Komic Korner Kartoons

 

The Shadows of our Memories

President John F. Kennedy in the month of November 1963 was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas and the ENTIRE WORLD mourned the loss of a GOOD MAN as he was perceived by the general public according to what the NEWS MEDIA wanted the general public to know about JFK.

I was living in Cairo, Egypt at the time and a classmate at the time called me on the telephone and told me what he had heard.  I did not believe him but told my parents who made a few phone calls and confirmed what I had been told.

Interestingly, Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH earlier that same year in August when my parents, brother, and I were traveling to Cairo, Egypt via several sightseeing stops in Europe after a 12 day ocean voyage across the Atlantic on Holland America's USS Constitution.

1963 was a transition year for me, my family, as well as ALL AMERICANS because that is the year when, like the song APPLE PIE (or When the Music Died) AMERICAN POLITICS DIED as well.

And, for a half century (53 YEARS)  American Politics stopped being FOR THE PEOPLE and became FOR THE POLITICIANS and their hopeful perpetual re-elections.  As Americans became FAT, DUMB, and HAPPY, the rest of the world like:  the Middle East, Russia, China, Japan, Asia and India began to silently grow in population, technology, strength,  power, and most importantly STEM education.

What did Americans do?

We smoked marijuana, snorted cocaine, inhaled meth by freebasing and drank more than our share of alcohol and food...

2016 is not the year and with more than unexpected alarm, a new President is elected but not by the popular vote but by the ELECTORAL COLLEGE which was put into the US Constitution by the Founding Fathers because they PERCEIVED that the American People could be manipulated...  and, not only did this happen but our new President is a political outsider and a disdainful businessman who is a billionaire and exemplifies the heart and soul of our Capitalistic Free Market Enterprise Economic system...

What a crushing blow to the LIBERAL DEMOCRATS who theoretically are the party of the working class and the Middle Class who have no opportunity to achieve such wealth in their lifetimes, even though our advertising brochures for America refer to us as the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY.

And so the attacks begin and as our ECONOMY STRENGTHENS and grows beyond expectations, so too does the attacks on our President.  THEN... the unimaginable happens and China releases a Pandemic and the ENTIRE WORLD is shutdown economically...  and, even though President Trump listened to his health advisors, he is not only blamed for the Virus but is blamed for the destroyed US economy.

Whether the US changes in 2020 or 2024 is not the question...  the question is not a question but a statement of fact...   and, that fact is...  at some point-in-time in the near future, America will change politically and that change will be dramatic and that change will put us into a position economically from which will MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RECOVER...

2030 will be the year to watch...

2050 will be the year that America is no longer even close to being a world power...

It does not take a brain surgeon to see this.  All one has to do is perform an INTERNET SEARCH on Forecasts for 2030 and 2050 and read the results.

Here is an example for 2050

1.  The world economy will double

2.  The world population will double perhaps triple

3.   China and India will have the greatest economies, the USA will be third or fourth behind Indonesia

4.  Shortages of food and water will begin to emerge as problems

5.  The global economy will shift towards China/India and away from NYC/Los Angeles

6.  Technology will be the fastest growing industry

7.  The USA will no longer lead the world in millionaires or billionaires

8.  America's Colleges and Universities will not longer lead the world

9.  America's military will no longer be the most powerful

10.  China will be the most powerful country in the world

If you are 30, 40, or even 50 years old now, you will live long enough to see this happen....

THIS and THAT

My Own Creation

Throughout my life, I have allowed my personality not my mind nor my heart to do the talking and while I have felt that I have been a person of integrity, I have also ended up with no friends either personally or family and in a marriage that is more convenience than it is love.  I have set my life up to be harshly judged by others and instead of making allowances because they are my friends or family, that is exactly what they have done...  In essence, I have received and am currently receiving exactly what I deserve.  The only real companion that I have, outside of God, is my Siamese Cat and my two other cats who just want to be rubbed or desire food.

Immunotherapy drugs, infusions, and an experienced and intelligent Oncologist are keeping me alive so that I might experience more of this life while inside my thoughts, I feel that I am being kept alive by God because I have something yet to do.  Who knows...  both could be right.

I have just enough money saved to pay my bills along with the monthly contributions of Social Security which will either stay the same or increase because the Democrats won the election.  However, that increase will be taken away through increased taxes leaving our Federal Government with a net increase of ZERO...  so, the money to pay our bill must come from somewhere.

