Category: Humor and Weird Wilson-isms Page 2 of 28

In the spirit of her full-length book “Laughing through Life” that featured humorous stories of child-rearing and general life, Connie has written humor columns for a variety of newspapers, which Erma Bombeck’s widower described as being very much like her columns when presented with a book at an Ohio writing festival.

Tim Walz: VP Nominee Radiates Good Will & “Minnesota Nice” at the DNC on 8/21/2024

By Connie Wilson

On August 22, 2024

In Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Politics, Television

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Democratic party.

I’m watching Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota accept his nomination for Vice President of the United States and I can’t help but think of “the happy warrior,” aka Humbert Humphrey—also from Minnesota.

So far, Tim Walz has called the campaign “incredible” and has thanked both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. It IS pretty incredible to think that a high school coach from Mankato, Minnesota can potentially become the Vice President of the United States, but—at least on the Democratic side—stories like Barack Obama’s and Kamala Harris’ and Tim Walz’s do occur “only in America.”

He has proclaimed this moment as “the honor of my life” and his wife and son are blubbering in the audience, which is heartwarming, but also kind of out-of-sync with John Legend’s “Let’s Go Crazy” rendition that preceded him. No less a judge of superficiality than Geraldo Rivera (on NewsNation) has proclaimed the entire schtick “kind of great” and “genuine.” “The whole thing smacked of sincerity, to me,” said Geraldo.

WALZ’S BACKGROUND

Tim and Gwen Walz.

Butte, Nebraska is where Tim Walz grew up, he said from the dais, and there were 24 students in his class. Earlier I had read that he was born in West Point, Nebraska. He also lived in Valentine, Nebraska. Butte, Nebraska came in after his Superintendent of Schools father, a life-long smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer and they moved. Tim’ dad died in 1984, when Walz was 20. Courtesy of Wikipedia, here are a few other states that Walz can lay claim to: “Walz’s father died in January 1984, which left his mother and younger brother dependent on social security survivor benefits for support. He moved to Texas and took courses at the University of Houston in East Asian studies while being enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard. Afterward he went to Arkansas, where he built tanning beds in a factory and was an instructor in the Arkansas Army National Guard. In 1987, Walz returned to Nebraska and continued his education at Chadron State College, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in social science education in 1989.”

Wikipedia also has this to say about Tim Walz’s career trajectory: “After graduating from Chadron State College in 1989, Walz accepted a one-year teaching position with WorldTeach in Foshan No.1 High School in Guangdong, China. He described the Tiananmen Square massacre that happened right before he arrived as an important moment in his life. He has said that the problem with China is not the people but the government, and that with the right leadership the Chinese people could accomplish anything. After returning, he took a job teaching and coaching in Alliance, a town of ten thousand in western Nebraska, and in 1993 was named Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce.^”

NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE

Hope, Gus and Tim Walz at the DNC.

Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years after enlisting in 1981.^] During his military career, he had postings in Arkansas, Texas, the Arctic Circle, New Ulm, Minnesota, Italy, and elsewhere. He trained in heavy artillery, In 1989, he earned the title of Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the Year.

After Walz completed 20 years of service needed for retirement from the Guard, he reenlisted instead of retiring, and later cited the September 11, 2001 attacks as the reason for his reenlistment. In August 2003, Walz deployed with the Minnesota National Guard to Vicenza, Italy, for nine months to serve with the European Security Force as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Walz attained the rank of command sergeant major near the end of his service and briefly was the senior enlisted soldier of 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment. His decorations included the Army Commendation Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, and an Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with five oakleaf clusters. “ The GOP campaign has been busy attempting to “swiftboat” Walz’s decades of service, much as they did to John Kerry when Kerry ran for President in 2004.

SMALL-TOWN ROOTS

Hope and Gus Walz.

As someone who graduated from a class of only 110, I can relate to Tim Walz’s town of origin. “Everybody belongs, and everybody has a responsibility to contribute.” Walz talks about joining the National Guard at 17. His father was a Korean War veteran. When his dad died, he left a lot of debts. (“Thank God for Social Security benefits.”) As Tim has said, “There were 24 of us in my high school graduating class and none of them went to Harvard.” He coached and taught in Mankato and is talking about being a 40-something high school teacher whose students urged him to run for Governor.

DRAFTED BY HIS STUDENTS TO RUN

As someone whose own students urged her to run for the City Council race in East Moline, Illinois, I can relate to Tim Walz’s story. My run for office ended with a cheating scandal that even made its way into the Orange County, California newspapers, when I went door to door, documenting the cheating of the opposition. https://www.weeklywilson.com/helen-heiland-sets-the-record-straight-in-letter-to-moline-il-daily-dispatch/

GUS WALZ, TIM’S SON

Gus Walz at the DNC.

At tonight’s third night of the DNC in Chicago 17-year-old Gus Walz, son of VP nominee Tim Walz, was a welcome blast of fresh air.

The youngster was literally overcome with emotion at his father’s nomination, tears streaming down his face. He was ebullient and animated and hugged both his father and his sister onstage after Walz’s humanizing speech. It was heartwarming. It lifted my heart.

The Walz family told “People” magazine that young Gus has ADHD and anxiety issues, but described him as “brilliant.” I would point out how Gus reacted with joy and love towards his parents and sibling, Hope (born in 2001). The Walz family spent 7 years undergoing fertility treatments at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York, in order to have their daughter, Hope (2001) and their son, Gus (2006). The family obviously has a lot of love for one another. Young Gus reminded me so much of so many youngsters I taught, especially during my years (1985-2003) as CEO and owner/operator of Sylvan Learning Center #3301 in Bettendorf, Iowa. I also taught for 18 years at the 7^th and 8^th grade levels and have taught many students who would be described as on the spectrum.

THE TOVA TEST

We used to give the TOVA test—Test of Variable Attention—which was 90% effective in diagnosing Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without Hyperactivity. I used to have my entire staff take the test, since it only ran 22 minutes on a computer, and it was not unusual for the Special Education teachers that I employed to score high on the test. Basically, the test-taker had to click a button when a certain form appeared onscreen and the degree of hyperactivity they demonstrated during the clicking exercise would indicate those with problems focusing and staying on message. (I did not score as high on it as some of you would assume, but special education teachers, in particular, did.)

Gus Walz, overcome with emotion as his father accepts the VP nomination at the DNC.

We paid $50 as a credit in a machine to give this test and absorbed it into our operating expenses if the child was our regular student, but, over time, we had more and more local residents who were bringing their sons and daughters in for the testing, in which case we charged them what it cost us to administer ($50). The test had been developed by a physician at the University of Minnesota in collaboration with his teenaged son. I learned about it at a Sylvan National Convention. It was very helpful in establishing whether or not some of our students would benefit from a variety of learning techniques and approaches.

It was not long before the local psychologists got wind of the TOVA. They began charging would-be test takers for an office visit first (over $100) and, if the psychologist felt it was merited, their office would administer the exact same test that we charged $50 for (but charge the test taker considerably more for the privilege.)

SINCERITY SPECIAL AT DNC ON 8/21/2024

It was a real treat to see someone as obviously overcome with emotion as young Gus Walz, who radiated good will towards all. When I saw young Gus Walz—-absolutely overjoyed—point to the stage and mouth the words, “That’s my Dad!” my heart melted a little bit. [If I remember correctly, we didn’t even see Barron Trump at the RNC and I would rather I had not seen Eric and Donald Trump, Jr.]

What a welcome sight. I felt like I had just been licked by a rambunctious, over-friendly puppy. It was great. YOU GO, GUS!

I liked it.

The Obamas Rock the United Center at DNC: The Gloves Come Off (8/20/2024)

By Connie Wilson

On August 21, 2024

In Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Politics, Television

Michelle and Barack Obama both spoke tonight at the DNC in Chicago. I haven’t been as moved by a speech since I stood in a field in the Village of East Davenport during the 2012 Obama re-election campaign and listened to the pair say to the crowd, “Stand with me again once more, Iowa.” It was Iowa that gave Barack Obama his ticket to ride to the DNC in Denver, where I was present, and his gratitude for the state’s support never waivered. Iowa’s contingent (and Illinois’) were right down front, honoring them for having honored him. I was overcome with a nostalgic wave of emotion as the former First Lady of the United States spoke then, and I was overwhelmed again tonight, when she spoke in Chicago.

As is my custom, I made every effort to get as much of the speech down as I could. It is not a word-for-word recitation of what was said, but I’m going to try to break it down for you a bit, (as I watched from my Texas living room).

Michelle was brilliant. As Leah Wright-Rigueur, a Political Historian said, “We are living through history.” I felt that in my bones when I began following the campaign of 2008 in Iowa, and I felt that it again, tonight, comfortably ensconced in my living room, watching it like I hope the rest of America was watching it.

So, what did Michelle Obama say that so inspired me?

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

She asked that we “not squander the sense of hope our elders gave us.” She was referencing women like me, who campaigned (unsuccesfully) for the ERA and fought for the right to decide our own reproductive futures. I appreciated the fact that Michelle Obama gave credit to those of us who worked hard to ensure a better future for our daughters. (Why should a panel of old white men or the Supreme Court decide whether my daughter and I do or do not have the right to decide about giving birth?)

