community
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Is the world wide enough for all of us?
In the show Hamilton, Aaron Burr makes an observation after he shoots Hamilton in the infamous duel. He says, “I should have known the world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.” Both men – Burr and Hamilton – were reportedly so grounded in their own narrative and angry at the other for disagreeing Continue reading
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This bitterness and divisiveness isn’t new but somehow it feels more powerful
We have either forgotten or (like me) we went through life without realizing “stuff” that was going on all around us, thinking that our world was calm and relatively peaceful and, for the most part, people engaged in thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Vietnam and the era of protests came and went while I was in Continue reading
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A Great County is St. Johns!
St Johns County Board of Commissioners Chair Sarah Arnold spoke to John Bachman at Action News JAX this week to share how the Board is working to deal effectively with the significant growth of the County. She opened the interview by saying, “The secret is out,” meaning, they’ve found out how totally great it is Continue reading
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A Cheerleader?
I have been represented on social media as a cheerleader for four County Commissioners. That may be an accurate characterization. According to Merriam Webster, a “cheerleader is one that calls for and directs organized cheering (as at a football game).” This isn’t a football game, but it is, in some respects, a game. And a Continue reading
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Blame
We seem to be very angry these days. Among other things, we are angry at the government because things aren’t going the way we want them to. It is a scary time right now because we are being pounded with messages about how bad “the other side” of the government is. “They” are making bad Continue reading
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Who Can/Should Contribute to a Local Political Campaign?
The St Johns County Civic Roundtable is a group of citizens that come together to discuss and influence the quality of life in St Johns County. On January 8, 2024, Commissioner Roy Alaimo was the guest speaker at the Roundtable meeting. The format was Q&A, and the Vice Chair did an excellent job of posing Continue reading
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Political Cartoons?
A recent comment on my blog said “any politician who cannot handle a political cartoon (which those memes are) should try another line of work. That comes with the territory, and so does criticism.” This was in response to my describing what (in my mind) would be humiliation on the part of those Commissioners at Continue reading
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Do the ends really justify the means?
You’ve probably heard the phrase “the ends justify the means,” right? Apparently, that phrase is attributed to Niccolò Machiavelli, a political philosopher from the 14-1500s. He did not use the phrase, but much of his writing in The Prince was around achieving “the ends” in whatever way necessary. I would like to think that we Continue reading
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Imagine, if you will
You are a local elected official. It doesn’t matter why you ran for office. What does matter is that you sign on for a four-year term and take an oath of office that says, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States Continue reading
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Hiding Behind Inference
An inference is the process of drawing a conclusion from supporting evidence. It’s when you go beyond the evidence and reach some further conclusion that either was or was not the intention. Definition from literaryterms.net. We draw inferential conclusions all the time. Someone yawns, we infer they are tired. Someone’s face turns red, and they scowl, Continue reading
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