Political Commentary

If You Can’t Say Something Nice…

I’ve been thinking lately about the lessons I learned from my parents. They were a preachy twosome. Always imparting some sort of wisdom. Did I always listen? Of course not. What kid ever does? And yet, somehow, I’ve internalized the advice. Which can make the world a very confusing place. You see, when you learn one thing and then see others behaving differently, it’s problematic. Call it a clash of morals, ethics, or just bad behavior run amok. Either way, a bell rings in my head. I call it, inconsistency. And for me, inconsistency is what makes writing novels such a rich process.

Wisdom to Drive You Insane

  1. “Do as I say, not as I do.” Whoever came up with this gem needs a few sessions with a good therapist. We model for others through our behavior, or lack, thereof.  If it isn’t good enough advice for you to follow, please don’t pawn it off on me.
  2. “Rules were made to be broken.” Well, this one is just silly. Perhaps they shouldn’t have been rules in the first place.
  3. “If you loved me—you’d know what to do.” Nope. I’m not a mind reader. If you want something, tell me. I’m a simple guy. I’ll understand.
  4. “Words matter.” True. But actions matter more. You can’t behave badly and then convince me that you’re well-intended based on what you say. I won’t buy it.
  5. “If you can’t say something nice—say nothing at all.” Okay. I agree. But too often, the opposite is far more interesting. Which explains the success of stand-up comics like Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, and Kathy Griffin. Not to mention, the rating success of some cable news outlets.
  6. “There’s a right and a wrong way to do it.” Where’s Emily Post when you need her? After the last 4 years, I think America could use a little guidance on proper etiquette. Especially, out in public. If there’s something “right” to do, I’d like to read up on it.
  7. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times.” Well, tell me again. Some of us are just slow learners. Or hard of hearing. Or both.
  8. “Tell a lie often enough, it becomes true.” Hmm. I still think it’s a lie. But it becomes a mighty effective propaganda tool. Joseph Goebbels comes immediately to mind.
  9. “It’s neither here nor there.” Then, I guess it’s nowhere. Good. Who needed it anyway?
  10. “Think before you speak.” Great advice. I’d add, “Speak less. Listen more.”
  11. “There’s a time and place for everything.” If the time isn’t now, when would that be? If the place isn’t here, why bother?
  12. “Nothing lasts forever.” Thank goodness. I can’t wait till Covid is behind us. Anyone for a cruise to Italy?
  13. “Smile and the world smiles with you. Cry, and you cry alone.” No one needs fair-weather friends. If you’re suffering, reach out. Other people are there to help.

And Now, A Little Something Extra

This week, What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? will be available as a free ebook through a humor promotion to help us forget 2020. Please take a moment and check out the promotion which runs through January 25th. And as always, stay safe. Your health and you are so very important!

 

Goodbye to The Sign Wars

The election is finally over. The robocalls have stopped. No more text messages asking for money. No more reminders to get out and vote. The campaigns were successful. There was a record turnout. Now, we can all go back to using our smartphones for things that truly matter. Like googling the name of that actress who appeared in the movie you saw ten years ago. Or checking the take-out menu of your favorite Chinese restaurant. I’ll have the chicken lo mein and the barbeque spareribs. Or looking up the meaning of that odd word you spotted the other day. Taradiddle. No, I’m not going to tell you what it means. You’ll have to google it.

Cable News

I swear (hand in the air) “not” to watch any more cable news. At our house, I’d been jumping back and forth between the three majors giving myself emotional whiplash. That is now over. Instead,  my time on the sofa will be spent in intellectual pursuits. I will read a good book. Hello Doris Kearns Goodwin. I will toy with The New York Times crossword puzzle. Why is it so darn hard? Gosh, I love that puzzle. I will nap. After all, isn’t that what the sofa is really for? Based on my experience, I nap best sitting up straight, head drooped forward like a ten-pound bowling ball. Painful? You bet. But it still qualifies as a nap as long as your eyes are closed.

The Signs Are Gone

Heading into the election, our neighborhood went rogue. We too participated. Block by block, political signs popped up. Not on every lawn, but in selective pockets of the neighborhood. And slowly, we learned the political leanings of our neighbors. And for what purpose?  I’ve never voted for a candidate based on a sign planted on anyone’s lawn. If knowledge is power, this kind of knowledge is powerfully alarming. Because no time in our history has an election been more contentious. Except perhaps Kennedy/Nixon. Nixon/McGovern. Bush/Gore. Hmm. Come to think of it, history is littered with examples of contentious races. To be political is inherently contentious. To be American is inherently political. Good for us. We get choices. You’ve got to love being an American.

And Now, A Little Something Extra

I’ve been quietly working on my next novel Boca by Moonlight which should be available June 2021. George, a widower in his sixties, struggles to come to grips with a new life in Boca Raton. If you’ve ever lost a parent or your parent has remarried, this book is for you.  If you wonder how mature men navigate being widowers, you’ll enjoy reading about George and his friends, Herbie, and Benny. They’re bound to steal your heart.

 

Once Upon a Time, We Had Walter Cronkite

We used to have faith in America in the truth. Facts were facts and there was trust that our media was fair and accurate. I remember those days. We didn’t question what was being reported. No one wondered whether Walter Cronkite was lying. Back then, the news was about the facts—not opinion. What we heard and saw, we believed to be true.

Have Times Changed?

The mantra today for authors is to avoid politics. You’ll risk losing readers. No one needs to read the opinion of a fiction writer who spins make-believe. Then what about Steinbeck, Orwell, Baldwin, Sinclair, or Rand, to name but a few? Each held up a mirror to reveal an American truth. Isn’t that part of the reason why we read fiction?