VALUES

“In America we have the belief that if you do unto others, that if you work and scrape and sacrifice it will pay off, if not for you, for your children and grandchildren. Those were the values that my mother poured into me until her very last breath. Kamala Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values. Our mothers shared that same belief in the promise of this country. …The obligation to lift others up…Mom used to say, ‘Don’t sit around and complain about things: do something.’ From a middle-class household Kamala worked her way up to become the Vice President of America. Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the Presidency. And she is one of the most dignified…a tribute to her mother and your mother, too.”

Michelle went on about Kamala Harris’ background:

“Her story is our story…Kamala knows that, regardless of where you come from, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life. All of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued. No one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American: no one. Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by service.”

TRUMP TAKE-DOWNS

Bee Gone: A Political Parable

Harris “understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward,” Obama said. “We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third or fourth chance. If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No.We don’t have the luxury of whining. If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t see an escalator waiting to take us to the top. We put our heads down. We go to work. In America, we do something.. Throughout her entire year, that’s what we’ve seen from Kamala. We’ve seen the joy of her laughter and her life. It couldn’t be more obvious: of the 2 major candidates in this race, only Kamala understands the true work ethic that has always made America great.”

“We don’t get to change the rules so we always win,” she continued. “If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. We put our heads down. We get to work.”

BE AWARE OF OPPOSITION TACTICS:

“We know that folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. For years, DJT did everything he could to make people fear us. He tried to make you fear two highly educated, hard-working, successful people who happened to be Black. Who’s gonna’ tell him that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic lies instead of creating ideas that will actually make our lives better.”

Michelle then went on to list some of the Project 2025 goals, such as shutting down the Department of Education and demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love. She mentioned (again) shutting down our right to reproductive health care and said, “It only makes us small. It is never the answer. It is petty, unhealthy, and, quite frankly, it’s un-Presidential. Why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office? Why would we accept this from a candidate? America: our parents taught us better than that and we deserve so much better than that. There is no other choice but Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. But as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt.”

“Remember there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome. People who are going to prioritize building their own wealth over building a better tomorrow. We cannot be our own worst enemies. The minute a lie takes hold, we cannot get a Goldilocks complex over whether everything is just right. We cannot indulge our anxieties. We must do everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.”

Michelle Obama’s line about how Trump tried to get Americans to fear the Obamas in office, even though they were highly-educated, hard-working people who happened to be Black is right. There are many analysts who cite Obama’s election to the Presidency as the match that lit the racism of White Supremacists. They are right.

KAMALA & TIM

“Kamala and Tim have lived amazing lives. I am confident that they will lead with compassion, grace and dignity. It is up to us to be the solution that we seek. It is up to all of us to be the anecdote to darkness and division. I don’t care how you identify politically. This is the time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right. To stand up not just for our basic freedoms but for basic trust, dignity and empathy. For the values at the very foundation of our democracy.”

CALL TO ACTION

“If they lie about her—and they will–we have to do something. Only 11 weeks to make sure everyone has a voting plan. We cannot afford for anyone to sit on their hands and wait to be called. Our fate is in our hands. In 77 days we have the power to turn our country away from the fear, division and smallness of the past.”

The talking heads in the room testified that the mood during Michelle Obama’s speech was electric. Although they gave props to Barack Obama for his good speech, hers was brilliant. I teared up at her remarks. She was that good.

So, following on the heels of that brilliance, “one of the most powerful and blistering speeches against Donald Trump” (a quote from one of the talking heads), we heard ex-President Barack Obama and I wished, again, that he was still our President. I found his remarks equally entertaining, (but she was better.)

BARACK OBAMA’S REMARKS:

First, Barack paid tribute to Joe Biden, mentioning their “common Irish blood.” To wit:”His empathy and his decency and his hard-earned belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot impressed me. And over the past 4 years those are the values that America has needed the most. At the time when Americans were dying, we needed a leader with empathy and a leader who led the strongest economic recovery in the world. At a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality we needed a leader who did the rarest thing in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the good of the country. History will remember Joe Biden as a man who, in a moment of peril for this country, did the right thing.”

“The torch has been passed. Now it is up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. For all the incredible energy, for all the rallies and the memes, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country—a country where too many Americans are still struggling. The people who will decide this election are asking a very short question: who will fight for me? One thing is for certain, Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question.”

Light-hearted Remarks:

Leaf blower neighbor (DJT): annoying.

“Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down that escalator 8 years ago.

“Childish nicknames. Weird obsession with crowd size. It just goes on and on and on. Someone compared Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day. From a neighbor that’s exhausting. From a President that’s dangerous.”

“DJT sees power as nothing more than a means to his end. He wants the middle class to pay for his ambitions.”

When Obama mentioned how DJT had killed the bi-partisan border bill the crowd booed. Obama said, “Do not boo: vote.”

“He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedom, since it won’t affect his life.”

“He wants us to think this country is hopelessly divided between the real Americans and the outsiders who don’t. He wants you to think that if we will just give him the power to put those outsiders back in place things will be great.”

Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

“Bluster, bumbling, chaos…We know these movies; the sequel is usually worse. (We have seen that movie before.) America is ready for a new chapter. We are ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”

“This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice. She was not born into privilege. She has had to work for what she’s got. She’s the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand, not the neighbor running the leaf blower.”

At this point, Obama mentioned some of Kamala’s fights: Homeowners….fight to get as much relief as possible for the families that deserved it. As VP helped take on the drug companies to cap the cost of insulin. “She is running for President to guarantee every woman’s right to make their own health care decisions. She won’t be focused on her problems; she’ll be focused on yours. She’ll work on behalf of every American. In the White House she will have an outstanding partner in Governor Tim Walz.”

Barack made this comment about Obamacare: “I noticed that since it got popular they quit calling it that,” True that.

First Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

On the border issue, Obama said, “We can secure our borders without tearing kids away from their parents” (*In re-reading my own book, “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House” I was struck at how the border was a hot button issue for candidates way back then, including Fred Thompson, whom I interviewed after his speech in Davenport.)

The Obamas stressed that the Democratic ticket wants to “make it better for everybody.”

“Donald Trump…for him, one’s group’s gains is necessarily another group’s losses. For the GOP, power means that those in charge can do pretty much what they want. (taxes; firing people). We want the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water. Freedom for each of us to run our own lives. Freedom requires us to recognize that freedom requires us to let other people make decisions that are different from ours. That’s the America that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris believe in. ‘We the people includes everyone.’ Despite what our politics might suggest, democracy is not just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws. It’s the values we live by and how we treat each other, including those who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do. That sense of mutual respect has to be part of it. We seem so quick to believe the worst of the other side. After a while, regular folk just tune out or they don’t bother to vote. This might work on those who thrive on division, but it won’t work for us who want to make progress on the things that matter.”

“Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us.”

“That does not just matter to the U.S. The rest of the world is watching to see if we can actually pull this off. No society has ever tried to build a society as diverse as ours. Our allegiance and our community are not defined by race and creed . We shouldn’t be the world’s policeman but American can be and must be a force for good. (Climate change, promoting peace,) I know these ideas can feel pretty naïve right now. We live in a time of such confusion and rancor with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last. We chase the approval of strangers on our phones. We don’t trust each other as much, because we don’t take the time to learn about each other.”

“Here’s the good news, Chicago: all across America in big cities and small towns, the ties that bind us together are still there. We still feed the hungry and coach the Little League and feel the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold.”

“We want something better. We want to BE better.”

Barack and Michelle Obama paid tribute to her recently deceased Mom, who lived in the White House with them, saying,“My mother-in-law reminded me of my Grandmother. (stressing the hard work of his grandmother and mother-in-law). They knew what was true. They knew what mattered: honesty, integrity, kindness and hard work. They weren’t impressed with braggarts and bullies. They didn’t think that putting other people down or lifting themselves up made them strong. They found pleasure in simple things: a good meal and laughter around the kitchen table. Most of all, seeing their children and grandchildren going places and doing things that they never would have imagined for themselves.”

“Kamala’s parents crossed the ocean because they believed in the power of America. They weren’t important or powerful—they were good, hard-working people. A return to America where we work together and look out for one another. Bonds of affection. The better angels of our nature. That is what this election is about. If we each do our part over the next 77 days. We will elect leaders who will fight for hope. Together we will build a country that is more secure and more just. So let’s get to work. And God bless you and the United States of America.”

Those were the remarks from the 44th President of the United States, who rose to prominence 20 years and 3 weeks ago when making a 2004 speech at the DNC convention that nominated John Kerry (a presidential race that I also followed.)

Barack Obama—one of the most gifted orators to ever hold the office—and his wife Michelle held the audience within the United Center in rapt attention tonight. They made a plea to be patient with voters who might be on the other side and summed up the choice by saying, “Trump’s act has gotten pretty stale.”

My Excellent Adventures Between July 15th and August 15th, 2024

By Connie Wilson

On August 18, 2024

In Editorial, Health/Medicine, Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Science and Medicine, Texas, travel

The offending tree.

My “weekly” vow for WeeklyWilson has now collapsed under the weight of a series of random events.

First, there was the tornado, an EF1 that hit our court street in East Moline, Illinois on Monday, July 15^th.

