Ode to Sergeant Joe Friday: “Just the facts, Ma’am.” [Dedicated to teachers who are assigning a research paper this spring!]

As a Baby Boomer, I watched “Dragnet” and, however corny and stiff the police show appeared on my black and white TV, it was always clear two things mattered to the gumshoe investigators. What was the data (physical evidence that could be measured (“See that blood on the carpet, Joe?”), and what credibility did the witnesses bring to the investigation in order to discover the truth? (“How did you know it was him, Ma’am?”…. “Because he was my, my lover!)

They got it right 100% of the time. Ah, Hollywood. If it were always that easy. But even today, those principles still are neither out of date nor are they irrelevant. The problem is that they are often ignored. In a Trump World of Fake News, how can we tell “Just the facts,Ma’am”—when we don’t establish what facts are? Here are some tried and true methods.

First. The data. Crunch the numbers and consider whose fingers crunched them. Let’s take the issue of the economy and whether the wage gap is really significant, i.e. “The rich get richer and the poor…have children.” In February of 2017, “In the last two quarters, Gross Domestic Product has risen more than 3%...but many people don’t feel the upside….According to the Pew Research Center report, the average hourly wage for nonmanagement private-sector work was $20.67, a measly $1.49 higher than 1964, adjusted for inflation.” [Time 2-5-18 p41] And that’s the average. Imagine the low end of the pay scale! So despite a “booming economy”—it’s not booming for the worker bees. Those are the facts. Legit. The Pew Foundation is as non-partisan as it gets. Numbers are numbers.

Let’s try the immigration debate. Is Trump deporting the bad “hombres”? He claimed he was going to do, as opposed to Obama’s deportation policy? In this example, let’s use data and an excellent knowledgeable “witness”—Pratheepan Gulasekaram, a constitutional and immigration law professor from the University of Santa Clara. His studies show,“Despite the President’s frequent talk of ‘rapists and murderers”; the most influential shift in 2017 was that ICE agents arrested 146% more noncriminals, compared to a year before [under Obama]. In 2016, 14% of the people whom ICE arrested had no criminal record. In 2017 close to 26% were.” [Time 3-19-18 p40] So clearly Trump is arresting a lot of “low hanging fruit”; people who were just easy to scoop up at 7-11 while they are heading to their low paying job. (This was the cover story in Time.)

Okay, one more. Global Warming and its effects on the disasters in various cities. It is public knowledge Trump claimed it was “a hoax’ perpetrated by the Chinese. In an article entitled “How We Know It Was Climate Change” by professor of earth systems science at Stanford, he concludes, “ This was the year of devastating weather, including historic hurricanes and wildfires….Did climate change play a role? Increasingly scientists are able to answer that question—and increasingly, the answer is yes.” [NYT 12-31-17 p.10] The article discusses the fact that these events are all of the highest magnitude in history because of the warming of the planet and the rising of sea level. No mention of the Chinese…or Russian hackers.

So apply these standards: legit studies and qualified sources reported by organizations that are adhering to the highest standards of journalistic ethics. (Remember, they can be sued and reporters fired.) When teachers assign research papers, demand source citations and teach students to inspect them. Wikipedia is only acceptable if the source is quoted directly and cited in the footnotes. Websites by organizations that do not adhere to journalistic standards are just left or right wing propaganda.

Is MSNBC, FOX, CNN legit? Consider this: whom they interview and if those interviews are part of a written piece in a journalistic publication or a journal like SCIENCE, authentic data or qualified sources. Don Lemon’s opinion is just that—one man’s opinion. He is not a lawyer who studies the case, nor is he a scientist. Rachel Maddow admits she is not a lawyer either, so she interviews them—often they are folks who worked directly with cases like Nixon’s prosecution. Fox’s Hannity is really unqualified. Not a college grad (no journalistic background); he is merely a radio shock-talker. Read up on him (or read my Hannitygate Blog). Same with Fox and Friends. They just gab about ‘stuff’…and have the ear of the president.

