tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21739733153631811402011-12-18T19:56:51.428-05:00B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.comBlogger5141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-13019609511415243722011-11-07T06:25:00.000-05:002011-11-07T06:25:31.289-05:00

“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” - Detective Alex Cross, Cat and Mouse, James Patterson Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned from years of blogging is this: you can pile up evidence mountain high, but if people don’t read it, don’t pay attention to it, don’t act on it, you believe somehow you have failed. The same fictional detective quoted above also said, “Falling down is not

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-54553703989813747542011-11-04T07:16:00.000-04:002011-11-04T07:16:13.383-04:00

I’m not going to run out and buy a “Cain Ain’t Able” T-shirt. The accuse-deny-accuse-deny coverage of allegations against GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain do not come close to this week's most important domestic news. The important story just doesn’t involve sex. For the third time, ALL Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted against job-producing legislation in order to protect that small and

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-27169807211380231592011-11-02T07:18:00.000-04:002011-11-02T07:18:59.714-04:00

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Vice President Dick Cheney might be at odds, but both are out there hawking their books and agreeing that Bush’s invasion of Iraq somehow inspired the Arab Spring. They fail to acknowledge the obvious: the people of Iraq did not voluntarily rise up against their tinpot dictator. Book tour constraints must have been the reason Rice and Cheney

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-78399585844920433062011-10-30T11:02:00.000-04:002011-10-30T11:02:25.116-04:00

My fascination with Frank Lloyd Wright – not just his architecture, but the man himself – began when I was a high school senior. I went along with a friend to visit her classmate who lived in Fountainhead, the Jackson, Mississippi, home designed and built for the J. Willis Hughes family. I remember the boy telling us Wright had lived with his family for three months before designing their home in

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-7949383858193489892011-10-26T01:25:00.002-04:002011-10-26T02:33:25.968-04:00

My mother had a treasure trove of truisms which expressed her wisdom – none more so, in light of current trends, than “The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” In a display of classic doublespeak Republican Party leaders have accused Democrats of “class warfare” when they themselves are in all-out war against America’s working poor and middle class. Why anyone of sound mind and a clear

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-31573016295310255762011-10-23T04:02:00.002-04:002011-10-23T04:30:56.903-04:00

I came of age in Mississippi during the civil rights movement – a witness to history. A lasting impression from those days as a young woman right out of high school is that the rest of the nation seemed to deny that racisim existed beyond the borders of my home state. I could relate numerous brushes with the stories which have seeped into our conciousness. Here are a few: • Assisting writer

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-55461171788345014022011-10-20T12:12:00.000-04:002011-10-20T12:12:27.446-04:00

It seems like yesterday that, recalling the phrase “Prague Spring,” I was emailing friends inquiring about the sudden appearance of a new term, “Arab Spring.” Moammar Gadhafi and I go back decades to the early 1980s when his name was spelled Khadafy and I was editor on a world news desk. This morning, as news came of the death of the former Libyan leader, I could not help reflecting on an

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-62365433379650294042011-10-19T04:12:00.001-04:002011-10-19T04:39:37.370-04:00

If your paycheck is suddenly smaller in January, don’t even think about blaming Obama. A CNN report explains a portion of the president’s jobs plan, which Senate Republicans voted against: “The largest measure in the (jobs) package is the payroll tax cut, which comes at a projected cost of $265 billion. Employees normally pay 6.2% on their first $106,800 of wages into Social Security, but they

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-36682194595934654642011-10-16T05:44:00.000-04:002011-10-16T05:44:10.415-04:00

I am a Christian and a former member of Southern Baptist Convention churches. When fundamentalists began their takeover of the SBC in the early 1980s – quashing any liberal thinking by filling its seminary faculties and college boards of trustees with right-wing ideologues, I left the “flock.” The SBC has gone so far in recent years as to expunge the writings of its former president Herschel H.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-15140444526887342772011-10-13T00:50:00.000-04:002011-10-13T00:50:28.337-04:00

Greg Iles’ novels are like cats: each has its own distinct personality. But, Iles, as he describes one of his characters, is “a different breed of cat.” The villains of his imagination are like black cats, waiting, like the deepest shadows of the human soul, to cross our paths. Iles goes beyond the imagined horrors in Stephen King’s mind. His bad guys exceed the power- and wealth-crazed

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-49896562337118367512011-10-11T03:29:00.000-04:002011-10-11T03:29:53.716-04:00

Christopher A. Sims of Princeton, awarded the Nobel Prize in economic science yesterday, will split the $1.49 million prize with co-honoree Thomas J. Sargent of New York University. “Asked how he would invest his share of the winnings, Sims said he would keep it in cash while he considers what to do with it,” CNN.com reports. Is it a tocsin when a Nobel laureate in economics says he’s going to

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-63332828554945925152011-10-08T00:08:00.000-04:002011-10-08T00:08:04.230-04:00

Did you recently get a letter from your bank saying that since you’re “such a valued customer,” your bank accounts are being changed to offer you the best service money can buy – your money? The great new advantages of your new accounts: free checking accounts will now charge fees and accounts which already charge fees will see them increased. Oh, and if your debit card costs more, banks say it

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-9139105326362497212011-10-07T10:35:00.000-04:002011-10-07T10:35:02.308-04:00

"We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society." - The Nobel committee in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 to three female rights activists, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-33358981118548573372011-10-04T10:26:00.000-04:002011-10-04T10:26:40.758-04:00

All his rowdy friends have settled down, but Hank Williams, Jr., is still a loose cannon. (I saw him on stage in concert smashing expensive guitars against expensive sound equipment.) I love Hank, Jr.’s music, though, for the same reason ESPN has featurd his open to “Monday Night Football:” he brings out the shitkicker in his audience. By now, I’m sure the blogosphere is ablaze with Williams’

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-88709899737987893132011-10-03T10:49:00.000-04:002011-10-03T10:49:52.805-04:00

It's time for this motor mouth to SHUT UP!