My spouse had just made an ice cream run to Whitey’s in Moline, which was closing down because of the bad weather. He went to the Dairy Queen and secured 2 Blizzards and was just in time to enter our court as a huge tree went down, taking with it all the power to about 30 houses. It was 7:37 pm. We would not have power again until late Thursday, July 18th.

I went outside to take pictures of the 6 trucks that showed up to try to restore power to our court street (there were 8,000 people without power). The heat index was 106.

One truck broke and another had to be sent. Soon, six were there. Then the tree people managed to pull all of the wires out of the house 2 doors down while cutting up the large tree.

My neighbor, Norma, saw me outside and came outside to chat, which was a good idea until I passed out on her driveway because of the heat (see article about the Gold Coast Art Fair). She went to get my spouse (who was taking a nap and not fully dressed) and I struggled to my feet USING MY FRAIL KNEES, made it into our garage, and promptly passed out a second time.

The house, which had been without power since 7:37 p.m. on Monday night, was fairly hot, so I went to the basement and drank water and was fine thereafter, except that we had no power and it was HOT inside our house. This was only Tuesday, July 16th.

Tuesday night we tried sleeping in the basement. The hide-a-bed in the basement is very old and it was very uncomfortable. It was also very difficult to get out of it and make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night, wielding only my trusty flashlight and winding my way through laundry baskets.

By Wednesday, July 17, we both agreed that we would seek out a motel.

In getting up from the driveway and the garage concrete as quickly as I could, to save face (if not knees), I had done a number on my osteo-arthritic knees. We sought out a motel with a jacuzzi/hot tub and I spent the entire evening soaking my sore knees in the hot water while my spouse enjoyed having TV again.

So, that was the week of July 15th.

We then traveled to Chicago to celebrate my July 23^rd birthday in style with dinner at the Firehouse,

On the 25^th, Thursday, having bought a ticket to Texas so that I could be seen for elevated liver enzymes sooner than November 22^nd, I arrived 2 days after my birthday, and awaited pick-up by son Scott and the twins.

This is where things begin to go downhill, as I attempted to get a luggage cart and pilot error caused the thumb nail on my right hand to be ripped off by a machine in charge of renting the luggage carts.

I know. You’re saying, “How did THAT happen!?”

How, indeed.

That will be a story for another entry.

Suffice it to say that it has given me a newfound appreciation for all those movies where the bad guys torture someone by ripping off their fingernails.

Since the fingernail-ripping “Welcome to Austin” arrival, I found myself locked in the Buda Urgent Care (with 3 other patients) when 2 doctors could not get the locked front door open (they closed at 8 p.m and it was 9 p.m.on Friday night, July 26th) by the time Dr. McIntosh wrapped my injured finger in tape and tried to send me (us) on my (our) way.

Then, while picking up 2 wedge salads at the Buda Main Street Pizzeria, I got stuck in one of their two primitive rest rooms for 40 minutes.

Although I kicked the door and screamed HELP! a lot, nobody could hear me over the music. When I called, all I got was a recording. It was truly not what I needed right about then.

More details on the avulsion incident to follow

Similarities (Coincidences?) Between the Presidential Races of 1968 and 2024.

By Connie Wilson

On August 7, 2024

In Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Politics

Joseph Biden, when running for President.

I can’t believe that I am the first to write this column, nor will I be the last. But, in the wake of Kamala Harris selecting Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, to be her Vice Presidential running mate in 2024, I feel the echo of one of those pieces from yesteryear. You know the one I mean. Courtesy of Wikipedia, here is the folklore list of coincidences that were pointed out back in 1964 between JFK and Lincoln.

I wanted to include the factoid that Tim Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, while the only President ever born in Iowa was born in West Branch, Iowa, but it didn’t fit very neatly. For me, Walz—while supposedly very likable and personable— was not as outstanding a candidate for VP as a former astronaut from a border state that is in play (and one whose wife survived a serious assassination attempt). But I defer to the greater wisdom of the candidate herself on who will be the best partner for her in this race. After all, she only had two weeks to vet all the candidates.

I had hoped for Mark Kelly, who is from a swing state, or someone younger, but the Dems don’t want to be seen as too liberal and have selected someone who used to be endorsed by the National Rifle Association (until he changed his opinion after several massacres involving automatic weapons). Apparently the chemistry, for Kamala Harris, was just best with Walz. I just pray she is not making the mistake that Hillary Clinton did in selecting a relatively unmemorable partner for her ill-fated run.

Others had been touting Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro until the GOP started calling him “Genocide Josh” based on some of his pronouncements about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Andy Beshears of Kentucky was hot for a while. The powers-that-be must think that the Midwest, with its many MAGA faithful, is going to be more important than Pennsylvania? DJT selected an Ohio native (J.D. Vance) possibly for that Midwestern reason.

I have been told that Kelly is not the most inspiring speaker, but…hey! He was an ASTRONAUT!!! My awe at that will date me, since the Cape Canaveral facility has been outsourced to the likes of Elon Musk and it’s kind of sad to visit it now after its days of glory during JFK and the moon landing. This, too, will mark me as someone who has been around for every President back to Truman.

Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota and Vice-Presidential candidate.

Among the following list of “coincidences,” some, according to Wikipedia, are not completely accurate statements:

“Lincoln” and “Kennedy” each have seven letters.^[5]
Both presidents were elected to Congress in ’46 and later to the presidency in ’60.^[5]
Both assassins, John Wilkes Boothand Lee Harvey Oswald, were born in ’39 and were known by their three names, composed of fifteen letters.^[5]
Booth ran from a theater and was caught in a warehouse; Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.^[5]
The assassins were both Southerners.^[5]
Both of the presidents’ successors were Democrats named Johnson with six-letter first names and born in ’08.^[5]
Both Lincoln and Kennedy were particularly concerned with civil rights^[5]and made their views strongly known.
Both presidents were shot in the head on a Friday and in the presence of their wives.^[5]
Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy who told him not to go to Ford’s Theatre. Kennedy had a secretary
President Abraham Lincoln.
named Evelyn Lincoln who warned him not to go to Dallas.^[5]
Both Oswald and Booth were killed before they could be put on trial.^[5]
Both Lincoln and Kennedy were succeeded as President by Southerners named Johnson.
Both Johnsons were succeeded as President in ’69 by Republicans (Ulysses S. Grant, Richard M. Nixon) whose mothers were both named Hannah. ^[

^,You are either very young or you have been living under a rock since 1964 if you’ve never seen this list—some of which seem to be reaching and some of which are among those “things that make you go hmmmmm” that Arsenio Hall used to talk about when he had a late-night talk show (which also tells you how long I’ve been doing this.)

RFK, Jr. today.

I cannot come up with as lengthy a list of the coincidences between this year’s election and that of 1968, but here’s a start:

In 1968 sitting President Lyndon Baines Johnson told the world in a television address that he was not going to run for re-election. Sitting President Joseph Biden told us that he was not going to run for re-election on July 21^st, 2024.
When LBJ announced his decision not to run on March 31, 1968, it was the day after my wedding. When Biden announced that he was not going to run in 2024, it was 2 days before my birthday on July 23^rd’ [This virtually guarantees that I will remember each historic date, especially when playing the game where you are to make up something that occurred on a certain date and then be able to identify which of the submitted events from the game’s players actually happened on that date.]
When LBJ stepped down, his Vice President was selected to run in his place. LBJ’s vice president at the time was Hubert Humphrey. (LBJ had no veep for the 2 years left in JFK’s term because that rule did not exist at that time; the position was simply left unfilled until the next election.) Hubert Humphrey was from Minnesota, just as Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for Vice President with Kamala Harris in 2024, is the two-time Governor of Minnesota.
In 1968, the Democratic National Convention was being held in Chicago. In 2024, the Democratic National Convention is being held in Chicago. (August 19-22.)
Robert F. Kennedy was running in 1968. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr,, is running in 2024.
LBJ stepped down as the nominee largely because of the virulent anti-war sentiment against the Vietnam War. (“Hey, hey, LBJ, How many kids did you kill today?”) Biden stepped down largely because of the intense criticism of the influx of illegal immigrants at the border with Mexico. Each man also faced unrest, violence and riots in large cities. (I remember being in Europe and seeing the headline, in French, “America on the Edge of the Abyss.”)
Lyndon Baines Johnson’s 1964 official portrait.
When LBJ stepped down, he ascribed part of the reason for his decision to his health. All the men in LBJ’s family had heart issues. LBJ secretly commissioned an actuarial study of his life span in 1967; it accurately predicted that he would die at 64.. Johnson had already had a near-fatal heart attack in 1955. Johnson retired to his Texas ranch and died in 1973, 5 years later, aged 64, in somewhat of a self-destructive spiral where he resumed smoking and refused to follow dietary restrictions. Biden’s health at age 81 was a constant source of fodder for the GOP during the run-up to July 21^st. Joe’s frail appearance and inability to perform well during an early Trump/Biden debate that his own camp had sought sealed his fate. Democratic party faithful urged Biden to fall on his sword for the good of the party. Biden also had brain bleeds (aneurysms) and surgery in the eighties. At 81, the Republicans cast him as senile, often exaggerating the verbal gaffes for which he had always been known. (Remember the plagiarism scandal of his run for office in 1988, when Biden was accused of ripping off a speech by British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock? Although Biden had attributed it properly several times before August of 1988, his failure to do so at one campaign stop was capitalized on. The scandal—unlike today’s “anything goes from the podium” Trumpisms—caused Biden to withdraw from the race.)
Johnson initially sought to run for re-election. Following disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary, LBJ packed it in, keeping nearly everyone except his closest family members and two close advisors in the dark about his decision. (LBJ secretly hoped that the convention might draft him, anyway, until the very end.) Biden initially sought to run for re-election and agreed to a disastrous early debate against Trump where Biden performed poorly, causing the party to urge him to reconsider his 2024 run. His decision to withdraw was slow; some felt it would not happen at all.
Both LBJ and Biden served as Vice President before becoming President.
LBJ was the 36^th President of the United States. Biden was the 46^th President.
Both LBJ and Biden had lengthy careers in government and were experts at shepherding legislation through Congress. In 2024, Biden is the 19^th longest-serving legislator in history. (1972-2024). LBJ also had a lengthy run beginning in 1931 and continuing until 1968.
Both LBJ and Biden had wives who were very active and involved First Ladies, in the mold of Eleanor Roosevelt. Lady Bird Johnson was very active in helping promote LBJ’s legislative aims (and her own) and Jill Biden was considered, like Lady Bird, to be Joe’s closest advisor and helpmate. [The contrast with Melania Trump’s First Lady style is great.]
From 1991 to 2008, as an adjunct professor, Biden co-taught a seminar on constitutional law at Widener University School of Law.^[70][71] He sometimes flew back from overseas to teach the class. (Tim Walz, this year’s VP Democratic pick, was also a teacher for many years) Lyndon Baines Johnson taught school from 1928 to 1929, pausing his studies to teach Mexican–American children at the segregated Welhausen School in Cotulla, 90 miles south of San Antonio.
Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall the first Black Supreme Court Justice in 1967. Biden appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black female Supreme Court Justice in February of 2022.
Both LBJ and Biden came from humble families, not from wealth.
Both LBJ and Biden will go down as great promoters of civil rights and as Presidents who accomplished the most significant legislation during their time(s) in office of any President of either party over the past 100 years.
Both will be viewed much more positively after stepping down than they were viewed when in office.

