Tag Archives: Politics

political news

Far from politics

NAXOS, Greece — I have told a joke on occasion that starts with Mrs. Bear Bryant moving back to College Station, Texas, where Bear coached the Texas A&M Aggies before becoming head football coach at the U of Alabama.

Bear died and Mrs. Bryant, according to the joke, moved back to Aggieland to “get as far away from football as possible.”

Yuk, yuk, yuk.

Well, I have gotten as far away from politics as I could by visiting Naxos, in the middle of the Aegean Sea. It feels quite cleansing. I don’t read my cell phone news feed too often, nor do I open my laptop to catch up on the political news of the day. For a political junkie that might seem like a mighty hill to climb. The truth is … it’s not been nearly so difficult.

I have spent the vast bulk of my day catching up on family matters with my cousin and her son; I have been fetching compliments on my ballcap that says “Pappou,” which is a Greek colloquialism for “grandpa.” I pay for items with a credit card and the vendor wants to know when he or she sees my name, “Are you Greek?” Then they mention the obvious, which is that I have a Greek name.

My answer to the last part? Uhh, yeah …  I know.

It has been a marvelous time away from the hustle, bustle, humdrum and occasional hassle of my wonderful North Texas life.

Am I ready for it to end? Not … just … yet.

media news

Trump: recipe for boredom

It is becoming apparent to me that readers of High Plains Blogger are as bored with the 45th POTUS as I am.

I now shall explain myself.

Yes, I am writing about him. However, I hope readers have taken note that I am veering off the political trail and into more, um, human interest matters. Those other issues seem to be garnering more attention among HPB readers than my usual prattle about Donald J. Trump, who I believe is the most dangerous politician of my lifetime.

Also, I want to mention — even though it is obvious — that I have returned to referring to the former POTUS by his name. I am doing so sparingly. Why? Because even the appearance of his name sends me into fits of boredom. That means I’ll offer up the occasional pejorative reference to him.

I long have promoted this blog as specializing on “politics, public policy” and on “slice of life” topics. It’s the latter topic that gives me the most pleasure these days. We all have lives outside of political issues. I am preferring, therefore, to talk about those matters that occupy more of our minds than the ramblings of politicians.

I even consider this blog entry a sort of “slice-of-life” item. I hope you feel the same.

This all leads me to another point I want to make. It is that blogging has flung the door wide open to yours truly. I am not bound to rely only on the stumble-bum rhetoric that flies out of politicians’ pie holes. It’s a big ol’ world out there and I like exploring as much of it as I can. Given that I created this blog more than a dozen years ago, I have delivered myself the perfect venue to do the one thing that seems to come so naturally.

I like to write. I hope to keep you interested.

media news

News has become boring

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News junkies — such as me — shouldn’t ever say what is in my heart and what is about to come out on this blog.

But the candid fact is that the news is beginning to bore me. I spent two weeks in Germany without a TV in sight in the home of my friends. I didn’t miss the commentary and reporting offered by international journalists.

I have been home for a few days and to be honest I have barely turned the TV on since my return. Why is that?

I think it’s because the news has become predictable. The news involving the former POTUS is tracking just about the way many of us thought it would. He is facing criminal prosecution involving the 130 grand payment to the adult film actress. I have heard conflicting reports on how the trial is going. I’m going to wait for the verdict.

The Israel-Hamas war might be getting a break from the carnage. I’m going to wait for the agreement to be announced.

Student protests have erupted on college campuses around the country, including at University of Texas-Dallas. Students are upset with what they believe is our nation’s wrong-headed support of Israel.

I am trying to get re-engaged. A part of me wants to re-connect with the news outlets. However, I keep waiting for reporting that isn’t stale, or on issues about which I know plenty already.

The ex-POTUS’s conduct — including the violations of the gag order imposed by the judge in his hush money trial — would have landed him in the slammer, were it not for his title of ex-Philanderer in Chief.

I am left with trying to find other ways to occupy my noggin. Surely, I can locate something to fill this thick skull of mine.

environmental news, local news, political news

Politics enters eclipse coverage

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Leave it to the TV network talking heads to inject contemporary politics into discussion about the historic wonder of a total solar eclipse.

I was taken aback … but not surprised.

