A Simple Definition Of Sexual Misconduct

Okay people, gather round a listen up...The introduction of any anatomical member in your possession on or into the body of the object of your affection without their consent or permission is neither cool, acceptable, or anything other than  an unwarranted violation of their personhood at best and, more likely at worst, an actionable sexual assault. To suggest otherwise is to align oneself with the apologists, enablers, and deniers who have allowed countless instances of similar acts throughout time.

Democrats In Danger of Repeating History

The Clinton loyalists who recently turned a deaf ear to Donna Brazile's revelations regarding the DNC's separate and largely secret deal with the Clinton campaign which benefited from extra political control and influence in the 2016 primary are emblematic the Democratic establishment's presumptive claim to Party dominance. The implicit assumption here is that the Sanders' candidacy (then and now) somehow represent an intrusion into political ground held and controlled by Clinton/Obama traditionalists and therefore was properly regarded as interlopers in an otherwise closed political circle. What establishment Democrats tragically failed to realize was that instead of being Party crashers, the millions of Sanders supporters were inviting the Democratic Party to participate in a transformative process by which it's burgeoning majority could be heard to signal a new direction into a more hopeful and successful future. While it is true that progressives such as Keith Ellison and Cornell West were instrumental in placing forward thinking elements to the Party Platform, it is also the case that Party leaders and their operatives were actively seeking to undermine the Sanders campaign throughout the primary season. Of special irony is the fact that Brazile, a long-time Democratic centrist leader, had to resign her post as temporary chair of the DNC amid revelations regarding her role in the advance prompting of candidate Clinton prior to a primary debate with Sanders, a charge she now oddly disputes.

As the Democratic Party looks upon the political landscape ahead, it will be well advised to heed the hard lessons of the previous campaign and seek to embrace its emerging progressive base as the real voice of a viable and hopeful alternative to the national embarrassment currently occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Failure to do so threatens to condemn the Democrats to the unpardonable offense of repeating the miscalculations of its most recent history.

A San Francisco Sidewalk Seminar

While doing my pre-run stretching at Ocean Beach on Monday, I was made privy to an intelligent conversation being conducted on a nearby bench by two homeless gentlemen. They were engaged in a rather nuanced discussion wherein the various aspects, virtues, and character traits among fairies, pixies, and elves were thoroughly dissected, parsed, compared, and contrasted. God help me...I love San Francisco!!

Rival Prevaricators

It's difficult to imagine a rival to Condoleezza Rice's incessant prevarications regarding Saddam Hoessein's alleged efforts to obtain yellow cake uranium from Niger (thoroughly debunked by Joe Wilson at the time) and her 'warnings' about Iraq's ability to deliver a 'mushroom cloud' to America but, alas, along comes Sarah Huckabee Sanders who fabricates on a nearly daily basis on behalf of the potentate she so fervently serves. The latest example is the assertion that the charges against former campaign operative, George Papadopoulos, were made possible by the 'cooperation' of the White House. I was going to say that you can't make this stuff up but Sarah manages to pull it off every time. Move over, Condi, there's a new sheriff in town!