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-51366983887999683632011-09-29T11:08:00.001-04:002011-09-29T11:47:59.812-04:00

I am listening to Mississippi writer Greg Iles’ “The Footprints of God” in which (spoiler warning) a dying billionaire is attempting to achieve immortality and God-like power by transferring his brain to a supercomputer. (A little closer to possible than in the days of "Open the pod bay door, Hal.") In this book, Iles explains “The Mushroom Treatment:” “Keep them in the dark and feed them

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-12118895342395537222011-09-26T07:29:00.003-04:002011-09-26T08:08:32.720-04:00

There was a time when I ate, drank and slept sports – circa Brooklyn Dodgers through Archie Manning at Ole Miss. My interest waned when sports – college and professional – became all about big money. So, it’s not surprising that the book I’m listening to has rekindled a lingering question. In Greg Iles’ “The Devil’s Punchbowl,” the evil that men do manifests itself in an illegal international

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-25569117199614510712011-09-23T10:09:00.000-04:002011-09-23T10:09:46.100-04:00

Why in hell am I doing this? The political blogging experience is a two-edged sword. You find yourself either preaching to the choir or leading horses to water they stubbornly refuse to drink. Either result is ineffectual. Well, somebody’s gotta do it. Am I naïve enough to think I can change the world? No. But, if I can inform just one person who might otherwise miss something as important as

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-29079318183920442602011-09-19T05:21:00.000-04:002011-09-19T05:21:45.869-04:00

DemWit readers have followed Father Tim Farrell, pastor of Sacred Heart Cathoic Church in Farmington, New Mexico, on many travels. We have climbed with him to the top of Mount Sinai, walked the paths of his Irish ancestors and sat with him as he pondered genocide in Rwanda. This spring Father Tim made that journey most sacred in the hearts of all of us: a trip “home,” in every sense of the word.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-32889692741684325142011-09-14T08:08:00.000-04:002011-09-14T08:08:47.697-04:00

Texans have long been known for stretching the truth, but I don’t see the latest tales coming out of Texas ending “happily ever after.” Not when voters take the time to separate fact and fiction. Jim Hightower is an author, a nationally syndicated columnist and a radio commentator. He is a Texan who knows Texas politics. According to his Web site: “Twice elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner,

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-8780244917821830662011-09-10T09:08:00.000-04:002011-09-10T09:08:06.813-04:00

In a weekend when attention has turned to the past – 9/11 – and the present “threats” and “chatter” of another terrorist plot, I’m still working on the future. I have read President Obama’s “jobs” speech and a number of reax articles, including a very thorough article on CNN.com this morning. At the modern-day Tower of Babel known as Capitol Hill, reaction to Obama’s address to Congress is so

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-35256114657113737952011-09-06T05:59:00.002-04:002011-09-08T06:49:05.425-04:00

Pay attention in the GOP debates when Texas Gov. Rick Perry starts talking about doing away with “Obamacare.” A Gallup poll released today, which surveyed 177,237 Americans daily from January to June 2011, has found that: “Texas residents continue to be the most likely in the United States to lack health coverage, with 27.2 percent reporting being uninsured in the first half of 2011.” (…) “

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-87766355774503010162011-09-02T13:04:00.001-04:002011-09-02T18:22:33.231-04:00

In a year when Windsor Castle burned and her family was breaking up, Queen Elizabeth II bemoaned her “annus horrilibis.” The year 2011 is shaping up to be mine. My problems have piled up so fast that I have reached the point where I would rather avoid emails or phone calls which ask, “How are you doing?” The debilitating act of complaining can erode the spirit, but, then, I’ve never really had

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-90366767657737862872011-08-29T02:49:00.001-04:002011-08-29T03:02:09.239-04:00

As Hurricane Irene was churning toward the Eastern coastline, I sent out an email about an item on CNN’s “Political Ticker,” which had caught my attention. GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, libertarian and congressman from Texas, has declared the country doesn’t need FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The response I got from my longtime friend Lynn was so moving, I asked her for

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-7031033911621284592011-08-26T13:01:00.001-04:002011-08-26T13:26:04.219-04:00

Forbes has released its annual list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” and coming in at No. 19 is Georgina Rinehart, described as “the richest woman in Australia - and said to be on track as the richest person in the world in 2012." So, how does Ms. Rinehart count her blessings? According to Forbes, she is using her wealth “to campaign against national environmental reforms and taxes.”

