We lost a real sports hero last week. I tend not to call sports figures heroes; however, Hank Aaron deserves this accolade. Consequently, I am moved to reflect on his life and career. Hank Aaron was one of the greatest sports heroes of all times, one of the greatest players in baseball history. He was … [Read more…]
In this season of turning over a new leaf, e.g., starting a new year, in a significant surprise to me, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is again trying to shed some of its racist past. The SBC is the world’s largest Baptist denomination, the largest Protestant denomination, and the second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. With over 14 million … [Read more…]
There is a long and sordid history of mistreatment of African Americans by medicine in the United States. Consequently, many African Americans are duly skeptical about medicine and medical practice. Of course, there is the infamous Tuskegee syllabus experiment—and many other documented cases of abuse. I will not try to detail these atrocities here as … [Read more…]
The media has been full of statements and reminiscences of President Bush who died last Friday. Many praise his public service and call him an honorable man of great character. They praise him for his admirable humanity. Through the years it has been my habit—and indeed my soapbox—to caution friends in assessing whether a particular … [Read more…]
Cindy Hyde-Smith Says She Never Lost Faith in Mississippi’s Racists By Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker Celebrating her election victory on Tuesday night, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith said that, despite predictions that her state was ready to turn the page on its shameful past, “I never lost faith in Mississippi’s racists.” “For weeks, we’ve been … [Read more…]
One wonders why Cindy Hyde-Smith, winner of the U.S. Senate contest in Mississippi, was so bold in her racism. Earlier this month she told a crowd at a campaign event that if a favorite supporter invited her to “a public hanging,” she “would be on the front row.” Amazingly, she said this in 2018 in … [Read more…]
“I do not belong to an unorganized political party. I’m a Democrat.” This old statement by Will Rogers continues to be true. Currently, the Democrats are waging an unfortunate fight over which Democrat will be speaker of the House, now that they have regained control. Winning the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives by … [Read more…]
About half of eligible voters turn out in the United States. That places us 29th out of 32 developed democratic nations in the proportion of people who vote. If we truly wanted more people to vote we would do what democracies with high rates of voter participation do. In these nations, all citizens are automatically … [Read more…]
As the college basketball season is getting underway this month, much of the sports world—or at least the basketball part of it—is concerned about scandals in the game. Earlier this year, a report of the FBI’s investigation into college basketball corruption revealed possible NCAA rules violations by more than 20 top men’s teams. There were … [Read more…]
Rick Scott Accuses Democrats of Trying to Thwart GOP’s Successful Voter Suppression By Andy Borowitz 11 November 18 In a hastily called press conference on Thursday evening, Florida Governor Rick Scott accused Democrats of nefariously plotting to undo the Republican Party’s highly successful voter-suppression effort. “As Republicans, we have worked tirelessly to intimidate, discourage, and … [Read more…]