Final note: Teachers—your librarian is our best asset. They often purchase  research cites that  have published articles. DO NOT GOOGLE “Is racism still a problem?” You are likely to get all sorts of bogus ads, websites, and the fringe ilk who have little validity.

  

If you live in the 49th Congressional District—your VOTE will be critical and Mike Levin is the best candidate to give a check on Trump’s chaos attack on America’s instructions

It’s gotten down to this: too many Democrats are in the race for the 49^th,  and in California the two who get the most votes in the June primary, are advancing to the final November vote. The problem: it could be two Republicans! (More on them shortly.)

We have passed the date when the weaker candidates can drop out. So Here is why Mike Levin is the BEST, most electable candidate for, frankly, everyone to support—that includes Republicans.

Why? First a quick explanation of the faults in the other three Democratic candidates. First and foremost, when the Democrats realized the problem that they could be locked out of even making the primary ballot, their was a forum called “The Viability Forum” to have all five candidates speak to why they should be the best choice. All five confirmed they would be there. On the morning of the well publicized and attended meeting, only Mike LEVIN showed up. (A fifth candidate had the good sense to drop out.) Mr. Applegate claimed he would go to “a bar” totalk to his supporters; Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Kerr just said they did not want to be associated with a PAC (at the last minute), and just like that Mike LEVIN was the only one there. So lying to the people of the 49^th and wasting so any people’s time and efforts is a huge strike against them.

As for Mr. Applegate, two things haunt him: he has raise a pittance compared to LEVIN and even Jacobs. (LEVIN has been one of the first in and has knocked on doors raising 1.2 million to Applegate’s 662 thousand, despite Applegate’s name recognition. Secondly, the Republican, Diane Hartney, a big Issa supporter and a tax cutter, will certainly raise the issues that Issa raise (unfairly, I add, but in politics your past can haunt you). See below:

“Democrat Douglas Applegate, a retired U.S. Marine colonel challenging Rep. Darrell Issa’s reelection bid, was accused of harassing and threatening his ex-wife during their divorce proceedings and child custody battle more than 10 years ago, court records show….An Orange County Superior Court judge granted Applegate's former wife, Priscilla Greco, two temporary restraining orders against him in 2002 and 2004.”

So Applegate could not win when Democrats came out in droves for Ms. Clinton. He has little chance four years later. Personally I have issues with his temperament. He comes across as a ‘tough guy’—but not very smart. I saw him speak to 100’s of people at the Democratic forum and I am not kidding –the first words out of his mouth were “I’m gonna beat that SON OF A BITCH (Issa)! Really? Is this the kind of person we expect to bring a sense of integrity and decorum to government? I can he is the lesser of the two evils—the two Republican nominees, but we can do better.

As for Ms. Jacobs, if Mike LEVIN were not in this race I would support her. But her poll numbers will make it very likely that she will eliminate both LEVIN and APPLEGATE and she cannot catch up fast enough. Check out this data:

“In a narrowed field of candidates, Chavez maintains the lead with 23% followed by Democrat Levin at 17%, Republican Harkey at 16%, and Doug Applegate at 15%. “The Top Two primary math is working against Democrats in these districts,” said Katie Merrill, chief strategist for Fight Back CA. “With a bus load of Democratic candidates in each of these races, the odds are increasing everyday that Democrats could lose these seats without ever seeing the general election “

 She grew up at the southern tip of the 49th district, in Del Mar,…Her grandfather, Irwin Jacobs, co-founded Qualcomm, the hundred-billion-dollar telecommunications company, and her family are prominent Democratic donors.  That is why she has 1.3 million in her coffers as of Jan 1, 2018. I like her, but she entered the race far too late and she will rely on a barriage of TV (expensive) ads. In the end ever person (particularly young folks who vote for her will likely simply give the election to Rocky Chavez or Hartney who will nudge out LEVIN and the unelectable Applegate. Had she made the decision to run at the beginning of 2017, things would be different but even she admits at 29 she was not sure she ws ready. One more thing—the Republicans will tie her to President Obama (which makes her appealing to me, but she worked for Ms. Clinton prominently as an unpaid foreign policy adviser on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.…and that will hurt her.) And she DID NOT SHOW UP top the meeting. I saw her speak—she will be terrific, but right now, she will just end up strengthening Trump’s hold on Congress. Sorry, Sara.