In General, some of the American Public believes the government wants to stop ABORTIONS while there are some who believe the government wants to take away our GUNS.  Either way, I don't care because I have never owned a GUN and I will never need an ABORTION.  However, I do believe that ABORTION is a RIGHT that should not be funded by the government, but should be funded privately.  But, who really cares what I think anyway?

I do BELIEVE that the GLOBAL HATRED of Americans is not the result of 4 years of TRUMP but the result of DECADES OF ARROGANT AMERICAN LEADERS who believed that the rest of the world so be DEMOCRATIC.  What America is going through now is because we are DEMOCRATIC and have freedoms that the rest of the world does not have.

DEMOCRACIES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO DESTROY THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF THEIR DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS...

but,

we are too smart for that...  right?

Just as my life is a result of my own creation, so too will America's Life be a result of their own creation because the MAJORITY will always rules and as it rules, it will always DESTROY the minority in the process to the point of resentment and retaliation.  History has proven this to be true time and time again...  and, we are IDIOTS and rather STUPID IDIOTS if we think that this time will be different.

The more we change ourselves POLITICALLY the more we damage our FUTURE...  just like I have damaged my future...

All Creatures Great and Small

Fall Morning Breakfast

Most people, I am assuming, if they eat breakfast at all, it is either at home before they leave for work or they drop by a fast food restaurant and get something on the go or they stop at a sit down restaurant and order a working man's breakfast of eggs, grits, sausage or bacon, and pancakes...  of course, this hearty breakfast is likely to last them throughout the day until they return home, typically after dark for a cold or heated in the microwave dinner.

Unlike most of these people, I am retired and my breakfast is late in the morning usually more brunch than breakfast and only after I have been awake for 2-3 hours do I feel like eating anything more than just drinking coffee.

Usually, I will get a package of grits and add water, toss it in the microwave along with a vege sausage while I am scrambling up an egg that I will mix all together with some grated cheese.  If I am tired of scrambled eggs, I will toast an English Muffin and fry an egg along with a vege sausage and a slice of American Cheese.

Once my breakfast is cooked, I will sit on the back screened in porch and watch the bluebirds fly in and out of the house I built for them using old decking.

My breakfast is usually only 300 calories but sometimes I add a little something extra and my intake grows to 500 or so.  My plan is to eat no more than 500 calories at each meal along with snack(s) that do not exceed 500 calories so that my total daily intake is less than 2,000 calories each day.  I would like to reduce that intake to 1,500 making sure that protein, dairy, grain, veges, and fruit is most of the time included.

I like Fall Morning Breakfasts because I can sit outside and watch nature while I eat...  this usually consists of a variety of birds, rabbits, butterflies, and squirrels...  but, if I decide to sit on my front porch, I am just about guaranteed to see a family of deer in the field across the street.

It is a simple but rewarding life.

Living in the PRESENT

We are the sum total of our memories or so the experts have told me...  and, these memories start from an early age and in come cases can recall, perhaps not so vividly, the moment of birth along with other moments of our childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle age, and our older retired life, if we are the kind of person who feels the need to retire from work.

However, in my case, I have no such memories...

• I remember not my early childhood or adolescence
• I have vague memories of my deceased parents
• I remember only bits and pieces of high school and college
• I remember almost nothing of my time in the military
• I remember fragments of my working career

One would think, especially in my case, that this is the reason why we take photos with cameras or with our phones so that we will have many memories from which to recall our adventures both positive and negative and all those that we might classify as neutral...  but there are no photos in my phone from which to draw...

NOW...  while this may seem an unpleasant revelation to some, for me it is exactly what was intended to be all along...   intended, to force me into the PRESENT, and not dwell upon the past because that is exactly what the past is...  GONE FOREVER...  perhaps, mistakes can be repeated and even parts of the past...  but, what's done is done...

Where did a moment ago go?

I cannot look back upon it to relieve it again...

I can delete the words I just typed

but I cannot relive the moment those words were first typed...

We are CREATURES OF THE PRESENT and that is all that we have and the only concept on which we can count...  not even the future can predict what we will do until we get there and it is done or not done.

Strings Are To Mankind As Mankind Is To God

String theory proposes that the fundamental constituents of the universe are one-dimensional “strings” rather than point-like particles. What we perceive as particles are actually vibrations in loops of string, each with its own characteristic frequency.

String theory originated as an attempt to describe the interactions of particles such as protons. It has since developed into something much more ambitious: an approach to the construction of a complete unified theory of all fundamental particles and forces.

