I've only worked one place that took off the Martin Luther King holiday, and that was the five years I worked at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, back in the late eighties and early nineties.
The private employers I've had have ranged in attitude towards benign neglect to active disdain. In my present job I think it is mostly a matter that there are no real holidays until after April 15th.
Nevertheless I do think it's a significant holiday in this country, celebrating the progress we have made on civil rights, and the continued progress we hope to make in the future. It also honors the power of non-violent civil disobedience.
In many ways, it is a deeply religious and spiritual holiday, representing the very best of our desires to extend love, respect and understanding to all of mankind. The Kingdom of God only becomes more real the more we love our neighbors.
My son Doug is here for a visit. We had a great time yesterday, including Wong's and a movie. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit proved to be a serviceable, good but not great, entertainment, re-spinning the origin of Tom Clancy's chief character. Kenneth Brannagh was excellent as the Russian villain, but Keira Knightley, portraying Jack Ryan's girlfriend, struggled mightily to use an American accent, but often lost that valiant fight. I'm not sure why they just didn't use an American actress.
He will be here today, enjoying the holiday with the rest of my family. I will be at work,
It has been cold here. Not Michigan cold, but cold enough. And for whatever reason, the cold is getting to me more now than a week or two ago when it dropped into the teens. Snow still seems an impossibility, as the cold we get is often dry, and precipitation only occurs when things warm back up.
Sometimes I think my ability to read aloud so well is nothing more than an entertaining parlor trick. I've never been able to figure out how to harness it to benefit my family financially. Oh, well.
Political notes: Governor Christie has played completely into his stereotype, confirming that he is a bully, surrounding himself in an atmosphere where political payback is the norm, even at the risk of harming constituents. He should disappear from the political scene, but America is a strange little place, so who knows? Meanwhile, this is how Hilary Clinton becomes the next President of the United States: she runs.
The ratings for Duck Dynasty have dropped by four million or so. Phil Robertson's homophobic, racist and misogynistic remarks may have something to do with it. But I think another reason may be that the premise is wearing thin. Americans may be attracted to carny acts for awhile, but they do tend to get bored after awhile and move on.
Until next time,
T. M. Strait
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