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What we have is a failure to communicate

I have a friend who is an unabashed Trump supporter. When I asked him what he thought of Trump’s State of the Union address, he told me that he didn’t need to watch the SOTU and that he rarely watches Trump’s speeches. My friend told me that although he doesn’t care for Trump’s personality and delivery, my buddy believes in MAGA and the America First message. As he puts it, Trump is the first president in his lifetime to really put this country before wokeness, politics and greed. He supports the President unconditionally. I have another dear friend who is convinced that my ...

Americans still allowed to disagree with president

The topics I write about that seem to get the most response from readers have to do with dogs or politics. I’m always glad to hear from the good dog people. Not so much from political hacks, on either side. I recently posted a piece that was, I’ll admit, a harsh and perhaps overly generalized rendering of Trump supporters. Apparently I offended some folks who had previously been readers of my peculiar ramblings. It’s not that I lament losing a reader or two. It’s that ever since I graduated from being a ninth-grade hyperactive bully and all around major jerk (several relapses ...

Attacking the fears that bring paralysis to individuals

Last month I wrote about loneliness, and gave the reader options about managing it. If you have never thought about it, loneliness, over a long period of time, creates thinking patterns of fear. Just as the gentleman in my Halfway House was deathly afraid to ride in an elevator because according to him, “these things go down and kill people.” The fact that Herman, my client at Friends of Cazenovia Manor Halfway House had been a loner his whole life and had massive trust issues led to many irrational thoughts with little proof to back up his irrational thinking. As you may recall, ...

No Kings participants relish freedom, peace

Today, Saturday, March 28, there will be more than 3,000 No Kings demonstrations all across the country. They will be a celebration of our First Amendment right “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for the redress of grievances.” We are a nation of laws and we want to stay that way, with free and fair elections. Locally there are several options. Jamestown will be hosting a rally in Dow Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Chautauqua Institution is hosting one at 67 Bester Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here in the North County Marchers will gather at Cottage Street ...

Artificial Intelligence can benefit region

Any mention of Artificial Intelligence (AI) these days is bound to generate a wide variety of responses. Some are overly excited by what they have heard about its potential while others are fearful of it. That’s largely because most people don’t fully understand AI yet. That often happens when any new technology begins to emerge. It takes people time to wrap their heads around anything that is likely to change the way they have always done something. They need to figure out how to adapt so they can use it in beneficial ways. Just like during previous technological revolutions, ...

Bar Association needs respect on views

The head of the New York State Bar Association, or NYSBA, has criticized a Trump-administration Justice Department official. ≤ ≤ ≤ Please read the criticism for yourself: NYSBA “denounces Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s declaration of ‘war’ on the judiciary and bar(-)association disciplinary bodies. “At a recent conference of the Federalist Society, (General) Blanche characterized the Department of Justice’s resistance to ethical oversight of its lawyers by courts and bar associations as ‘war.’” NYSBA “will always stand up for the rule of law ...