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-53878673417189185542011-08-22T09:21:00.001-04:002011-08-22T09:46:04.866-04:00

“He counts votes before he chooses what to eat for breakfast. He’s a two-faced, cutthroat, dirt-dumb, chicken shit, slimy, little bastard with a bright future in politics.” That’s a defense attorney, desperately trying to save an innocent man from lethal injection, describing the governor of Texas in John Grisham’s “The Confession.” Copyright 2010. Might be fiction, but that sounds about right

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-68399373619781708202011-08-15T05:53:00.000-04:002011-08-15T05:53:47.423-04:00

A real look at America’s haves and have-nots that goes beyond partisan bickering: The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) released a report this past week stating that 64 percent of Americans cannot come up with $1,000 to cover an emergency situation. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax data for 2009 shows there were 235,413 taxpayers who earned $1 million or more that year.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-86323958260343848602011-08-11T09:02:00.004-04:002011-08-11T12:37:31.103-04:00

OK, enough Kumbaya. I’m angry. My hair has been on fire since I read the following quote from former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, who wants to be president: “America’s creditworthiness just became the latest casualty in President Obama’s failed record of leadership on the economy. Standard & Poor’s rating downgrade is a deeply troubling indicator of our country’s decline under President

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-57330481026752526622011-08-09T09:30:00.001-04:002011-08-09T09:55:18.871-04:00

It is NOT sour grapes which leads me to share the article below. I honestly believe that if the economy does not miraculously turn around, Obama will be a one-term president. A shattered base cannot sustain him. And God help us all if any one of the current GOP contenders wins! Hillary will never oppose the president in 2012: she has too much class to do that. And too much sense. President

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-91263329265649749852011-08-08T06:53:00.002-04:002011-08-08T08:00:22.840-04:00

I refuse to accept that I am an enemy of America because I am a liberal Democrat. And, I refuse to believe that many of my loved ones are America’s enemies because they are conservative Republicans. Quoting a CNN report: “S&P gave two primary reasons for downgrading U.S. debt: The nation's fiscal path and its broken political system.” “Broken political system.” And so once more that little

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-27074633461874292642011-08-05T03:34:00.000-04:002011-08-05T03:34:52.035-04:00

Could I ask the United Nations to ban telephones in the United States? Yesterday I was awakened from a much-needed nap by a robocall from David Keene, president of the National Rifle Association. The message went something like this: The United Nations is going to take away your guns and ban all guns in the United States, just as they have been banned in, and here he named several countries.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-69969414028531058862011-07-26T01:27:00.000-04:002011-07-26T01:27:47.632-04:00

This is a personal plea from the president of the United States and from one of the persons he works for – me. Most of you understand that America is facing a disaster as great as any terrorist threat. Some of you do not. Most of you have television and heard your president speak last night. Some of you did not. There is no mistake about it: the doomsday clock is running. I write this as an

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-54101205877863169912011-07-24T11:49:00.002-04:002011-07-26T07:31:50.478-04:00

Whether we call ourselves liberals or progressives, we share a common belief that we can guide this nation to a full fruition of both its founding principles and its potential. Why then must we be a “house divided” over a president we elected, a president who took office under the onerous burden of a previous administration’s missteps? It doesn’t matter whether this criticism comes from

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-6451855797494426022011-07-20T05:55:00.000-04:002011-07-20T05:55:43.483-04:00

I’m still here and still missing the ability to do the research required of a decent blogger. Pain has been the culprit, but be assured a good doctor is trying to get to the bottom of what ails me, and it is my sincere hope that one day soon DemWit will return to the blogosphere. I learn so much from it. Thanks, BJ

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-42690066226267116982011-06-21T11:00:00.000-04:002011-06-21T11:00:21.522-04:00

While Blogger blocks spam on blogs, it does not stop spam comments from coming into my EMAIL INBOX. These spam emails have increased at a rate I can no longer handle - some 50 this morning. They are, I'm sure, part of some VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY.  :-) I have disabled comments temporarily on DemWit and permanently on my archived blog, "I See My Dreams," in hopes of stopping this nonsense.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-62791139117402146042011-06-19T08:43:00.000-04:002011-06-19T08:43:43.681-04:00

Way down yonder in New Orleans, Southern governors Haley Barbour and Bobby Jindal pleaded for focus and sanity without taking into consideration they were addressing what Jonathan Swift called “a confederacy of dunces.” That Swift quote, in my opinion, sums up the three-day gathering of the GOP leadershipt this week in the Crescent City: "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-57653819152999118922011-06-14T06:06:00.000-04:002011-06-14T06:06:27.585-04:00

Never a TV around when you need one. I have saved the CNN transcript of last night's GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire and will try to read it along. In the opening segments, the participating candidates briefly introduced themselves, mentioning their accomplishments and family members. Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House, stuck to that old GOP stand-by, “If you can’t say

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-57557293128355938892011-06-02T07:11:00.001-04:002011-06-02T07:30:50.226-04:00

Never one to talk about ailments, always one to count the blessing of good health, I have been reluctant to explain my recent inattentiveness to DemWit. (Yes, I often mention my vision problem, because it’s something I live with and something which often requires explaining.) Over the last few weeks I’ve dealt with a physical problem which my son assures me should not be considered “an old

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-19970449210675912412011-05-18T19:48:00.000-04:002011-05-18T19:48:22.438-04:00

