Friday 19 October 2018

Beyond MAGA


We are now at the halfway point of Donald Trump's term as President of the United States. This fall America will vote again. With the mid-term election we are given a chance to make our views known. There have been any number of books on what has been happening behind the scenes in Trump's administration. One released recently is “The Fifth Risk” by Michael Lewis. I hear so many people complain about the lack of talent or bureaucratic inaction in our government. What this book does is look behind the curtain, revealing that there are some very amazing people, or were, behind it.    

If you really want to be an informed voter, one who carefully weighs their selection, one who is able to look beyond the hype of those MAGA hats, listen for a moment to Mr. Lewis when he talks about the subject matter of his book. Because this isn't about sound bites, it's about the nuts and bolts of running a country. It's about our putting in place people who really do have the ability to make our country great, not again, but still.



Before you vote in November take a little time and pick up this book and read it with an open mind.

 It's important.

Friday 5 October 2018

The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize


This year the Nobel Peace prize is being shared between two people who have worked to bring to the attention of the world the sexual violence that is being used as a weapon of war. The first is a doctor who has worked to treat those who have been subjected to sexual violence and the second is a young woman who was held as a sex slave by ISIS.


In this video Dr. Mukwege asks a pointed question. What are we, ourselves, doing to change this situation?



While we are not all living in situations of war where sexual violence is systemic we can not know when we will find ourselves in a situation where we can stand up and make a difference in the lives around us. It starts at home and it takes courage. It means listening and believing someone when they finally have the courage themselves to stand up and try to be heard.




Sometimes that courage is sadly lacking, even in those in the highest positions of power.  In fact, sometimes they are part of the problem.