LOUD VOICES

Social Criticism

  • Awake

    I recently posted this on Facebook about the toxic term “Woke.” According to WordHippo.com, as an adjective (dialect, African American Vernacular, or slang), the word means “conscious and not asleep.” In the US and Canada, it is slang that means… Continue reading

  • I, American

    I pledge allegiance to the flag (Whose flag is it anyway?)as I standin the Catholic school classroom alongside a gallery of white faces, red hair, blond hair, white shirts, white blouses, plaid skirts, and black pants and the nuns, covered… Continue reading

    I, American

  • The Narrative

    The following essay appeared first on LinkedIn. We can quickly become prisoners of a narrative created by past misdeeds, mistakes, errors in judgment, and actions we would love to erase from our memory. It doesn’t matter whether it happened long… Continue reading

    The Narrative

  • All the Stuff in my Brain

    AgingThe Iran WarThe peacefulness of an empty beachWhat the hell is going on in the Middle EastThe roses blooming in our backyardMy recent stroke and all the rehab and medical appointments I must attendThe number of people, including my wife,… Continue reading

    All the Stuff in my Brain

  • Meditations

    My recent stroke has left my brain struggling to find words to put into my voice. However, I rest confidently that both my brain and my voice are still functioning, if not fully connected. It has made me realize, once… Continue reading

    Meditations

  • This Moment

    In a moment (this moment or another?)I can see…feel…a shock of electricitypassing through my brain…conscious that it is only a momentpassing throughI am passing throughthis place…this time …to nowhere…not surebut passing throughnever to return again …and then…the moment is gone. Continue reading

    This Moment

  • Betrayed

    January 7, 2021 The call from Herman B. (not his real name) came at one-thirty in the morning on Thursday, less than twelve hours after the takeover of the Capitol building. Herman wanted to explain to the senior reporter for Infamy’s… Continue reading

    Betrayed

  • voices from the dark corners

    On the eve of the United States Supreme Court considering the Fourteenth Amendment and Birthright citizenship that defines who an American is, I offer the following. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction… Continue reading

    voices from the dark corners

  • The Overwhelming Loudness of Silence

    When we all go mad, will we still be shocked by the plundering of his heart? Will we be insultedaggrievedoffendedoutragedupsetslighted by his actionsOr simply roll overand be indifferentunconcernedunemotionalimpassivedispassionateapatheticby the winds of his actionsThe Overwhelming Loudnessof the Silence sayingnothingdoingnothingwill break youinto… Continue reading

    The Overwhelming Loudness of Silence

  • Life Expectancy

    It’s official. I’ve got 10.6 years left of this most interesting life. At least, that’s what the U.S. Social Security Administration says. Of course, I’m saying all this while ignoring the fine print, the part about my current health, lifestyle,… Continue reading

    Life Expectancy