Previous attempts to unify physics have had trouble incorporating gravity with the other forces. String theory not only embraces gravity but requires it. String theory also requires six or seven extra dimensions of space, and it contains ways of relating large extra dimensions to small ones. The study of string theory has also led to the concept of supersymmetry, which would double the number of elementary particles.

Practitioners are optimistic that string theory will eventually make predictions that can be experimentally tested. String theory has already had a big impact on pure mathematics, cosmology (the study of the universe), and the way particle physicists interpret experiments, by suggesting new approaches and possibilities to explore.

AND THIS IS WHERE IT GETS STRANGE...

When a quantum "observer" is watching Quantum mechanics states that particles can also behave as waves. This can be true for electrons at the submicron level, i.e., at distances measuring less than one micron, or one thousandth of a millimeter. When behaving as waves, they can simultaneously pass through several openings in a barrier and then meet again at the other side of the barrier. This "meeting" is known as interference.

Strange as it may sound, interference can only occur when no one is watching. Once an observer begins to watch the particles going through the openings, the picture changes dramatically: if a particle can be seen going through one opening, then it's clear it didn't go through another. In other words, when under observation, electrons are being "forced" to behave like particles and not like waves. Thus the mere act of observation affects the experimental findings.

AND...

HEREIN lies my comparison...

Like strings, human beings act in peculiar ways some of which can be described as irrational and/or illogical...

HOWEVER,

when human beings are being observed by GOD they appear to follow the teachings of GOD...

That is to say that PRAYER connects GOD to HUMANS and then the behavior of HUMANS becomes OBSERVED and they behave in accordance with GOD'S WILL...

Without PRAYER, HUMANS act differently...

Just as string behave in a different manner when observed, so too do humans behave in a different manner through prayer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What we should find interesting here is the fact that STRINGS create different realities and therefore different dimensions that operate simultaneously with our dimension.  Each reality or each dimension offers a reality of our existence that is a little different from the one in which we live.  It is possible, some believe, that dreams allow the individual to cross over into different dimension and experience the different realities while experience REM sleep.  Of course, there is now way to prove or disprove this speculation...  at least given our present level of knowledge...

What we do know as a fact is that TIME slows down relative to the TIME HERE ON EARTH as we move farther away from EARTH into space.

AND, this this is TRUE/FACT, then it is theoretically possible to move far enough away from earth to experience an entire lifetime passing on earth where only a partial lifetime has passed of the person in space moving away from earth.

Extrapolating from this, we can then surmise that someone living on the edge of our SOLAR SYSTEM can observe the PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE of people on earth and therefore know what is going to happen to them before it actually happens on earth.

It is also theoretically possible to observe the PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE of our other dimensions as well.  

Once we observe all these various dimensions, we can say in essence that this observer has moved from one dimension to another.

WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING, is it then possible for our OBSERVER who is located at the edge of our SOLAR SYSTEM to return to earth before a lot of time on earth has passed?

Or, is it possible for this observer to return to earth in either our past or future time?

EXTRAPOLATING EVEN FURTHER, if this movement is possible, is it then possible to move quickly from SOLAR SYSTEM TO SOLAR SYSTEM in such a way their their PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE corresponds to our PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE, including all of our various dimensions?

DOES STRING THEORY HOLD THE KEY 

TO THIS TYPE OF MOVEMENT???

Successful People

MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE...  but, not all successful people, grew up in a family situation or setting that was full of love and support, and because of that love and support, the child or children left home and developed careers that were highly successful in terms of financial success which is how we measure success in this country.

FAMILY LOVE is characterized in the following way:  In the context of family love, the term refers to bonds characterized by deep affection, respect, loyalty, and healthy attachment. Family relationships are different from other types of bonds. The following characteristics of family love set it apart from other types of love relationships.

In a family situation where there is not this type of family love, members of the family must rely on another source to provide them with:

1. affection
2. respect
3. loyalty
4. attachment

However, it is still possible for children who are from a family where the family love is absent to become successful both FINANCIALLY and EMOTIONALLY even though that success might be a TAD harder to achieve.

Wrap Your Head Around This One

According to what THE BIBLE teaches, our universe is only 6,000 years old and anyone with a high school education and half a brain knows that LOGICALLY those number of years is simply not accurate and is illogical to assume it represents the truth or our reality.

So, what's going on here?

Did THE BIBLE not take into consideration that mankind would educate itself?

