Images and thoughts from day to day.
While the world is captivated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, let us not forget the growing crisis in Afghanistan and the unpaid debt the U.S. owes to the Afghan people. From Unfreeze Afghanistan – On February 11, President Biden issued an Executive Order...
Between Jan 15, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and April 4, the day of his assassination, read a book by or about Dr. King. Or read several of his sermons or writings like his Nobel Peace Prize Lecture. That’s eleven weeks...
On September 11th, 2001, I worked in Manhattan for the National Conference for Community and Justice, formerly named the National Conference of Christians and Jews. We worked to fight all forms of bias and bigotry. Our efforts were rooted in dialogue by...
This show features John Martin, a military veteran I follow on Twitter. I interviewed him last year. We talk about his Native American heritage, the importance of history, the false narratives taught to us about Indigenous people, and a little bit about...
Yesterday, September 29th, during the presidential debate with Democrat candidate Biden, Donald Trump, when challenged to disavow White supremacy, responded, “Proud Boys, stand back and standby. Who are the Proud Boys? These four articles from the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Huffington...
From Chapter 92 Seattle, Veterans For peace I’m Michael T. McPhearson Army Veteran and former executive director of Veterans For Peace. Thank you to the following veterans for giving their reflections about Memorial Day. For many of us, Memorial Day never truly...
Practically every city, town and village across the United States have at least one memorial to fallen soldiers. I’m not sure about the North, but in the South, the deaths most honored are from the Civil War. Although the Confederate soldiers’ legacy...
Listen to “Ep. 4. Robert Jacobs and Keith Shackleford, Two Citizens on the Pandemic, Politics, and Trump” on Spreaker. In this fourth episode of Red Pill Radio, we have two guests. First, we will hear part one of a two-part interview with...
In the third episode of About Us, we talk with my good friend Judith LeBlanc. Judith is the director of the Native Organizers Alliance. She provides and facilitates technical support, strategic planning, mentoring, and on the ground campaign development to Native groups....
Listen to “Celebrating Black History with Seattle’s Kibibi Monie” on Spreaker. In the 2nd episode of About Us, we will listen in on the opening of a Black History Celebration and World Cancer Day event held in the Langston Hughes Performing Arts...
A few minutes ago, while watching Romeny explain why he will vote to remove the president from office, I was reminded of the many Republicans with whom I have profoundly disagreed with over the years, but foolishly believed they were men and...
Unfortunately, he gave a good speech. He stayed away from impeachment, and he did not gloat about his approval rating. His rhetoric was hopeful, and he was not afraid to evoke religion. He appealed to a wide swath of American identities. He...
In Super Bowl 2020, I am cheering for Kansas City. Here are the reasons why. I have been a Pittsburgh Steeler fan since their first Super Bowl run in 1975. I was ten years old and picked them to defeat the Minnesota...
In the early ’90s, when AOL was the internet for people who did not understand code, I communicated with a woman in a chat room who lived in Southern California. At some point, I wished her a Happy Thanksgiving, and she answered,...
Listen to “Episode 2. Red Pill Radio PodcastReclaim Armistice Day and Talks About Immigration & Labor” on Spreaker. In this 2nd episode of Red Pill Radio, will we talk about Nov 11, celebrated as Veterans Day in the U.S. and Armistice Day...
Today, I was a guest on The Santita Jackson Show broadcast on WCPT 820 AM, Chicago Progressive Talk Radio. She airs weekdays at 6 AM. Motivated by the story of Army SPC Jarrett William Smith, she asked me on the show to...
August 2019 is the five-year commemoration of the murder of Michael Brown Jr., an eighteen-year-old Black boy killed by a White Ferguson, MO police officer. Ferguson is less than two miles from Saint Louis. At the time, I worked for Veterans For...
April 16, 2019, four shootings took place in New York City. This is a story about one of them and the death of Davion Powell, an 18-year young man who grew up and died in Brooklyn. At first glance, it is a...
Recently, I was listening to a news interview of a rabbi from a neighboring congregation to the Chabad Synagogue in Poway CA where a 19-year-old shooter killed Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60 and wounded three others. He commented that violence is the new...
The Democrats must focus on issues and solutions that impact the lives of all Americans. One of the reasons we have Trump is because people are tired of policies that help the rich and leave the working class and poor in the cold.
Today is Armistice Day. One hundred years ago today the world celebrated the end of World War I. There was great jubilation in the streets because over the previous four years, most of the globe had grown weary of war and their...
I am hurt that Hate won in Florida may win in Georgia. My childhood home, the South is not so much the new South many want it to be. Yes, in 2018 you can say obviously racists things and win elections. Once...
Yes, I vote as often as I can. To those who think there are millions of people voting illegally, I vote once per election. I do my best to vote every election. This year’s ballot was long; marijuana initiatives, efforts to...
This from the President of the U.S. This is why he is #NotMyPresident. Yes, he is the president. But I have no allegiance to him at all. I served because I believe in this country and our ability to be better. This...
Recently Trump most clearly revealed his authoritarian nature. He claimed there is a possibility he can change a core interpretation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution with an Executive Order. Of course, his apologist – in an effort to control...
I attended part three of a four part panel series organized by Drone Free St. Louis. This event explored various concerns and implications of domestic drone use by the St. Louis Police Department, with donuts! The panel zeroed in on how militarized...
Today I participated in a Stand Down for Saint Louis area homeless veterans. My role was rather simple. I took names, addresses and phone numbers for the legal clinic, and then guided the vets to the legal team of Saint Louis University...
Donald Sterling is simply a high profile example of the racism that continues to be a constant undercurrent in our country. Many people claim it is isolated, but it is everywhere. One really does not have to search for it. For years,...
I attended a Memorial Day event sponsored by Veterans For Peace Chapter 157 and other organizations. They had a great choir and spoken word. The Ragging Grannies are always a wonderful sight to see and a fun listen.
World War II Marine combat veteran and Veteran For Peace member Samuel Winstead, led a 360-mile “Ride for Peace” from Raleigh, NC, to D.C. I caught up with him in Washington. This picture was taken minutes after he finished the ride. He...
National Veterans For Peace, located in Saint Louis Missouri, held a forum on torture as part of our ban torture campaign. I had the privilege of working with Warren Pop as the campaign coordinator. My good friend Denise Lieberman moderated the event....
Students from Southern Illinois University Carbondale organized a peace-athon with Veterans For Peace. unfortunately, The site was in an out of the way place in the country and few people attended. It was a good try.