Those who know me, understand my love of music. My tastes are very eclectic, from old standards done by Tony Bennett, to Blues done by the late Garry Moore, to Zydeco, Paul Simon and much more. This year, along with millions of others, I discovered the raw and sultry tones of British singer/songwriter Adele. I have put her songs on Facebook… after I added them to my iPod. I love finding new talent and Adele is unique in her style. Her album, “21,” was nominated for album of the year, …

Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, after less than one year in office, has managed to bring disgrace upon himself and his State by refusing to act in a bipartisan manner while serving on the so-called “Super Committee”.  The fact that the ultra-conservative Toomey got elected to the Senate in Pennsylvania in 2010, a state that voted for Barack Obama by a wide margin in 2008, was more of a backlash against high unemployment and difficult economic times, than it was the endorsement of his anti middle-class political agenda.  Unfortunately, …

Let me first confess that I dislike shopping in malls. Perhaps I am agoraphobic and truly do have a fear of the market place. Given the incidents of this year’s Black Friday, can you blame me? People pepper-sprayed others so that they might grab that coveted treasure before someone else got the last. Hah! Don’t they realize that the closer it gets to Christmas, the better the deals? It’s all hype. The only good thing to come out of it is that this Black Friday may actually have been a …

In the world of Republican politics, there is no lack of conservative groups and media personalities  dedicated to enforcing “party doctrine”, and to controlling the purity of conservative thought.  Any Republican who is aspiring to win a seat in Congress knows full well that his/her every word and phrase will be parsed by the “Dr. Goebbels” of Republican Party purity, Rush Limbaugh.  Woe be to any candidate that strays from the ultra right-wing talking points, or dares to venture into the impure, mongrel and misguided realm of political compromise with …

In the midst of preparations for Thanksgiving this year, it is important to remember to those who may not have their own celebration. These are difficult times for millions of Americans. Unemployment benefits have expired for many and they now have fallen off the statistical charts. Some may not find a job in the near future no matter how sincere their efforts. It will be a steep climb up that hill and for those with children, an emotionally gut-wrenching time. How does one explain the loss of a job, a …

For anybody wondering how the approval rating of Congress (more like the dis-approval rating) could possibly get any lower than its current  9%, the question has finally been answered.  Today the so-called Super Committee, comprised of six Republicans and six Democrats, announced that they had failed to come to an agreement on how to remove $1.2 trillion in spending from the federal budget over a period of ten years. Although the Super Committee utterly failed to come up with a sensible plan for deficit reduction, the $1.2 trillion will still …

The video of Occupy protesters at UC Davis is almost too painful to watch. When I initially saw it, all I could think of was Kent State. Is that the direction in which law enforcement is headed? These are peaceful protesters with the right to “peaceably assemble” according to our Constitution. The police in this instance stated they felt threatened by the protesters. What an absurd statement.
Here we are, Americans, cheering for demonstrations in Libya and Syria and when demonstrations in our own country occur, people are pepper sprayed. A …

Primarily due to his credible performance during the Republican debates,  Newt Gingrich has risen rapidly in the polls for his quest for the Republican presidential nomination.  However, Mr. Gingrich’s rise into the top tier of presidential contenders may bring him some unwanted scrutiny for a very checkered history.  In fact, Gingrich is only the latest example of Republican presidential “front-runners” that have come under the media microscope for mis-deeds and mis-statements made in the past.  The political campaigns of Tea Party favorites Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain have …

Let us forget for a moment that I believe Herman Cain is a womanizer who has been accused of sexual harassment. Let us forget for a moment that Herman Cain wants to protect our southern border with an electric fence in his comprehensive immigration reform, which is a total disregard of human life. Today let us contemplate whether Herman Cain is a racist, a twisted irony for a man who was once a Democrat and who supported the Civil Rights movement.
In the evolution of Citizen Herman Cain, the man who …

The presidential campaign of Michelle Bachmann, the one-time favorite of the Republican Tea Party faction, seems to be unraveling at a rapid pace.  Meanwhile, the Bachmann campaign is moaning and complaining that their candidate is being disrespected by the media, and being unfairly  dismissed as “irrelevant.” The truth of the matter is that Bachmann is, in fact, being disrespected by the media and has in fact, become irrelevant but for good reason. Her ultra-conservative political views and her total disregard for the plight of America’s middle class has made her …

Most of us mortal dwellers of the Planet Earth have a very difficult time comprehending the vastness of our  own solar system, and cannot even begin to understand the immense size of the known universe. In fact, most of us don’t think much beyond our own national borders. There was a time, however, when people dreamed of visiting far-off worlds in distant galaxies, where we would find unknown and exotic life forms. It was not until the startling  revelations about time and space by Albert Einstein that we Earthlings realized …