"Trump/Russia" by Seth Hettena--Book Review

Hettena, Seth: Trump/Russia (Brooklyn, NY, Melville House 2018)

If you do not read another page in this book, find a copy and read pages 88-105 which discuss the life, crimes, and career of one Felix Sater. If you are not industrious enough to read even 17 pages of this book, then go to page 104 and read the last few paragraphs of that page and the next two short paragraphs on page 105.  However, do so knowing that this is a book on that ever growing list of works which should be read by every American who even pretends to love this country.  At the bottom of page 104 is an e-mail message between Felix Sater and Michael Cohen whose name even the most illiterate of you should remember as the person who once said "I would take a bullet for Donald Trump" and has since plead guilty to crimes related to those TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump and agreed to testify against his other co-conspirators.  Here is that e-mail as it is rendered on page 104: 

"Michael I arranged for Ivanka to sit in Putin's private chair at his desk and office in the Kremlin.  I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected.  We both know no one else knows how to pull this off without stupidity or greed getting in the way.  I know how to play it and we will get this done.  Buddy our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer.  I will get all of Putin's team to buy in on this." Hettena, p. 104.

So you might ask 'who is this author Seth Hettena who could, in his research, find and safely publish that e-mail in his book'.  Seth Hettena is a native New Yorker who works as a freelance writer and is a former Associated Press reporter who holds a bachelors degree from Johns Hopkins University and a masters degree in journalism from the Columbia School of Journalism, the most respected journalism school in the world.  His research is voluminous, highly detailed, insightful, and incriminating in this book.  It is also capable of withstanding the standard denials which come from all criminals who are caught in the act that it is "fake news", fabricated, or unsupported.  Keep in mind that Michael Cohen has already plead guilty to some of his crimes in support of TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump and disavowed his relationship with the Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate. As a part of his plea bargain, Cohen has also agreed to testify.  Keep in mind that no legitimate publishing company will publish such allegations without fact checking and liability proofing the research, evidence, and supporting documents.  

This book is a must read for the person who seeks to remain fully aware of the crimes being perpetrated by TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump and his co-conspirators.  This book contains a great deal of information which was gained by meticulous and dangerous research.  In the acknowledgements, Hettena mentions and thanks many members of the FBI by saying: 

"...the FBI is a wonderful institution and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know them. Of the many former federal agents I spoke with I would like to thank Ray Kerr and Jim Moody, who spent hours helping me understand Russian organized crime.  There are many other, inside and outside government, who helped me understand Russia, hacking, opposition research, social media, and information warfare."

Hettena's book is filled with much of the same information which will be and has been used by Robert Mueller and his team to successfully carry out the most important mission in the world, the indictment, arrest, prosecution, and conviction of the entire band of criminals which treasonously placed Donald Trump in a position of power which he his misusing every day to achieve the aims for which Russia and Vladimir Putin put him there.  Read this book!  Believe it and what it says about the greatest crime ever committed against the United States of America and then join the rest of us in working to keep this country from being destroyed forever.  

 

Edward Melcarth Exhibition "Points Of View", University Of KY 2018

Edward Melcarth & his painting "Last Supper" Photo by Lexington Herald Leader

First and foremost, I need to apologize for not having written and posted about this exhibition as soon as I was first aware of it so some of my readers might have been able to go to the exhibition.  But a combination of my schedule, my personal life, and other commitments prevented me from doing it when I should have.  But this exhibition was far too good to see it without attempting to write about it and inform other people of Edward Melcarth and his work.  The exhibition called "Edward Melcarth Points Of View" was at the University of Kentucky Art Museum and ran from January 13, 2018, to April 8, 2018. As I recall, my wife Candice and I saw it on the last or next to last day in April just before it closed.  There was also a second exhibition of Melcarth's work in Lexington for part of the time this exhibition was open.  That exhibition took place at Institute 193, 193 N. Limestone, Lexington, KY.  It was labeled "Edward Melcarth: Rough Trade”  and ran from Jan. 13, 2018, to February 10, 2018.  I had hoped to see both exhibitions on the same day but the weather in January and February prevented me from doing so.  I had learned about both exhibitions from an excellent article by Herald Leader columnist Tom Eblen which appeared online on January 11, 2018.