Mr. Kerr is raising money 1.0 million, but I saw him speak and, frankly, he knows a lot about small business in exclusively Sa Diego and he is a rags-to-riches- guy, but he will 1. Do what Ms. Jacobs will do, and 2. He is utterly unprepared for national office. His lack of knowledge of domestic affairs and international issues was hard to watch. He just repeats his mantra—I am from here and I’m a businessman. We deserve someone who already knows the issues and can speak to them lucidly and has a vision of what is going on in Trump’s administration. Sorry, Paul—run for State Assembly. Oh, and he also did not show up for the meeting he promised he would!

 So why Mike LEVIN? Here is what I wrote on Sunday, May 7, 2017: I have seen the future of the 49th Congressional District and its name is Mike Levin ! (It is even truer today IF PEOPLE REALIZE HOW THEIR VOTE IS PIVOTAL.

“Mike Levin has outraised Applegate in every single quarter, despite the fact that Applegate ran in 2016 and should have had a ready-made donor base at his disposal,” Levin’s campaign consultant, Parke Skelton, said in a statement.

The most impressive quality that Levin displayed is his temperament. He calmly explained how a disastrous house bill that has no Congressional Budget Office score was passed with the deciding vote attributed to Issa--vote 216. This bill has no cost estimate yet, will knock 20+ million people off insurance, and allows insurance companies to weasel out of covering some people with pre-existing conditions.

Mike Levin has an impeccable resume. He is forward thinking and knows the Trump agenda that Mr. Issa embraces with glee, despite the evidence that renewable energy is America's future; that Obamacare is more popular than ever; and that a 20+ billion dollar wall between the USA and Mexico (that America will pay for !) is not supported by the majority of voters or legislators on the border.

Mike Levin sees the future in a world that author Tom Friedman argues is accelerating rapidly. That makes Mike Levin a political rock star...if we are wise enough to listen to him.

Two Footnotes: 1. Ms. Hartney is cut out of the mold of Issa. Tax cutter, and worked in that industry exclusively. Orange County all the way. She will be just what Trump wants. 2. Rocky Chavez—“In the Legislature, Chavez has built a reputation as a moderate with an interest in veterans issues and education. Last year, he faced heat from his GOP colleagues after he and seven other Republicans helped pass an extension of the state’s cap-and-trade system, a signature climate change program backed by Gov. Jerry Brown.” Now will he cave to Paul Ryan and Donald Trump? That is a chance, right now, I’m not taking.

And finally why does all this matter? Our nation’s strength is built on checks and balances. Trump and his cronies control both houses of Congress, the majority of Supreme Court Judges, the EPA, the Justice Dept., and he has eviscerated the FBI and NSA  as well as the CIA. He listens to no one, except his own TV network. He will fire anyone who will speak truth to power. As for the massive tax cut he signed, check out Kansas and Louisiana and see how that’s going. They are failing states. Now they are trying to reinstate the taxes because the promised jobs are not coming and the schools and infrastructures are crumbling.

So only through the election can Trump’s march to power be at least muted. Don’t just believe me: ask Romney, Bush, and an assortment of Republicans who are leaving office, or are Generals, former top aides to Republican Presidents, etc. Trump running a muck is the most dangerous thing to our democracy.

So vote LEVIN. Don’t split the vote. We live in the most forward thinking state, California, with a 6 million dollar surplus—yes, we are not perfect, but we can stop Trump. 11 seats are needed. The 49^th may be the most critical.