Biden Sees the Writing on the Wall; Passes Torch to a New Generation

By Connie Wilson

On July 21, 2024

In Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Politics

President of the United States Joe Biden in Independence, Iowa, on the 4th of July.

Among other measures, Joe Biden pushed through a $1.7 trillion Covid-19 relief package; a $1 trillion program to rebuild the nation’s roads, highways, airports and other infrastructure; and major investments to combat climate change, lower prescription drug costs for seniors, treat veterans exposed to toxic burn pits and build up the nation’s semiconductor industry.

He also signed legislation meant to protect same-sex marriage in case the Supreme Court ever reversed its decision legalizing it. He has unfailingly supported a woman’s right to decide her own reproductive fate, despite his strong Catholic faith, and helped students buried under college debt to dig their way out of that bottomless pit. And his selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate opened the door to a female candidate for the future, and one with an ethnic heritage that shows genuine inclusiveness.

Biden is a religious man who routinely attended his Catholic church (whereas DJT was on the Lolita Express 7 times) and has been an honorable—if gaffe-prone—candidate since the70s. My heart goes out to the Biden family, whom I have met numerous times, and I thank Joe Biden for falling on his sword to save us from a would-be dictator whose own mental fitness for office (or anything else) is unclear.

I remember how stunned I was when LBJ stepped down the day after I was married in 1968, never telling anyone but his family in advance. One of the reasons for LBJ’s decision was that most of the men in his family had died of heart disease at about the age he was then. It is also true that he did not live long after he stepped down. The Vietnam War was LBJ’s nemesis, as the border and Gaza were Joe’s.

Joe Biden and me, 2008 campaign.

This is the second time that a President who did great things for his country has, once again, made the hardest choice of all. Joe Biden has done the selfless thing, although I’m sure it was extremely difficult. Joe Biden is a man of good character, not a convicted felon, and he has always known how to behave as our nation’s representative. I have no doubt that whomever the Democrats select will carry on the tradition of making the United States proud of its representative.

I hope that the stress this period of time must have put on President Biden will abate so that he can heal physically. I would also mention that this is not unlike taking the keys away from your grandfather; it is not an easy thing for either side. Joe Biden promised us that he was going to pass the torch to a new generation, and now he has.

It was the Biden campaign that set up the June 27th debate with Trump that ended his lengthy and honorable career, so “blaming” donors or former supporters or others must always pivot to that fact, which is undeniable.

Gabby Gifford and husband (and former astronaut) Mark Kelly (D, AZ).

Of the names being bandied about to run with Kamala Harris I think that Mark Kelly of Arizona will be a major one mentioned. Beshears of Kentucky, Shapiro of Pennsylvania, the Governor of Maryland, all are worthy, but Kelly has a national profile as a former astronaut and his wife (Gabby Giffords) was the target of an assassination attempt that was considerably more successful than the attack on DJT, which left him with a mark the size of a penny.

“It wasn’t about the donors, it was about Joe Biden’s patriotism,” (Van Jones, Senior Political Correspondent). “This is a moment in time to honor someone who, for 50 years, put his country first. He always put his country first.”

EF1 Tornado Overshadows RNC Convention for Me (7/19/2024)

By Connie Wilson

On July 19, 2024

In Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Television

The offending tree.

An EF1 tornado swept through our East Moline court on Monday night at 7:37 p.m. It took out a large tree, which, in turn, took out all of the power. A picture of the 6 trucks that showed up to try to restore power would have been nice, but when I went outside to get one I stayed outside in the 105 heat index too long and ended up passing out on the neighbor’s driveway, (much like my story about the Gold Coast Art Fair.)

This will teach me to start talking while standing around in the blazing sun on any concrete surface! My slump down the side of a red truck with a flat tire that is parked in their driveway (not really a “fall”) was brief and surprising, especially for neighbor Norma, with whom I had obviously spent too long chatting in the sun.

All’s well that ends well, since my “fall” was me feeling dizzy for a few seconds and slumping to the driveway without incident. I can accurately report that the most damage was to my bony arthritic knees when I regained my feet. I had to put pressure on my bum left knee AND my “good” right knee to get to my feet quickly so I would not die of embarrassment. (*Note: I regained my feet without any assistance in each case, but I definitely needed to cool down. Our house was a hot box, which means that we ended up in a local motel where I spent the evening in the hot tub soaking my now very sore arthritic knees while surrounded by very young girls on some kind of party.)

The young girls were sharing stories about how ill-behaved the students in some local high schools have become. One girl—who looked about 14—turned out to be a teacher in Perry, Iowa. She said she would never go above teaching students in 5^th grade after being told by her companion that 2 high school students were tasered in the hallways of a local school, their alma mater. Guess I’ll quit telling people who are unemployed but have degrees to re-train as teachers, since it sounds considerably more confrontational in today’s schools than in years of yore. (And I’ve seen some pretty dramatic cat-fights between Silvis Junior High School girls, which easily would give you a black eye if you got in too close while trying to break it up! )

Electricians working on the power for our court on 7/18/2024.

One truck broke and another had to be sent. Soon, six were there. Then the tree people managed to pull all of the wires out of the house 2 doors down while cutting up the large tree.

So, we came back to our house after checking out of Stony Creek Hotel and I have been catching up on the lengthy RNC convention on television. The only part of the RNC I was able to take in before the power failed involved a lot of unknown Black legislators who were also veterans. None were people any of us had heard of, but the message was very definitely an attempt to appeal to young Black males. I know, from chatting with the young Black jocks who run L.A. Fitness in Austin that they were keen on Trump, because he has inaccurately portrayed himself as “strong” and “macho,” even though, to me, he looks like I could take him one-on-one (and I am ridiculously weak and frail.)

Having missed most of the lead-up to Donald J. Trump’s big appearance on this last night of the convention I ended up listening to Stephen Colbert dissect some of the weirder aspects of the night. Aside from Tucker Carlson’s remarks, apparently Congressman Matt Gaetz had some work done on his face. Colbert’s remarks regarding Gaetz’s new look were:

Gaetz looks like a flame-broiled Donnie Osmond .
Gaetz looks like a wax drag queen from Whoville.
Gaetz looks like he is appearing in a business school production of “Cats.”
This is what it would look like if the Joker worked at Sephora.
This is what it would look like if Pennywise went to law school.
Gaetz looks like his plastic surgeon went to med school on a riverboa t.

So, what did I notice about small amount of the RNC that I saw, other than a deranged, red-faced guy chanting and sweating in the crowd? Well, I noticed that Barron Trump was nowhere to be seen (and you’d see this tall lad easily) and Melanie Trump appeared but did not speak, which apparently broke a tradition that had gone on for something like 32 years.

First, I noticed that, just like he tried to engineer a photo op on the steps of the White House when he returned from being treated for Covid. This time, Trump had a mock-up of a firefighter’s outfit set up to represent the firefighter who died at his rally. At 9:45 p.m. in Milwaukee, DJT strolled over and kissed the helmet of firefighter Cory Compertore, referring to the poor guy as “our friend Cory.” He also mentioned the two others who were wounded, David Cutch and James Copenhaver. This is known as milking the moment.

