Deus Vult etc.

Recently I was following a pickup truck that was flying a Confederate flag and concluded that the driver had racist leanings. In 2018 those who go to the trouble of purchasing and displaying that flag do so because they want to make a statement, a not so subtle statement that whites are superior to blacks. As I came closer, I noticed the owner had a Trump bumper sticker. No surprise there. But then I noticed a Latin phrase in Old English script. That was a surprise. Is this white supremacist fluent in Latin? Possible.

On the other hand, what did she mean with the phrase, "Deus Vult"? Simply translated it means "God wills," or "God wills it." By itself, it means very little without an explanation of what it is that God wills. Does God will that little boys urinate on "Chevy"? That was the subject of a decal next to Deus Vult.

Once home I did a bit of searching and found that "Deus Vult" is an insider reference used by white supremacists to express their Islamophobia. Members of the alt-right, a phrase used to include racists, xenophobes, and other hate groups, apparently chose this phrase as a dog whistle to each other during the 2016 election.

Why? Apparently, the phrase is a piece of Crusader iconography. It was the battle cry of Pope Urban II's first crusade. In that context it means God wills the destruction of Muslims. Thus the alt-right uses it to justify their Islamophobia. In fact, vandals have used it to deface mosques and other structures.

The use of code words or political "dog whistles" is typical of hate groups. Realizing their hatred is not shared by the general public, they rely on insider signs to identify each other.

Most recently, it has become popular to consider the hand signal which in the past meant "okay" to be a "white power" sign used by Donald Trump's base supporters.  A Coast Guard employee on the hurricane duty checked to see that he was in view of the TV camera, flashed the sign and then pretended to scratch his face. He was relieved of his duty.

A few weeks earlier, at the Brett Kavanaugh hearings in the Senate, many maintain that Zina Bash, Kavanaugh's former law clerk,  flashed the same symbol while sitting behind the nominee. The video went viral and was considered by many to as a message to white supremacists.

The alt-right has many other signs and codes.

The numbers, 1488 or 14/88,  appear frequently in neo-Nazi propaganda. It refers to two racist concepts.  First, 88 represents two H's (8th letter of the alphabet) for HH (Heil Hitler). "14" refers to the "Fourteen Words" of white supremacist David Lane. His 14 words are: "We must secure the future of our existence and a future for white children." Others say it refers to the 14 words: "Because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the earth." Either way, the words speak to the hearts of white supremacists.*

Another code of the alt-right is to enclose someone's name in triple parentheses. They use the parentheses to identify (star) Jewish journalists. However, this code is no longer very effective because Twitter has eliminated its use and many other journalists have used the parentheses to make such identification meaningless.


There are many more political dog whistles of the various hate groups, but one of the most pernicious is the reference to "helicopters" or "helicopter rides." The reference is to the practice of removing political opponents by taking them for a helicopter ride over the ocean and then throwing them out. When these hate groups suggest someone should be taken for a helicopter ride, they are suggesting a modern alternative to lynching.
Hate groups feel the use of code words and signs gives the "insiders" an added sense of belonging, but the fact remains, these people are consumed and driven by their fear of the "other."

*Many consider the hand signal to be a hoax; others consider it to be meaningless since it such a popular gesture which was used to mean "okay."

A Walk in Wildwood

Buck and I planned to play golf last week, but he phoned me: "Instead of wasting our time and energy messing around with golf clubs, balls, and carts, why don't we just take a walk in the park, and not spoil it ala Mark Twain?"

I agreed, but not without pointing out that he owed me eight dollars from our last golf outing. We decided to meet at Wildwood, one of our metroparks.

We took one of the lesser-used trails and ended up at a bench next to Ten Mile Creek. "Ah, here we are," he said as he sat down. "Enough with the walking; this is our spot. We can sit here and enjoy the wonders of nature."

After a few minutes of meditative  silence, he pulled a flask and a couple of cigars. "And there's no reason we can't enjoy our vices and nature at the same time. Here you go, have a Montecristo, and there's some good scotch in the flask."