Thanks for your patience. I know this was a long one. Footnotes will appear in my “comments”—no fake news here.

A Statue of Loyalty (part 2)

What do Jim Palmer, Tony Gwynn, Johnny Bench, and Carl Yastrzemski have in common other than all being Hall of Fame baseball players? Hmm? It's not that they represent different parts of the nation, different races, even different positions—and even different leagues. All true, but not what I have mind.

So let’s add to the list and see if you can figure it out: Kirby Puckett, Cal Ripken, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Mike Schmidt, Edgar Martinez, and Mariano Rivera

Okay, give up? Well, according to MLB.com, these gents are all guys who, after free agency, remained with their teams throughout—and they are the top position players. I’ll leave it to you to figure out which positions (but add the DH). I must also add George Brett as an Honorable Mention.

Basically all of them were offered big money to leave their team that brought them up to the big leagues—and all of them turned down the offers, stayed with their teams and all of them are or will be the statues you pass as you enter their prospective ballparks.

Of course, there were the greats who played before free agency, but they had no choice to stay with their teams. Then there are the guys who were traded against their will, think of Jackie Robinson who was dealt to the hated Giants, and who refuse to accept the trade and retired instead. We don’t have to have a statue for #42…because of his greatness, no one wears his uniform number any longer.

These players that MLB listed are the all-star loyalty team. They are the embodiment of their cities. They are beloved by the fans, young and old. They put family ahead of an even bigger paycheck. Sure, there are others who played with only one team, but these were the ones that were coveted by the other cities with deeper pockets Many stayed for their children’s education, for continuity, because they already felt they made enough money—but in the end many simply stayed because they were M. Padre; Yaz; the Big Red Machine; the Killer Bees…and one even stayed put despite the fickle fans who booed him despite his greatness.

So what’s the big deal? I mean, players have the right to go where the money is and make as much as they can in

the time that they have right? Yes. True. But baseball is a different animal. It has guaranteed contracts, unlike the NFL. Players have a longevity that is much more significant than other sports along with rosters larger than other sports. And it has tradition. It began in the late 1800’s—and for cryin out loud, it is America’s pastime! Thirty cities hope to go to the World Series. Chicago waited 100 years (I think it was longer, but what’s a decade to them?) And one more thing: a player makes the minimum of $450,000—and that is a whole lot more than a beginning teacher’s 45 K (in California—32K in some states.)

So my point is we fans ask that at least the players who ‘are the face of a club’ remain that face. Sometimes it is player greed, sometimes a team’s cheap ownership, sometimes it is a player who just knows his days are numbered and goes to another team just to extend his career. Fortunately, many of those players come back to their roots and give back to their cities—Trevor Hoffman is a perfect example.

I appreciate that. These guys do so much for the community and set an example for kids. I am sure my readers can list a dozen players that abandoned their town, they were guns for hire, and every team making a pennant run often needs one of these gunslingers, but they are off to the next buyer and …no statues of them will ever appear in from of the old ballpark.

And don’t even get me started when it comes to the rich owners who pick up their team and ‘bolt’ out of town (after

50+ years). 

I few weeks ago I wrote about the Mr. Trump’s strange demands of loyalty. Naturally, the unprecedented departures from his administration make one wonder about the price of Trump’s never-contradict-me blind loyalty. However, this article is about a far more important loyalty—the loyalty of a baseball player to the town he represents and the uniform worn. (I know baseball isn’t REALLY more important that serving our nation…but it is a lot more fun.) 

So loyalty is something I think about. The words “for better or worse, in sickness and health…” are a part of one of the most sacred oaths many take. Commitment. Sticking through tough times. Having another’s back. Sacrifice. Selflessness. These are not the words that come to mind in sports,  in the workplace, and sadly, in marriage.. And certainly not in this White House.

