Are we going a little too far?

What do all of these things have in common? Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth, Uncle Ben, Eskimo Pies-to name a few.

You already know the answer to this.  These are well known brand names of well established products that are about to have their names changed due to what some think they represent-racial stereotyping.  It's thought that the times demand a more sensitive approach to naming products.

What I'm wondering is are the critics of these names correct-or are they just a tad too sensitive?  Are the people who buy these products racists or just people who have come to think of them as being associated with something they actually like?

It's important to be sensitive to whole cultures and where there's a blatant attempt to send a racist message of course that is unacceptable but well established products I think can take a pass on this.

Of course it's easy for me to say since I'm of European descent.  I'm not the one who has been offended.  On the other hand, maybe I should be.  I'm half Italian and at the moment statues of Columbus are being toppled all over the country.   Columbus was of course very cruel to indigenous groups of color but over the years he's come to represent Italian pride.  So who's correct?

These are tough questions.  One thing is for certain.  Settling them in a violent manner is not acceptable under any circumstances.  Let's show that we are the civilized people we purport to be!

Yesterday was Flag Day-in honor of the one and ONLY official U.S. flag!

Yesterday was Flag Day.  It was the day Americans set aside to pay tribute to Old Glory.  It's interesting that it should come up now because the issue of the confederate flag is back in the news.  There are those who wish to discontinue displaying the confederate flag while there are others who insist it's a part of our history so it should be on display.

The problem is in what the confederate flag represents: rebellion, separation, slavery, states' rights over federal unity, etc.  It's the slavery part of it that has so many people upset.  It's thought that when groups of demonstrators gather and display the confederate flag they're giving their tacit approval for all the things it stands for. 

My feeling is sure it's part of history but it's a part of history that hundreds of thousands of men gave their lives to fight against.  That history was the Civil War which lasted five years.  The North succeeded in preserving the union.  By showing off the confederate flag, you're thumbing your nose at those lost lives and the union in general.

We have one flag.  It appears below.  There is no other.  Let the confederate flag hang in museums but it doesn't need to be on display anywhere else.

Follow Up: A Note on Defunding

My previous post attempted to clarify the situation regarding BLM, Looting & Taking the Knee.  Now I want to add a quick word about an issue that is causing some angst-Defunding. 

There are a number of people and local governments who are calling for defunding the police.  The expected reaction was immediate.  Defund the police?  Are you nuts? 

Here's the deal.  Defunding police departments doesn't mean disbanding them.  No one is stupid enough to call for that.  It simply means divert some of the funding from police to other social service agencies.  For example here in Connecticut cities such as New Haven have a similar program.  When there's a domestic disturbance call, police take along a trained social worker to help defuse a potentially violent situation.  Police themselves will often say they simply are not social workers.  They don't have the kind of training needed to handle those kinds of situations. 

I think when you realize the intent of defunding, you'll agree it could be a workable arrangement.  It certainly can't get any worse.

A Word About BLM, Taking A Knee & Looting

 These are certainly trying times.  Between the pandemic and racial unrest it's a wonder the country hasn't crawled into a hole somewhere and waited for the dust to settle!  On that note I thought I would take a few minutes to share my feelings on this.

First a word about Black Lives Matter.  We all knew there would be the typical reaction-sometimes angry-where people yell back ALL lives matter.  Well, yes, of course they do. But those people miss the point.   All along, everyone has known white lives matter.  How many instances of police killing unarmed white men have there been?  We don't know but what we do know is that there have been far too many black men killed by police.  No one is saying all of these victims should be nominated for sainthood.  Of course not.  Many of them have a criminal past.  The point is once they are under control and it has been determined they are no longer a threat to themselves or others, why are choke holds necessary?  Well, they're not.  So the point of BLM is there have been far too many of these kinds of incidents and the motivation for them is racism-pure and simple.  So let's not all get our knickers in a knot and just remember the sentiment behind the slogan.

Second, about the looting and violence that has been a part of the demonstrations.  They're wrong and must not be tolerated.  But fact number one: it is a natural consequence of the amount of unrest within a given population-usually at the hands of a particular injustice. Fact number two: in spite of what we're being told, the ratio of looters to the peaceful protestors is very small.  Absolutely they need to be stopped but let's not lose sight of the main issue and let's not label everyone a looter.

The Knee-Remember when San Francisco 49ers football player Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem?  What an uproar-from the president on down.  How dare he disrespect the flag!  The problem with this is I think it has been misinterpreted.  Where Kaepernick screwed up is doing it during the anthem but then again when else could he do it while drawing attention to what we are seeing now.  I don't think Kaepernick meant to disrespect the flag.  I think he simply meant to draw attention to a very serious problem that has lingered in this country since its founding.  We're paying attention now, aren't we?

OK, there's my two cents.  I know many, many people disagree.  That's fine.  It shouldn't mean we hate each other and it certainly shouldn't be a cause for further violence. 

Let's all take a collective breath and solve the problem.

D Day

Seventy six years ago today the allies launched the greatest military invasion in history which has come to be known as D Day but was actually Operation Overlord.    It was the beginning of the end of World War II.  The world knew they had to get rid of Hitler before he extended his genocide to horrific extremes-not that what he had already done wasn't horrific enough!

The Allies chose Dwight D. Eisenhower to lead this massive effort to the end of the war.  Of course Eisenhower went on to become the 34th president.

The picture you see below is him talking to paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division just hours before their jump into France. 

Our country is in desperate need of the caliber of leadership displayed by Eisenhower, Churchill and so many others of that time.  Our current leadership doesn't deserve the honor of polishing their boots much less leading a nation.

Remember all of this in November.

Happy June

The Month of June

·  Birthstone: Pearl

·  Flower: Rose

Flag Day
Fathers Day
Juneteenth
Paul Bunyan Day
National Rose Month
National Dairy Month
African-American Music Month
National Ice Tea Month
National Candy Month

Noteworthy Dates

• June 5 is World Environment Day—a day meant to raise environmental awareness across the globe.
• June 14 is Flag Day (U.S.). Be sure to raise the flag! Learn about the U.S. Flag Code, which provides guidelines for displaying the American flag properly.
• June 20 is the summer solstice, which heralds the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s the day with the most hours of daylight, so enjoy! In the Southern Hemisphere, winter begins at this time.
• June 21 is Father’s Day. Find activity ideas and learn about the history of Father’s Day here.
• June 21 is also National Indigenous Peoples Day (Canada).
• June 24 brings Midsummer Day, traditionally the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvesting.

“Just for Fun” Days

·       June 1: Say Something Nice Day
June 3: Chimborazo Day
June 6: National Yo-Yo Day
June 8: Upsy Daisy Day
June 21: Go Skateboarding Day
June 30: Asteroid Day