Glenn Melancon

Texans for a Brighter Tomorrow

Donald Trump, The Gambler

Donald Trump is a well-known gambler.  Almost all of the time, he gambles with other peoples’ money.   Donald used bankruptcy laws six times to protect himself from catastrophic losses.  Four of those bankruptcies involved casinos.  I thought the rule was “the house always wins.”

Now, Donald is gambling with our lives.  Covid 19 has already killed more Americans than the entire 20 years of the Vietnam War.  More than 70,000 Americans have lost their lives.  That number is more than 17 times the deaths on 9/11. 

Instead of providing leadership, Donald claims he is simply a “backup” for hospitals and states.   Backup? Oh my, how things have changed.  When Harry Truman left office he said, “The President–whoever he is–has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.”

The job is being done in other democratically elected states.   South Korea, for example, which had its first known case of Covid 19 the same day as the USA, now has almost no cases of the virus.  Italy, France and Germany all have declining cases. 

Cases in America continue to rise.  What is the difference?   Other countries have accepted a variety of measures that add to saving human life and health.  They test a greater percentage of the population.  They contact all potential victims.  They enforce social distancing.

America is going in the opposite direction.  Donald is gambling with our lives.  After five months of warnings, we are 41th in the world when it comes to testing.  We have no contact tracing to warn potential victims. We are relaxing social distancing requirements. 

As a result, the Center for Disease Control is exploring the potential that between 150,000 and 200,000 Americans will die.  Are you really ready to gamble for your life?  Are your husbands, wives, children and grandchildren worth the risks?    

Donald Trump is a well-known gambler.  Four of those bankruptcies involved casinos.  I thought the rule was “the house always wins.” Is your house going to win? Or will only Donald’s house win?

Covid 19 is Deadly

How do we”known” Covid 19 is deadly? How do we “know” a virus running wild through the population would cripple hospitals and schools? Because it is happening.

Covid 19 spreads for two weeks before it is detected. It spreads easily and it kills easily.

Look at the differences between historical trends in deaths per week compared to this year. In normal years, people die at fairly regular rates. Each country may have its own pattern, patterns exists.

Now, look at 2020. Covid 19 deaths are UNDER-REPORTED, not overblown. Does it look like a hoax we can afford to ignore?

“These numbers undermine the notion that many people who have died from the virus may soon have died anyway. In Paris, more than twice the usual number of people have died each day, far more than the peak of a bad flu season. In New York City, the number is now four times the normal amount.”

Public Investments: An Ounce of Prevention

Donald’s disease continues on a record pace to reverse the economy President Obama built. Public investments are an ounce of prevention. They cost less than a pound of cure.

America must have robust international partnerships. Americans living, working, studying overseas tear down walls and promote openness. Americans live and learn.

America live in a world. Neither Americans, nor America, can simply stay locked behind walls. Our futures is bright. It is brights if we reject the simple minded bigotry that retreated from the world. Engage, learn, build.

Public investments are needed now more than ever. Scientists, doctors, researchers don’t grow on trees. Teachers grow the futures. Invest in Public Education and Universities. Education is preventive medicine.

The Great Conversion

Some of you may have heard that universities are moving “online.” That phrase means many things for many people.

For me, I believe in face-to-face. My students paid for face-to-face, and I am going to try to give the best possible under the circumstances.

As a gamer, I can’t imagine a video chat providing the quality that would make me happy. I also fear the synchronous nature of the chat would exclude too many. Computers and bandwidth are a premium in many homes at the moment.

Ergo, I settled on reproducing lectures on video. Reproduction sounds simple enough. I’ve already done the research. I’ve already created the PowerPoints. What could be hard about reading for a camera?

Here is one lecture for a typical day. There are 5 segments. They are less than an hour. It took me about 8 hours to produce. There are mistakes just as there would be in a typical class. Forgive them.

The lecture, “The Jesus Revolution”, is now on Youtube. It has 5 segments. Supposedly you can watch lectures of big names, from big universities. I offer you mine. I am not a big name. I am not at big university.

I do believe, however, that I have something more to offer. I’ve spent 25 years teaching in our community. I have fielded and anticipated questions for your typical American college student.

My lectures are designed for them. As my mentor and intellectual father, Amos E. Simpson, taught me about writing, I try to speak to my grandmother, an intelligent person who simply does not know about the topic. The process starts with a foundation and builds an argument.

