Omarosa Learned from the Master

When it comes to reality TV distractions and high wire publicity spectacle, Omarosa Manigault has spent over a decade learning from the master. And now the tables have turned, in seems, as the disciple is now publishing scandalous writing, audio, and promises video (source). Omarosa is schooling her former guru in the Art of the Deal-breaker.  "The best people," indeed!

Is Universal Healthcare So Impossible?

If I traveled back to the year 1776 and told the Founders that the USA could eventually 1) put robots on the surface of Mars or 2) guarantee every American healthcare coverage, which would the Founders guess happens first?

The Bald Eagle is not Conservative

Many people on social media have images like this bald eagle superimposed with an American flag for their cover and/or profile photo. You have seen them before.

After surveying countless conversations and posts on social media sites, I've come to the conclusion that most of these same people do not support strong environmental regulations and many want to defund or dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency entirely - even as the American bald eagle's ongoing existence relies upon government regulation and enforcement of environmental protections.

The bald eagle is not conservative.  This bird shouldn't be a symbol for virulent nationalism or right wing identity politics.  It shouldn't be an icon for deregulatory political movements.

The bald eagle is, first and foremost, an apex predator whose habitat has been established long before the North American land mass was carved up according to European immigrants.  In the latter half of the 20th century, the bird nearly went extinct due to human causes: habitat loss, decline of prey populations, hunting, and chemical poisoning (source).

So to display the bald eagle as a political mascot while supporting an administration that moves to gut the Endangered Species Act is tragic, misguided, and desecrates the honor of all plants and animals, great and small.

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The cost of Trump's Endangered Species Act proposal

"The proposed change is the latest in a series of White House efforts to remove environmental regulations designed to protect vulnerable species and their habitats, as well as leave untouched some of America's most wild places.

Environmentalist groups have reacted with outrage, and the Center for Biological Diversity said "these proposals would slam a wrecking ball into the most crucial protections for our most endangered wildlife".

"If these regulations had been in place in the 1970s, the bald eagle and the grey whale would be extinct today."  (source)

Michael Cohen will be a Squealer

"President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer, who once said he would do anything to protect the president, told ABC News in an interview released Monday that he now puts "family and country first." In Michael Cohen's first interview since federal agents raided his home and hotel room as part of a probe into his personal business dealings, he was asked what he would do if prosecutors forced him to choose between protecting the president and protecting his family.

"My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will," Cohen was quoted as saying by ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an off-camera interview that was reported on "Good Morning America." ''I put family and country first." (source)

The First Amendment and Modern Publishing

Are you going to get sued for saying that?

In this presentation, filmmaker and media activist Danny Ledonne outlines the history, meaning, and application of the First Amendment. Covering notable cases and current controversies, viewers will gain a better understanding of their legal liabilities and defenses when publishing media or exercising their freedom of speech.

This lecture was originally presented to the Conejos Writers Circle in La Jara, Colorado in June 2018.

To Infinity War And Beyond

After giving this some thought and reading/watching a number of reviews, it is clear to me that "Infinity War" is a decisive win for Marvel and audiences alike.  This may be a unique franchise in film history - the likes of which we haven't seen before or perhaps since.

This film did well many of the things that "The Last Jedi" tried but failed to do.  "Infinity War" made many bold, risky, dramatically high stakes choices.  It leverages the long history of character development with its cast, doesn't bother to re-hash or summarize previous work and instead invests heavily in the development of the antagonist.  This worked incredibly well and gave us an experience that finally addressed the "superhero villain problem" of a truly formidable, competent and coherent antagonist.

There was a moment when "The Last Jedi" really could have gone differently and committed to similarly bold choices.  But it didn't.  It quickly reverted back to the tired formula of the previous seven films.  And that insulted the intelligence of an audience it had been preparing for more... and then delivered less.

But "Infinity War" did that.  Thanos enters the film by assuring us that the Avengers will fail.  It shows us mighty struggles within and between its impressive, fully-developed cast.  It delivers on its promise while keeping audiences guessing as to how it will play out.  And in doing so, this film shows us just how inferior a work like "Justice League" really is.  "Infinity War" cashes in on the cumulative narrative interest into which we have been investing since Iron Man a decade ago.

Personally, I would have loved another 10 minutes in this already epic film to add story lines for Ant Man and Hawkeye just for the sake of completion.  Aside from that, the film was a near-perfect juggling act of character, plot, setting, and theme.  It's hard to imagine a better version of this film - the likes of which we really haven't seen before.  And it perfectly sets up what will no doubt be a fully-realized conclusion with its sequel (currently slated for May 3, 2019).  For most of us, that date cannot come soon enough and one longs for the Eye of Agamotto to speed up that release date!

Ronny Jackson is Candyman

"Turns out the "Candyman" can't.  Not with allegations of drinking on the job. Of wrecking a government vehicle while intoxicated. Of screaming at underlings. And of recklessly dishing out opioids.  White House presidential physician Dr. Ronny Jackson has lost his pursuit of a Senate confirmation to become the next secretary of veterans affairs. Making matters worse, he could also lose his job overseeing the health care of U.S. President Donald Trump."  (source)