"I didn't know not playing golf could be so enjoyable, " I said

"I'm here," he said, "to educate you on the finer things in life. And the good thing is this education is tuition free."

"Give it up, Buck. You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"Probably so. I've wasted much of my life sharing pearls of wisdom with you and all to no avail."

"I'm glad we have established that," I said as I created a near perfect smoke ring.

Buck took a slug of scotch, and savored it for a while. "Speaking of education reminds me of  our 'very stable genius' in the White House. Did you know he is refusing to get up from his desk because he was told you can't indict a sitting president."

After an appropriate groan, I was not to be outdone (or perhaps underdone). "Well at least he promised us he would hire the very best, Like Ben Carson, Secretary of HUD, a very stable genius in his own right who declared, 'Illegal immigrants caught voting should be stripped of their citizenship.'"

"You know," Buck said, "the only person Trump ever hired who was actually qualified to do their job was Stormy Daniels."

"It's not charitable of us to make fun of  Putin's Apprentice," I said. "He needs our admiration. After all, it's all about Donald. When informed of Aretha Franklin's death, the first thing he said was, 'She used to work for me.' A classic narcissistic response."

"Yeah, and we were so looking forward to his Russian-style military parade."

"Well, he didn't get his parade, but he found another hair-brained way to waste our money, the Space Force."

As dark clouds started to move in, we decided we had better start back to the parking lot. "That was a lot of fun," Buck said. "What would we have to talk about if we didn't have a very stable genius in the White House?"

N.B. Since any factual information in the above is pure coincidence,  I can't provided actual sources. Unfortunately, the Trump's quote about Aretha Frankilin's death and Carson's comment about immigrants are factual.

Respect Our Flag and the Values It Represents

Just for the record, when NFL players kneel during the National Anthem, they are protesting police racial violence. they are not breaking the law or dishonoring the flag. They are in fact implementing their 1st Amendment right of free speech. Their protest has nothing to do with the flag or the military, although Donald Trump tries to re-define their protest in those terms and distract us from the chaos that is his White House.

Our flag, however, is being disrespected almost every day by those who label themselves patriots.

On June 22, 1942, the National Flag code became Public Law 77-623, chapter 435, which among other things states: "No part of the flag should ever be use as a costume or athletic uniform." All of those tee-shirts, baseball caps, swimming suits etc. which feature the flag or a part of the flag are against the law. (The law does allow for flag pins to be worn on the left lapel and flag patches worn on the uniform of military personnel and other public service members.)

Two Violations

This law also states: "The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard."

Those popular paper plates featuring the flag, omnipresent around the 4th of July, are against the law. Those car dealers and other retailers who display the flag in their ads are violating the law.

In fact, the way the flag is displayed at many NFL football games violates the law which states: "The flag should always be permitted to fall freely." It is not to be stretched out over a football field and held in place horizontally.

The National Flag Law is continuously being violated in a variety of ways, but an athlete kneeling in the presence of the flag is within her/his rights, and not disrespecting the flag.

Our flag represents our country, based on our Constitution, which protects citizens' right to protest . The flag and the democratic values it represents should be honored and respected.

But, then there is this guy.

No One, Including Trump, Is Above The Law

When Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, under oath, said he broke campaign finance laws at the direction and in coordination with Donald Trump, he directly linked Trump to federal crimes against the integrity of our elections.

However, Trump thinks he is above the law. He used his twitter account and the bully pulpit of his office in an attempt to influence the jury in the case of  his former campaign chair, Paul Manafort. Now that Manafort has been convicted of fraud and tax evasion, he is sending signals to Manfort that he will pardon him if he doesn't spill his guts to the investigators.

Although Special Counsel Mueller's investigation has resulted in 35 indictments and five guilty pleas, Trump calls it a "witch hunt" and attacks his own Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, for removing himself and politics from the investigation. Implicit in all of this is that he wants to fire Mueller and end the investigation of his campaign.

