I am so sickened by all of the “good old days” posts I see on social media these days. There is so much that is, in fact, sick here, but, as an educator, child development specialist and child advocate, I have to react to the “wooden spoon” sickness. We can start with the fact that hitting children with an object… More →
Author: Alan Weber
Such a Long Time Ago
A long time ago, in a galaxy that now seems far, far away, there was a young boy. When he was a baby he was happy and healthy. Passersby would comment at the big smile he exuded. But when he moved from infancy to toddlerhood, things seemed to change. His smile disappeared, his eye contact diminished, his words vanished, his… More →
Jews and Muslims and Blacks, Oh My
Okay, so now we find ourselves all essentially in the same boat, and “the ship be sinking.” The question is whether we will continue to struggle with each other until we drown or struggle together against “Trumpism.” I have basically had to take a break from Facebook because of all of the anti-Jewish attacks and myths perpetrated by not just… More →
Israel and Palestine
(as submitted to a local newspaper) The back and forth between “anti-Israel” and “pro-Israel” letter writers has been missing something: complete honesty, because complete honesty creates complications and inconveniences. I am Jewish, and, as such, I believe that my progressive heritage demands that I side with the oppressed, the deprived and the dispossessed. So I have been a supporter of… More →
The Wonder Years, I Wonder
I just started watching the new “Wonder Years,” and the progression of my thoughts about it have been very interesting, at least to me. My first reaction was that it was a good and important idea to tell the coming of age story from the perspective of an African American family, but I wished they had called it something else.… More →
The Olives and the Grapes
A very, very long time agoIn a magical place called “Palacetown”There lived a family known as “The Grapes” They believed that the Great KingHad decreed that PalacetownBelonged to themAnd their children and their children’s children But one day a new landlord took over PalacetownAnd kicked out the GrapesSo, with no home of their own,The Grapes spread apartTo many different places… More →
To Those Appalled by Property Violence
Okay, so where were you and your outrage as violence against people was being committed? For four hundred years this country has committed violence against African Americans, from genocidal violence to police violence to societal violence. Have you expressed how appalled you have been about the more than one hundred unarmed Blacks killed by police per year? Have you spoken… More →
Why the American Legal System is a Cruel Joke: A Very Personal Reflection
Before I start, I want to acknowledge that what I am about to write pales (no pun intended) in comparison to the grave injustices perpetrated, often intentionally, against people of color. But there are too many people of every race, albeit not so much of every socio-economic class, who have been mercilessly abused and unjustly punished by the “justice” system.… More →
Rep. Omar’s Words and the Backlash
Those who condemn Rep. Ilhan Omar and those who defend her are both wrong. The issues are far more complicated than that. I do not believe that her comments were intentionally anti-Semitic. Had they been said about pretty much any other group or lobby they would have been taken as relatively innocuous political analysis. Yes, money does buy politicians. Yes,… More →
Please Don’t Wish Me a Merry Christmas
Okay, so you got your Christmas back. Praise Trump and Hallelujah. Nobody is going to make you say “Happy Holidays,” or display a menorah next to your tree, or take away your God-given Christian civil rights ever again. Hell, nobody is going to stop you from saying that word, or telling that joke, or evading the P.C. police anymore. Put… More →