Living On the Diagonal

THE ALMOST ENDLESS NEWS CYCLE WE ENDURE SHOULD INVOKE ONE EMOTION AND IT IS OUTRAGE! Ancient History recounts Nero who twiddled his fiddle while Rome burned to the ground. Today, a towering wall of flames, whipped by a relentless wind ignites underbrush spreading the forest and on to homes at a frightening speed. California is in flames! SORRY, CALIFORNIA IT IS YOUR FAULT In real time all of America witness the carnage caught as television images and we can only gasp in disbelief. Commentators on the scene are left aghast as the words escape them. It is the image of an apocalyptic fire unabated engulfs families and their homes. Those of us afar safe from the fury are filled with horror but empathy and compassion as well. The cauldron of fire, billowing smoke robs oxygen from the air and homes are in flames. Our first thought is that what unfolds before us must be the result of an epic Hollywood scene. It is not. California is caught in a deadly downward spire. CALI...

YOUR VOTE IS NOT ONLY THE MOST CRITICAL TO DEMOCRACY, IT MAY BE MAY BE YOUR LAST When the Mid-Term campaign began in September many in the media called out the Democratic Party as weak on a clear message to sustain the expected Blue Wave to take control of Congress. The pundits may be correct. But, in recent weeks President Trump did everyone a favor to declare that “a vote for Republicans is vote for me. This is a referendum on my Presidency.” Thank you, Mr. President! Believe me that never in American History has our Freedom, our democratic process hung on a precipice that teeters in free fall toward the politics of fear and hate and where we will be clearly subjected to authoritarian rule. It is unconceivable that an American populace will be duped once again in voting for a Republican Congress and to give a thumbs-up to Donald Trump. During the twentieth century more lives were lost in wars to overturn authoritarian rule than all conflicts combined in the h...

YOU HAVE PLEDGED TO VOTE IN MID-TERMS, DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST As a registered voter planning to vote on November 6, you should check on your status. Vladimir Putin as depicted in the documentary "Active Measures" ordered a cyber attack on our election process. It is not just meddling, it is a theft of your personal information and history of your voting tendencies. Further, in Michigan and other States Russia actually accessed voter registration and by merely changing "one-digit" in your data effectively obstructed your vote! The  Michigan Voter Information page is the web page where you can verify you are registered to vote. Also, you  can access a State-wide search for your County and locality to review the ballot as it will be when you enter your specific precinct throughout Michigan. If you have not yet registered to vote, October 9, 2018 is the deadline and you can look up the steps necessary in your County. If you are  expecti...

Today, we celebrate Labor Day as we do every year. Especially this year, working Americans should pause and reflect as to the meaning as reflected in part with Detroit's world renowned frescos by Diego Rivera. DIA - RIVERA FRESCO - photo by gary_gman On Labor Day we give honor to the working men and women who sweat blood, demonstrated, unionized, faced the police beatings and those who gave their lives in order to secure for this Generation basic human rights in the workplace or sweatshops, end child labor, establish a 40 hour work week, overtime pay, sick leave, vacations, unjust termination of employment, health care and so many other protections for the everyday working man. In fact, Labor Day as the case with other Holidays would not exist as a day off with pay. However, in 2018 it is the most wealthy and corporate CEO's who have gained record increases in salaries while the average worker has seen little more than a 1% gain in pay and in some cases a lo...