Just another example of Democrats catching hell over the actions of Republicans: this item from CNN’s “Political Ticker” today: New York (CNNMoney) – Federal workers have a message for the White House: Keep your hands off my retirement benefits. (LINK) That’s right, blame the Democrats. At a time when we are on the way to economic recovery, do you want to see ideologues bring this nation and

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-68932340561056900762011-05-15T05:23:00.001-04:002011-05-15T05:46:33.310-04:00

Ah, yet, when all is thought and said The heart still overruales the head. So, what we hope we must believe, And what is given us receive, Must still believe for still we hope That in a world of larger scope What here is faithfully begun Will be completed, not undone. My child, we still must think When we that ampler life together see, Some true results will yet appear Of what we are, together,

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-52032998064562389422011-05-12T00:20:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:35:04.730-04:00

It’s time to go through your pantry and kitchen cabinets (or make that special grocery run) and share your bounty with others. The National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service will hold its 19th annual nationwide food drive Saturday, May 14. This is the largest single effort to replenish food banks across the country. Place non-perishable food items in bags near

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-59873629437126910932011-05-06T05:28:00.000-04:002011-05-06T05:28:21.301-04:00

A madness is sweeping this country in the form of conspiracacy theorists on the right and the left. No sooner is one round of idiocy laid to rest than another starts. I am just sickened by the following article, in which poor Cindy Sheehan continues to exhibit that she's "gone off the deep end" and a Fox News host spouts the vilest of accusations against President Obama: "'Deathers' take over

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-30630068994449144792011-05-02T13:05:00.003-04:002011-05-03T12:51:33.703-04:00

You are going to see the following quote from George W. Bush (3/13/2002) recycled over the next few days: "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." This quote has been all over the World Wide Web for years. The only problem with it is it’s apparently a fake. I have spent hours trying to find an official transcript

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-21673112838637949162011-04-28T03:10:00.000-04:002011-04-28T03:10:35.412-04:00

Facts have never gotten in the way of the conspiracy frenzy against President Barack Obama. There’s a Chinese proverb which states, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is putting on its shoes,” How could ancient Chinese wisdom have foreseen the impact of today’s technology? DemWit has long railed against those undocumented and unattributed emails which people accept as gospel

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-64074652777592882232011-04-25T01:40:00.002-04:002011-04-25T01:58:28.449-04:00

Yesterday I turned 69 and, as planned for some time now, began to ease into my second childhood. To mark the passage, I have for the last couple of weeks. with a selection of books, celebrated those carefree days of youth. With special thanks to the talented readers at Talking Books Services for the Visually Impaired, I recommend: THE HARRY POTTER SERIES J. K. Rowling For the third time, I

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-73192703089672130652011-04-22T17:13:00.001-04:002011-04-22T23:44:12.954-04:00

“The Don” must be eating his “Success by Trump” bubble bath, because the man seems to be foaming at the mouth these days, quite literally running himself into the ground. Ticked off over Karl Rove’s criticism of his “birther” obsession, Trump lambasted the former Bush strategist on Fox News last night. CNN’s “Political Ticker” quotes the presidential-waters tester: "Karl Rove has a loser issue

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-48908971329620910812011-04-19T14:37:00.001-04:002011-04-19T14:45:43.299-04:00

”Taxes: Myths, Lies and Deception.” That’s the intriguing title of The Progress Report, Center for American Progress, for Tax Day, 18 April 2011. I’ll summarize it for DemWit readers: MYTH #1: Americans are unhappy paying taxes (as the Tea Party Movement would have us believe). A number of recent polls, including the Associated Press, Fox News and Gallup, show the majority of Americans say their

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-63250503793066644392011-04-17T00:07:00.000-04:002011-04-17T00:07:22.030-04:00

These figures don’t lie, so if you’re tired of the harangue, homily, hysteria and hypocrisy about which presidents have run up the national debt, read on. The following figures show the national debt percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) at the beginning and the end of the terms of American presidents since WWII. Source for figures: Congressional Budget Office. Franklin D. Roosevelt/

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-8390218104343905892011-04-13T22:02:00.001-04:002011-04-13T22:12:04.038-04:00

A few words from CNN’s cover story of the president’s fiscal policy address today at George Washington University: “Obama's approach seeks to carve out a political middle ground between conservatives -- who are pushing for deficit reduction based solely on spending cuts and expected economic growth -- and liberals, who are generally resisting entitlement reform and seeking higher corporate and

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-69672525877748673982011-04-11T12:55:00.000-04:002011-04-11T12:55:35.351-04:00

I don’t have a Nobel Prize in economics, but this guy does. If I haven’t made myself clear over the last few days, along comes Paul Krugman in The New York Times to reiterate exactly what I’ve been saying in both my posts and my comments on the posts. Only plainer. Few political gambits have made me angrier than that pulled off by Republicans Friday night, so I wasn’t too receptive to President

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-23038518696974765842011-04-09T07:21:00.001-04:002011-04-09T07:30:52.715-04:00

When John Boehner and House Republicans pushed through a last-minute bill demanding cuts to Planned Parenthood and stripping the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to control greenhouse emissions – as discussed in DemWit’s last post – they knew exactly what they were doing. This was ideological trickery at its best. In addition to titillating his base, Boehner’s “social issues” scheme

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-21352756451938061832011-04-07T16:27:00.000-04:002011-04-07T16:27:55.558-04:00

