IMPORTANT READS

ELECTION TAMPERING-Donald Trump’s telephone conversation with Georgia’s secretary of state will go down in history as a classic case of election interference, totally in keeping with Trump’s disdain for democratic processes and perfect willingness to use any means, legal or otherwise, to get his way.

TRUMP TIRADE-In his infamous one-hour shakedown of Georgia’s Secretary of State, wise-guy Donald Trump TWICE calls himself a “schmuck.” It’s a gross undershot. 

DEMOCRACY--On October 7, 2020, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, “Democracy isn’t the objective; liberty, peace, and prosperity are.  We want the human condition to flourish.  Rank democracy can thwart that.”

SHOULD NOT SEE TV-A few years ago, there was an obscure little broadcasting channel called AWE that referred to themselves as “Wealth TV.”

GUEST WORDS-I don’t put much stock in all the articles and news reports that envision President Donald Trump, once smoked out of his Oval Office hole, suddenly becoming a perpetual motion machine --

OTHER WORDS-With the new COVID-19 vaccine available, Dr. Anthony Fauci says  Americans can begin to achieve herd immunity by next summer.

2020-A LOOK BACK--People who work for President Donald Trump typically meet one of two fates.

THE RELIGION GAP-Here’s a dramatic example of the growing power of Americans who say their religion is “none”:

POVERTY POLITICS--In the wake of Sunday night's agreement on a roughly $900 billion Covid-19 relief package that is far smaller than economists say is necessary,

GUEST COMMENTARY--With Pfizer's welcome COVID-19 vaccine here, so are America's unwelcome rich and privileged, clamoring for their entitled spot at the head of the line.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES-The Eye of Providence on the back of the $1 bill has become symbolic of secret societies and conspiracy theories more generally. 

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM-Here’s a tiny fact. 300,000 Americans are dead of a preventable lethal illness.

VIEW FROM HERE-While President Trump pouts and plots, and President-elect Biden anticipates and appoints, there is an October news clipping from Sonia Perez of the Associated Press that I have not been able to get out of my head.

POLITICS-After opposing another round of stimulus checks for months in the face of deteriorating economic conditions and widespread suffering, Republican congressional leaders have finally agreed to include direct payments in a coronavirus relief package that could be approved by the end of the week.

ELECTION EXPOSED---Following is an excerpt from the diary of outgoing President Donald Trump, apparently written in early December 2020.  The excerpt has been edited for clarity, spelling, grammar, and context.

TRUMP’S UNKEPT PROMISES-Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie showed “a lack of genuine commitment” to addressing a high-profile sexual assault allegation in a VA hospital and focused instead on denigrating the veteran who made the complaint, according to an investigation by the department’s internal watchdog. 

PERSPECTIVE--If you’re American, take a moment to congratulate yourself. You’ve just survived the tenure of the worst President in American history.

OTHER WORDS-As the semester ends, I fear many of my students will fail my class.

PERSPECTIVE--Our post-election hope couldn’t be more fragile. 

OTHER WORDS--America certainly has an abundance of food, even though many Americans do not.

PERSPECTIVE--Firing by the defeated President of the federal cybersecurity director who stated the Nov. 3 election was “the most secure in American history” points to a pair of hard truths about this Presidency.