On September 22nd four people were killed and 17 others were injured in the shooting in Birmingham when a number of attackers got out of a vehicle and opened fire on a crowd in a public area before fleeing the scene. But, this is just one of hundreds of shooting. For each of the last four years there have been more than 600 mass shootings – almost two a day on average. The deadliest such attack, in Las Vegas in…
Well, America has elected a new president after months and months of media election reporting and it wasn’t as close as had been predicted. The majority of Americans (who elected Trump) are rejoicing and the rest of American voters are worried about disaster. Garrision Keillor’s wrote his reaction to Trump’s election:[cartoon by Greg Perry The Tyee] “So America has gone and done it, elected the evil grandpa, which goes to show that literacy is in serious decline. Nobody who read…
My father Paul Nicholas Luvera Sr. was born on March 25, 1898 and died in Anacortes, Washington on November 4, 1990 at the age of 92. I delayed publishing this because of the timimg of this year’s presidential election. You can see more details of his extraordinary life athttps://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/11/dad-1.html for a complete history of his life. Dad was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, the son of Niccola and Fillippa Luvera. His father and oldest brother left for Canada where they…
Here is what the New York Times Editor’s Opinion had to say: Opinion | The Editorial Board “You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to lead. Watch him. Listen to those who know him best. He tried to subvert an election and remains a threat to democracy. He helped overturn Roe, with terrible consequences. Mr. Trump’s corruption and lawlessness go beyond elections: It’s his whole ethos. He lies without limit. If he’s re-elected, the G.O.P. won’t restrain him. Mr….
November is a time the Catholic Church remembers the dead. It’s a fitting to remember good people who are no longer with us. Here are a few special people who died during this November periord of time and who played a special role in my life. The reverend Michael J. Schmitt was born in 1929 in Port Angeles. He died at age 58 on November 10, 1987 in Auburn, Washington in an auto collision when a driver was using his…
I watched the entire debate and kept wondering what happened to the Vance of wild claims about immigrants eating pets and the Walz with sharp down to earth responses? While it is true that the debate is unlikely to change the trajectory of the presidential race, the two participants were almost totally inconsistent in demeanor and presentation then they have presented on the public campaign. Vance, the Yale educated lawyer, worked to present himself as a reasonable, genial person while…
Pope Francis, aboard the papal airplane, recently was critical of both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called were anti-life policies on abortion and immigration. He said: “Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ He advised American Catholics to choose who they thought were the “lesser evil” in voting. The problem is the failure of religious and political leaders as well as the general public to recognize…
Who won the presidential debate last night? Well, that depends upon your already existing beliefs about the candidates. However, “flash polls” after the debate reported about two thirds of voters say Vice President Kamala Harris won the over all debate. Certainly it is clear Kamala Harris did not disappoint her supporters by way of demeanor and content of what she had to say. Republicans are conceding this was not Trump’s best performance as well. But, Trump and his Republican supporters…
i’ve been thinking about the gift of wisdom. Here are some random thoughts to share. William Barclay, Scottish professor, has observed it is a curious paradox of learning that the more one learns about any subject the more one realizes there is still much to learn. In the Academy at Athens there was a three year course. In the first year students were called “The wise men.” In the second year they were called “Those who loved wisdom” But in…
On August 8, 1953 my maternal grandmother, Marija Babarovich died in Anacortes, Washington at age 90. That was the year I graduated from high school at Anacortes. She was born September 21, 1863 in Splitska, Brac, Croatia. She died on August 8, 1953. She was a woman of great courage, faith and personal sacrifice. Her husband, my grandfather, Peter, had died the year I was was born in Anacortes and I never knew him. She never remarried. I remember her…
