Are we in Wonderland, Oz or 1984?

We are officially down the rabbit hole

I feel as if we are now living in an alternate world that is a mashup of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, L. Frank Baum’s Oz and George Orwell’s 1984.

Statements are made and subsequently denied just days later. There are facts and then there are alternative facts. NATO is obsolete, NATO is necessary. It’s a ban, it’s not a ban. Allies are dissed while Putin is praised. Unfavorable coverage is labeled as fake news. The winner of an election insists that there was massive voter fraud.

Yes, we are down the rabbit hole, over the rainbow and subject to the nuances of Newspeak for the next four years.

These times bring danger, opportunity

In Chinese, the two characters that are used to spell “crisis” are the one for “danger” plus the one for “opportunity.” I believe that democracy is in crisis around the world. It is up to all of us to use Donald Trump’s election to heed the danger and grasp the opportunity to save our treasured democracy. My prayer and hope is that history will show that the American people awoke to the danger and seized the opportunity to wrest our values from the fascists and save our democracy.

Trump’s ban is not a ban on Muslims

According to the Pew Research Center, there are 49 majority Muslim countries in the world. The administration’s temporary immigration ban affects only seven of these countries and only about 12 percent of the worldwide Muslim population. So clearly this temporary ban is not a ban on Muslims. The continued use of this description, while factual, is misleading and unnecessarily incendiary. Perhaps a better term would be “seven countries with ties to terrorism.”

At least one person gains from HB2

The Observer editorial got it mostly right – we need to get rid of HB2. But after describing the losses to the state as a result of HB2, it says “All for no gain.” That is wrong. Phil Berger and his cronies have gained greater political power by catering to the minority of legislators and state citizens who think HB2 protects little girls in bathrooms. Berger is willing to let the state suffer so he can bolster his power. Shameful.

I have watched my last NCAA game

It is a sad day in North Carolina when NCAA events take precedence over the privacy of women and little girls in restrooms. It is a sad day when three of the state’s prominent basketball coaches take on the roles of lawmaker and judge and publicly trash the political and religious convictions of a large number of their fans.

I have watched my last NCAA game. I will never purchase any Duke, Carolina, or State T-shirt, sweatshirt, hat, or any other such item. When the home teams desert the home folks, its time for the home folks to desert the home teams.

You grew up, that’s all, Theoden

Théoden, I’ve gone through the same changes and I’m sure many others have as well.

When you’re young, you have all the time in the world to think about sports and other forms of entertainment. You regard accomplishments of your favorite team (or players) as your own, as that’s all you have at that point in life, with sports becoming an obsession to the exclusion of everything else.

Eventually, you realize that you can’t live on the achievements of others. The only thing that matters is what you accomplish on your own. Thus, you turn your focus to your work, family and community organizations. What was an obsession is now a mere distraction.

High-tops are low blow to disabled

Charlotte is beginning to make a mark in the culinary world and I wish restaurateurs success. It just won’t be on my dime.

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Are we in Wonderland, Oz or 1984?."