Listening to the eclipse run-up early this afternoon, an MSNBC commentator noted that an eclipse actually prevented a war from erupting in ancient Greece. I didn’t catch the name of the adversary facing down the Greeks.

Then she wondered out loud whether during these contentious times that we could have a similar peace-finding result from the eclipse that swept across the eastern third of the United States.

We all know the answer to that one. No! It won’t end the sniping, the backbiting, the innuendo here at home and the wars that rage in Europe and the Middle East.

It’s kind of a quaint thought, however.

The old-time Greeks didn’t have social media to take their minds away from Mother Nature’s splendor back in the day. Nor did they have cheap tinhorn politicians who play to TV cameras whenever someone — anyone! — turns on the lights; oh sure, they had their tinhorns, but they were motivated by simpler means.

Here’s my immediate takeaway from what we witnessed today in North Texas.

For a few minutes in the early afternoon, I wasn’t worried at all about what mere mortal politicians were doing or saying in the halls of power. Not in Congress, or the White House, or City Hall or the county courthouse. My focus was straight up as I watched the moon block the sunlight shining on Earth.

Nothing else mattered. Nothing!

local news, national news, political news

Like minds make good friends

It never used to be like this … but the here and now suggests a new level of compatibility is required for Americans to make friends.

One such friend of mine is an admitted political junkie. She loves the political process and she is well-versed on political trends and those who set them.

We are of like minds politically. Which means that she can tell me what’s in her heart and on her facile mind. I won’t bristle.

It turns out that political compatibility measures up to things such as, oh, what kind of movies you like, the type of food you can eat, and your taste in music.

It wasn’t always like this. I have maintained many friendships over many decades with people who have supported politicians who were the polar opposite of the individuals I formerly admired.

These days, if you say “polar opposite” to people such as me, then you back a pol who disavows democracy and adheres to authoritarianism. That’s a deal-breaker in my book.

Do we take our politics more seriously than before? Umm, not really. I do take the hideous point of view being espoused by those on the opposite side of the field more seriously.

It’s not enough to consider tax policy, or even gun policy to drive me far from those with whom I differ on those issues. How should I think of someone who embraces someone who is unfit for public office? That makes it a whole new game for me.

local news, media news

The joy of putting politics aside

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — One of the many joys of traveling — even for the briefest of periods — always is the distance I keep from the world of politics.

I spent a modestly successful career immersed in the comings and goings of politicians, their handlers and those who follow them. Even when I traveled with my wife, Kathy Anne, I scarfed up newspapers to (a) read how they were covering the issues of the day and (b) collect page design ideas I could apply to whatever newspaper where I was working.

Well, I no longer collect newspapers and I now am able to follow the news digitally.

So, my son and I ventured to the Hill Country to visit Kathy Anne’s brother and his two daughters, son-in-law and their daughters.

Politics, policy discussion, who’s up and down in the Republican presidential campaign? Pffttt! I couldn’t possibly care less about any of that!

But … our visit is about to end. We’ll be heading back to North Texas in short order. Then I’ll concern myself with issues and news of the day.

But, man, I do look forward to these getaways. They help cleanse my soul. That said, I am looking forward to the next one.

national news

Pence: We’re not as divided as our pols?

Mike Pence announced today he is running for president in 2024 and while I don’t embrace his policies or his leanings, he did offer a bit of wisdom in his speech with which I want to agree … in principle.

He said something today about Americans being not as divided as our politicians.

Pence spoke of unseating President Biden, suggesting that the nation is falling apart, that it has lost its way, that we need to “return to traditional values.” Hmm. I don’t know what he sees out there, but the America I see is full of all those values.

The former vice president told the Iowa supporters to whom he spoke about the great divide among American politicians, but said the nation out here in Flyover Country isn’t as divided.

Man … I hope he’s right.

I had dinner Tuesday night with friends who recently traveled back east through the heart of what they described as “Trump country.” They talked about seeing “Fu** Biden” signs in businesses. My friends’ recounting of what they saw doesn’t quite square with the picture that former VP Pence painted about the nation he hopes to lead.

Toby the Puppy and I are about to head east along much the same route my friends took as they meandered their way through the South and along the Atlantic Seaboard. I don’t what I’ll see or who I will meet. As a general rule I don’t sweat the stuff I cannot control. So, I’ll just go with the flow.

