Journeys of a Bent Mind

February 19, 2107: Today marks the 75^th anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing Executive Order 9066 that authorized the evacuation and internment of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry in concentration camps away from the West Coast. This began one of the darkest episodes of our American story, one of shame and dishonor to the American State and our constitution. History eventually saw the overturning of that initial action as Continue reading →

February 19, 2017: On this date 75 years ago President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law Executive Order 9066 authorizing the removal and evacuation and eventual internment in concentration camps of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast – My family spent three months initially at the Merced County Fair grounds in animal stalls, then from August of ’42 through the end of October of ’45 in the Amache concentration Continue reading →

On the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States women all across the country and in Washington, D.C. marched in protest to the regime of the new president. Here in Eugene the police reportedly set the attendance at 7,000 and later updated that figure to 10,000 – There is some discrepancy with the actual numbers who turned out on a blustery rainy day, but it felt like 10,000 – Way to Go Eugene…! Continue reading →

I was recently chastised for thinking that Donald Trump wasn’t my president – I’ve never said that as I respect the Office of The Presidency. I believe that there is nothing we share in common in terms of issues, values, or beliefs, but I have never said he is  not my president.

But Donald Trump himself has declared HE is not my president….He decided that when refused when asked to disavow the internment of Japanese and Japanese Americans during WWII as unconstitutional – He decided that when he aligned himself with the KKK and neo-Nazis – He decided that when he states he will implement a Muslim registry – He also did that when he mocked a disabled journalist and when he attacks our veterans – He decided that when he took pride in being a serial though unregistered sex offender – I didn’t say he wasn’t my president, HE DECIDED HE ISN’T MY PRESIDENT…

I recently commented on a posting on Face Book of 20 million Muslims openly protesting ISIS in the Middle East and I called for a similar protest by American Christians against the KKK. Several FB participants chastised me for making such a comparison because ISIS is a known terrorist organization that perpetrates violent acts on a daily basis, and the KKK of today is rather benign and nothing like its violent incarnation of our grandfather’s era. It’s comparing apples to oranges, they imply, and is unjust. I believe it’s more like comparing oranges to tangerines, and is justly apt. Continue reading →