Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite spots in Virginia. You can walk around the preserved city and get a sense of colonial life. However, it appears that Williamsburg is high on history and low on profits. The non-for-profit has revealed that it has lost $277 million in the last five years and laid off 71 workers. Despite outsourcing work and cutting back, Colonial Williamsburg is struggling at a time when the city of Williamsburg is threatening to levy a new 7 percent admissions tax and increase both hotel and meal taxes. The tax increases seem rather odd when the venerable institution is already struggling to keep the candles burning. This is the main draw for the area and it would seem that the city and state could do more than impose new taxes to help support this historic area.
Category: Society
I wanted to wish everyone as wonderful and safe Fourth of July. I love this holiday for how it brings together Americans of different political and cultural values. We celebrate our common article of faith in not just our Declaration of Independence but our Constitution. In our current poisonous political environment, this is a day where we can transcend the anger and vitriol for just a day to remember what we have in common as opposed to what we have in conflict. Perhaps we could even recollect what it was like to have civil discourse over our future and our leaders. It is not nearly as implausible as it may seem. After all, we celebrate today the most implausible of events: a small ragtag collection of colonies defeating the most powerful nation on Earth. So, perhaps on this day we can all strive a bit harder to have a civil and respectful dialogue with those holding opposing views. Americans love politics and today is a great day to debate the future of our country. However, it is also a day to remember what binds us rather than divides us as a nation. Ok, enough preaching. Now for the fun.
There is an old axiom that “Generals always fight the last war.” Such was the case in World War I with the failure to anticipate the impact of machine guns or, in World War II, the image of Polish cavalry charging German Panzer tanks with lances. Politicians can often fall victim to the same strategic blindness. This week, President Trump again declared that he would not stop tweeting and specifically noted that tweeting was key to his winning the election. In other words, the last war. Yet, the issue is not really Twitter but tactics.
In his latest Tweet storm, Trump insisted that his use of social media “is not Presidential—it’s MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!” He also told his followers that “the FAKE & FRAUDLENT NEWS MEDIA is working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media—but remember, I won … the 2016 election with interviews, speeches and social media. I had to beat #FakeNews, and did. We will continue to WIN!” He later followed the tweet with a disturbing altered video clip of his physically attacking a CNN figure.
The fact is that Trump may have changed modern politics but not necessarily the modern presidency. There is a difference and that lesson can be found in the presidency of none other than Bill Clinton.
Continue reading “FIGHTING THE LAST WAR: TRUMP NEEDS TO CHANGE HIS MESSAGE NOT HIS MEDIUM”
One would think that, after Cedric Jelks accidentally shot himself in the penis, most police and prosecutors would consider the act to be punishment enough. However, the 38-year-old Jacksonville man is a convicted felon and was not allowed to possess a gun. He may now be criminally charged on top of his self-inflicted injury.
Continue reading “Adding Insult To Injury: Man Who Shot Himself May Face Criminal Charges”
As discussed yesterday, President Donald Trump has said the he will not yield in his continuing tweets with personal or insulting attacks on the media, political opponents, and journalists. To drive that point vividly home, he re-posted a video showing him punching a man with the CNN logo on his head during a wrestling match. It seems a posting designed to virtually taunt his aides and allies on the Hill who have tried to convey to him that these tweets are alienating allies and costing the GOP critical time and energy.
Continue reading “Trump Posts Video Showing Him Physically Attacking CNN Figure”
Alex Jones has been repeatedly accused of running false stories on his InfoWars program. However, this week one guest caused jaws to drop and prompted a NASA spokesman to deny that it has kidnapped children and worked them as slaves on a Mars colony. Of course, that is exactly what National Aeronautics and Slaves Administration (NASA) would say if it was kidnapping children and working them slaves on a Mars colony.
Continue reading “Martian Slave Babies! Alex Jones Airs Theory On Kidnapped Children Raised On Mars”
Without fanfare, the Justice Department dropped the long fight over stripping the trademark protections from the Washington Redskins football team as an offensive term. I have long been a critic of the action taken by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and said at the time that the action was flagrantly unconstitutional. Now millions have been spent but the case is withdrawn in light of the recent decision in Matal v. Tam.