Trumpth on Jan. 6

Trump also made several remarks about the crowd’s behavior after the shooting attempt, saying this at 9:45 p.m. in Milwaukee. Trump claimed that the crowd (which he vastly over-estimated at “tens of thousands”) automatically stood up looking for the sniper and pointing at him. “Most thought I was dead. They thought it was a shot to the head. This beautiful crowd didn’t want to leave me. You could see that love written all over their faces. Bullets were flying all over us, and yet I felt serene. Bullets were flying right over them.” I wasn’t there; I think all of us have seen the video of the crowd, who were obviously shocked and frozen and ducking in most instances (as well they should have been.)

Trump went on in his historically longest acceptance speech in history (93 minutes) and recounted how, “The sniper with one bullet took the assassin’s life. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight.” Also part of Trump’s normal meandering remarks: “The crowd roared with pride for our country like no crowd I have ever heard before.” (Also unable to be determined from the replay.) Trump referenced the crowd as “A giant audience of patriots” and referred to the Butler (PA) rally as “a fateful evening.”

January 6th.

To quote one thing that DJT said on the last night of the RNC with which I actually agree: “This election should be about the issues facing our country and how to make America safe and free again.”

This is true. So, where was the discussion of the issues that really matter? I mainly heard “the border” (over and over again), a lot of anti-immigrant rhetoric alleging that immigrants are taking the jobs of Black people, and remarks that don’t bode well for anyone who is not a straight heterosexual American.

Following on the heels of Trump’s own remark about how the election should be about issues, Stephen Colbert had Senator Bernie Sanders as a guest on his Thursday night show. Here are some of Bernie’s comments regarding what we had all just seen, prefaced by his off-the-cuff remark, “Two o’clock in the morning. Who’s listening?” Hopefully thoughtful voters who recognize that the speeches up to that point had been all style and no substance. (The Screaming Mimi fiancee of Don, Jr., was at it again, screaming at the crowd. Hard to believe she was once married to Governor Newsom of California.)

Bernie was alarmed at how little the real problems of the world were addressed. One that he stressed, which certainly concerns me after hearing chants of “Drill, baby, drill” and realizing that nothing will be done to alleviate climate change if Republicans take control of government: Climate change has cost more than $25 billion dollars so far this year, with the most expensive season yet to come. There is worry that FEMA may run out of money before the end of the summer. Said Bernie: “If we don’t get our act together, the planet we are going to be leaving our kids and our grandfathers is going to be increasingly unhabitable… Think about the future of this planet if we don’t get our act together. Just on the basis of that fact alone nobody should be voting for Trump.” Do you enjoy going almost a week without power? I did not. Insurance has soared 20% from 2021 to 2023 because of the natural disasters everywhere and insurance companies are abandoning some states, if the risk is growing quickly in certain areas. Do you worry about attending any event where, thanks to Trump’s flouting of the normal rules of polite society, we are no longer safe? Are you a gun enthusiast who wants everyone to have automatic weapons? Then don’t attend concerts, parades, rallies, or any other gathering where someone with one a weapon could shoot at you, as they did at Donald J. Trump. The rest of us who are not gun enthusiasts would like some reasonable restraint on things like bump stocks and AR15s.

Insurrection of Jan. 6th.

Bernie went on to say, “Anyone who has any illusion that the GOP will do anything to benefit the working man is sorely mistaken.” Concerning Elon Musk giving money to Trump, “Thank Musk for making this issue so obvious. What we have in America now is a corrupt political system. We live in a semi-democracy. We have the right to vote, but a billionaire has the right to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to further their aims because the billionaires know that they’ll get tax breaks. ..To Biden’s credit, he knows that we have to overturn this disastrous Supreme Court decision Citizens’ United that allowed large corporations to give big amounts of money to control the political process.

In continuing his remarks after a commercial break, Bernie Sanders told Democrats to “stop the bickering.” Of Biden he said, “I am aware that he has been the strongest, most progressive president in my lifetime.” Bernie mentioned the picket line, prescription drugs, rebuilding the country’s crumbling infrastructure, debt relief for students, and recently his 100-day agenda. “You’ve got half of the people on Social Security trying to make it on $30,000 a year or less and you’ve got Republicans talking about cutting Social Security,” said Bernie Sanders. He then praised Biden’s attempts to initiate a rent hike revision. He commented that banks are buying up housing all over the place and that Biden is in favor of building millions of affordable houses. Bernie specifically mentioned housing in Las Vegas, but houses are bought up in Austin, as well.

Donald Trump

In regards to the proposal to institute a code of conduct and ethics for the Supreme Court, he agrees. “If you’re an elderly person today you can’t afford medical care, dental or vision care.” Bernie pointed out that Biden has managed to get the cost of insulin down and that he proposes that Social Security pick up dental and vision care, while the Republicans want to cut Social Security in some way.

Bernie said, “Our medical system is broken. A quarter of the people who get cancer end up going broken and losing their homes because of the expense. Biden is in favor of eliminating all medical debt. “That’s the right thing to do.” I’m not sure how, exactly, this could be instituted, but it is worth noting that NONE of the things that Trump has proposed and said would happen nearly immediately were promised in a logical way that makes one think there is any real concrete plan to achieve same. I would say the same critical thing about Bernie’s off-the-cuff remark. Many of us remember how hard it was to get the Affordable Care Act passed and how relentlessly the GOP has worked to try to eliminate it ever since. I don’t think that the idea is a bad idea, when expressed by either party, but talk is cheap and this plan would not be.

Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie spoke of the elderly in this richest country on Earth and decried 60% of people living paycheck to paycheck. “People are hurting and they are looking to Washington and they are not getting much of a response. We need a nonviolent political revolution in getting billionaires out of politics. Our job right now is to defeat Trump. We need to transform the Democratic party so that ordinary people can come in and drive a new agenda so that we get income equality. We’re not going to have housing and college unaffordable. Our job is to make government work for everybody and not just the billionaire class.” On another positive front, Sanders mentioned the successful fights against homophobia, sexism and racism that have come a long way. He did not mention how many steps backwards we will take if Trump and company, with Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon as advisors, regain power, but any DJT administration will almost certainly be kinder to the rich and do little for the poor. Plus, a woman’s right to control her own reproductive system will be seriously compromised as, indeed, it already has been by the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

I would add that the GOP programs sound like a giant step backward in being a welcoming country with promise for all that has always defined us. Project 2025 from the Heritage Foundation, widely considered to be the platform that Trump will be adopting if elected, does many things; most of them are horrible for veterans (cutting benefits, etc,) and very anti-immigrant. It moves in the direction of forcing Christianity into the public schools, which has always been one of our Constitutional foundations, separation of church and state. Louisiana has already gone so far as to insist that the Ten Commandments be displayed in schools, which the founding fathers would probably not approve of at all.

Senator Bernie Sanders

We all saw the big chart about border crossings that Trump says saved his life when he did not turn completely to view it. It was about border crossings being lower back in the Trump era when the Trump administration was separating small children from their parents and not keeping good records of where the youngsters ended up. It was totally inhumane in so many ways. Where was the chart about the climate crisis, which experts say we can only avert by cutting down on carbon emissions? (And this must be a world-wide effort.) As the experts have said, if we all hit the guidelines that were adopted long ago the best we could do would be to stop the weather anomalies where they are now. Our weather cannot return to “the way it was.” It can, however, get much much worse. We had 10 tornadoes in our area just 4 days ago. In August of 2020 we had the first “derecho” of my entire nearly 80 years on the planet. I am seriously lobbying for the purchase of a generator after the week we just spent without lights or air conditioning.

Tucker Carlson showed up at the RNC and said, “I do think the entire point of the escalator ride has been to remind us of one fact.” That fact should be that Donald J. Trump was the worst president in history, inherited a good Obama economy (which he rode to relative prosperity), and totally bungled the Covid crisis. He is going to make all of the valid charges against himself disappear and probably pardon everyone he incited to storm the Capitol and threaten his vice president and other elected lawmakers. His flouting of decorum (refused to attend a ceremony at Normandy) and rude remarks (military personnel are “losers” and “suckers,” a remark he made within earshot of Four-Star General Kelly) are the absolute worst example of someone we want representing our nation abroad.

Donald J. Trump

Presidents Biden & Trump

Please, people. Substance over style. Let’s get it together and avoid this con-man like the plague that he presided over. Our nation will not be the same if we don’t and—unlike the crowd that wants to leave Ukraine in the lurch, abandon NATO, and let the planet burn without attempting to solve the very real problem of climate change that DJT has decried for years–. we must think rationally about what DJT really represents and what kind of man he has demonstrated himself to be.

Instead of doing a sexist smear job on our current Vice President, (which was about as fair as insisting that Hilary Clinton was running a sex ring out of a pizza parlor), let’s really think about the “platforms” that currently face us under the two main political powers. A Screaming Mimi telling us to “fight” and shouting slogans is not a platform. Last time out, Trump had NO platform. This time he is expected to follow the Project 2025 manifesto, especially since 31 of the 38 people who put this 900 page document together worked under him in the Trump administration. Get a copy and think long and hard about what Project 2025 says before you vote.