According to Cohen, Trump ordered him to pay Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, prior to the 2016 election, to keep quiet about their sexual affairs with Trump and thus prevent voters from being influenced by that knowledge. Two felony crimes.

In addition, Cohen implicated Trump in the crime of receiving illegal and undisclosed contributions and funnelling the money through the Trump organization.

No matter what his base thinks, Donald Trump is not above the law. Fortunately, our Founding Fathers foresaw a situation like the present, and in Article One of the Constitution, made provisions for the impeachment of a president.  In their discussions, they were particularly worried about a president or presidential candidate interfering with elections and the Electoral College.*

The only problem we face at the present time is that we have a majority in the House and the Senate who either are afraid to challenge Trump or are basking in the power of controlling the three branches of government. (They will control the Supreme Court if they are successful in appointing Brett Kavanaugh.)

The irony is that we have the opposite of what the Fathers feared--a majority lording it over a minority. Now we have a minority-elected president and a minority party controlling the House and Senate. A minority lording it over the majority.

That being the case, if citizens want to make Trump subject to the rule of law, they will have to exercise their right and responsibility to vote, thus giving the power back to the majority, and thus returning to a true democracy.

* In addition to impeachment, the Courts ruled during the Watergate era that a president can be indicted. 
"Though the President is elected by nationwide ballot, and is often said to represent all the people, he does not embody the nation's sovereignty. He is not above the law's commands: "With all its defects, delays and inconveniences, men have discovered no technique for long preserving free government except that the Executive be under the law...." Sovereignty remains at all times with the people, and they do not forfeit through elections the right to have the law construed against and applied to every citizen."

Catholic Bishops Still Don't Get It

While the Pope is in Ireland apologizing for years of clerical sexual abuse, bishops are still trying to cover it up. 

Although  a Pennsylvania' grand jury determined that hundreds of Roman Catholic priests abused over a thousand children and went on to describe the church's "behavior as a playbook for concealing the truth," the state bishops' conference lobbied the Pennsylvania legislature to prevent legislation which would have extended the statute of limitations for child abuse.

Prior to that, several bishops went to court in an attempt to prevent the grand jury from from releasing the report on clerical sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Church leaders still mount court battles to prevent or reduce payments to victims.

Within the last week, a retired Mexican Cardinal threatened abuse victims and indicated they should be "ashamed." * 

One would think that in 2018 the Catholic Church would have reached the point of holding abusers accountable, and helping the survivors achieve the justice they deserve.

The victims do not need any more apologies; they need justice.They need their church to take action. The first and most minimal action is to stop covering up the abuse. the second and more important action is to assist the victims in their pursuit of justice.

When a mass shooting occurs, the White House, the GOP legislators, and the IRA  send their "thoughts and prayers," but refuse to take any useful action to keep guns out of the hands of mentally unstable individuals. The Catholic Church, unfortunately, seems to be taking the same course in reference to clerical sexual abuse. In addition to "thoughts and prayers," the bishops may set up a "commision" to study the problem.

Thoughts, prayers, apologies, and commissions are inadequate evasions. It's time to do the right thing, prosecute the abusers, eliminate the enablers, and seek justice and offer support for the victims.

* cf. article in Crux by Ines San Martin, August 21, 2018

Are Statues of Black Footmen/Jockeys Racist?

I grew up in northern Ohio in the 1950s, and I was always repulsed at the sight of a statue of a black footman/jockey. Even at a very young age I considered such figurines racist. a representation of a black man as a subservient slave. In fact, during those years,  my father once confronted a neighbor with such a statue in her front yard, and she replied, "Oh, I'm not racist, but isn't he such a cute n----r?" She obviously did not consider it in racial terms. To her it was yard art similar to a garden gnome. On the other hand, her use of the n-word revealed her true feelings.

For all the years since, I have regarded the owners of black footmen as racists, and in many cases, they were. 

However, more recently, I happened upon some interesting information which might contradict my assumptions and may cause me to reconsider.