Continue reading “Sacked: Justice Department Drops Fight To Strip Redskins of Trademark Protections”
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 37, is a leading Vietnamese blogger known as “Mother Mushroom” has been writing for years to expose the torture and oppression of the one-party state. This week Vietnam showed the world that, despite its portrayal as one of the world’s emerging economies, it remains an authoritarian warmed-over Communist regime. It convicted Quynh and sentenced her to 10 years in jail. For telling people the truth about their government.
Continue reading “Blogger Sentenced To Ten Years In Jail In Vietnam”
A new shocking study has found that 1 in every 5 of the 230,000 in Los Angeles Community College District are homeless and another two-thirds cannot afford food costs. It is a chilling statistic that offers an insight into economic strata in the country and the marginal economic conditions for so many people.
Continue reading “Study: Twenty Percent Of LA Community College Students Are Homeless”
I recently ran a column on my concern over the coverage of the Russian investigation and underling legal issues. While I supported the appointment of the Special Counsel and the investigation into possible obstruction of justice after the firing of James Comey, I have objected to what I see as biased and at times unhinged legal coverage of the underlying allegations. There has obviously been such bias on both sides as people turn to news sources that offer an echo chamber for their political views. This week, however, CNN has been under close scrutiny after it retracted a major story on the Russian investigation and three of its top journalists were let go, including respected Pulitzer prize winner Eric Lichtblau. If that were not bad enough, a conservative filmmaker posted a videotape of CNN Producer John Bonifield talking freely about how the collusion story is nothing by “bulls**t” and how CNN was pushing the story purely for the “ratings.” [UPDATE: O’Keefe has released a new video of CNN host Van Jones saying that the Russian story is a “nothing burger.”]
The New Orleans police have arrested the men responsible for a shocking assault in the French Quarter. Two tourists from Boston were viciously attacked and robbed — a crime captured on videotape. James Curran and Tim Byrne were attacked from behind and Byrne is in critical condition.
Continue reading “Four Arrested In Vicious New Orleans Attack”
The victory of the Trump Administration in securing the lifting of much of the injunction on the immigration order consumed much of the analysis yesterday. The Court voted unanimously to lift the injunction for every one except those with “bona fide relationships” in the United States. The latter exception was a bit incongruous with the overall deference to the Executive Branch and led three justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch — to dissent. They would have lifted the ban without exceptions. What was most interesting however was what was not in the order: a hearing date for July. The reason is that it was not requested by the Trump Administration. Given the 90 days expiration of the order, that leads to the question of whether this appeal is a case of “planned obsolescence.”
Continue reading “Is The Supreme Court Immigration Appeal A Case Of Planned Obsolescence?”
Ivanka Trump is facing a difficult lawsuit over alleged theft of the designs of an Italian shoemaker, Aquazurra Italia, as part of their “Wild Things” line. The company filed a trademark infringement claim against her and her company in June 2016 and a court recently rejected motions filed on Trump’s behalf. Those motions included a claim that Ivanka Trump’s duties as a high-ranking government official made her participation in the litigation too difficult. The claim was rejected. Part of the court’s rationale for rejected her arguments are distinctly reminiscent of the litigation over her father’s immigration order.
The giant replica of Noah’s Ark built by Creationist Ken Ham appears to be a failure on a truly biblical proportion. Built with contributions from public funds, Ham is blamed the dismal sales of “intolerant secularists” and the media who have spread lies about the attraction. It is a curious excuse since the Ark is symbol of ignoring doubters and critics to prevail with divine intervention.
There is a new controversy involving an investigation of a professor for statements made on social media. Trinity College Professor Johnny Williams has fled Connecticut after receiving death threats over his postings, including an inflammatory reference to people considered bigots and how we should “Let Them. F**king Die.” Williams teaches classes on race and racism and clearly wanted to get others to read this hateful screed.