Edward Melcarth "Amendment" Photo by Lexington Herald Leader

But the major exhibition at UK was a real joy to see and gave us an opportunity, as well as the rest of the Lexington market to see work from an artist whose work had nearly fallen through the cracks into oblivion and was rescued from anonymity by a strange quirk or circumstance.  Melcarth had been born in Louisville in 1914, and early in his career was receiving critical acclaim.  He created murals which are still on display at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.  He received an award from the Art Institute Of Chicago in 1951.  His works are in the private collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Whitney Museum Of American Art, the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Art Institute Of Chicago.  Yet no one has ever written a biography of him.  He has no biography on Wikipedia.   He had nearly disappeared from view in the ever changing world of American Art and art appreciation.  But an unusual set of circumstances served to bring Melcarth back into the public eye and to motivate the two exhibitions in Lexington.

Lexington historian Jonathan Coleman wandered into Melcarth's art while working on other projects including The Faulkner Morgan Pagan Babies Archive of Kentucky LGBTQ History.   Edward Melcarth, who was openly both gay and a communist,  had been born into a prominent Louisville Jewish family but changed his name from Edward Epstein for unknown reasons to Edward Melcarth.  He also moved to Lexington which has had a long and interesting history as somewhat of a minor gay Mecca for more than a hundred years.  Later in life, he moved to Venice, Italy, where he died in relative obscurity in 1973.  But Jonathan Coleman discovered his work and learned that upon Melcarth's death the publisher Malcolm Forbes had bought his entire estate.  Coleman approached the Forbes Collection and eventually arranged through his Lexington and University Of Kentucky connections to bring about the simultaneous exhibitions in Lexington which were the first public displays of Melcarth's works in many years.  Thanks to Jonathan Coleman art aficionados in Kentucky have at least had recent opportunities to view Melcarth's work and he has been rescued, at least temporarily, from obscurity.  He deserves to remain forever in the public eye.

Edward Melcarth "Motorcyclists" Photo by Lexington Herald Leader

Melcarth's works are powerful, emotionally evocative, and often unforgettable.  As an openly gay man, he frequently painted male subjects with striking appreciation of their bodies.  As a communist, he also created works involving strikers and working class subjects.  He worked in both paints and sculpture.  His wood carving "Amendment", seen above, is a wonderful construction but had visible damage and repairs from the past.  However those blemishes do nothing to keep the work from burning itself into an art lover's brain.  His use of light and shadow combined with his depiction of motion in "Motorcyclists", above, is also powerful and memorable work.  The male subjects in "Excavation", above, are wonderfully rendered and the painting gives insight into the lives of the working class.  I will not soon forget the works of Edward Melcarth.  If I ever have another opportunity to see his work on exhibit, I will beat a path to the gallery's door.  So should you!  Let us hope that these two recent exhibits serve to keep the works of Edward Melcarth in the public eye for many years to come, generate a desire on the part of other gallery officials to show his work, and facilitate his rebirth as a darling of the world of American Art.  

Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/tom-eblen/article194180314.html#storylink=cpy

"The Restless Wave" by John McCain and Mark Salter--Book Review

McCain, John & Mark Salter: The Restless Wave (New York, NY, Simon & Schuster 2018)

"Bigger misfits haven't been seen inside a White House since William Taft got stuck in his bathtub." John McCain & Mark Salter, p. 327.  

