“Books are like seeds. They can lie dormant for centuries and then flower in the most unpromising soil.” (Carl Sagan); “Nothing ever dies on the Internet.” (anon.); “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” (Madison Ave. [m]adman). My posts amalgamate these three philosophical elements into one novel experience; they champion critical thinking, human dignity / equality, levelheaded / even-handed / liberty-based governance and solid environmental stewardship. C’mon in!
Hillary and Bill Clinton’s marriage is nobody’s business but their own. Nonetheless, busybody Donald Trump implies that Bill’s past infidelity, somehow, makes faithful Hillary (who salvaged her marriage) unfit to be president.
Looks like puerile, prurient Trump is far more preoccupied with who’s screwing who than helping save our screwed up world.
Looks like player Donny’s double standard is in play, too. After all, he did divorce Ivana to marry his mistress, Marla Maples… divorce Marla to marry wife #3, Melania.
One would think Donald Trump, the poster boy for infidelity and divorce, would declare himself unfit to be president.
During the first presidential debate, Hillary Clinton mentioned Donald Trump’s offensive, abusive behavior towards women… namely… 1996’s Miss Universe, Alicia Machado.
Indeed, Trump had heartlessly insulted and body shamed that beauty pageant winner… had psychologically traumatized and driven her to tears and eating disorders.
What Trump failed to realize was Clinton had actually given him a golden opportunity to mend his evil ways. How? He could’ve looked squarely into the camera to sincerely apologize to Machado.
That’s what any decent human would have done. Of course, who’d ever claim Trump is decent?
As for Trump being human… that’s debatable.
CommonSenseTom
12:48 pm on September 29, 2016 Tags: Blue Star Families, Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan ( 3 ), Charles Jackson Skiles Jr., Christina Kuklin Skiles, December 7 1941, Eugene Skiles, Ghazala Kahn, Gold Star Mothers, Khizr Khan ( 3 ), Renee’ A. Leon – Skiles, U.S.S. Arizona, U.S.S. Arizona Pearl Harbor Memorial, WW-II ( 16 )
Early this a.m., I found a comment “buried” in my spam queue. I deem that a wrongful “death” because my obscure website would prove of little value to spammers, I’ve fact checked the comment and the emotional content tugs at the ol’ heartstrings.
Even though there’s mention of a Memorial Quilt, since there’s no link to a site to purchase it, I’m concluding there’s no financial gain angle involved.
Rather than burying this comment in a (now) nearly two-month-old posting, I’ve decided to feature Ms. Reneé A. Leon – Skiles as a guest blogger… provide her a forum for her heartfelt, patriotic, eloquently expressed sentiments… which now follow…
Memorial Quilt for the eternal Honor of all “Gold Star” Mothers: and all “Blue Star” Families. Quilt inspired by: Capt. Humayun Khan (fallen in Iraq, 2004) AND Charles Jackson Skiles, Jr., age 17 and Eugene Skiles, age 21, (both brothers fallen at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941)
It happened in an Olympic/Election year. Our Gold Star Mother, Ghazala Kahn and her husband, Khizr Khan honored their son in front of the world. That love awakened my similar past. Through her, it becomes undeniable that the loss experienced by Gold Star family members transcend race, time and political preference (except for the very ignorant). The wounds of a Gold Star Mother and her family affect future generations of family members, as does the freedoms gained from the bravery and heroism of their sons and daughters, which each of us remaining enjoy daily. The life of my father, Emmett Lee Skiles was significantly shaped by the loss of his two brothers by age 15, and the following generations.
Of significant importance in my family history and experience is the FACT THAT my Grandmother, from Richmond, Missouri, a Gold Star Mother, back in 1941 did not see her name in print; she was only identified as Mrs. Charles J. Skiles. CHRISTINA ZUKLIN SKILES (1889-1984), mother of sons and heroes Charles J. Skiles, Jr. and Eugene Skiles, also from Richmond, Missouri. Back in those early days, THIS COUNTRY did not acknowledge women as high enough on the social experience scale to refer to them by name. Women were silenced back then and existed only under the name of men in fear. I’m giving her that recognition now. I’m releasing her from standing in the shadows and giving her her name back: she is CHRISTINA ZUKLIN SKILES, my Grandmother. Advancing forward, in contrast, because of Christina’s son’s service, our beloved Gold Star Mother, Ghazala Kahn stood on a stage with her husband to be acknowledged and included for our entire world to see. That is what freedom represents and what the sacrifices accomplish. That is why their sons and daughters fought and died; for OUR FREEDOMS.
So I designed and personally made this flag quilt as an everlasting symbol to Honor these two and all Gold Star Mothers and their families, with my special thanks to Ghazala Kahn, forever a symbol for me to understand what my Grandmother, Christina Zuklin Skiles would have felt in those early, raw days after her losses and all her future days, long before my birth. Christina Zuklin Skiles would not have been able to speak one word if her two deceased hero sons were displayed behind her, in photos, on a large stage like Ghazala Kahn. Grandma Skiles would have cried inside in silence, with no words able to be spoken.
