civil rights

Thanks to Senator Tillis for Urging a Real Investigation into Alex Pretti’s Death

January 27, 2026

I want to publically commend North Carolina’s senior Senator, Thom Tillis, for speaking out on the need for a “thorough and impartial investigation” into the death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this weekend. On one hand, it seems kind of ridiculous that such a stand is worthy of notice. For most of my adult life, … More Thanks to Senator Tillis for Urging a Real Investigation into Alex Pretti’s Death

Motivational Music Monday: Bully Prevention/ICE Comes to Raleigh Edition

November 17, 2025

There are many days and weeks devoted to preventing bullying, and today is one of them. But it’s a very important issue, especially to children, so it’s appropriate to have multiple days focusing on eradicating this behavior. When I was thinking about an appropriate song to prevent bullying, I thought that the opposite of bullying … More Motivational Music Monday: Bully Prevention/ICE Comes to Raleigh Edition

Motivational Music Monday: No Kings Version

October 20, 2025

Since President Trump’s 2025 inauguration, I have participated in all the major nationwide protests organized by 50501 and related organizations. So far, last Saturday’s second No Kings gathering has been the most fun. In my town of Cary, the first No Kings drew about 2,000 protesters. Last Saturday it’s estimated there were at least 4,000 … More Motivational Music Monday: No Kings Version

Celebrating Juneteenth with Two James and a Queen

June 19, 2025

One of the columnists in one of the newspapers I read wrote today that this Juneteenth felt hollow. To him, it seems that true freedom and equality between black and white people in the US seems farther away than it did in 2021 when Congress made ““Juneteenth National Independence Day” a federal holiday. I totally … More Celebrating Juneteenth with Two James and a Queen