It’s not enough that House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan introduced a highly controversial spending proposal during budget negotiations - one that would compromise healthcare needs for 100 million Americans - but now House Republicans have pushed through a bill which makes it look to the less-than-informed as if the GOP wants to keep the government running. But, in the bill which passed the House

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-1150710074540496462011-04-06T14:52:00.001-04:002011-04-06T14:59:38.522-04:00

My son Michael entered first grade about the time this country began to be aware of the environment. The word “ecology” had just entered the lexicon. Michael came home from school one day with an assignment to make a poster about the environment, and I left him to his own devices. The finished poster had drawings of a few stars, the moon, the sun surround by rays, a fish, a bird in flight, a

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-3759802356376532342011-04-04T11:47:00.000-04:002011-04-04T11:47:37.653-04:00

My buddy Chris and I didn't let up all weekend, most of the time spent cooking my 16-quart boiler full of stuff for the freezer. Plus lots of little chores he helps me with. When his folks picked him up at 7:30 Sunday night, I opted to sit and relax and listen to my book, then slept from midnight until 8 this morning. For that reason, I didn't get a chance to read the news articles I had saved

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-24937400679540078202011-04-03T11:41:00.000-04:002011-04-03T11:41:22.140-04:00

DemWit shares the following CNN.com article in the hopes of educating readers to the known unknowns of House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget plan, to be announced Tuesday. In preparing GOP leaders for his very controversial proposals, Ryan uses fear, pointing out that without his plan: "By the time my kids are my age, just those three programs - Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare - will

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-23689860125649885472011-03-31T12:13:00.002-04:002011-03-31T12:37:38.009-04:00

“I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And, doggone it, people like me.” That mantra was the title of Al Franken’s first book. It became a favorite saying of David Letterman. Al Gore even read it on The Late Show as one of the “Top 10 Rejected Al Gore-Joe Lieberman Campaign Slogans.” According to a USA Today/Gallup survey released today, that oft-repeated slogan could apply to a woman I admire and

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-58213089129871602422011-03-26T13:19:00.001-04:002011-03-26T13:34:33.351-04:00

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” Despite being caught up in its spell, I wasn’t dreaming. I went again to Manderley, not in Hitchcock’s classic film, but, for the first time, in Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel. Literature has given us many complex female characters – Blanche DuBois, Elizabeth Bennet, Scarlett O’Hara, Emma Bovary, Milly Theale. The reader is often outside the

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-17341636765825218682011-03-22T10:44:00.003-04:002011-03-23T09:10:49.560-04:00

In the great Rob Reiner-Aaron Sorkin film, “The American President,” President Andrew Shepherd (played by Michael Douglas) decides to retaliate after Libya bombs a U.S.-manned missile installation in Israel. In a conference room meeting with his White House staff and military leaders to discuss the possible air strike against Libya, the following dialogue occurs: A. J. MacInerney, Chief of Staff

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-51526154369703285422011-03-17T08:46:00.000-04:002011-03-17T08:46:46.950-04:00

You know that little bos in the upper righthand corner of envelopes which says, “Postal Service requires first-class stamp” or “Place stamp here”? That’s for Fox News viewers. Or, at least the ones who can read. I’ve been too busy, with no TV, reading straight news articles about the disasters in Japan to pay attention to the vocal yokels on the right. (Vocal Yokels was the name of my first blog

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-84862628365332333732011-03-15T02:10:00.003-04:002011-03-15T03:18:57.263-04:00

August of 2012 will be here before we know it. That’s when Republicans will convene to select their presidential ticket, so DemWit, from time to time, will be taking a close look at so-called GOP “hopefuls.” Here’s three to get ready: TIM PAWLENTY With little name recognition and fundraising ability, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to be Everyman: “At a recent Tea Party Patriots

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-5210156977189539812011-03-13T21:40:00.000-04:002011-03-13T21:40:08.500-04:00

Across the political spectrum – from the far left to the far right – there’s a lot of unhappiness in the United States of America over how things are going. From the depths of tragedy come these simple words of faith from Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan: “If the nation works together, we will overcome.” A simple reminder.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-88049194598252755642011-03-08T06:52:00.003-05:002011-03-08T08:00:01.907-05:00

"We don't want to be totally reactive so that when the price goes up, everybody panics, and when it goes back down, everybody goes back to sleep." Amen! These wise words from Secretary of Energy Steven Chu came in response to the Obama administration’s mulling over “tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in response to rapidly rising prices due to the turmoil in the Middle East.” GOP

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-8298242712451116582011-03-04T09:55:00.000-05:002011-03-04T09:55:43.730-05:00

Casting call! Frodo, Keeper of the Ring, has a movie for you: There Must Be 50 Ways To Lose Your Lover Mood: party time! Topic: "Moamar:The Movie" It matters not that the guy spells his name with a G, a K, or a Q, especially when he can best be identified by his lookalike cartoon character "Goofy." He proved that beyond all doubt Thursday evening when he sent one of his sons to cajole Anderson

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-70638744931458354312011-03-02T22:53:00.001-05:002011-03-03T00:27:01.007-05:00

Mike Huckabee: “I’ll tell you what I do know …” And, now, hopefully, everyone in America knows. But, this gets even better. Huckabee spokesman Hogan Gidley told CNN’s “Political Ticker” that the former Arkansas governor, presidential hopeful and current Fox News host meant to say Obama grew up in Indonesia, not Kenya. As the CNN report points out, the Mau Mau uprising Huckabee mentined did not