Hopefully this column makes it’s readers think more about the state of loyalty…as we pass the statues of ballplayers as a new season begins.

So Play Ball …and hope the 'stars' stick around, Your city needs you and so do the fans.

For the MLB article go to : http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2018/02/22/266645328/null

A Few Thoughts on Loyalty, part 1: “We’re Lookin’ into It.”

Recently, I was asked what makes a marriage work for 32 years (and counting). My response: loyalty

and compromise…and, of course, love. The Beatles sang “All You Need Is Love”—but without compromise and loyalty, love can be fleeting, after all Tina Turner implored “What’s Love Got to Do With It”; it’s just “a second hand emotion.”

A brief look at how loyalty is defined in politics is part of the political paralysis. Crossing over ‘party lines’ is viewed as disloyal, rather than a posture that shows compromise. Thus, loyalty to one’s donors, regardless of the consequences, finds Republican politicians mute as they wait for orders from the NRA, especially when parents of murdered children demand a total ban on military assault weapons, increased age limits for gun purchases, and other innocuous solutions like a “universal background check.” So they repeat the phrase “we’re looking into it…”; as if we haven’t been looking at mass murders year after year.

Mr. Trump made people swear an oath of loyalty to him when they entered a rally in Vermont (see source below). He fired James Comey when he would not be loyal—even though the FBI Director replied that he would be “honest.” That is his job description. Sasha Chapin in her New York Times Magazine article of November 15,2017 explained: “There are shades of this thinking in the title of the coming book by the former F.B.I. director James Comey: ‘A Higher Loyalty.’ It’s with Comey, of course, that Trump reportedly made his boldest call for fealty, telling the director, ‘I expect loyalty’ — the obvious implication being that Comey should shy away from legal inquiries that might harm the president.” Even Republican senator Jeff Flake, announced that: “A segment of his party, he said, had come to believe that ‘anything short of complete and unquestioning loyalty’ to the president was unacceptable.”

Loyalty has been easily demanded by Mr. Trump; however, two divorces led to two broken oaths. “Stormy” times are brewing in his third “till death do us part” marriage. Do what I say, not what I do—seems to be the order of the day. Somewhere in the order of 34 White House employees have left. Three of his top administrators have taken an oath that if one is fired they all go, does not portend a long tenure for any of them.

However, there is one person Mr. Trump seems unshakably loyal to—Mr. Putin. In spite of all three major investigative forces, Mr. Trump simply asked his friend Mr. Putin if the Russians “meddled in our election”. Mr. Putin said “No” and that is good enough for Mr. Trump. This is contrary to the most paramount oath he has ever taken: to preserve, protect and defend the United States …”—the Oath of Office. When the truth gets out, and it will (it always does thanks to the Freedom of the Press, the FBI and CIA and NSA), Americans will find out that Mr. Trump’s rise to power (from bankruptcy) will eventually be a ‘deal with the devil…so to speak.’ Tom Friedman latest column in NY Times explores the likely scenario.

Part 2--Baseball--it is a much lighter subject!

Gang: Here is the latest update on Chicago's public schools (Part 3 of 3)

Gang:This is The NY Times editorial for 2/13/2018 that I mentioned earlier about...Chicago’s schools.


David Leonhardt ‘s essay is, in my opinion, the more balanced review of the situation in Chicago's Public schools.Some others say school closings are a disaster. I think when something just repeatedly fails, then it is time to re-evaluate and make progress:


 “Chicago school progress. Some of the most impressive educational gains in the country have been happening in Chicago. Students — of all races — have made striking progress in reading and math. They’re spending more time studying the arts. High-school graduation rates are up. Chicago still has a long way to go. Its math and reading scores remain below the national average, for example. But its recent progress is exciting, especially given the city’s diverse population and relatively high poverty rate.


The city’s students 'appear to be learning faster than those in almost every other school system in the country, according to new data from researchers at Stanford,' Emily Badger and Kevin Quealy of The Times recently wrote.


