"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, a year; it’s the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." - John Lewis Be the PebbleTake … Continue reading RIP John Lewis
Author: David Valade
“Opposing Views”
Most of you have likely heard of the latest contretemps in Texas regarding "opposing views" to the Holocaust. Here is one response to consider. What opposing views are there? That it never happened, that it's fake. Except? Let's pretend that all the pictures, the survivor narratives, the Nazi records, well all of it wasn't there. … Continue reading “Opposing Views”
I’m Published Again
I'm excited to have another letter published in "The Boston Globe". https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/10/opinion/35-years-later-same-troubling-accounts-umass-amherst-campus-life/
Paying Attention
A few years ago I started paying attention to how many of our veterans, those who had served us, their country, were taking their own lives. I looked at the daily numbers, I think it was seven each and every day. And I started to wonder, when would the lines cross, the number who were … Continue reading Paying Attention
Outraged
It looks like Gabby Petito is dead. That is enough to anger me, it should anyone. Yet.... Let's look at this.... A young, very attractive, white blond woman goes missing.... A family asks for help. And we.... We... White America gets frightened, feels for the family, looks to help find her. So ask yourself.... What … Continue reading Outraged
2021-09-01: Some Things to Think About
“Here are some not-so-fun facts, compiled by the Washington Post: Black Americans are two-and-a-half times as likely as white Americans to be shot and killed by police officers. We are twice as likely to be abused while in police custody. Juries give Black defendants sentences that are 20 percent longer than those given to white … Continue reading 2021-09-01: Some Things to Think About
My Dad
Those of you who know us know it wasn't always good. I know why. That doesn't matter. I'm challenging my community to be better. I posted this for them tonight: I want to tell you a bit about my dad. He was a pharmacist, owned a small business in Central Mass, Gardner, to be exact. … Continue reading My Dad
At War
Within the culture wars. Facts matter. I was once asked what one does with a legal studies degree. Well? I'm retired at 60. And I've learned how to engage in a war of words and lies. I can add truth. I posted this in a Melrose page. CRT: A PrimerSo I asked the question of … Continue reading At War
An Increase in Violence?
Why is violence on the rise? For four years we saw a massive decline in the level of civility in our public discourse. Leaders set an example. The increase in violence? Blame Trump. "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana Be the PebbleAct
A Wuhan Lab
Who knows where the COVID-19 virus originated? Not me. Perhaps the Chinese do. I know I don't. There are reports, some almost seem credible, that it escaped from a Wuhan lab. Let's assume that's true. It still had to have gotten into the lab somehow. There are really only two possibilities: it was created in … Continue reading A Wuhan Lab
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