Charles Blockson, a historian and collector of Underground Railroad memorabilia, claims that the presence of a black footman with a lantern indicated that the home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. If the lantern was lit or if a green scarf was attached to the footman's arm, the runaway slave knew the house was safe; if however,  a red flag was attached, the slave knew that he should not stop.

Some claim that even the clothing of the footman was a code. A striped shirt indicated this was a place to swap horses. A tailed coat meant overnight lodgings. A blue sailor's waistcoat meant this homeowner could get you to a port to depart for Canada.*

Not everyone accepts Mr. Blockman's theory, but even if the footman was some sort of code in the days of the Underground Railroad, it definitely no longer had that significance in the 20th century. Those who displayed it, did so for other reasons.

In addition, there is another theory as to the origin of of this particular yard ornament.  According to the River Road African American Museum, a 12-year old black boy, Jocko Graves, wanted to help George Washington cross the Delaware to attack the Hessian troops in Trenton. According to the story, Jocko was too young to join the Revolutionary effort, so he volunteered to watch Washington's horses, and then froze to death in doing so. To honor the boy's sacrifice, Washington reportedly commissioned a statue which became the basis for the modern lawn ornament of a black footman. 

The story of Jocko Graves appears to fall into the same category as young George chopping down a cherry tree. A story created more to demonstrate Washington's gratitude than Jocko's sacrifice. On the other hand,  the theory about the Underground Railroad may have some basis in fact. The slaves and the homeowners needed some means of communication and this method may have been used from time to time.

That being said, I still consider the black footman ornaments racist. I have a difficult time believing that those homeowners who display this black caricature are attempting to honor fugitive slaves and those who helped them.

Although the concrete footman no longer serves as a hitching post or a lantern bearer, some claim to display the figurines to recall the Old South or exhibit an equestrian theme, which is another way of honoring the good old days of segregation and Jim Crow, the days when a black man knew "his place" in society. More than being a welcome sign, the figurines tell us "This is White space." And, of course, "Blacks are not welcome."

If collectors of Americana want to preserve examples of the black footmen as part of our past, they should be careful to make clear these modern caricatures (large lips and protruding eyes) represent  repugnant symbols of subservience to African Americans. Their only value is that they remind us that some white citizens in the 20th century had a need to ostensibly tell African Americans that they were second class citizens.

*Snopes labels Blockman's theory as "unproven."  

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A Presidency in the Gutter

Donald Trump has done many things that I thought a President of the United States would never do. He courts racists and Neo-Nazis. He makes fun of the handicapped. He invites Russian to the Oval Office and reveals classified information about one of our allies. He lies constantly. He attacks the FBI and JOD. He attempts to end the Mueller Investigation. He refuses to release his tax returns. He pays money to a stripper to prevent her discussing their sexual encounter. He values the word of Vladimir Putin over that of our own intelligence agencies. And, he ordered ICE to take young children from their parents who were seeking asylum in the US and imprisoned them.


This list could on and on, but today he went a step farther. In a text, he bad mouthed Omarosa Onee Manigault-Newman, his former aide whom he had previously praised. His text: "When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn't work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog."

The President of the United States calls a black female a "dog." 

I presume that "dog" is his a thinly disguised, misogynistic euphemism for "bitch." In his mind, women are dogs and bitches. He obviously has no respect for women, and he has previously made it clear he has no respect for blacks. In fact, Omarosa reported in her book that Trump uses the pejorative term, "n...er," in the Oval Office.

As a result of the 2016 elections, this is what the office of the President and the Oval Office has become: a shameless cauldron of racism and misogyny. That is why it is imperative that the citizens of this country send a message in the 2018 elections that this is unacceptable.






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Buck on Phil's Dorky Dance

Buck, my cantankerous friend and sometimes golfing partner, has been experiencing some health problems over the last two years. I attribute his ill health to the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Buck, a longtime registered Republican, was shocked when the GOP nominated Trump as their presidential candidate, and voted for a third party candidate, and like many was amazed Trump won the election.