Something is amiss...  so, we must look at THE BIBLE in a different light.  One that is not totally understandable in the stories that are being presented...  that is to say that 6,000 years is probably a correct number if we look at those years as GOD YEARS and not EARTH YEARS.

Every God Year might represent 1,000 or 10,000, or 100,000 Earth Years...  and if, we look at it in that light and with that understanding, it makes better sense.

Why was THE BIBLE written like that?

Don't know other than it was interpreted into English and maybe something got lost or misplaced in the translation.

So, now that this is out of the way, we can look at the FACT that JESUS was an ALIEN or an EXTRATERRESTRIAL by looking at the following phrases and concepts:

• My Kingdom is not of this world...
• In my Father's House there are many rooms...
• Jesus took on spiritual form after his death...

So, now we are looking at MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS possibly or at the very least an incredibly large universe.

But, that does not explain how the universe came about.

• Scientists say BIG BANG
• Religion says CREATION

Who is right?

Well, perhaps both are right...

Let me explain:

According to Einstein and later proved, the fabric of our universe or space-time is curved.  And, this is important because as our universe continues to expand, it is theoretically possible for our universe to extend out so far in a curved fashion that it actually curves around and back into its own creation.

This concept is called SINGULARITY.

Therefore...  if singularity is accurate, then it is logically possible that as our universe expands and curves that it actually shrinks and condenses down like going through a funnel backwards and in so doing becomes the condensed matter that is needed for the BIG BANG.  And, the fact that our universe does that is orchestrated by EXTRATERRESTRIALS who have used the BIG BANG to start CREATION  both figuratively and literally.

As the Universe expands from the BIG BANG, it begins to create after a matter of time, SOLAR SYSTEMS and as each SOLAR SYSTEM is created, earth like planets form automatically and the SEEDS OF LIFE are planted in a sequential fashion which could represent the 6 days of CREATION and resting on the 7th day.

Assuming that this is true, we have literally MILLIONS of earth like planets in MILLIONS of solar systems...  so, why have we not come into contact with each other?

Interesting question...

So, here is a plausible answer:

If we look at our own earth, there have been FIVE MAJOR EXTINCTIONS take place since its creation...  and, our current existence is headed towards a SIXTH EXTINCTION.  If these SOLAR SYSTEMS are similar, then there is a high probability that these other earth like planets in other SOLAR SYSTEMS also experienced EXTINCTIONS which have, like us, prevented space travel and the realization that other life exists in the Universe.

AND...  that makes sense but we also know that ALIENS have visited earth and given us our various religions and philosophies and have probably altered our DNA that allowed some human beings like Leonardo da Vinci the mental ability to be ahead of his time...  Einstein would be another example.

SO...  what is the probability that in one or more Solar Systems, earth like planets DID NOT EXPERIENCE these extinctions and were allowed to develop over the millions and millions and millions of years that our Universe has been in existence?

I would say those odds are pretty high.

ANCESTORS

 

If my ancestors owned slaves, what do I care...

If my ancestors fought in the Civil War, what do I care...

If my ancestors were illegal immigrants, what do I care...

My father and my grandfather were HONORABLE MEN and that is really all that I care about or should care about because it is those two from which my skills, abilities, and personality was derived...

Anything before this time does not really influence me in my actions or my deeds; in fact, my father and my grandfather actually have had little influence on me and my behavior...   my attitudes...  and, my assumptions as to the validity of life...

The course that my life has taken has been diametrically opposed to the life that my father wanted me to take...  and, by the time that I was old enough to actually move into my own direction without influence, my grandfather was dead...  

I was forced to attend church until graduating from high school and now I don't attend much at all because of my perceived religious hypocrisy of others...

I flunked out of college and was the only family member to have enlisted in the military...  all the rest were officers...

I failed to remain a Democrat even though that is how both parents raised me and when I was a Democrat, I was even more LIBERAL than they could ever imagine...

My working career was predicated on the foundation that I KISS NO ONE'S ASS FOR ANY REASON...  nor did I use a family member to open doors for me...  I open my own doors or those doors remained closed...

My biggest concern is that our FREEDOM OF SPEECH right is being taken away from us as organizations, news outlets, and people CENSOR the CONSERVATIVE point-of-views...  but, by the time it really becomes a problem, I will be TOO OLD TO GIVE A SHIT...  and besides, as long as the LIBERALS are in power, I will get more benefits paid out to me by the federal government...  and since I am old, someone else is going to pay for them...

Interpreting Our US Constitution

                                          

In the context of United States law, originalism is a concept regarding the interpretation of the Constitution that asserts that all statements in the constitution must be interpreted based on the original understanding "at the time it was adopted".


