TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Let's look at what happened in America since 2017, and the truth about the darkest day in Ame rican history, January 6, 2021.   First, let me tell you about how time is the greatest teacher of all . As I moved from childhood and became a young adult, I realized that I had been a child of white privilege . Therefore, I had always trusted law enforcement, the justice system , and our military leaders , virtually anyone older than me, or in a position of power.   Education is not entirely the result of schools and books. I know that experien ce is often of greater value than formal education.     I was sixteen in 1962 before I learned about the “two Americas.” This is not a phrase popular in 2024, but it remains a reality, l ike it or not. I left Parochial School in my junior year of high school . I enrolled in a public high school . I was now a student in an institution which had a diverse student body and offered additional free...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Another truth you will never hear from the “fake news,” and that includes all of it, is that Donald Trump is a “draft dodger.” Father Fred purchased two deferments for his son, preventing his serving in the Vietnam War. I wonder how many “things” Fred Trump paid for in Donald Trump’s life. I question the legitimacy of his diploma from Wharton College. I have known several individuals who attended Ivy League schools, and all of them have the ability to communicate with others effectively. Trump displays his own unique form of illiteracy, constantly. We know that Fred Trump gave his son 413 million dollars after he “graduated” from college. We also know that Donny lost every penny. By 1999 he was facing bankruptcy. You might remember that this situation involved one of his first big lies. In 2015, Trump told his supporters that Fred Trump gave him just one-million dollars and from that relatively small amount of money, he built a real estate empire. Trump has neve...

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   In my youth I was taught one lesson above all others, to respect authority. In the 1950s this included my priest, the nuns, my mother, our nation’s leaders, the military, law enforcement, and virtually anyone older than I was. This may have been a reality in my youth, I’m not sure. However today, at age 77, I know I was taught some lessons which were not entirely accurate. First and foremost respect cannot be given freely, it must be earned. The 21 st century is the communication age, where information is instant, thanks to an array of communication satellites circling the earth, the truth is exposed, and cannot always be hidden as it was in the past. Therefore, nearly every individual or group on my previous list no longer has my respect. By the time I reached my junior year in high school I no longer believed in religion. I learned that every faith-based organization is founded on fairy tales, and religions were not founded by gods, but...