Saturday, August 31, 2024

Thank You Erwin Chemerinsky

In February of this year, I left Twitter and began teaching at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Delaware facility in Lewes, Delaware. My course was titled, "Fascism In America".

On September 4, I'll be teaching "Lies Our Forefathers Told Us: Fascism American Style" for the Fall term. Emily Mathews, Program Coordinator at OLLI, helped me restructure the course.

I left Twitter because it became too hostile an environment for civil conversation after Elon Musk acquired the platform in November 2023.

Teaching provides me with an opportunity to stop complaining about our politics and actually do something to improve the situation - share with others - educate.

On August 20, 2024, "No Democracy Lasts Forever: How The Constitution Threatens The United States" by Erwin Chemerinsky was published.

Nick Maggio recommended the book to me and I took out the audiobook version from the Milton library. I have the free "Hoopla" app on both my computer and tablet; and I can listen in bed without disturbing Kathy.

I finished this book in 2 days - the book is that good and the audio version is excellent.

Erwin is the Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. 

It's possible he wrote this book just for me because it covers a good deal of the material I present in my class.

Our country is broken. It's falling apart and we're headed toward a world of misery. Our politics have become too divisive - too extreme - too insane - too hostile - too violent.

Erwin gives an excellent, legal summation of what's causing this and explores a multitude of ways - legal paths - we could take going forward.

Erwin is trying to educate and orient us - elevate the social dialogue. He's providing us with a basis for sane discussion.

Reading this book will help you better understand where we are, how we got here and what we need to address going forward.

If everyone read the book, we could all focus on problem solving and engage in civil discourse as opposed to shouting at each other and engaging in thuggery.



OLLI has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to learn and share with others - it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble.

I believe there are OLLI programs all across the country. If you're a senior, you should check to see if there's one in your area.

My class is offered as a classroom discussion class. There are others offered via Zoom and some are offered both in the classroom and over Zoom (hybrids).

For the record, since 2023, I ceased being a member of AARP, I stopped buying books, and I started using community resources like the public library, the local senior center and OLLI.

I also updated my profile picture on social media.

Holy Moly!

Reading List Update - August 2024

My 2024 reads:

No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the
    United State by Erwin Chemerinsky
The Origins Of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
The Forgotten Man : A New History of the Great Depression by
    Amity Shlaes
Born In Blood: Violence And The Making Of America by Scott Gac
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Home Front
    in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes
M: Son Of The Century by Antonio Scurati
The Warmth Of Other Suns: The Epic Story Of America's
    Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned
    Democracy by Elaine Tyler May
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Late Fascism: Race, Capitalism and the Politics of Crisis
    by Alberto Toscano
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow
American Prometheus: The Triumph And Tragedy Of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin
 
My 2023 reads:

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
Death of the Great Man by Peter D. Kramer
The Supermajority by Michael Waldman
The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
Shadow Network by Anne Nelson
Dismantling The Empire by Chalmers Johnson
The Second Amendment by Michael Waldman
The Fight To Vote by Michael Waldman
Allow Me To Retort by Elie Mystal
How the South Won The Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson
 
Here's a list of the books I've read during Biden's first 2 years:

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
Dopesick by Beth Macy
The View From Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
Hiding In Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior
 
Here's a list of the books I read after Trump was elected:

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
A Very Stable Genius by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig
American Carnage by Tim Alberta
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Blowout by Rachel Maddow
Collusion by Luke Harding
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Dark Towers by David Enrich
Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean
Everything Trump Touches Dies by Rick Wilson
Facts And Fears by James R. Clapper
Fascism A Warning by Madeline Albright
Fear by Bob Woodward
Fire And Fury by Michael Wolff
Friendly Fascism by Bertram Gross
House Of Trump – House Of Putin by Craig Unger
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
Kushner Inc. - Greed. Ambition. Corruption. By Vicky Ward
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland
Proof Of Collusion by Seth Abramson
Red Notice by Bill Browder
Russian Roulette by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
The Case For Impeaching Trump by Elizabeth Holtzman
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
The Mueller Report  by The Washington Post
The Only Game In Town by Mohamed A. El-Erian
The Threat by Andrew McCabe
This Fight Is Our Fight by Elizabeth Warren
Tough Love by Susan Rice

Here's a list of other books I've read since 2016:

Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Kafka by William Hubben
Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf
Amerika by Franz Kafka
Killing Eve Die For Me by Luke Jennings
Killing Eve No Tomorrow by Luke Jennings
Killing Eve Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (John Ciardi) 
The Bhagavad Gita translation by Eknath Easwaran

Holy Moly!