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-67584291228888004892011-02-27T20:06:00.000-05:002011-02-27T20:06:03.020-05:00

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and I are taking a moment today to reflect on our growing-up years when we ate, drank and dreamed about “next year” and the Messrs. Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe and Duke Snider. Those of us who remember the years of broken hearts and cursing the Damn Yankees are taking time today to mourn the passing of one

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-44998248781688660162011-02-27T08:10:00.000-05:002011-02-27T08:10:15.217-05:00

A former high school classmate, now living in NYC, sent me a copy of the New York Daily News front page with its blaring headline, “Deadly Voodoo Sex Romp.” The friend opined, “Voodoo candles sex ceremony sparks deadly Brooklyn fire. I can’t make this stuff up.” The next article in my inbox queue, sent by another friend, falls in the “I can’t make this stuff up” category as well. Turning back

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-69425859547426231122011-02-22T11:52:00.002-05:002011-02-22T12:12:14.028-05:00

Viewing the Mona Lisa from La Gioconda’s nose up or stopping the music before Ravel’s “Bolero” reaches its fullest crescendo compares, in my opinion, to reading an abridged book. Like Meg Ryan in “You’ve Got Mail,” I get “lost in the language” of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Imagine reading an abridged version of that book. There’s a reason such books becomes immortal. So, why take a

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-66651313130941418002011-02-18T11:24:00.000-05:002011-02-18T11:24:53.939-05:00

As part of an ongoing effort to pressure Fox News into pulling the plug on the Glenn Beck Show, here is a standard petition letter addressed to Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. Please feel free to copy the text of this letter and paste it into your letterhead - adjusting type size and font style as needed: (Date) Roger Ailes Chairman and CEO, Fox News Channel News Corporation 1211 Avenue of the

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-57171087101219754332011-02-17T08:28:00.001-05:002011-02-17T10:09:39.682-05:00

Like Egypt, the United States has a lot of problems to be solved, but women here can walk down the street without the EXPECTATION of being grabbed on the breast. DemWit, for the sole purpose of sharing information under the “Fair Use Notice” in my sidebar, calls readers’ attention to the following commentary: Egypt's harassed women need their own revolution By Mary Rogers, CNN February 17,

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-23770147442141187182011-02-15T09:08:00.008-05:002011-02-15T10:40:15.832-05:00

To the chagrin of liberals and conservatives alike, the “yelling ‘fire’ in a crowded theater” rhetoric of Fox News’ Glenn Beck, fully documented, is fanning flames of hate across our country. The Supreme Court of the United States takes exception to so-called “free speech” which has the potential to do great harm. Glenn Beck's hate speech, therefore, should be no exception to SCOTUS’ exception.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-87411368965630210872011-02-11T10:03:00.000-05:002011-02-11T10:03:48.316-05:00

Access to the World Wide Web can: 1) Scare you senseless. 2) Make you sick. 3) Empower you. 4) All of the above. I’m in the market for a new clothes washer and am getting an education. Caveat Emptor 101. One can assume if a person buys a product which turns out to be a lemon, one way to vent is to hop on the WWW and write a product review. But, when the best review you run across is from a

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-74022880377982523852011-02-08T06:36:00.000-05:002011-02-08T06:36:31.554-05:00

“Facts are stupid things.” – President Ronald Reagan at the 1988 Republican National Convention, misquoting John Adams’ “Facts are stubborn things.” During the full week of Ronald Reagan’s funeral on TV and the celebration of his Centennial, my objections have centered not on remembering a former U.S. president, but on the revisionist aspects of The Media Myth and the exploitation of the poor

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-25559419601128973792011-02-05T02:55:00.000-05:002011-02-05T02:55:33.544-05:00

Words of inspiration spoken by the president of the United States at the recent National Prayer Breakfast received this comment on Fox News: "President Obama misquoted a familiar Bible verse during a faith-based address at the National Prayer Breakfast." - Fox Nation, 2/03/11 VERSUS "Obama was quoting from the New International Version [of the Bible], while Fox Nation was pointing to the King

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-75523134388513431462011-02-03T10:14:00.000-05:002011-02-03T10:14:18.758-05:00

I have an acquaintance who is a very talented organist and is very much in demand to play at weddings and funerals. What he doesn’t like about being engaged to play at funerals, he once told me, is the “deification of the dead.” He said the deceased could have been the worst sort of scoundrel, but is always elevated to sainthood in the service. In thinking about the “deification of the dead,” I

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-86722880719020455242011-01-07T08:51:00.000-05:002011-01-07T08:51:58.448-05:00

This blog has been archived for research purposes. See “posts library” in the left sidebar to access archived post titles. All posts are original to the author, are documented and are copyrighted 2011. Thank you for visiting. Blog Author

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-34108579291401886792011-01-05T10:54:00.001-05:002011-01-05T11:32:16.693-05:00

Those of us who have never experienced combat are hard-pressed to understand the kill-or-be-killed necessity of eliminating the enemy. We do, however, understand democracy, for most of us have never lived under any other form of government. The following is an excerpt transcribed from Stephen E. Ambrose’s “The Victors: Eisenhower and His Boys: The Men of World War II.” It is the story of one