In The Washington Post last week, Karin Chenoweth wrote, 'If we as a country are really serious about wanting to improve schools and education, we should be studying Chicago.'


The gains haven’t come easily, though. They have involved, among other things, greater accountability for school leaders and the closure of some underperforming schools. In a Times op-ed today, Tamar Manasseh makes the case against the next round of Chicago’s school closures, calling previous ones 'a fiasco.'


I disagree. For too long, school systems have been unwilling to crack down on failing schools. As traumatic as closures can be, they can lead to real progress, as has happened in Chicago. In most other parts of society, after all, institutions aren’t allowed to fail year after year, without consequence.


For more on Chicago, I wrote about its schools last year, focusing on the role that principals have played. You can also read the Stanford University study. And The Chicago Tribune explained the latest development yesterday: a three-year phaseout, rather than a 2018 closing, for three high schools.




As usual, I encourage you to read both sides of the debate.”

I concur!

Gang: Update Films: "Three Billboards, etc." and"The Big Sick"—one nominated for Best Picture and one that should have been:

Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri: 

(Major spoiler alert!! Do not read if you have not seen and plan to unless you want to be spoiled.) It is powerful, dark and intriguing; however, there is far too much that is utterly implausible and some events that are downright ridiculous. So as to not give you a laundry list, I’ll mention some of the obvious stuff.

For starters, a young man beaten up and  tossed him out of a window of a two story building…and then kicked him in the face for good measure. All while in from of a new police chief, no less. And that doesn’t get him jailed! But that’s not the crazy part, No. The guy who beat him practically to death is brought into the same hospital room as the man who beat him up! Why is that guy in the hospital all bandaged up (so the beaten man doesn’t know that he is the attacker)? Because the attacker ( now an the ex-sheriff—at least he lost his job!) who wants to be a detective someday is so unobservant that he is unable to hear or see four huge fire bombs going off and flames everywhere while he is trying to read a letter! (This is difficult for him because he cannot read much more than a comic book. Not a good look for a policeman…and it turns out he’s not even the worst of the cops.)

Then there is the mother who tells her daughter she hopes she does get raped on her walk on the night! Naturally, she is raped that very night, figures, huh. In Hollywood, be careful what you wish for. I asked myself after the movie ended—really? Didn’t the mother she feel tortured enough?

I could go on and on, but let’s touch on the important thematic elements. “Hate begets hate”; Oscar Wilde reminds us via a extremely dumb stereotyped 19 year old blonde. Hate is a clear and present danger in this town. It appears to be a cesspool of racism and violence.  This small town American “Show Me State” ubiquitous with racism {think Ferguson}, not to mention homophobia, and backwoods cops that makes me think either the police there are really that terrible or that the police would really be insulted by this film—I am not sure which is true—likely both.)

There is the generational hatred; good-old boy racism and bias and we are hammered with domestic violence. On a positive note, there is one good cop—a black commander who just can’t seem to figure out who threw the bombs at his own police office—or he does know, but is too ‘wise’ to pursue charges. And remember, these are just three really head scratching events. This will likely win Best Picture due to way over-the-top performances by a fine acting ensemble—but isn’t that often the way it goes? High drama gets the nod. {Think Leo De Capra and the Bear film.}The movie has the subtlety of a sawed off shotgun…and that’s also a hint of what’s to come.

 So, what does it all mean for me? It is a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it has all the right messages in a time in this country when domestic violence is a daily headline, when  ignoring women’s voices as truthtellers, and maybe more importantly, when people refuse to speak up when things are evil. People so afraid to call out injustice that it takes a burned and  raped victim’s mother to splatter it on three billboards. Yes, the letters that the dying sheriff played by Woody Harrelson (my favorite performer in the movie) writes are powerful, but he never has the courage to say those things to the people who matter while he is alive.