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Reading List Update - June 2024

 My 2024 reads:

Born In Blood: Violence And The Making Of America
        by Scott Gac
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Home Front in World War II by
Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John
Maynard Keynes
M: Son Of The Century by Antonio Scurati
The Warmth Of Other Suns: The Epic Story Of America's
Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned
Democracy by Elaine Tyler May
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Late Fascism: Race, Capitalism and the Politics of Crisis
by Alberto Toscano
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel
Maddow
American Prometheus: The Triumph And Tragedy Of J.
       Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin

My 2023 reads:

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
Death of the Great Man by Peter D. Kramer
The Supermajority by Michael Waldman
The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
Shadow Network by Anne Nelson
Dismantling The Empire by Chalmers Johnson
The Second Amendment by Michael Waldman
The Fight To Vote by Michael Waldman
Allow Me To Retort by Elie Mystal
How the South Won The Civil War by Heather Cox
       Richardson

Here's a list of the books I've read during Biden's first 2 years:

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
Dopesick by Beth Macy
The View From Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
Hiding In Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior

Here's a list of the books I read after Trump was elected:

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
A Very Stable Genius by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig
American Carnage by Tim Alberta
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Blowout by Rachel Maddow
Collusion by Luke Harding
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Dark Towers by David Enrich
Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean
Everything Trump Touches Dies by Rick Wilson
Facts And Fears by James R. Clapper
Fascism A Warning by Madeline Albright
Fear by Bob Woodward
Fire And Fury by Michael Wolff
Friendly Fascism by Bertram Gross
House Of Trump – House Of Putin by Craig Unger
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel
       Ziblatt
Kushner Inc. - Greed. Ambition. Corruption. By Vicky
      Ward
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland
Proof Of Collusion by Seth Abramson
Red Notice by Bill Browder
Russian Roulette by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
The Case For Impeaching Trump by Elizabeth Holtzman
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
The Mueller Report  by The Washington Post
The Only Game In Town by Mohamed A. El-Erian
The Threat by Andrew McCabe
This Fight Is Our Fight by Elizabeth Warren
Tough Love by Susan Rice

Here's a list of other books I've read since 2016:

Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf
Amerika by Franz Kafka
Killing Eve No Tomorrow by Luke Jennings
Killing Eve Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (John Ciardi) 
The Bhagavad Gita translation by Eknath Easwaran

Holy Moly!

Monday, April 15, 2024

Reading List Update - April 2024

 My 2024 reads:

The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John
Maynard Keynes
M: Son Of The Century by Antonio Scurati
The Warmth Of Other Suns: The Epic Story Of America's
Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned
Democracy by Elaine Tyler May
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Late Fascism: Race, Capitalism and the Politics of Crisis
by Alberto Toscano
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel
Maddow
American Prometheus: The Triumph And Tragedy Of J.
       Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin

My 2023 reads:

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
Death of the Great Man by Peter D. Kramer
The Supermajority by Michael Waldman
The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
Shadow Network by Anne Nelson
Dismantling The Empire by Chalmers Johnson
The Second Amendment by Michael Waldman
The Fight To Vote by Michael Waldman
Allow Me To Retort by Elie Mystal
How the South Won The Civil War by Heather Cox
       Richardson

Here's a list of the books I've read during Biden's first 2 years:

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
Dopesick by Beth Macy
The View From Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
Hiding In Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior

Here's a list of the books I read after Trump was elected:

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
A Very Stable Genius by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig
American Carnage by Tim Alberta
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Blowout by Rachel Maddow
Collusion by Luke Harding
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Dark Towers by David Enrich
Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean
Everything Trump Touches Dies by Rick Wilson
Facts And Fears by James R. Clapper
Fascism A Warning by Madeline Albright
Fear by Bob Woodward
Fire And Fury by Michael Wolff
Friendly Fascism by Bertram Gross
House Of Trump – House Of Putin by Craig Unger
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel
       Ziblatt
Kushner Inc. - Greed. Ambition. Corruption. By Vicky
      Ward
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland
Proof Of Collusion by Seth Abramson
Red Notice by Bill Browder
Russian Roulette by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
The Case For Impeaching Trump by Elizabeth Holtzman
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
The Mueller Report  by The Washington Post
The Only Game In Town by Mohamed A. El-Erian
The Threat by Andrew McCabe
This Fight Is Our Fight by Elizabeth Warren
Tough Love by Susan Rice

Here's a list of other books I've read since 2016:

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (John Ciardi) 
The Bhagavad Gita translation by Eknath Easwaran

Holy Moly!

Monday, January 8, 2024

Reading List Update - January 2024

My 2024 reads:

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel
Maddow
American Prometheus: The Triumph And Tragedy Of J.
       Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin

My 2023 reads:

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
Death of the Great Man by Peter D. Kramer
The Supermajority by Michael Waldman
The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
Shadow Network by Anne Nelson
Dismantling The Empire by Chalmers Johnson
The Second Amendment by Michael Waldman
The Fight To Vote by Michael Waldman
Allow Me To Retort by Elie Mystal
How the South Won The Civil War by Heather Cox
       Richardson

Here's a list of the books I've read during Biden's first 2 years:

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
Dopesick by Beth Macy
The View From Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
Hiding In Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior

Here's a list of the books I read after Trump was elected:

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
A Very Stable Genius by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig
American Carnage by Tim Alberta
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Blowout by Rachel Maddow
Collusion by Luke Harding
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Dark Towers by David Enrich
Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean
Everything Trump Touches Dies by Rick Wilson
Facts And Fears by James R. Clapper
Fascism A Warning by Madeline Albright
Fear by Bob Woodward
Fire And Fury by Michael Wolff
Friendly Fascism by Bertram Gross
House Of Trump – House Of Putin by Craig Unger
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel
       Ziblatt
Kushner Inc. - Greed. Ambition. Corruption. By Vicky
      Ward
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland
Proof Of Collusion by Seth Abramson
Red Notice by Bill Browder
Russian Roulette by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
The Case For Impeaching Trump by Elizabeth Holtzman
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
The Mueller Report  by The Washington Post
The Only Game In Town by Mohamed A. El-Erian
The Threat by Andrew McCabe
This Fight Is Our Fight by Elizabeth Warren
Tough Love by Susan Rice

Here's a list of other books I've read since 2016:

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (John Ciardi) 
The Bhagavad Gita translation by Eknath Easwaran

Holy Moly!

Saturday, December 16, 2023

On The Verge Of 78

I'll be 78 years old next month.

Is it enough to become aware of yourself? Must you share all such awarenesses with others?

What's the point of memory?

No matter where I go or what I do, it's me. It's always ever me.

What's insight? Is insight different than memory?

What is acceptance of self? What do you do once you've accepted yourself? Is there anything beyond acceptance of self?

Can you reject yourself? I imagine rejecting yourself would be hell - literally.

What's conscience? If you're an old agnostic, what's conscience beyond conclusions you've drawn about what you will and won't do?

What's consciousness?

Kathy, Zoey, Zach and I all live together. We're a family. We're a family that exists solely because we choose to be a family.

This is my only family - my intimate family - my nuclear family.

Did Zoey and Zach really choose to be part of a family with Kathy and me?

Zoey and Zach are my constant companions. They're with me all the time. They're ever vigilant. Their vigilance is clearly a matter of choice.

Kathy and I own roughly 1.5 acres of land. We designed and oversaw the building of a house on it. The house is our home on our island.

We maintain our home and our island. Maintaining is a daily process. Our maintenance actions are our daily chores. Some days we have more to do than others.

I love Kathy. I love Zoey. I love Zach. I want to be with them. Wanting to be with them is love.

I believe each of us will eventually die - cease to be. I accept our finiteness. It doesn't prevent me from loving each of them.

Loving is about being in the moment. Loving is always a matter of choice - a matter of freewill.

Loving is a choice I make every moment of everyday.

Life is being in the midst of chaos. Chaos is beyond definition. Chaos is infinite. Chaos is all there is.

Life is choosing to survive every moment of everyday. Life is love.

Kathy, Zoey, Zach and I are Earthlings. Earth is the source of our lives. Earth is our Mother.

Mother is the source of ever so many lives. I have many siblings. Everything I see, hear, experience is a sibling.

Some of my siblings would end my life if they had the chance.

Mother is beyond me. I don't get to question Mother. Mother owes me nothing. I owe everything I have to Mother. I owe my being to Mother.

I don't know if Mother is conscious. I don't know if Mother knows I exist. It's truly not important.

I'm thankful. At this moment, I'm totally thankful. I love.

Love is all you need ...

Holy Moly!


Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Reading List Update - October 2023

My 2023 reads:

The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
Death of the Great Man by Peter D. Kramer
The Supermajority by Michael Waldman
The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
Shadow Network by Anne Nelson
Dismantling The Empire by Chalmers Johnson
The Second Amendment by Michael Waldman
The Fight To Vote by Michael Waldman
Allow Me To Retort by Elie Mystal
How the South Won The Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson

Here's a list of the books I've read during Biden's first 2 years:

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
Dopesick by Beth Macy
The View From Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
Hiding In Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior

Here's a list of the books I read after Trump was elected:

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
A Very Stable Genius by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig
American Carnage by Tim Alberta
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Blowout by Rachel Maddow
Collusion by Luke Harding
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Dark Towers by David Enrich
Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean
Everything Trump Touches Dies by Rick Wilson
Facts And Fears by James R. Clapper
Fascism A Warning by Madeline Albright
Fear by Bob Woodward
Fire And Fury by Michael Wolff
Friendly Fascism by Bertram Gross
House Of Trump – House Of Putin by Craig Unger
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
Kushner Inc. - Greed. Ambition. Corruption. By Vicky Ward
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland
Proof Of Collusion by Seth Abramson
Red Notice by Bill Browder
Russian Roulette by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
The Case For Impeaching Trump by Elizabeth Holtzman
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
The Mueller Report  by The Washington Post
The Only Game In Town by Mohamed A. El-Erian
The Threat by Andrew McCabe
This Fight Is Our Fight by Elizabeth Warren
Tough Love by Susan Rice

Here's a list of other books I've read since 2016:

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (John Ciardi) 
The Bhagavad Gita translation by Eknath Easwaran

Holy Moly!