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-16097307042140887362011-01-02T10:43:00.001-05:002011-01-02T10:50:10.974-05:00

“Prejudice is demonic because it turns people into objects of derision. It lessens them. It harms them. It dehumanizes them. And when small comments of derision about another race or group become more vociferous, these become policy, these become Nazi Germany, Bosnia . . . Rwanda.” -Father Tim Farrell *** My dear friend Father Tim Farrell and five women of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-21462060647404560162010-12-28T08:15:00.002-05:002010-12-28T08:46:10.779-05:00

Traditionally, I have closed out each blogging year by saluting the persons Americans most admire. Gallup has released its 64th annual “Most Admired” lists: MOST ADMIRED MAN OF 2010: President Barack Obama, the runaway favorite, has topped the list for three consecutive years, as do most sitting presidents, who have been No. 1 for 52 out of 64 years. Results shown in percentages: 1. Barack

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-76440263493539022392010-12-24T07:22:00.001-05:002010-12-24T07:31:42.550-05:00

At a time when we were all busy with Christmas cards and letters and last-minute shopping, Santa Claus came early for Americans. What happened in our nation's capitol this last week will have a positive effect on every U.S. citizen. Apparently some Republican lawmakers decided it didn’t look so good to continue voting “no” on every piece of legislation, and they are to be commended in helping

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-34029426435278315822010-12-21T07:14:00.000-05:002010-12-21T07:14:12.329-05:00

To paraphrase Ross on “Friends:” “I was on a break!” (See sidebar at left.) Dropping back into the blogosphere to call attention to an exceptional discussion going on over at Parsley’s Pics. Friend Leslie’s post, “How the Far-Left Mirrors the Right,” merits your attention as does the lively discussion in her comments zone. I am certain DemWit's readers will want to add their two cents HERE.

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-5011817149767455132010-12-11T04:20:00.007-05:002010-12-12T06:05:37.520-05:00

AND, SO IT BEGINS Wednesday, December 1 (The New York Times 12/1/10): All 42 Republican senators sign a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada threatening to block any legislation until Bush-era tax cuts are extended for all Americans, including the wealthiest. The move came within 24 hours of President Obama’s meeting with senior Republican Congressional leaders, expressing hopes for “a

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-13583001898391216622010-12-09T02:01:00.002-05:002010-12-09T02:26:18.809-05:00

“I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE.” Remember the meltdown? I have read the transcripts of Keith Olbermann’s “Special Comments” for 14 months now, because I don’t have TV and cannot view videos online. I read these transcripts, because at some point before I gave up TV I realized that one day this MSNBC commentator might just self-implode much like Peter Finch’s

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-23343108990217595212010-12-08T00:20:00.000-05:002010-12-08T00:20:22.761-05:00

Her legacy, in her own words: "You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times, and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes,

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-54185119828656514552010-12-07T09:45:00.000-05:002010-12-07T09:45:55.994-05:00

On December 7, 1941, Americans woke to “a date which will live in infamy.” This morning many who voted for President Barack Obama would mark today’s date in similar terms. They need to stop and think. The president of the United States of America has not been checkmated by a Republican gambit. He has not found himself in a stalemate. He has been caught in a double fork, Loosely interpreted: he

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-92080037014799079872010-12-06T15:57:00.002-05:002010-12-06T16:15:15.870-05:00

John Fitzgerald Kennedy remains the U.S. president in the last half century who is perceived to be the best. USA Today/Gallup has released its annual survey rating the presidents of the last 50 years. Two interesting changes: Jimmy Carter has moved down the list, while Bill Clinton has moved up. George H.W. Bush’s rating fell while his son was in office, but has rebounded. Here is this

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-85606747022367168352010-12-03T06:01:00.003-05:002010-12-03T18:26:56.566-05:00

Recent polls showed that some 60 percent of Americans deem extension of the Bush-era tax cuts a priority. Why is that? Because they do not know the facts, and they have been scared into thinking their own taxes will go up. DemWit worked through the night to cut through the tax-cuts BS, and this post is for liberals, progressives and conservatives alike. A COUPLE OF FACTS Fact 1: "We cut taxes

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-73057930245587676382010-12-02T15:31:00.000-05:002010-12-02T15:31:34.546-05:00

Ever Google yourself? A search of my name turned up 406,000 results, which, of course, includes everyone in the world with my last name or either of my initials. Interestingly, the top entry was a post about my fear of flying which appeared in my archived blog, “I See My Dreams.” Persons with my name include a writer of books on badminton for women and girls, a minister of the Gospel and an Ohio

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-37771632331534286002010-12-01T09:42:00.000-05:002010-12-01T09:42:23.817-05:00

I am an anomaly in my circle of family and longtime friends and have even met with downright hostility from a couple of cousins when describing my blog as “liberal.” Blogging is not easy. Some days there is absolutely nothing to inspire the written word; on other days I cannot type fast enough. Some days I will spend hours on end in research to bring to DemWit something of utmost importance only

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-63837462996867617282010-11-29T05:06:00.001-05:002010-11-29T05:17:24.349-05:00