So upon reflecting, there are just too many coincidences, unrealistic events including the mysterious ‘reveal’—or not reveal, that makes the characters {and yours truly}drive off into the sunset and say what I felt about this film…”I just don’t know.”

 

The Big Sick: 

I loved this film last summer, and when I wrote the first blog about the films of the year2017,  I overlooked this autobiographic gem. Based on events in the life of star Kumail Nanjiani  and his wife Emily V. Gordon are up for an Oscar for Original Screenplay. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano add so much to the film, but so do the characters that play Kumail family—funny and heartfelt. This is a movie that means even more today as the Muslim ban and prejudice directed at ‘foreigners’ seems to be the target of Trump’s fear filled America.

 

This was a feel good,

feel bad,

feel worse,

feel good… at last movie.

Get Out:---still to come....here at the Metaphor Cafe

Gang: Here’s my take on the 2017 films !

Let’s keep it short and semi-sweet: my favorite films from top to bottom (Blade Runner 2040-whatever is the bottom)

Top of the Line:

The Post: Could not be a more important film about the need for a free press and the courage to blow the whistle on the liars {regardless of political party}. I realize that if Nixon had his own network (which he wanted when he talked to Roger Ailes) things may have worked out differently for Nixon and the nation. Quick note: I heard someone famous on NPR speak to the need for real news and that young folks need to decipher the difference. That person said that the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal are the two great levelers. Why? Because they are upholding journalistic standards, the rule of law and are not insulated from libel or prison {for not revealing sources}. The Washington Post is no slacker either.

The Shape of Water:  So if you are not into magical realism—this is not for you—but it was for me. It is a parable of what we fear and how we treat those things/ ideas we fear; verses, those who are open to seeing things that are both different in even perhaps threatening (because they are so different). The most creative picture I saw all year.

Lady Bird: And now for the opposite—stark realism. This is a mother, daughter, andculture ( I use that word loosely) that is high school. Lady Bird is a rebel with a cause, she just doesn’t quite know what it is, but she knows it is not community college in Sacramento. It is about the adult realists who don’t want to see dreams quashed vs. a dreamer who sometimes needs to be quashed to learn what is what and what really is ‘the best’ she can be.

father slice of life for a senior in high school who feels trapped by the expectations presented to her by a mother who never knows when to stop pushing and chiding, and an adolescent world populated by the cool

The Darkest Hour and Dunkirk: This is a twofer in the best way. I am not sure which to see first, but I know they are both necessary. I, for one, really didn’t know that much about all this drama ( I know, I should have.)  The two films show the psychology of facing defeat and what kind of enormous courage it takes when all seems lost (Atticus Finch speaks of this in Mockingbird). Sometimes that bravery comes from the common folk, and cowards are the ones who have much to lose. Dunkirk shows its audience the spectacle of what those same ordinary people can do in extraordinary circumstances. A side note: Our wars today are not at all like this. There are no clear battle lines, no uniforms, no white flags of surrender, no real nations at war—today, wart is far more dangerous. It is about a religious fanaticism that claims death is a ticket to nirvana and leaders who will gas their own people to stay in power. {Oh, wait! I guess there are similarities to WWI and II.}

Call Me by Your Name: Again, this takes the audience into a world that until the last 20 years, (okayBrokeback Mountain. However, this film follows a very different path. It explores sexual identity—especially when that identity is just blossoming. For many people there is a clear answer to that question of sexual orientation—in this film, that answer is not so clear. The only way to know is to live both lives…for a while.

maybe 10) many folks would not feel comfortable seeing (think

The Phantom Thread: You know, sometimes everything about a film is wonderful: the actors, the setting, the intrigue of the plot…it all seems to be quite beautiful. But the sum of its parts equals a unbalanced equation. If you have ever read Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” the gothic tale will seem familiar. As a teacher, I wanted my students to ‘experience’ the wicked, tortured nature of Emily, but as a filmgoer—well—I just think it is all so terribly sad. Not ‘sad’ in a Trump way, just pathetic. I guess, there are people like those portrayed in this film—lots of them, I suppose. And it is worth discussing—just not over dinner.