Textualism is a mode of interpretation that focuses on the plain meaning of the text of a legal document. Textualism usually emphasizes how the terms in the Constitution would be understood by people at the time they were ratified, as well as the context in which those terms appear.

US CONSTITUTIONAL FACTS:

1. James Madison wrote the Constitution in 1787
2. Of the 55 Convention delegates, about 25 owned slaves. Many of the framers harbored moral qualms about slavery. Some, including Benjamin Franklin (a former slave-owner) and Alexander Hamilton (who was born in a slave colony in the British West Indies) became members of antislavery societies.
3. The Northern delegates and others opposed to slavery wanted to count only free persons, including free blacks in the North and South. ... Minimizing the percentage of the slave population counted for apportionment reduced the political power of slaveholding states.
4. Of our FOUNDING FATHERS:  Samuel Adams, John Adams, & Thomas Paine NEVER OWNED SLAVES
5. Slave/Slavery was only mentioned indirectly in the US CONSTITUTION
6. THE US CONSTITUTION WAS RATIFIED ON SEPTEMBER 17 1787...
7. When did the US get independence from Great Britain?  JULY 4, 1776...
8. It took 11 years for ALL THE STATES to RATIFY the US CONSTITUTION
9. All US SLAVES were freed January 1, 1863
10. In 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified to prohibit states from denying a male citizen the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude." "Black suffrage" in the United States in the aftermath of the American Civil War explicitly referred to the voting rights of black men only.
11.  In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution gave WOMEN the right to vote

QUESTIONS:   

1. Is it FAIR to use the concepts of textualism and and originalism when interpreting the US CONSTITUTION since our BLACK population was not given RIGHTS until 75+ years later? 
2. Is it fair to use the concepts of textualism and originalism when interpreting the US CONSTITUTION since it was UNDERSTOOD AT THE TIME OF THE WRITTING of the US Constitution that half of the delegate to the Constitutional Convention did not own slaves and were struggling with the slavery issue?
3. Is it fair to use the concepts of textualism and originalism when interpreting the US CONSTITUTION when it comes to understanding how our Founding Father felt towards women when it comes to interpreting what rights do women actually have under the US Constitution?
4. Is it fair to use the concepts of textualism and originalism when interpreting the US CONSTITUTION when it come time to decide whether or not we should as nation whether or not we should regulate firearms, especially since our Founding Father had just formed a new country and had not yet built up a military or a National Guard?

Personal Comments:

It simply does not seem fair or logical for our Court System to use how our Founding Fathers were thinking in their minds and how the words they used were interpreted back in 1787 to decide ALL ISSUES coming before the courts because there have been substantial changes like gun violence, abortion, discrimination, and equal rights with which our FOUNDING FATHERS never had to deal with at the time the Constitution was written, therefore their mental thoughts and word usages seems rather pointless and meaningless in today's world.

A BIG Think

The block universe theory says that our universe may be looked at as a giant four-dimensional block of spacetime, containing all the things that ever happen, explained Dr. Kristie Miller, the joint director for the Centre for Time at the University of Sydney.

In the block universe, there is no "now" or present. All moments that exist are just relative to each other within the three spacial dimensions and one time dimension. Your sense of the present is just reflecting where in the block universe you are at that instance. The "past" is just a slice of the universe at an earlier location while the "future" is at a later location.

Block Universe diagram. Credit: ABC Science

And...

while this may be true...

I mean...  after all...  it is an idea put forth by a PhD.

BUT...

what if she is wrong and the past, present, and future is not in a block?

What then?

Let's suppose...

that we have a past because we know we did something yesterday,

and while that is all fine and good,

suppose yesterday vanishes...

once it happens, it is no longer there...

just like the BIG BANG,

once it happened, it was gone and our universe appeared

but everything that happened before had disappeared.

What if...

all we have is RIGHT NOW...

NO PAST

and the only future is that which we experience next...

until there are no more futures.

Sundays in the Valley

Being retired, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between days of the week and days of the weekend but since so much of my life revolves around doctor's appointments, treatment appointments, other appointments, and THINGS TO DO...  I find it absolutely imperative that I keep an open calendar with me pretty much all the time nowadays...

So, today is Sunday and for me it is a day without exercising as I need to give my body and it old muscles and tendons a chance to rest a little...  because, the exercising starts again tomorrow and goes through the entire week including Saturday which is down downstairs on our own stationary bike and treadmill.