He and I no longer meet for our weekly breakfast at Nick's Diner. These days, when we periodically get together, we meet later in the day at Havana Haven, a cigar lounge that features a humidor of quality cigars, a bar with a variety of  tasty scotch, comfortable leather lounge chairs, and few large screen TVs usually featuring the Golf Channel with the sound muted. (For those of you worried about second hand smoke, Havana Haven has an elaborate ventilation system.)

Last week, after we each had fired up a Rocky Patel, the bartender, Maria, came to take our drink order. Of course, Buck is quick to respond, "I'll have a double of Glenfiddich, single malt, 12 year on the rocks. And my manservervant here will have soda as he has to drive my Rolls for me."

Maria looked my way and I said, "Don't mind my grandfather; he has an undiagnosed brain disorder. I would like a double shot of Delmore single malt, straight. And the old guy is paying."

As she walked away, Maria muttered under her breath but loud enough for us to hear, "And I could have gone to the beach today, but I'm stuck in this nursing home, medicating retired clowns."

The Golf Channel was showing video of Phil Michelson dancing in his signature long sleeved shirt, presumably a commercial for something. Buck could not resist, "And Maria thinks we are clowns?. If you can't dance, don't do it in public, and definitely not on TV. If he has do do it, he should go to the basement and close the door."
"Well," I offered, "he probably made more money in that minute than you and I made in our best years."

"But we still have our pride," as he sent a large puff of smoke ceilingward.

"And your pride is paying for these drinks. Thanks."

"Whatever, Phil demonstrated his lack of pride at the US Open when he ran after a putt and hit it while still moving. Who would do that?"

"A very wealthy pro golfer wearing a long sleeved  business shirt."

For some time, we enjoyed our cigars and scotch in silence. Up to this point we had avoided politics, but I knew Buck was bound to bring it up. "What," he asked, "do Stormy Daniels and American farmers have in common?" 

"They are independent, hard-working entrepreneurs," I offered.

"Wrongo, bongo! They both got screwed by Trump and were paid to keep quiet."

Why did I not see that coming?

Ron's Tidbits: Blogging Again

Ron's Tidbits: Blogging Again: 2016 was the last year I blogged on a somewhat regular basis. As you recall it was in 2016 that a  minority of citizens elected Donald T...

Blogging Again

2016 was the last year I blogged on a somewhat regular basis. As you recall it was in 2016 that a minority of citizens elected Donald Trump President of the United States. Prior to that election and ever since, the internet, at least in the United States,  has been a hotbed of distasteful, disgusting hatred coupled with the notion of "alternative facts."




With so many voices out there spewing hatred, I was reluctant to continue blogging for fear I would be just another angry voice. Of course, I could choose not to be angry, but the fact is I was angry. I was angry that our country was systematically and at the highest levels rejecting our core values. 

Honesty, for example, became a joke. Our President would repeatedly lie to us, and his followers and political allies would just laugh it off as "Trump being Trump." I was angry when in the early days of the current administration I saw the President of the United States sharing confidential information with a Russian diplomat. But that was just the beginning of a series of embarrassing, uncaring actions that culminated in the practice of taking children from their parents and putting them in cages which DHS euphemistically labels care centers. At that point, I thought we were at the bottom, but then POTUS attacked our allies in Europe and NATO and went to Helsinki to play nice with Vlad Putin.

While I am still angry, I am an old man and refuse be caught up in the 24/7 news cycle and the clever distractions of Trump tweets or Russian bots. I will continue to be informed and attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff, but I do not intend to mud wrestle with neo-Nazis.  I will not throw mud on the white robes of the KKK; they have already soiled themselves.

What I will do is write about what interests me, whatever that happens to be at any given time. That may be religion, popular culture, sports, history, books, and yes, politics. I trust I will be able to refrain from hatred (Twitter and Facebook are better suited for that), but hopefully still retain a bit of sarcasm and satire.

That having been said, I am resurrecting Ron's Tidbits.

(If  I were honest, I would have mentioned the real reason I am returning to blogging: my wife told me to either go in the back room and write blogs or get a real job.)