Ear to the Ground

Stop long enough and you can hear conversations everywhere. Or can you? Friends and families no longer engage in political discussion. We’re trying to keep the peace. And most of us have reached the saturation point. We’re worn down. Isn’t this the real danger? We no longer debate. We can’t decipher “truth” from the noise because we can’t hear what is even being said. And when we do, we don’t believe it.

Is It Time to Issue A Cancellation Notice?

I’m tired of the back and forth. The blurring of the truth. The politicizing of the facts. Opinions that pass as news stories. Does one lie lead to a thousand? How many lies are okay? How many lies are too many? Isn’t lying enough of a reason to draw a line in the sand?

2021

As we look ahead to the New Year, I hope Americans can come together and heal. That’s my solemn wish. No matter which side we fall on, we work best when we work together. Even if we disagree, there is a way to do it amicably. Respectfully. We owe it to ourselves and the next generation to set an example. I hope we’ll do just that.

Added Bonus

This month, What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? will be part of a Summer Laughs promotion. Take a moment to check it out. And please stay safe. Your health is so very important.

Proud to be an American

Okay – it’s been a rough go. Tough and tumble election. Nastiness that has set everyone on edge – with a surprise wallop of an ending. But now it’s over and I think the big winner is America.

I don’t say that because I’m in love with Trump. Because I’m not. His claims of a rigged election were outrageous and inflammatory. The things he said still leave me shaking my head.

Nonetheless, I’m proud to live in a country where neither the media, nor the pollsters, nor the political pundits, get to decide the election. Elections are decided when the American people go to the polls and vote. And America has voted. Say what you want and grumble as you might, America has spoken. You may not like it – but that is the process.

Read More

Phoenix Calling the LGBTQ Community

Whenever I check out the list of popular travel destinations for the LGBTQ community, it never seems to include the Phoenix metropolitan area. San Francisco, New York City, Washington D.C., Miami, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Rehoboth Beach, Boston, even Chicago, all seem to make the grade. But not Phoenix.

Perhaps that’s because Phoenix sits squarely in Arizona with its reputation as a red state, even though in the most recent nail-biting election, the political pundits thought Arizona evidenced strong shades of blue. Certainly Phoenix, Tempe, Flagstaff, Sedona and Bisbee, run blue. Bluer than the Mediterranean in the summer. Bluer than a Vegas cocktail. Bluer than the eyes of that bartender taking your order at AZ88, a popular bar in Scottsdale. Alas Scottsdale, where many of our resorts gather, remains a strong Republican bastion, even though everyone, as you’d expect in a resort town, is happily welcomed.

Or maybe, we’re still suffering under the shadow of the SB1070 legislation signed into law in 2010 by former Governor, Jan Brewer. Enacted to combat illegal immigration, SB1070 gave license to illegal stop and search. Profiling ensued, scaring the hell out of everybody. Eventually, the legislation was deemed unconstitutional and the Feds pressed charges against Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Coincidently, Arpaoi lost his bid for re-election. The good guys prevailed.

So I get it’s hot in the summer. I get the scary reputation. I even understand that once the damage is done, it’s hard to come back. Think Mel Gibson. Think Bill Cosby. I totally get it. But there’s more to consider. Much more.

The Phoenix metropolitan area is perhaps one of the friendliest places to visit. Most Arizonan’s hail from elsewhere. Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, to just name three states that seem to regularly feed the population. And the weather from October to April is absolutely gorgeous. Think Miami without the humidity. Think San Francisco without the fog and fear of earthquake. Think New York City without the snow and grime. Think Chicago without the wind chill. The weather is lovely in Phoenix through most of the year.

So this is my invitation. Come back to Phoenix. Give it a try. Check out our fabulous resorts. Enjoy the bars, the amazing food, and of course, the hospitality. Explore our city and see why Phoenix welcomes everyone.

Assault Rifles: Isn’t the danger right there in the name?

Okay. I’m stumped by this.

If I was in a supermarket and came across a new breakfast cereal named Cancer Corn, I’d never buy it.

I’d avoid Jawbreakers, mostly because I’m afraid of the dentist, but also because it seems impossible to get those things into your mouth without choking.

I’d pass on any automobile named A-Bomb, especially if there was a chance of setting off a nuclear event with the simple turn of an ignition key.

Yet in America, military-style Assault weapons are available to purchase for wild game-hunting and self-protection?

Seems like over-kill. Or am I missing something?

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/06/13/qa-what-is-an-assault-weapon/

Read More

From “The Liberation of Marcia Brady” to Hillary Clinton

I happened to catch an episode of the Brady Bunch on the very morning that Hillary Clinton was to accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. That’s what I do when I wake up at 4:30 a.m. I sit in front of the television with a cup of coffee, blinking hard until the world comes into focus. 1970’s sitcom television is about all I can handle. It’s my precursor to the morning news.

Odd, I thought as I watched the episode unfold. “The Liberation of Marcia Brady” raised awareness about feminism, women libbers, and equal rights. Seemingly audacious concepts back in 1970’s America.

Well the cultural wars have come – but not gone. And like opening a time capsule—the episode reminded me that change comes slowly. But it does come.

Here we are, all these years later, and thankfully, no man or woman would dare raise concerns about Hillary Clinton’s viability as a candidate based solely on her gender. In the 1970’s—that couldn’t have been possible.

It made me realize how far we’ve come as a Nation.

Now it’s time for America to get onboard with equal pay for equal work. Marcia and Hillary deserve nothing less.

Read More
Load More
Back To Top