Oct 15, 2021A Nose for Patriotism“Kilroy was here” Two hands Grip the top of a wall Pulling up into view Just the top half of a Bald, round head Unblinking eyes Watching with Long, bulbous cartoon Nose Resting on the walltop “Kilroy was here” World War II’s Ubiquitous GI graffiti Morale booster Innocent Unblinking eyes and Big schnozz Painted on the Nose of a C-47…Poem5 min read
Published in Age of Awareness·Jun 27, 2021Teaching Teens in a Global PandemicMonday, March 16, 2020, 2:20 p.m. My 7th grade English students looked scared. Like most kids, they normally welcomed the end of the school day, but not today — not on the last day of in-person school until who knows when. Our self-appointed class clown asserted he was psyched about…Schools10 min read
Mar 28, 2021you're missing the point.1JoGa BopThanks for writing.Thanks for writing. I've been teaching high school & college history to diverse students for more than 25 years now. My Black students have proven perfectly capable of developing fair, nuanced perspectives based on a full consideration of the evidence, weighing both the achievements & flaws of historical figures. Wilson…2 min read
Jan 7, 2021Trump: All-Time Top Killer of AmericansToday — January 7, 2021 — serial loser Donald Trump finally finished first. His criminal mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic has now killed more Americans than any wartime enemy head of state in US history. All-time top killers of Americans: US President Donald Trump, COVID-19: 371,278 US dead in 9…Trump3 min read
Jan 7, 2021Straight Outta KafkaJust after midnight on Monday morning, Twitter locked my account for spreading “misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.”Twitter3 min read
Oct 25, 2020George Washington Meets Black Lives Matter“Where am I?” George Washington sat up in his hospital bed, blinking. “Good morning, Mr. President,” a young woman stepped forward. “It is an honor to meet you. You are in a time machine. We are scientists from the year 2241.” “What is this?” Washington reached for the IV needle…History4 min read
Sep 24, 2020White rage & the Little Rock NineToday in 1957, President Eisenhower sent federal troops to support the integration of Little Rock Central High School. Ike did his job even though he disagreed with the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education. …History2 min read
Sep 7, 2020Gut-Shot in BuffaloOn this day in 1901, President William McKinley stood in the Temple of Music at the Buffalo World’s Fair, gladhanding a series of well-wishers while an organist played a majestic Bach sonata. To discourage assassination attempts, the Secret Service normally made sure everyone’s hands were empty before they approached the…History10 min read
Aug 21, 2020Franklin Graham, Donald Trump, & the Ten CommandmentsYesterday, Franklin Graham disingenously decried “the absence of God” at the Democratic National Convention. This bizarre claim is easily falsifiable: In fact, many speakers paid eloquent tribute to the deep faith of Joe Biden, the party’s presidential nominee. Graham can lie so audaciously because he knows most of his followers…Donald Trump5 min read
Aug 15, 2020Coronavirus Spring Crisis TeachingThe virus is spreading; school will shut soon. We’re teaching remotely, from March to June. Old teachers scramble to learn online tools; Younger peers help us avoid ridicule; Virtual classrooms we build on the fly And make kids log on before we say, “Bye!” We send home school lunches, issue…Poetry2 min read