Of Politics, Sports and Stuff

My sister Sherry sent me an article last summer on race relations and after thanking her for the article, which I wish I could link to here because it would give the thoughts below better context but which I have long since tossed, I wrote her this, well, much of it anyway. I've added a few thoughts, acknowledging that any time someone talks about racism, the first thing that needs to be done is to define our terms: 1 - Pretty much all of us of any color/race/background are racists.  2 - That doesn't mean that all of us discriminate or treat people worse based on their race. 3 - But it does mean we treat them, or at least see them, differently. 4 - There is no such thing as reverse racism. There's only racism. 5 - Doesn't matter who is or isn't racist, or who does or doesn't discriminate, as long as the system is racist, which it clearly is . 6 - The single best way to address racism is improved educational opportunity for minority students...or better - equal e

In my radical view of the future, or the normal view in current day Jamie World, two evolutions will take place - the elimination of Identity Politics and of US military bases or military involvement in any country outside of ours. I cringe when I hear my left-wing friends say, or when I read political views that say the Dems need to work harder to get the ______ (Insert identity here: Black, Latino, Gay, Native American, Southern, Gay, Transgender) vote.  How about policies that just help everyone who has been denied equal opportunity? Discrimination against any of us should be an affront to all of us. And policies to address such inequities should be sweeping. For too long, policies that help the privileged/highest earners have been excused by saying "a rising tide lifts all boats." Well, instead of adding water to help the yachts, how about we focus on the dinghies and rowboats, especially if they need to be bailed out to begin with? That said, I have no problem giving pri

More and more I find myself understanding the appeal of Donald Trump primarily to those who feel most powerless in this country. If I might generalize, I believe The Powerless have lost all faith in the politicians we keep electing and re-electing. It isn't just a matter of Throw the Bums Out. If the proposed solutions involve politicians, they just won't believe it’s possible. "They're all crooks." Blanket dismissal without any need to consider their victim. And no one is really going to help them feel any sense of power in their lives unless it is someone they see as willing and able to redefine what it is to be a politician, and first and foremost that means a candidate that talks like them. Not like what you hear 24/7 from politicians invited to blather with the cable provocateurs of your...and their choice. The policies aren’t even important. It’s the messenger. Not the message but the way the message is conveyed. I’ve said for 20 years that the most succe