But Sundays are also SPIRITUAL DAYS for me as I reflect upon all the spiritual gifts that I have been given, including my diseases as well as my ability to think and formulate opinions many of which are based upon my interpretations of what I perceive to be true or at least reasonably true in my limited way of thinking.

For instance, I am a BORN AGAIN LIBERAL actually I was never unborn from that philosophy and oftentimes my family and friends have referred to me as an irritating REBEL...  in the sense that I really do not like to obey the rules, especially when the rules do not apply to all situations as we try to force them to apply.

However, I am also a conservative in that I believe in being debt free and having no debt at all in addition to believing that it is business not the worker that create growth opportunities for the economy.  Workers, as I have come to realize throughout my 45 year career are an EXPENDABLE COMMODITY like electricity, heating and air, and paper for the Xerox machine...  even though labor perceives itself as being a tad more critical than that.

Even management and all its levels are expendable when it comes to generating a profit, earnings, and a dividend for shareholders or stockholders who have infused the business enterprise with capital.   

BUT MORE IMPORTANT is our Government.

Our Government should be SMALL and it should NOT TELL US what to do with our lives or with our bodies, especially females.  If females want to have an abortion and for whatever reason(s) they should be allowed to have that abortion...  BUT THE GOVENMENT SHOULD NOT PAY FOR IT...  that is a cost that should be the responsibility of the female, even if she was raped...  unless she can force the rapist to pay for it...  and then, our government should get involved to provide a free legal defense for the female.

My breakfasts are usually taken leisurely since I have been retired but on Sundays, sometimes Saturdays, I like to reward myself with an Omelet, breakfast potatoes, and pancakes from our local PERKINS restaurant who does an EXCELLENT job in preparing these three items.  I usually wash it all down with a POT OF COFFEE.

However today was not a Perkins day and I prepared myself a small cup of grits with vege sausage, and a 1/4 cup of shredded mixed cheese and an English Muffin and washed it all down with a pod or two or three of McCafe Coffee with two spoons of Sugar Free Cappuccino Mix...  and only two spoons as when there is more added, the balance of taste is off a tad.

I eat this quickly prepared breakfast was watch the AQUARIUM SCREEN SAVER that is provided by my ROKU box free of charge...  actually, most everything is free of charge once you purchase the box and works incredibly well if you have an internet provider.  In our case, it is Charter which is now Spectrum and is the one responsible for those stupid commercials which are easily remembered which is kinda the point I suppose.

I will remain in this vegetative state for most of the day, writing and posting thoughts on my blogs, until I realize that the sun has disappeared and it is now time for me to relax in the hot tub...

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

On Being White

A few years ago, Henry Louis Gates presented our family history to our family and relatives and on my father's side of the family, there is a paper trail going back to Charlemagne.  On my mother's side of the family, we traced back to Africa.

Charlemagne or Charles the Great, numbered Charles I, was the King of the Franks from 768, the King of the Lombards from 774, and the Emperor of the Romans from 800. During the Early Middle Ages, he united the majority of western and central Europe. He was the first recognized emperor to rule from western Europe since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier. The expanded Frankish state that Charlemagne founded is called the Carolingian Empire.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

I remember Gates telling the assembled group that as far as my father's side of the family was concerned, we were AS WHITE AS WHITE CAN BE...  and, while that got a laugh or two, it was not meant to be funny but more along the lines of being an INSULT..  as you can well imagine by looking at his photo (right).  That really bothered me because in all my interactions with Mr. Gates, I always perceived him to be my friend.

From that day forward, I have seen/witnessed numerous situations where WHITE FOLKS are being made to feel guilty for being WHITE simply because WHITE FOLKS think that they are better than everyone else...  or, so is the perception.

Interestingly, when I lived in Egypt from 1962-1966 and traveled through Europe, many Egyptians and Europeans resented my presence but not because I was WHITE but because I was an AMERICAN...  and, the reason for that was because AMERICANS felt like they were better than everyone else.

NOW...  it's a matter of WHITES thinking they are better than everyone else...  yet, the similarities in HATRED are the same...  WHITE or AMERICAN...  it really does not make any difference...  you have something I don't have so I am going to make you feel guilty...

REMEMBER...  this sentiment against WHITES is coming from only 13% of the population...  Blacks only represent 13% of the US Population....   Hispanics/Latinos represent a larger percentage at 18%, but there is no reason for them to be concerned it seems...

SO...  WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?