It takes a village to raise each new generation. Last Monday was the 78th Anniversary of “D-Day,” aka “Operation Overload.” On June 6, 1944, a village of 150,000 troops, 195,000 sailors, and 23,000 airmen put down their collective feet to say, “NO MORE!” to the violence, tyranny, and carnage created by a madman. Can’t We All Just Get Along? This question is a paraphrase of what Rodney King asked in 1992 when riots spread destruction, death, […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: History
The Mayflower: A Nautical Miracle
I prepared the March articles before Russia invaded Ukraine. Let me add, #StandWithUkraine. The Mayflower is arguably one of the more famous ships in nautical history. The fact we know anything about it 400 years after its famous voyage is a nautical miracle. Had it not carried the Pilgrims across the stormy north Atlantic back in 1620, it would have likely faded away with little fanfare. Such was the fate of many other ships of […]
Continue reading
York Castle and the Mayflower Pilgrims
I prepared the March articles before Russia invaded Ukraine. Let me add, #StandWithUkraine. York, an ancient Roman city, was a major influence in political and religious events in Northern England during the time period when the Separatists gathered for underground worship in the nearby Scrooby Manor. Religious rebels were often imprisoned there for challenging the authorities. York Castle, only fifty miles north of Scrooby, along the Great North Road, will re-open in April 2022 after being […]
Continue reading
Sidney Poitier & Black History Month
Sidney Poitier always comes to mind when I think about Black History month. Thinking about him reminds me an incident I experienced a year or so after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita decimated the Gulf Coast Region. I and two other disaster response workers, both Black men, were walking along the famous Bourbon Street area of NOLA. We were in town to assess needs and address the unrelenting challenges wrought by the hurricanes. One companion was […]
Continue reading
Do We Need a New Mayflower Compact
When I wrote this blog last fall, we thought the worse of the pandemic was behind us and we’d just elected a new President of the United States. A year later we’re still in pandemic mode, with those vaccinated at a much lower risk of dying from COVID-19. It saddens me that we can’t care enough about the health of those who cannot get vaccinated to get the shot if we can. Getting the shot […]
Continue reading