racism – They're Just Words

Posted on June 11, 2019June 11, 2019 by Patrick

White Freedom

I was sitting on the front porch of a house in Fredericksburg Virginia, a stone’s throw from the Rappahannock River. When the house was built Virginia was but a colony. I was smoking a cigar made in Cuba that was purchased in Montreal and my little speaker was playing “Last in Line” by Ronnie James Dio. A firefly buzzed nearby and in its light, a bright red cardinal sat perched on a magnolia branch, and while I was uncertain about what this juxtaposition of stimuli might mean, I was thinking about our country.

♦

Posted on May 26, 2018May 25, 2018 by Patrick

A Civil Rights Memorial

[In 2016 Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem; the NFL has now banned such actions but will allow players to remain in the locker room during the Anthem.]

This is all about a very simple concept (though few people seem to get it): if the government is allowed to trample the civil rights of one of us they are taking the civil liberties from all of us.

Posted on September 27, 2017September 26, 2017 by Patrick

For “Take-A-Knee” Perspective, You Can Read All About It

You remember Colin Kaepernick, right? When he used to be a football player he took a knee for a cause, and after hanging dormant for the better part of a year, his knee has taken on a new life of its own, has become the catalyst for words and actions and tough talk and hurt feelings and harsh realities and, maybe, liberating ideas. In all this dust-up we can’t lose track of the knee. We mustn’t let the subject be changed, the agendas that come from the mouth can’t be allowed to overpower the knee.