Monthly Archives: October 2017

There Can Be No Compromise

“I have the feeling that we let our consciences realize too late the need of standing up against something that we knew was wrong. We have therefore had to avenge it—but we did nothing to prevent it. I hope that in the future, we are going to remember that there can be no compromise at any point with the things that we know are wrong. . . . .”

Eleanor Roosevelt’s words upon returning home after a visit to a displaced persons camp following the end of World War 2 serve today as a warning and a reminder. We must summon the courage do what we know is right.

Is It Still Too Soon to Talk About Guns?

It’s now been 2 weeks since 58 people were shot and killed in Las Vegas. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it still too soon?

It’s been 16 months since 49 people were shot and killed at the Pulse night club in Orlando. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been 23 months since 14 people were shot and killed in San Bernadino. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been 2½ years since 9 people were shot and killed in a church in Charleston. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been over 3 years since 6 people were shot and killed near the campus of UC Santa Barbara. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been 3½ years since 3 people were shot and killed at Ford Hood, Texas. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been 4 years since 12 people were shot and killed at the Washington Naval Yard. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been 5 years since 20 children and 6 adults were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been over 5 years since 12 people were shot and killed at the Aurora movie theater. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been almost 7 years since Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot and 6 people were killed in Tucson, Arizona. Can we talk about gun violence now, or is it STILL TOO SOON?

It’s been 18 years since 12 students and 1 teacher were shot and killed at Columbine High School. CAN WE TALK ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE NOW, OR IS IT STILL TOO SOON?

America, we have a problem with gun violence. And it’s time to TALK ABOUT IT. NOW.

NFL: Here’s Your Chance to Do the Right Thing (for a change)

I’m not a sports fan. Which teams win and which teams lose each week matters not a whit to me. Who scored points, touched down, gained yards, free-thowed, RBI’d or whatever, I could not care less.

But that’s not to say that I don’t follow sports. The intersection between sports and society is too big to ignore. Nor should it be ignored. Continue reading “NFL: Here’s Your Chance to Do the Right Thing (for a change)”

Eleanor Roosevelt

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”

“Do what you feel in your heat to be right –for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”

The longest serving First Lady in US history, Eleanor Roosevelt was a prominent advocate for women and for human rights.

She was a strong proponent of her husband’s administration’s efforts to create programs that kept Americans working, optimistic and united during the dark years of the Depression and World War II.

In 1945, she was appointed to serve as a US delegate to the UN and chaired the committee that drafted and approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She also co-founded Freedom House in the 1940s and founded the UN Association of the US in 1943 to advance support for the UN’s formation. She is one of the most respected women in modern history.

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884.