Views from Point Breeze

I had the occasion to attend a celebration in memory of Martin Luther King yesterday.  It was held at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Spring House, PA.  The program featured a diverse array of faith leaders and a dynamic keynote speaker.  I was in attendance to support my wife Shawn who is a member of a choir at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.  There was also choirs there from Salem Baptist Church and Bethlehem Baptist Church.  It is primarily an African American Church located in a bucolic area of Montgomery County. I arrived at the ceremony early to get a good seat.  We had been there before for the Homegoing service of Sylvia Jones.  Sylvia was married to Neil Jones and was the Mother of two beautiful daughters before she succumbed to an aggressive form of cancer.  Reverend Quann is the Pastor of this historic church.  They will celebrate 130 years of existence later this year.  There was also a march yesterday from Wissahickon High Sch...

I am up listening to ESPN radio on Alexa.  I stayed in the house yesterday and savored the silence of Christmas Day.  We had a Christmas Eve gathering that was really nice.  The day started with Lynne and her friend Frank stopping by for lunch.  I fried fish.  Julius made grits and biscuits.  We exchanged gifts and had a good time talking and laughing.  Mom Bell came over for a few minutes.  We then began to prepare for the visitors in the evening. I listened to a variety of Christmas stations this year. I-Heart Radio was the go to for Christmas Jazz.  WDAS always plays the classics leading up to Christmas Day.  I also played Ashanti's Christmas and listened to the Motown Classics with the Jackson 5 singing Frosty the Snowman.  Reggie Wallace was a big help to me in preparing for guests by prepping food and assisting with dishes.  Leah and Lorae stopped by.  I was surprised by this.  It was really Christmas weather ...

Two United States Senators offered their resignations due to allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace yesterday.  The longest serving Congressman in the House of Representatives offered his immediate resignation earlier this week based on claims of inappropriate workplace behavior.  We have a sitting President who almost twenty women claimed sexually assaulted them during his time as a self-proclaimed star and real estate developer.  I am highlighting December 12th on my calendar.  It is the day when another politician with allegations of child sexual abuse is up for election.  The Republicans are so desperate for a vote in the Senate that they will look past allegations of sexual impropriety for the sake of the part. I guess powerful, and mostly rich people are used to getting their way in business and in life.  Bill Cosby was a megastar who was intent on reviving his show business persona when his actions after hours caught up with him.  H...

Sexual harassment allegations are bringing down movie producers, actors and network executives.  Harvey Weinstein should be arrested soon based on the numerous women who have accused him of sexual assault.  Bill Cosby is well into his journey to try to prove his innocence of many allegations of unwanted advances.  I cannot imagine the pain that many women feel at having been used by men in power.  There are no winners when it comes to sexual harassment.  The latest allegations have come against Senate candidate Roy Moore.  They could not have come at a worse time for the Republican party. Former Judge Roy Moore is supposedly a Christian conservative.  I am a Christian and we just seem to be on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to spiritual values.  In fact, I wonder if we are praying to the same Jesus Christ.  There was a painting of Jesus Christ, according to Leonardo da Vinci, that just sold for $450 million.  It is a Europea...

I am shocked at the lengths that some people will go to in order to sell books.  Sacred secrets and behind the scenes agreements are all fair game for an author.  As a political observer I feel that some agreements, especially at the highest levels of the DNC, should remain secret.  The Republicans are in control of government right now.  They do not have much to show for it legislatively but they are trying to lead.  Today, November 7th, is Election Day, and Democrats should be focused on trying to win back a few seats in order to implement our vision. Democrats won seats in New Jersey and Virginia as Governors.  They also made significant leverage in Virginia as the first transgender candidate to be elected.  There was a Hispanic woman elected as a first time participant.  There were also first time Mayors elected throughout the country.  Democrats now completely control the legislature in Washington state.  We also made inroads in D...

As a parent, I try to be consistent when it comes to making up my room.  You would not want unexpected company coming to your house and finding out that you live like a slob.  Clean up under your bed and put away things when you can.  Those of us that work for a living sometimes find it hard to do these things.  The reason that I am emphasizing it again is that when you leave your house, it is not a guarantee that you will return.  The ISIS inspired attack in New York City yesterday makes putting your room in order all the more important. Five of the most unfortunate victims of yesterday's attack with a rented Home Deport truck were five friends from Argentina who were celebrating the 30th Anniversary of their graduation from high school.  Who calls their families and tells them that they will be returning in caskets or body bags instead of on their regularly scheduled flights?  A young Mother from Belgium was also among the eight confirmed fatalitie...

Today was a pivotal day for the players in the ever evolving Trump collusion with Russia saga.  Paul Manafort and Rick Gates pleaded guilty to acting as unregistered foreign agents against the United States.  Also, George Papadopoulos, a campaign advisor, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI.  Papadopoulos has been cooperating with the FBI since July and is the second member of Trump's team to admit trying to find dirt on Hillary Clinton during the bruising presidential race. President Trump made a statement recently that he created the term 'fake news'.  I would surmise that if a Google search was done it would reveal that he has said this term more than one thousand times.  Literally.  The problem is that the people who are being charged now were members of his team.  Paul Manafort was his campaign manager for about four months.  His previous life included representing the interests of a Putin backed strong man in the volatile ...