Sincerely,
Reneé A. Leon – Skiles,
Daughter of Emmett Lee Skiles, US Army (younger brother of Charles J. Skiles, Jr. and Eugene Skiles)
My Addendum: If you fast-forward / freeze frame the above video at time index 2:41 and then look carefully (near the bottom of the middle column), you’ll spot the names of war heroes Charles J. Skiles, Jr. and Eugene Skiles.
CommonSenseTom
1:23 pm on September 28, 2016 Tags: Charlotte North Carolina, Charlotte North Carolina shooting incident, eyewitness Taheshia Williams, Keith L. Scott, Rakeyia Scott, Taheshia Williams, TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury
Charlotte, NC cops allege Keith Scott had a gun. An eyewitness, Taheshia Williams, refutes their claim.
Either way, it’s likely that Scott needn’t have died.
Let’s cut through last week’s yellow crime scene tape.
Scott’s wife, Rakeyia, had vocally informed these officers about her husband’s Traumatic Brain Injury.
At that point, reasonable cops would’ve realized this was likely why Scott wasn’t responding to their commands… ergo, it was time to retreat and regroup.
While everyone’s adrenaline ebbed, Rakeyia could’ve made her impassioned pleas… beseeched her husband to obey the cops… perhaps resulting in an outcome everyone could’ve lived with.
During the first presidential debate, Donald Trump proved he couldn’t even playact being a decent, rational human being for a mere ninety minutes out of his entire life. He could neither focus on nor lucidly respond to routine, softball questions. He was so intent on denying and rewriting his infamous past he resorted to incessantly interrupting and shouting down opponent Hillary Clinton and debate moderator Lester Holt whenever either correctly pointed out Donny’s imprudent policies and/or publicly spewed, demeaning, disgraceful, hateful, misogynistic and racial slurs.
Donald Trump amply demonstrated his hotheaded temper, un-presidential temperament and must NEVER become POTUS!
Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, recently said that, if elected, he’d be a strong VP… just like Dick Cheney.
Treasonous Cheney, the Constitution gutting, de facto president, who had morphed W Bush into a puppet and ventriloquist’s dummy.
Sociopathic Cheney, who had perpetuated flat out whoppers about WMD to justify attacking Iraq, squandered $1.1 TRILLION to wage that needless war, gleefully slaughtered THOUSANDS of U.S. troops and 1 MILLION innocent Iraqi civilians, waterboarded and tortured enemies of his own making, plundered Iraq’s oil AND spawned ISIS.
Well, Mike Pence has just proven himself strong alright… his stench is overpowering.
Welcome to my Internet Blogcast. This week, my show’s four-tracked, musical theme reflects “The End” to my show’s planned 13-week run. While I’ve barely scratched the surface regarding ideas for future programming, past shows’ low ratings simply don’t warrant my continuing on a regular basis.
My special thanks go out to all of the recording artists who have so graciously allowed us YouTube access… permitted us to ear-witness their studio performances and eyewitness them, live, on stage. I want them to know that I am not a freeloader… a very high percentage of the music I’ve featured in my Blogcasts is material I’ve purchased in the vinyl and/or compact disc formats. In fact, some of their music, which I’ve heard online, has even inspired me to go out and purchase what I hadn’t previously included in my vast library.
I also thank the talented YouTube videographers and performers who’ve greatly enhanced all we’ve seen and heard, here.
On a personal note, I thank my sister who… oh so long ago… had encouraged me to have big ears / be musically adventurous.
Last but not least, I thank each and everyone who has listened to, liked, and commented on the twelve previous installments of Four-Play.
Turning now to the routine Blogcast housekeeping duties…
Even though this program comes to an end this week, for as long as WordPress remains on the www, my previous shows will remain neatly archived in my music category. Who knows… since it’s oft been said that “Nothing ever dies on the Internet”, what I’ve created, here, might even outlive both WordPress and me.
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard, this day, click that “Like” Star. Of course, comments, as always, are welcome, too!
Thanks again for listening… I hope… in some small way… that my Blogcasts have made a difference in your lives. Take care!
“They” meaning Americans not standing for the National Anthem… e.g. San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick.
1st Amendment: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech… or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Joyner: U.S. troops should shoot protestors.
Joyner’s 2nd Amendment “solutions” drew raucous cheers from his targeted audience… impressionable high schoolers. Ergo, he had fomented campus violence.
White Alabaman Joyner’s violent “solutions” re a Black Lives Matter issue also smack of racism.
We’ve all read and heard the horror stories about cops using excessive and deadly force. Well, Moline, Illinois Officer Patrick Moody, has proven, via his random act of kindness, how wrong it is to judge all cops bad, based on the actions of a few.
After a driver totaled the car driven by the financially struggling, single mom Danielle Robinson, that’s when the responding to the scene Moody, on the QT, later decided to contact a car dealer buddy.
Together, the men purchased a 2001 Chevy Lumina, which Moody presented, free of charge, to the surprised and delighted Robinson.
CommonSenseTom 