My Back Pages

My Back Pages: My Take, 2016 : The election is coming up fast, and I have taken a lot of flack because of my adamant stance against the Republican candidate. That's a ...

The election is coming up fast, and I have taken a lot of flack because of my adamant stance against the Republican candidate. That's a shame. My opinion is my opinion, and it is the product of hours of research, years of following these candidates, and my own personal feelings.   Now, I have been admonished by some that I should not state my opinions. Really? This is what elections and this whole idea of Democracy (capital 'D'!) is about! We are a free and open society. What we are not free to do is force our opinions on anyone else. We can write about them, talk about them, but it is not legal or 'free' to force your opinions on others. Now, we can, as I do, write about them. However, I cannot go to a friends house, without his or her permission, and post a sign on their lawn! It's just not the right thing to do, and it is not legal. I have been criticized because I objected to this, but I do not care. I respect others... I do not write or post my opinions on

My Back Pages: Who Decides What Makes Up A 'Real American' :  The other day, my wife called attention to a post by someone she had known since she was a child. The person in question had been a friend ...

 The other day, my wife called attention to a post by someone she had known since she was a child. The person in question had been a friend of her mother's. The post went something like this: 'You Liberal garbage who make remarks about the Bush family better watch out. Don't do it around real Americans!'    First of all, with all due respect to this woman, who are you to judge who a 'Real American' is? Secondly, who are you to call any citizen who has a different political viewpoint than you 'Garbage?'    In an effort to become a better human, even at my advanced age, I have been making a concerted effort not to let anger overcome me. Anger hurts the angry person much more than it does the focus of the anger. That person, or thing, is usually either oblivious or immune to your anger. However, this post by this woman really makes my blood boil. This seems to be the attitude of many people, on both sides of the political discussion, and this hurts me to

de·plor·a·ble /dəˈplôrəb(ə)l/ adjective 1. deserving strong condemnation:  "the deplorable conditions in which most prisoners are held" synonyms: disgraceful ,  shameful ,  dishonorable ,  unworthy ,  inexcusable ,  unpardonable ,  unforgivable ,  reprehensible ,  despicable ,  abominable ,  contemptible ,  execrable ,  heinous ,  beyond the pale What Is deplorable to me? A person running for president bullying everyone that I also in contention for the office. Calling someone low energy. Making fun of another as he eats. Giving negative names to everyone else who is running. Making fun of a female candidate's looks.Calling one candidate 'Little Marco'... calling another 'Lyin' Ted'.   Making remarks about the looks wife of another candidate. Using every bullying tactic that he can find, while offering no substance to his own reason for running.   It's deplorable that this man constantly lies, but his supporters excuse eac

de·plor·a·ble /dəˈplôrəb(ə)l/ adjective 1. deserving strong condemnation:  "the deplorable conditions in which most prisoners are held" synonyms: disgraceful ,  shameful ,  dishonorable ,  unworthy ,  inexcusable ,  unpardonable ,  unforgivable ,  reprehensible ,  despicable ,  abominable ,  contemptible ,  execrable ,  heinous ,  beyond the pale What Is deplorable to me? A person running for president bullying everyone that I also in contention for the office. Calling someone low energy. Making fun of another as he eats. Giving negative names to everyone else who is running. Making fun of a female candidate's looks.Calling one candidate 'Little Marco'... calling another 'Lyin' Ted'.   Making remarks about the looks wife of another candidate. Using every bullying tactic that he can find, while offering no substance to his own reason for running.   It's deplorable that this man constantly lies, but his supporters excuse eac

My Back Pages: Did You Ever Have The Feeling You Were Being ........ :        If any of you are old enough to remember it, there was an old Warner Brothers cartoon that opened with Bugs Bunny looking out of his ...

       If any of you are old enough to remember it, there was an old Warner Brothers cartoon that opened with Bugs Bunny looking out of his rabbit hole and saying "Ah.. Did ya ever have the feeling you was being ...watched?"       Well, back when that old cartoon was produced, old Bugs may have been a bit paranoid. These days, he is probably right!  Cell phones broadcast our every move. Apps on those phones and tablets tell corporations what our likes and dislikes are. Our home computers  keep track of every purchase, every site visited. If we are not extremely careful, malware from some of these sites can be downloaded without our knowledge and make our computers spies in our own homes. Surveillance cameras record us everywhere we go. Facial recognition software linked to these cameras scan us. Privacy has become nonexistent. Worrying about government surveillance is pointless because we are surveilled everywhere we go. Big Brother? There is more than one Big Brother or Big