This post has nothing to do with a flooded apartment or a roaring toothache (circa Christmas 2009), just four brief news items to set your spine a'tingling. Nightmare before Christmas The headline caught my eye this morning: “Another GOPer wants to defeat Obama.” I clicked on the link and felt a chill. Remember neoconservative war hawk John Bolton, who, when undersecretary of state, was

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-22414036816742326942010-11-24T09:28:00.000-05:002010-11-24T09:28:41.807-05:00

Children at Nyaka AIDS Orphans School in Nyaka, Uganda, in Africa, pray as they begin their school day. Father Tim Farrell's parish joined forces with Jackson Kaguri to found the school. All children, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim, are welcomed here if they are orphaned by the AIDS pandemic. *** On September 18, I received the following note from my longtime friend Father Tim Farrell, pastor

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-39355206391700632772010-11-23T07:31:00.000-05:002010-11-23T07:31:22.606-05:00

Paul Krugman knows a little more about the economy than DemWit. With each new op-ed column, Krugman’s warnings about our economy grow stronger. His crystal ball conjures things most of us cannot foresee. So, when I saw the headline on his column yesterday, my back stiffened as I sat up and took notice. Now, the right would have you believe Paul Krugman is not to be believed. After all, he

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-65801287244991739352010-11-22T03:26:00.001-05:002010-11-22T04:17:32.110-05:00

I was a 21-year-old secretary eating lunch at “Nick” Nicapopadopalous’ Greek restaurant. Two blocks away in the newsroom of the Clarion-Ledger and Jackson (Miss.) Daily News, bells were going off on the teletype machine to mark a “bulletin” – the newswire service’s designation for its most significant breaking news. Twenty years later I would be working as an editor in that newsroom. One day as

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-51145388134240169762010-11-18T10:47:00.000-05:002010-11-18T10:47:50.630-05:00

Anne Perry’s fictional detective Thomas Pitt, when asked to define “blasphemy,” says, “I think it is jeering at other people’s beliefs, making them doubt the possibility of good and making reverence appear ridiculous. Whose God it is doesn’t matter. It isn’t a question of doctrine, it’s a matter of trying to destroy the innate idea of diety, of something better and holier than we are.” (Half Moon

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-72781871210554116022010-11-16T11:22:00.001-05:002010-11-16T11:26:41.124-05:00

I have just read the most delightful commentary on the future of American politics if females have anything to do with it. The writer, Donna Trussell, is a poet, fiction writer and former film critic. She’s a fifth-generation Texan who knows the “Steel Magnolias” wiles of women as well as their increasing impact as stand-alone warriors against gender suppression. Donna throws out facts right

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-51107241819277130132010-11-14T05:37:00.000-05:002010-11-14T05:37:35.349-05:00

Satan, thy name is Soros, so say some of the craziest, most self-serving right-wing propagandists and politicians of our day. DemWit, leaning heavily on the “fair use notice,” presents the following commentary in its entirety, because 1) It’s just so darn clever, and 2) Blog readers recoil at the idea of actually clicking on a link. *** Beck's bizarre, dangerous hit at Soros By Michael

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-79431791167668960272010-11-12T09:32:00.006-05:002010-11-15T12:24:09.479-05:00

I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, scream, throw up or bang my head against a brick wall. False accusations and hypocrisy affect me that way. I call your attention to the two items atop “fyi” in DemWit’s sidebar. The second item is just rhetoric from a self-aggrandizing blowhard. The top item merits the attention of every DemWit reader, regardless of political persuasion, Its contents take

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-82393175271286180312010-11-11T07:57:00.001-05:002010-11-11T08:12:38.788-05:00

‘ROY  AND  SIS’ Front: Elowease (cousin), 16; Betty Jean (‘B.J.’), 3; Martha (sister), 15; middle row: Sarah (aunt), 18; Ruth (friend), Mary (sister), 17; back row: Leroy (‘Roy’ - brother), 19, in his Navy uniform; and Gilbert (cousin’s husband). Younger brother Isaac was born shortly after this family portrait. Photo: 1945. This column was published in the Anderson (S.C.)

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-80500766625644907972010-11-10T10:40:00.001-05:002010-11-10T10:47:29.761-05:00

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is still alive as of this posting. In 2006, in her hometown of Tabriz, Iran, the now 43-year-old mother of two received 99 lashes after being sentenced as an “adulteress.” Sakineh received international attention early this year when she was sentenced to death by stoning. According to AVAAZ, Iran “accused her of adultery and sentenced her to stoning despite the fact

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-13918952577643657302010-11-08T02:06:00.003-05:002010-11-08T02:51:21.401-05:00

If there’s anyone out there who still cares about ethics in journalism and who doesn’t break out in a rash when reading anything longer than a tweet, this one’s for you. In 11 years of fighting online for truth, justice and the American way, the subject I’ve written most about is journalism ethics. Late Sunday night, masked by a headline about Keith Olbermann’s return to the air Tuesday, David

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173973315363181140.post-90373207173122482502010-11-05T09:36:00.002-04:002010-11-05T10:01:41.792-04:00

DemWit sadly notes that two honest champions of both Wall Street reform and campaign finance reform - Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) – targets of attack ads, lost their bids for re-election Tuesday. *** Here’s a word the far-right – and conservatives who went along with them on November 2 - might want to learn: plutocracy. plu•toc•ra•cy (n.) 1. Government by the wealthy

B.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com5