Richardson Police, It's Time to Step Up

Local democracy can't survive if our national democracy fails. A week ago, I called on local politicians to step up and take a stand and condemn the President of the United States for inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol.

Today, I extend that call to the Richardson Fraternal Order of Police. The President of the United States incited an insurrection that resulted in the deaths of five people, including one Capitol Police officer who was beaten to death by a Trump mob. That's the same president whom the Richardson police "proudly endorsed" in November. That endorsement must be retracted. The president cannot "Back the Blue" while calling on the mob to storm the Capitol and overwhelm its police protection. The president cannot be for "Law and Order" while inciting insurrection. And the Richardson police cannot have our trust and respect unless they renounce their endorsement of President Trump. Richardson Police, it's time to "Back the Blue" yourself and admit your mistake in endorsing Donald Trump for President.

POTD: Painted Brick

From 2019 11 19 Aswan

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a Nubian village on the Nile River near Aswan, Egypt. The age-old question — should a homeowner paint his brick? This homeowner gets a big thumbs-up from me.

Sylvie's Love (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Sylvie's Love (2020): Jazz is still king, women still stay at home, but times are changing. This is a modern love story in a new setting: Harlem in 1957. Makes an old story fresh. Young woman finds her ambition to be a TV producer in conflict with love. Tessa Thompson shines. B+

Rally at the (Texas) Capitol

If you expected Wednesday's insurrection at the US Capitol to cause extremist Republicans to pause, you were wrong. Texan Republicans are advertising a rally at the Texas Capitol just three days later. There are two things about this poster that drew my attention. First is the slogan at the bottom that ties Texas Republicans directly to QAnon. And, second, one of the featured speakers is a former candidate for Richardson ISD school board.

Review: Deacon King Kong

From Deacon King Kong, by James McBride:

The morning after the shooting, the daily gathering of retired city workers, flophouse bums, bored housewives, and ex-convicts who congregated in the middle of the projects at the park bench near the flagpole to sip free coffee and salute Old Glory as it was raised to the sky had all kinds of theories about why old Sportcoat did it."
	Amazon

That "Old Sportcoat," aka Deacon King Kong, did it is clear from the first paragraphs. But why he did it takes a whole book, not just for the reader, but for Sportcoat himself. Great characters and story from a diverse neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Local Politicians, It's Time to Step Up

This week started with several local politicians announcing their candidacies for Richardson City Council or Richardson ISD Board of Trustees. It all felt so traditional, so inspiring, so...American. And then Wednesday happened. Suddenly, the America I love and remember seemed so long ago.

As the US Congress gathered to officially count the electoral votes and name Joseph R. Biden the winner of the presidential election, defeated President Trump incited his followers to reject the electoral defeat and instead to march to the US Capitol, where they stormed the building, and occupied the House and Senate chambers and many elected officials' offices throughout the Capitol. Afterwards, Trump empathized with the insurrectionists' hurt feeling over the "stolen" election and expressed his love for them. His behavior was shameful. Their insurrection was shameful. Anyone who doesn't give a full-throated condemnation of what our President has incited is also shameful.

That brings me back to our local politics.

POTD: Egyptian Street Gang

From 2019 11 19 Aswan

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a Nubian village on the Nile River near Aswan, Egypt. Kids are kids all over the world.

POTD: Boats at Rest

From 2019 11 19 Aswan

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a Nubian village on the Nile River near Aswan, Egypt. Just a quiet, peaceful scene, an appropriate image for someone hoping for a quiet, peaceful 2021.

Bridgerton (TV 2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Bridgerton (TV 2020): 1800s costume drama. Pouts and swoons. No racism in this England, but lots of sexism. Too many singles looking for proper matches. All prigs. A vow of revenge made by the Duke to his dying father proves a barrier to happiness. Who cares? Only the prig. C-

Random Thoughts: A Collision of Two Dump Trucks

Tweets from December, 2020:

• 2020-12-01: When H-P and Compaq merged years ago, someone described it as a collision of two dump trucks. The wreck is being towed back to Houston.
• 2020-12-02: Watching PBS series "The Rise of the Nazis" with this shit happening in Washington is like watching annotations to current events in the US. Enlightening and frightening.
• 2020-12-02: Profile in courage. Not.
• 2020-12-03: Germany wasn't special. America isn't somehow immune. "If [Hitler's] life and career teaches us anything, it is how quickly democracy can be prised from its hinges when political institutions fail."

After the jump, more random thoughts.