an all-white jury. The case still stands as one of America’s worst examples of racism, systemic abuses and the overall miscarriage of justice. … [Read more]
Today, Easter Sunday, is the day when many around the world celebrate resurrection, the miraculous return to life of Jesus Christ. Whether or not one is a believer, the story is interesting and presents many lessons from which we can learn about the power of change and belief. Like many people, I enjoy finding a lesson in stories; learning from events in others’ lives fosters growth and development.… [Read more]
This week’s “Say It In Song” pick feels appropriate in light of recent news about the continued battle for fairness for workers. Though “When Will We Be Paid, by the Staple Singers, was released shortly after the Civil Rights Movement, the lyrics are just as applicable today – especially when taken in the context of the ongoing fight for workers’ rights.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
A bunch of us nuns were chewing the fat on a Tuesday recently and taking bets on who could give up what and, well, things got a little heated and things were said by some sisters to other sisters (honestly, I can’t even tell us apart anymore), but, anyway, a lot of rosaries were thrown in spirited emphasis, and that yielded up some bruised feelings as well as a bunch of crucifix-shaped forehead dents, so anyway, anyway, we did a convent huddle and decided that we would abide by whatever advice you give us to keep the peace.… [Read more]