Celebrating A Birthday On A Balmy July 6 Night in Downtown Davenport, Iowa

By Connie Wilson

On July 6, 2024

In Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest

Happy Birthday, Judy! 49 again?

Shouldn’t we all celebrate our birthdays with old friends?

Of course we should, and we did.

Dinner at Monarch (which is hard to find, but has lobster roll) and cocktails at Up, which is on top of the downtown Davenport hotel (Current).

And lots of funny stories from many years of friendship and fond memories.

Judy looks 20 years younger than she is. Picture proves it. A good time was had by all.

Getting from the restaurant to the top of the downtown Davenport Current

Current Hotel, downtown Davenport.

hotel was quite the adventure, as the river crested on Saturday and much of River Drive was impassable (under water). We had a really circuitous route to get home for sure.

I’ve taken some photos of our friends Bob and Judy and of the rooftop.

Craig Wilson, Bob DeJonghe, Judy DeJonghe.

Three classmates from the Alleman class of ’63: Craig Wilson, Bob and Judy (DeJonghe).

And then there’s the black Angus statue inside the hotel.

The group on July 6, 2024.

The place filled up later on.

Don’t ask.

Craig Wilson, Connie Wilson, Judy DeJonghe, Bob DeJonghe

Four old friends.

Towards evening on a beautiful night,

Admiring the view of the Mississippi.

Gold Coast Art Show, 2024, Is A Hot One!

By Connie Wilson

On June 17, 2024

In Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, travel

Mark Ferguson of Asymmetrical Jewelry and me, at the Gold Coast Art Show on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

Today was Sunday, June 16, 2024, the last day of the 2024 Gold Coast Art Fair in Chicago. I only learned that it was going on this weekend when we drove by Grant Park on our way to see Seth Meyer’s stand-up show at the Vic. I immediately began saying I wanted to go. The Gold Coast Art Show is always wonderful—for me. For my spouse? Not so much. He isn’t really in to strolling past 250 booths and debating the merits of various purchases I make. Plus, he thought the Cubs were playing (although it turned out that, for mysterious reasons) the Cubs were playing the Cardinals only on Roku. (W-H-A-A-T?)

My husband urged me to go “early.” As anyone who knows me knows, “early” for me is any time before noon. However, I promised to be readying myself no later than the time I get up to play Hand-and-Foot Canasta in Austin, Texas. That is 9 a.m., so I was up “early” and getting ready to walk to the park. I was very tired, because I am a Night Owl of the First Magnitude and being able to fall asleep earlier than 2 a.m. is often difficult. Keep in mind that I write, and—[in my defense]—I write at night. So, promising to get “up and at ’em” by 10-ish was early, for me. It would not have been my first choice of times to attend. But, aware that we faced a 3 and 1/2 hour drive home to the Illinois Quad Cities, I agreed that I would attempt to hit Grant Park at 10-ish.

66th Gold Coast Art Show in Chicago, June 16, 2024

My impatient husband offered to drive me down to the Park, which was very nice of him. In years of yore I routinely walked to the Art Institute and back, but that was before one full year of cancer treatment, which blew out my left knee and put me in a wheelchair or hobbling with a cane from September of 2022 until March of 2023. (Thanks to the Oak Brook Joint Pain Clinic for the 32 m. of anti-inflammatory injections and 6 ml of Durolane, which helped restore me…sort of.)

Another of Mark’s Asymmetrical pieces. ([email protected]).

The adjuvant therapy pills (specifically, Anastrozole) have not been “berry, berry good” to me. Let’s not forget that—thanks to Mom and heredity,— I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 2017 and have to doctor for that, too. Minor ailments (fibromyalgia, asthma, osteoarthritis) I shall set aside for the moment. Either of the major ailments would make me vulnerable to extreme heat, And I honestly think that the excessive heat was primarily responsible for chatting with Mark about how he and his hosts went to the Red-Headed Piano Bar and a blues club the preceding night. At one point, in our car on the long drive home, the thermometer said 97 degrees. Yikes!

I remember in high school, when I (unwisely) I played intramural basketball (I’m so old that the game was 6 on 6) and—right before I would become so fatigued that I’d pass out—I’d turn beet red, except for the area right next to my nose, which would be stark white. Below is a picture taken less than 24 hours earlier, at the Seth Meyer show at the Vic Theater, for contrast. I do not appear to be beet red and disheveled in that one, do I?

AT SETH MEYERS on JUNE 14, 2024

Connie Wilson with BEE GONE book at the June 14th Seth Meyer stand-up show

Waiting at the Vic Theater in Chicago to give Seth Meyer a copy of BEE GONE after his June 14, 2024 show.

I direct your attention to the picture atop this page. Who knows what was going on with my blood sugar? I didn’t take the time to eat anything prior to being delivered to Jackson intersection (a fairly long way from the entrance. I should have gotten off at Madison). You can compare the picture from Friday night when I look fairly happy and healthy with the sweaty, overheated shopper who, after about 30 booths, became dizzy as hell and nearly passed out. Okay. Maybe I DID pass out (briefly), but I was seated at the time. I believe that Mark is too kind and honest to make up the nodding off that he says occurred right after I commandeered his chair for my own purposes. (Ahem).

I had purchased many items by that point, and I was aware that the temperature was REALLY REALLY HOT. I attempted to buy something cold at a small booth nearby that had a bunch of beverages for sale in cans, but the beverages all were warm and had alcohol in them, which is pretty much verboten. Plus, the only one I would have liked (Sangria) was warm. Warm sangria in a can for $10 did not sound appealing. So, yes, I was not very well hydrated, I was tired, and BOY, was I HOT!

GOLD COAST PURCHASES

My kind husband and I sought Madison futilely on our way down, because I had read online that it was the entrance. Of course, I had also read online that admission was $5, which may have been true if you bought tickets in advance. That left me out. Admission was $15. At least I managed to find an entrance from the Jackson intersection and I proceeded to quickly determine that (a) there were a lot of paintings (b) many of them cost $1,800 and up and (c) Boy! It was hot in the sun! (I haven’t felt that hot since I tried to bicycle to Willow Springs on a similarly hot day many moons ago and collapsed in someone’s front yard. Those people weren’t nearly as kind to me as Mark. As I recall, the lady of the house yelled, “Don’t go near her. You don’t know where she’s been!” The husband had to come and pick up me and my bicycle and ferry us home. (Is there a pattern here?))

Necklace from Asymmetrical. ([email protected])

By the time I had bought several pairs of earrings for various birthdays and my own use, I began to feel dizzy.

I was only about 1/3 or 1/4 of the way through my planned circuit of all 200+ booths, but I honestly thought I might pass out. I had just found a booth operated by a lovely British gentleman, Mark Ferguson of Manchester, England, who can be contacted at [email protected]. I saw that Mark had an empty chair (for himself, of course) behind the counter of his booth. Since I felt as though I might collapse at any moment, I asked if I could temporarily occupy Mark’s chair.

HEAT HITS HOME!

He was so great about my near collapse at his booth! THANK YOU, MARK! Not only did he get me some water (and a fan, which he borrowed!) he swears that I passed out as soon as I sat down in HIS chair. This may be true. I would not know, as I was (apparently) unconscious. Just what every jeweler hopes for: a customer who stops by, takes their chair, and then passes out in it!

Now came the security person, wanting to know if I wanted to be taken to a hospital.

Uhhhhh…that would be a resounding NO,

Mark Ferguson (of Suzanne & Mark Ferguson Asymmetrical Jewelry) at his booth on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

But I did think that calling my husband (of 56 years) might be a good idea and, between Mark and a very nice lady who gave my husband directions about how to find Madison entrance (which we never did find initially) I was spared the necessity of walking a couple of football fields back to the Jackson intersection that we had originally agreed I would phone him from for pick-up.

MANY THANKS to Mark Ferguson (and Suzanne) of Manchester, England. If you see some things that speak to you in these photos, you can probably contact them at [email protected]. I had already bought three pair of earrings before unceremoniously commandeering Mark’s chair, so I can attest that his “asymmetrical” idea of not having to “pair” earrings is a godsend. My daughter will be the beneficiary of the earrings that I got before I collapsed and left poor Mark to deal with me. He even escorted me to my spouse’s car. (Husband Craig did find the Madison entrance after the nice lady told him how to get there.)

I haven’t been so embarrassed since I missed a step at the Chicago International Film Festival, fell, and hit my head (and my bad knee). That didn’t lead to the hospital, either, but it did cause me to go have X-rays of the bum left knee when I made it back to the Quad Cities. That knee is going to be bad for the rest of time, I fear.

Here are some additional photos of Mark and Suzanne’s reasonably-priced and creative jewelry items, including some Cubs earrings (I bought 2 pair) and others. Not sure what the delivery options are, but, if you see something you can’t live without, the Fergusons have relatives in the Chicago area and perhaps you can contact them at [email protected] and make arrangements for mail delivery.

Asymmetrical Jewelry ([email protected])

Thanks, again, Mark!

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Holds Rally on May 13th, 2024 in Austin, Texas

By Connie Wilson

On May 15, 2024

In Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Politics, Texas

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Holds Campaign Rally in Austin, TX is now available for viewing in the C-SPAN Video Library.