I will agree with the former VP that our politics — and our politicians — are deeply divided, suggesting that they aren’t representing their constituents’ desires. Hmm. Is this another sign of a broken system of governance … that needs to be repaired?

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Taking time away from the ‘news’

Even news junkies need a break from the news, I have learned. So, with that I am prepared to announce that I am weaning myself from the daily barrage of news and commentary that used to fill my days to nearly overflowing.

Granted, it has taken an intense personal struggle to make this happen. My wife’s medical challenge has lured me away from the TV set and (more or less) from the Internet, where I have spent many of my wide-awake hours these days.

Not lately, though. My days have been filled with worry and concern about my bride and with the everlasting hope for a miracle that could free her of the cancer that we discovered in her the day after Christmas 2022.

That challenge has been enough to fill my days possibly forever.

Now … it is true that I have weighed in on political and policy matters on occasion. Many of my recent blog posts have concerned local matters. We have a school district here in Princeton, Texas, that is (a) going to ask voters to approve a significant bond issue in May and (b) is wrestling with whether to ban outside groups from using public property for events because of some school trustees’ dislike of those who want to declare their “pride” in their sexual orientation.

Critics of this blog no doubt will challenge my assertion that I have sought to stay mostly away from national affairs. They lie in wait for me to comment on those matters, then pounce on me when I do.

That’s fine. I can take it. After all, I have much greater matters of concern to me right now than what anyone thinks of what I have to say about politics.

All in all, I have been free of the hustle and bustle, the humdrum, the toil and tempest of the political world. Believe this or not, it’s frankly been about the only bright spot I have I have seen as we wage this struggle to help my bride defeat the challenge she is facing.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

medical news

Lessons keep piling up

One of the many lessons I am learning as I cope with my life being turned upside down, inside out and shredded into a million little pieces is that my emotions can run across a gigantic field.

I am alternately frightened, heartened, saddened and joyful. Sometimes those emotions come all come at once.

My wife’s fight against cancer is just beginning. She is tough and resolute. We are hopeful for a positive outcome, and we have ample reason to expect one. Her radiation and chemo treatments begin soon after she leaves the hospital where she has stayed since Dec. 26. Her discharge date is just about at hand.

She is receiving expressions of love and support from far and wide, from people we know and love, from casual acquaintances, even from people she’s never met. That love strengthens me beyond all measure.

And I’ll be candid about one more point. I had said on this blog that I would take a break from commenting on political matters as we commence this fight. I am withdrawing that pledge. Why? Because I feel strong enough emotionally to dish out some criticism and yes, offer some praise when it’s warranted.

The love that is coming our way is delivering that strength.

For that, as well as for the love that is pouring in, I thank you.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

education news, State news

Teachers want to bail

Finding and keeping high-quality educators is a difficult enough job even when conditions are ideal. Throw in a killer pandemic and then politics on top of that, then the public school system faces a seriously daunting task.

The Texas Tribune reports a disturbing trend: Results from a new online survey of K-12 teachers in Texas, released on Thursday, shows most “seriously considered” leaving the profession this year, a 19% increase from two years ago.

Not good, man. Not good at all.

Earlier this year we saw Dallas-Fort Worth area school districts pummeled by resignations of superintendents, some of whom were leaving districts that as recently a year ago were honored for superlative work in educating children.

What drove them away? In too many cases, it was the constant hectoring from parents over mask mandates and other restrictions made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tribune reports:

For its third annual survey on teacher satisfaction, the Charles Butt Foundation last spring sent an online questionnaire to 1,291 Texas public school teachers who were randomly selected from the Texas Education Agency’s 2020 roster of teachers in the state. All of them responded.

The Charles Butt Foundation is a nonprofit organization named after the chair and CEO of H-E-B, the largest privately held employer in Texas. The foundation’s goal is to make public education more equitable across the state through community partnerships.

I tried my hand at substitute teaching in 2012 and learned right away I am not wired to work with other people’s children. My brief exposure to classroom work filled me with admiration for those who see it as a calling.

Therefore, I am unsettled to learn that politics is getting in the way of those who are dedicated to guiding young minds and to teaching them skills they will need to succeed.

New survey indicates more Texas teachers want to quit | The Texas Tribune

It shouldn’t need to be said, but Texas can ill-afford to let good teachers go because of political pressure. Our public school system, for which we all pay, suffers as a result.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com