I’ll have more lectures posted for my students on Youtube for Early American History, Early World Civilization and 20th Century Europe. Hopefully, I’ll get faster, but I’ll do my best to give my students their money’s worth. Feel free to join us for this opportunity journey.

Liar In Chief

I am simply documenting this. He does not even pretend. The most Orwellian misleader ever in the history of the United States
________________

“This is a pandemic,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.”

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From the New York Times,  Katie Rogers, March 17, 2020

This is what Mr. Trump has actually said over the past two months:

On Jan. 22, asked by a CNBC reporter whether there were “worries about a pandemic,” the president replied: “No, not at all. We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

On Feb. 26, at a White House news conference, commenting on the country’s first reported cases: “We’re going to be pretty soon at only five people. And we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. So we’ve had very good luck.”

On Feb. 27, at a White House meeting: “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”

On March 7, standing next to President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil at Mar-a-Lago, his club in Palm Beach, Fla., when asked if he was concerned that the virus was spreading closer to Washington: “No, I’m not concerned at all. No, I’m not. No, we’ve done a great job.” (At least three members of the Brazilian delegation and one Trump donor at Mar-a-Lago that weekend later tested positive for the virus.)

On March 16, in the White House briefing room, warning that the outbreak would “wash” away this summer: “So it could be right in that period of time where it, I say, wash — it washes through. Other people don’t like that term. But where it washes through.”

Moments of Clarity.

Moments of crisis are also moments of clarity.

The very same politicians who scream prolife to get elected are now telling us to focus on profits, not saving lives.

The very same politicians who scream get the government away from businesses are now throwing money at banksters faster than they can light it on fire.

Investing in education and affordable health care saves profits and lives. Investing in people builds a strong foundation for economic growth and individual liberty.

Put people before profits. Lincoln did it. FDR did it. We should do it.

Keep Calm and Tell the Truth.

Lies, not the truth, cause mass panic and paranoia. If the Chinese Communists had been open to the truth, the world would be a better place. At first, it tried to punish the dissenters. Only reluctantly did it decide to face reality.

Dissent created the Modern World. Martin Luther, Copernicus, Voltaire, Wollstonecraft, Darwin, Plessy, Carson, King and Milk. Societies that have embraced, and encouraged, dissent have done much better than those that stifle it.

The Right to Dissent is enshrined in our Constitution. Every phrase of the First Amendment celebrates the various methods for dissenting: speaking, writing, assembling and worshiping. Dissent is essential to a free and prosperous society.

Donald Trump rejects these truths that we hold self evident. Donald lies. When he gets caught in a lie, he lies again. Anyone who dissents is punished, fired. At his rallies, he regularly laments for the Good Ol’ Days when the majority could physically abuse dissenters.

Donald is not alone. His entire Conservative base has joined him in his web of lies. Conservative media helps him create the threads and weave his web of lies.

We need to restore the value of Dissent. It is the only path forward. Dissent keeps the powerful in check. Dissent restores balance to society. Dissent is a skill that quality education teaches in Science, History, Math and English classes.

Dissent values the truth over official lies. The truth is the only path forward. Real leaders tell the truth and value dissent.

Keep Calm and Tell the Truth.

Defend Security, Medicare, and our Public schools.

Make no mistake, the real targets of the “socialist” scare word are Social Security, Medicare, and our public schools. If these are privatized, billions more dollars will flow to the top 1% rather than into needed services. Stop the scam.

If you receive a pay check from a local school board, a city, tribe a state, or the federal government, you are a “socialist.”

If you receive Social Security or Medicare insurance, you are a “socialist.”

If you receive a retirement check from a local school board, a city, tribe a state, or the federal government, you are a “socialist.”

Who iin your life will suffer by the war on “socialism?”

Home of the Brave

“People who have opportunity to work and earn, and who have an assured income in their old age, are free. They are free of the fear of poverty. They are free of public or private charity. They can live happier, more useful lives. That’s real freedom. And that is something we should be proud of-that’s not something to be slandered by trumped-up slogans.”

Harry Truman, March 29, 1952

Cordoba Mezquita Cathedral

The highlight of Cordoba is the Mosque-Cathedral Monument. It is a unique experience. When the Spanish conquered the city, they converted the mosque into a church. In 1523 a cathedral was built into the mosque. 20,000 person could worship in the mosque. the Moorish city itself was more populated and luxurious in Paris.

The video below provides an orientation and perspective. A visitor enters into a forest of columns which support the grand arches. The Cathedral explodes upward toward the sky. After the video, you will find still shots of the Mezquita Cathedral