Let’s not forget that I covered the Presidential races of 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 and wrote 3 books on the candidates, often focusing as they came through the Iowa caucuses. I was named Content Producer of the Year for Politics in 2008 by Yahoo and my two books on that race are “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House,” Vols. I & II. I am also responsible for BEE GONE about the 2016 election, which I was not allowed to advertise during DJT’s tenure, since it is a comic book rhyming presentation that was hilarious, but which the MAGA folk did not like at all. [One of them called me “Hitler with breasts.” Perhaps that one did not hear about my breast cancer diagnosis?]

If you want to try to find THAT one, your best bet is to go to ConnieCWilson.com and scroll down to “other” books and look it up that way. It is truly hard to find on Amazon and, last time I looked, they only had one copy (which I sent to a friend), If you want one, send me a note.)

I traveled to downtown Austin tonight to hear Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., deliver a speech. The main message of the evening was that RFK, Jr., has gathered enough signatures (more than enough) to get on the ballot in Texas.When I got there, I was told that the speech was not going to be held at that venue. It had been moved to somewhere on Brazos Street and was going to be live-streamed by CNN. The nice volunteer said she doubted that I could get in, but told me it would be available on C-span, live-streamed, which suited me fine.

I left the book that had RFK, Jr.’s picture in it (p. 33“Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House,” Vol. II) and went home, where I watched the speech on C-Span. This was a good thing, because out of an hour and 39 minutes, Bobby Kennedy (Jr.) didn’t come on for a very long time. With it being live-streamed, you could fast forward past the introductions and Nicole Shanahan’s speech.

The wealthy Nicole Shanahan, his running mate, gave a speech about soil.

Interesting, I thought. Something that everyone came for—[NOT].

I fast forwarded past all the greeters and announcers and the VP who is helping finance RFK, Jr.’s campaign (and paid for his SuperBowl ad) and listened to what Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the doppelganger of his famous father, had to say. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Holds Campaign Rally in Austin, TX is now available for viewing in the C-SPAN Video Library.

The first 2/3 of the speech (look it up on the C-Span archives) was random.

Then came RFK, Jr. Bobby told a lengthy story about an Amish farmer who does a podcast. This sounded like a contradiction in terms. Kennedy addressed that by saying that the 35-year-old young man (apparently an Ohio expert on soil and pesticides with very bright blue eyes) could not allow himself to be photographed. RFK (Jr.) had promised not to show the tape of his comments to the world. The conversation concerning the young Amish man’s encyclopedic knowledge of pesticides went on (and on) describing 2 rows of melons on the Amish podcaster’s farm, one of them grown without pesticides and, therefore, far healthier and more pest-free than the other. One was healthy. One was sickly. What this had to do with anything was hard to determine (but keep in mind that I skipped past the Shanahan soil speech, so shame on me). I am onboard with the idea that pesticides and pollution and the variety of pollutants that are covered so well in the documentary “Plastic People” that I reviewed during SXSW are harming us irreparably, so I will assume that RFK (Jr.) is as concerned about this as the Canadian documentary-filmmakers.

After talking about soil and Amish farmers for a rather lengthy time, the 70-year-old Kennedy talked about what a sick country we are, sharing the data that we have only 4% of the world’s population but, during the Covid pandemic, we had 16% of the world’s deaths. There were more remarks about how good health is not found at the end of a hypodermic needle (anti-vaccine position). I just watched (and reviewed) a documentary called “Plastic People,” mentioned above, and much of what RFK, Jr., was talking about this Canadian documentary supported, so I’m not throwing stones here. I have an interest in such things as why the incidence of breast cancer in young women is so much higher than in years of yore. Not to mention colon cancer in younger people, infertiity, and autism disorders.

The reason the CDC said so many of us succumbed to Covid, (said Kennedy), was that those who died had 3.8 pre-existing chronic diseases. Chronic disease was a recurring phrase and topic. Kennedy named cancer, asthma, food allergies and then blanked out. He sought a disease to represent the fourth chronic disease, soliciting it from the predominantly young crowd. The crowd finally coughed up “diabetes.” (Heart disease did not rear its ugly head, and I wasn’t sure that food allergies qualified, but nevermind. Obesity might have made the list, based on another statistic he threw out about 40% of us being obese. No idea if any of these facts and figures were precisely accurate; just reporting what the candidate said,)

This is not a fact-checking article—so go ahead and listen to the speech (link above) for yourself. But don’t omit reading up about the candidate’s background, because we have already been “conned” once in 2016 and elected someone who built a totally fabricated background for himself based on being a success in business, when, in reality, that was very far from the truth. And don’t fail to check the candidate(s) out for their strength of character. We’ve seen THAT happen before (John Edwards, anyone?) and we don’t want to constantly be conned into accepting uncritically media presentations (Fox News, I’m talking about you.)

TRUST IN GOVERNMENT

One refrain that did strike a responsive chord for this seasoned political reporter was the remark that we no longer trust our government, because it’s been lying to us for years. To illustrate this, Kennedy repeated the Francis Gary Powers story.

For those of you who are too young to remember that 1960 U-2 event, Powers was shot down over Russia in a super-secret plane. Wikipedia: “On May 1, 1960, Powers’ U-2A, 56-6693, departed from a military airbase in Peshawar, Pakistan,^[13] with support from the U.S. Air Station at Badaber (Peshawar Air Station). This was to be the first attempt “to fly all the way across the Soviet Union. Powers was shot down by an S-75 Dvina (SA-2 “Guideline”) surface-to-air missile^[15] over Sverdlovsk. A total of 14 Dvinas were launched,^[16] one of which hit a MiG-19 jet fighter which was sent to intercept the U-2 but could not reach a high enough altitude.”

Attempted deception by the U.S. government

“When the U.S. government learned of Powers’ disappearance over the Soviet Union, they lied that a “weather plane” had strayed off course after its pilot had “difficulties with his oxygen equipment”. What CIA officials did not realize was that the plane crashed almost fully intact and that the Soviets had recovered its pilot and much of the plane’s equipment, including its new top-secret high-altitude camera. Powers was interrogated extensively by the KGB for months before he made a confession and a public apology for his part in the espionage.”

Kennedy’s point: that the American public quit trusting their government about the time that JFK was shot dead in the streets of Dallas and Bobby’s father was shot dead in Los Angeles, California, as a result of lies like the Francis Gary Powers incident, rang a bell with me. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I have always doubted the “single bullet” theory of JFK’s death. So did RFK, Sr.

If Bobby Kennedy (Sr.) had gone on to be elected, he had vowed to get to the bottom of his brother’s assassination. (I know this from reading the book by his nephew, Christopher Lawford.) I don’t doubt that there would have been a much better inquiry than the Warren Commission provided. An investigation that Bobby (Sr.) would have conducted might have come to different conclusions about who was responsible for the death of his brother Jack (JFK).

RFK (Jr.) took a few shots at the national debt and how it is chewing up half of our tax moneys now, simply to service the interest on the debt. He pointed out that neither of the geriatric candidates has really addressed that very important issue. I do have one tiny bit of rebuttal there. While it is true that, “The national debt has increased by around $3.5 trillion under the Biden administration, as data from Statista shows, currently standing at $31.46 trillion. Year-on-year the debt has never decreased since 1957, according to Treasury data.”

However, it is also true that Biden is far from indifferent to the pressing need to reduce the national debt. Between 2020 and 2022, he was responsible for $1.7 trillion in deficit reduction. The exact quote that Biden gave was, “”I might note parenthetically: In my first two years, I reduced the debt by $1.7 trillion. No President has ever done that.” Obviously that is a drop in the deficit bucket and the GOP immediately began to see investigating to see if it held up. (Does anyone besides me remember when Democratic President Bill Clinton left us with a budget surplus?)

Biden gets precious little credit for all of the good things he HAS done and selling a national debt decrease is going to be a hard sell. But it IS true that the debt went way up under DJT. (And the GOP would point fingers at Obama, before him.) We could also point out that desperate times call for desperate measures and some of those increases in 2020 on were created by the pandemic crisis. Was there graft and corruption during a tough time when we were navigating a nationwide pandemic? Is the Pope Catholic?

Fleeting references to the Issues of the Day (abortion, the border) were made. Bobby seemed more critical of the Republican candidate than of the Democratic candidate, (despite the YouTube video that says the opposite). In fact, Bobby said that he, like his supporters in the room, needed to be independent of party noise. He added that he, therefore, had divorced himself from the Democratic party which so many of his relatives served. He said that divorce from being a Democrat was painful, as it went waaay back, even unto grandfathers and beyond. Traditionally, running as a third party has not worked well, even for Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull Moose Party,

The opening of the rally should be mentioned, as it had his famous father repeating some of his most famous quotes in that memorable voice (which, sadly, the younger Bobby cannot emulate because of spasmodic dysphonia, a disorder that causes his voice to quaver and makes speech difficult). He traveled to Kyoto, Japan, to have a titanium bridge inserted between his vocal cords to treat the condition.^[315

^]The film that ran at the opening of the rally was very professionally done. It was certainly better than listening to a choir of January 6th miscreants singing from prison (and being hailed incorrectly as “hostages.”) Bobby Kennedy, Jr., was onscreen in this opening film introduction, but the voice was his famous father’s.

