The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
A general category for things related to our society and how we interact with one another.
Keep my anger from becoming meanness.
Keep my sorrow from collapsing into self-pity.
Keep my heart soft enough to keep breaking.
Keep my anger turned towards justice, not cruelty.
Remind that all of this, every bit of it, is for love.
Keep me fiercely kind.
-Laura Jean Truman
Progressives stand at a critical juncture where the call for justice is louder and more urgent than ever. My faith compels me to see the injustices that surround us and act against them with conviction, guided by Christ’s example of righteous defiance in the face of oppression. While persistence is essential, there are moments when persistence alone is not enough; sometimes, our witness demands a more forceful resistance, a willingness to dismantle the systems that perpetuate inequality and cause harm actively.
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I want there to be hearts that beat a little lighter just knowing I exist and there are smiles that bloom like sunlight when I cross their thoughts. I want my presence to bring a little warmth, ease, and joy to others’ lives. Friendship, to me, is a sacred bond, a quiet promise to be the reason someone feels seen and valued. I hold onto the knowledge that my existence makes a difference, and in turn, I strive to be someone worth remembering.
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On Friday, September 6, 2024, former Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren gave a compelling speech at Café Con Tampa, recounting the case of Robert DuBoise, a man wrongfully convicted of murder. Warren’s speech highlighted the importance of justice, the flaws in the criminal justice system, and how his office worked tirelessly to correct an egregious mistake.
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There was a brief restaurant review posted earlier this year. The last post before that was a movie review (The Whale). A lot has transpired in my world over the past few months, and I think I am ready to get back to trying to post more or less regularly. The highlight reel looks a bit like this:
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This is a county-wide seat and the only school board race I vote in this round. Lynn Gray, the incumbent, is being opposed by Sally Harris who previously served on the board and was voted out. Harris served in 2017 and 2018 as Chair of the Board of Education, but her entire tenure was pretty lack-lustier. Given the challenges that will be faced by the district in 2021 and into next year, that’s just not going to cut it. I talked to Lynn Gray this time and in her previous election. She has over 40 years of classroom and school administrative experience and is involved in the schools as more than just a member of the board. She shares my concerns about the loss of funding to for-profit charter companies. So, for all those reasons, I’m going with Lynn Gray for Hillsborough School Board District 7.
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The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos has inspired quite a bit of content, including a NYT Best Seller, an ABC podcast, a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, and now an HBO documentary directed by “Going Clear” director, Alex Gibney. If you want a great overview of the story that concentrates on Holmes, this is an excellent two-hours you can spend. I’m going to give it a 7, what say you?
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Joker centers around an origin of the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Todd Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale.
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Lay and I were driving home from North Carolina yesterday (that was grueling), and as we came into town on I275 I noticed a billboard advertising Advent Heath’s InQuickER.com website which apparently lets you schedule Emergency Room visits. “Yes, I think I might cut off the tip of my finger this Thursday at 10 AM. Could I get an ER appointment to get it treated at about 10:15 AM that day?”
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In 2017, Tampa passed an ordinance that prohibited conversion therapy for children under 18. As they always do, Liberty Counsel and their perpetual “client,” Las Vegas-based Robert Vazzo (not even a resident of Florida), and a David Pickup of Dallas (not licensed in Florida) filed a lawsuit to get the ordinance overturned. However, Republican Trump-appointee William Jung had to bend himself into a Gordian Knot of legal reasoning to give them that win.
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This organization and its leaders are no longer even trying to pretend to act lawfully, morally and with integrity. CBP Chief Carla Provost is trying to explain her way out of a racist private Facebook page she and her agents used to post denigrating names about immigrants. One of her deputies, Chief of Law Enforcement Operations for Customs and Border Protection Brian S. Hastings, is rivaling Trump for number of lies.
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