I want to add two other films that I liked besides Star Wars, which I like because it is ‘the force’ in me.

Marshall: This gem came in the summer, and I just felt that it was overlooked. Too few understand what Thurgood Marshall overcame to become one of the most revered lawyers and eventually Supreme Court judges in recent American history. It is not about Brown v. Board of Education; it is what happened right before…Oh—and a last entry:

Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Not the best film Denzel Washington has been in, but a very interesting one. He plays a man who is obsessed with the details. Stuck in his ways—it just so happens his ‘ways’ are the moral high ground too many people avoid because it is just too steep a journey.

The Wisdom of Solomon: a parable for our Congress

One day King Solomon, revered for his wisdom, was listening to the oldies station and tapping his

feet to song “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and he asked his scribe, “Who sings this song?” The Scribe replied, “My Lord, The Who.”

“That’s what I’m asking you,” replied the King.

“That’s the name of the band, My Lord.” The scribe went on ascribing. The King thought Strange name, but the song certainly makes a good point. I need to remember not to be fooled…again.

Of course, this was not a problem for the King, since, after all, he was endowed with that aforementioned wisdom; that is until the day when two men, both claiming to be the father of the same child, approached in a fierce argument. One of his soldiers was holding a baby between them.

“What is the problem?” the King asked—though he was aware this scene had played out numerous times in his time as king.

The soldier replied, “Both of these fathers claim the baby is his, My Lord.”

“Hmm. What say you two?" The Solomon demanded.

\

Naturally, both accused each the other of stealing their precious child. Since neither seemed to give an inch and blamed the other (apparently they accused each other of listening to reports they claimed were 'fake news', the King used his tried and true method to settle this dispute. 

Taking out his sword, he said, “Fine, I’ll just cut the baby in half and you both have a dead baby to bring home.” He raised the sword but stopped a fraction of an inch from the child’s head….

Stunned, King Solomon looked at the two fathers and said, “Gentleman, you do realize this works every time, right? One of you is supposed to be the real father and let the other have the baby because you’d rather see the baby live than die…and then I say, in my wisest voice, "Ah, the one who gives the baby up is the real father! You do know that, right!”

The men just shrugged and claimed the other is the lair.

Puzzled, the King stopped and wondered what was wrong with this scene. He then turned to the men and asked, “Wait! Where are your wives?”

Both fathers said their wives were home doing wifely duties: scrubbing, laundry, cooking, etc. And the both said in unison: “They know that their place is in the home, not here in the court of law.!"

Solomon ordered them to get their wives pronto. The intimidated fathers ran away to fetch their wives. Upon their return with wives in hand, Solomon told the soldier to gag the fathers and blindfold them. And for good measure, put headsets on each man with blaring guitar solos by Metallica. Then he told the women what he had told the men: “I will cut the child in half and you can each have part of the child.”

He raised the sword and, this time the wife for whom the child truly belonged offered the child up to the other woman. And, as legend goes, Solomon realized that this was the true mother, for no mother could allow her child to die. No woman could be THAT stubborn (and sadistic). Solomon ordered false father and mother to shut up and accept his decision, and if there was any further acrimony he would have ICE deport them to some God forsaken place he heard of called Siberia.

Then, to his scribe he said: “Make a note—we need more women in power around here or else nothing gets done.”

As morals go this one is pretty evident. Elect more qualified women to office--(and while we are at it, make sure term limits are created.)

Note from the author: This is my first blog of 2018 and I was flummoxed about what to write considering all the turmoil in the nation; thus a whimsical parable seemed a good start. 

Thanks for your support of my blog. 21,000 page views and 33 followers have made me feel that despite leaving the classroom, I still have a voice. (Ah, one more thing, if you are on a larger screen

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