Many of the people introducing RFK, Jr. were Hispanic. The Big Announcement of the night was that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s name will be on the ballot in Texas with over 235,000 signatures and that the campaign will next move to New York to get on the ballot. He described these two states as the most difficult states to get on the ballot. Kennedy claimed that Texas had actually introduced legislation raising the threshold from a smaller number (150,000?) to one that the Texas legislature thought was too high to ever be reached.

I think the number the team actually secured was more than what they needed. I remember it as being 235,000, but I’d have to wade through the speech on the CNN archives all over again to actually establish that. Feel free to do so and correct me.

To me, it seemed like getting on the ballot was so difficult that, in some way, RFK, Jr., has conflated that with actually getting the electorate to vote for him. Lord knows the country would like a younger leader. Bobby Kennedy is 70, so is that what is meant by “younger?” He is the 5th member of his family to run for President, said Wikipedia. (Don’t ask me to cough up the names of the others: I could only think of JFK, Bobby Kennedy Sr., Ted Kennedy and—-? Maybe running for VP counts? Didn’t Maria Shriver’s father have a flirtation with elective office? Help me out here!)

Bill Maehr on his show criticized Kennedy’s lack of government experience, We all know about putting someone in office, an office for which they have literally no training or experience, and how that works. Or doesn’t. RFK, Jr., doesn’t fall into that category, as you will see for yourself if you visit his Wikipedia page. There’s a lot there to unpack. There is also this Internet page:https://www.kennedy24.com/

And then the rally was over after 1 hour and 39 minutes.

Shaking It Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter- World Premiere at SXSW on March 10th

By Connie Wilson

On March 19, 2024

In Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Pop Culture, Reviews, Texas

Liz Carpenter was a force of nature who, throughout her 89 years (1920-2010), was often front and center where history was unfolding. leaving her own indelible mark on events. She was a journalist, White House official, Women’s Rights activist, best-selling author, and humorist. Directors Christy Carpenter, Liz’s daughter, and Abby Ginzberg weave candid modern-day interviews with Dan Rather, Bill Moyers, Gloria Steinem, Luci Johnson and others into an entertaining and informative 77-minute World Premiere that took place at the Zach Theatre on March 10th at SXSW 2024.

Liz Carpenter in action.

Born in Salado, Texas, five days after the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution granted women the right to vote in 1920, Liz’s family moved to Austin, the state capitol, when she was 7 years old. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas in 1942 and headed straight to Washington, DC, intent on starting her journalism career in the midst of WWII. .

At 22 years of age, she was attending press conferences held by both President Franklin and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt despite barriers against allowing women reporters to be present.

SUPPORTING LBJ

She began covering the political rise of Congressman Lyndon Johnson for the Austin American-Statesman. This developed into a lifelong friendship with LBJ and his wife Lady Bird.

Liz’s reputation as a dogged reporter quickly spread and, by the late 1940s, she and husband Leslie Carpenter established the Carpenter News Bureau. They covered Capitol Hill and the White House for more than a dozen newspapers. She was also known as “the funniest woman in Washington, D.C.,” which made her an in-demand speaker.

In 1954, she was elected president of the Women’s National Press Club, a platform she used to attack barriers to participation in the males-only National Press Club, the foremost journalistic organization in Washington D.C..

LIZ AND JFK’S ASSASSINATION

Christy Carpenter, daughter of Liz Carpenter and co-director of “Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter” at SXSW.

In 1960, Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird persuaded Liz to join his campaign for vice president. Once elected, LBJ convinced Liz to join his staff as the highest-ranking woman ever to work for a vice president. Liz Carpenter was one of a small number of his staff traveling with him to Dallas on November 22, 1963. She was riding in the motorcade, in a car behind JFK’s, when President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated.

Carpenter realized she was the only writer on LBJ’s staff aboard Air Force One. On the return trip to Washington she crafted the newly sworn-in President’s first public remarks to a shocked world. LBJ delivered these 58 words, written by Liz while on the plane, upon landing and that footage is included in the documentary:

“This is a sad time for all people. We have suffered a loss that cannot be weighed. For me, it is a deep personal tragedy. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help and God’s.”

The archival footage of the delivery of these remarks is historic.

BEAUTIFY AMERICA

Liz was appointed st aff director and press secretary to the new First Lady.

Although Lady Bird and Liz had very different personal styles, they were both women of action and vision, and together, over the next five years, they pursued an aggressive agenda including, “the most ambitious national environmental effort since Theodore Roosevelt,” according to Lady Bird biographer Julia Sweig. (I can still do a pretty fair imitation of Lady Bird Johnson saying, “Plant a tree, a shrub, or a bush,” with the Texas twang on ‘bush,'”—fodder for comediennes of the era.) The ubiquitous campaign to remove blighted highway billboards and beautify America by planting vegetation became a trademark of Lady Bird’s. A lake and park in Austin in her name perpetuate her legacy.

WAR ON POVERTY

Liz enabled Lady Bird to put a human face on LBJ’s War on Poverty by organizing strategic press tours of Head Start and Job Corps programs across the nation. My mother was then a kindergarten teacher in a small Iowa town. She fought tirelessly for the Head Start program, which, gave disadvantaged youngsters from minority and poorer homes an equal starting point with other 5-year-olds entering the system.

Liz was sometimes dubbed the “P.T. Barnum of the White House,” and was the key mastermind of Lady Bird’s historic and unprecedented Whistlestop campaign tour through the South during the 1964 presidential campaign. In the immediate aftermath of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Southern states were often far from welcoming to the wife of the man who had given Black citizens in the South the right to vote and a leg up on equal rights under the laws of the land.

AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE

Abby Ginzberg, co-director of “Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter” at SXSW on March 10, 2024.

After Johnson’s presidency ended in 1969, (with a populist anti-war backlash against Vietnam that saw my generation in the streets chanting “Hey! Hey! LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?”), Liz wrote a best-selling book about her White House years, entitled Ruffles & Flourishes. She would write other best-sellers, utilizing her storied wit and her historic experiences in government.

WOMEN’S MOVEMENT

Liz Carpenter got heavily involved in the growing Women’s Movement – a cause that would consume much of her time and energy until the end of her life at the age of 90 in 2010. Bill Clinton appointed her to serve on the White House Council on Aging.

In 1971, she joined feminist leaders such as Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Congresswomen Bella Abzug, and Shirley Chisholm, to co-found a new organization, the National Women’s Political Caucus. This was a nationwide effort to elect more women to public office, eliminate discrimination, and to push forward legislation to improve the lives of women. Soon Liz was campaigning across the nation, stirring up voters to elect women candidates.

THE ERA

Some fifty years after its introduction, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) finally sailed through Congress in 1972 with huge bipartisan majorities, says the documentary. (*I still have my ERA bracelet in a drawer somewhere, along with the POW bracelet of a U.S. soldier MIA in action from that era.) Sadly, however, after many early successes on the state level, the momentum for ratification began to hit speed bumps. That is putting it mildly.

PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY & EAGLE FORUM

Activist Phyllis Schlafly wearing a “Stop ERA” badge, demonstrating with other women against the Equal Rights Amendment in front of the White House, Washington, D.C.

The film doesn’t dwell much on Phyllis Schlafly and her Eagle Forum organization, but it should. That is my one criticism of this documentary. It was Phyllis Schlafly and her anti-equal-rights work compiling lists of ultra-Conservative prominent women and men who were against the ERA that defeated it. Schlafly—who had her own political agenda—smeared the entire equal rights movement as a ploy for lesbians and women libbers and an anti-family movement. That was, at best, an over-generalization, a technique often used by the GOP to gloss over the realities of issues and, at worst, a hypocritical smear job. (*See “the border issue” in 2024). Although I realize that Phyllis Schlafly’s anti-ERA work merits an entire documentary of its own, I think she should at least have been mentioned in this one, as that opponent of the ERA kept it from passing nationwide and has left it mired in oblivion.

Donald Trump’s early organizational work involved getting those lists from the Schlafly organization, which had painted a biased picture of the efforts to achieve equality for women as being “a bunch of women’s libbers bent on destroying the family,” an untrue characterization.Liz Carpenter was called on to co-chair a new organization in 1976 – ERAmerica –focused on ratification by the last hold-out states. She spent several years lobbying states’ legislators, and governors, and galvanizing grassroots support. (It didn’t work.)

LIZ’s HUMOR

One important key to Liz’s success was her dynamic, magnetic personality, including her well-developed sense of humor — reflecting her pioneer roots and Texas-sized, can-do moxie. Humor was always integral to her identity and effectiveness. Like other recognizable Texas women such as Governor Ann Richards and journalist Molly Ivins, Liz was high-energy and innately funny, with a knack for shaking things up. Her life was spent trying to create a more just, democratic, beautiful and humane world.

CONCLUSION:

The archival clips, alone, are worth seeing this well-done documentary. It is a slice of 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s life and history. It details efforts— some successful, some futile— to advance equality for women world-wide, battles that Liz Carpenter helped lead.

While I have a few reservations about soft-pedaling the tactics of the opposition faced in the seemingly never-ending struggle for equality that women in the United States and the world face, this fine film goes a long way to showing how it can be done, if enough courageous, influential women remember Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s line, “And yet she persists.” See this one if, like me, you lived through it. If you didn’t, you need the history lesson,