This has been the most pleasant surprise I have found in a book in many years.  I went into reading this last book by John McCain with the preconception that I  would find a fairly standard espousal of some customary Right Wing Radical Republican views.  While I did find some of that, I also found a lot of honesty, perhaps expressed in the face of impending death, but honesty just the same.  There was honesty about both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  But, the most pleasant surprise of all was that there was honesty about TRAITOR and Spawn Of Satan Trump.  I had not expected to find that in spite of what I already knew about the less than pleasant relationship between the two.  But the book delivers some brutally honest assessments of the traitor who currently illegally occupies the White House based on his treason with Vladimir Putin and Russia.  McCain and Salter stop short of using the word traitor but they definitely did not pull many other punches in referring to the ongoing disaster in America.  I suspect that John McCain wanted to go to his grave with a somewhat clear conscience.  However, it is a real tragedy that he chose to not endorse Hillary Clinton for president simply based on is party loyalty.  My copy of this book is currently marked nearly from cover to cover with those tiny Post It Notes which denote a geek because I found so many statements in the book which I wanted to pass on to my readers in this review.  

The one possible area in which I question this book is the fact that John McCain was dying as it was being written, edited, and prepared for publication and much of it was probably written solely by Mark Salter.  But Salter had known and primarily worked for John McCain since 1988 and served as his chief of staff for a period.  They coauthored seven books together during their thirty year collaboration and Salter served as McCain's primary speech writer and one of his closest confidantes.  In that light, it is likely that few if any people understood John McCain better than Mark Salter. So even if Salter wrote the majority of the book, I still consider it authentic McCain.  McCain and Beau Bridges narrated the audio book version of this last book and it could be said that the manuscript was either finished or very nearly finished before McCain's death and all or most of it was written with his cooperation and knowledge in order to make his portion of the narration possible.  However, I do not know what percentage of the book McCain managed to narrate before his death.

McCain's first reference to TRAITOR and Spawn Of Satan Trump comes on page 103 where he discusses the torturous practises which were followed at Guantanamo, including waterboarding and Trump's claim that he was willing to bring it back.  McCain states that TRAITOR Trump

"...insisted that torture 'absolutely works' and swore he would bring back waterboarding and worse.  His statement was made out of ignorance, attributable to his lack of experience in a role related to the defense of this country.  It also exposed his apparent lack of appreciation for the importance of our values to our security, and for the understanding that simple human decency is as essential to the souls of nations as it is to the souls of people."  (McCain & Salter, p. 103)

There are several aspects of this quote which are worthy of discussion.  Firstly, McCain's reference to the ignorance of TRAITOR Trump was both accurate and timely.  Secondly, his veiled reference to the traitor's lack of military experience clearly compares the early lives of both men.  McCain spent five and a half years as a POW in Viet Nam while TRAITOR Trump spent those years exercising multiple claims of having bone spurs which kept him from being rightfully inducted.  Thirdly, the reference to TRAITOR Trump's lack of understanding of morals and human decency is also quite accurate. Unspoken in that quote is the fact that after five and one half years in a Viet Cong prison John McCain was an expert on torture and the information it might and might not produce from a victim.  This is the first notable mention McCain made in the book to the criminal who temporarily resides in the White House but it was not the last.  However, it did set the tone for everything else which was said in the book on that despicable excuse for a human.

By contrast, when McCain first mentions President Barack Obama on page 192, he refers to him as "...thoughtful and well intentioned..." while disagreeing with his views. I was also quite pleased to read McCain's discussion of dark money and the Citizens United decision by the US Supreme Court on page 200 where he states that

"...the explosion of unlimited and dark money in campaigns, an invitation to corruption made possible by the Supreme Court's decision in  the Citizens United case, a mistake made by five justices who never ran for any office and were more naive than a cloistered nun about the corrupting effect of unlimited money in politics." (McCain & Salter, p. 200)

When McCain approaches the discussion of immigration and the ongoing battle over illegal immigration, he surprised me totally by saying that Republicans who oppose immigration

"...need to be confronted, not ignored or winked at or quietly dismissed as kooks.  They need to be confronted before their noxious views spread further, and damage for generations the reputation of the Republican Party."  (McCain & Salter, p. 206)

McCain also was honest and patriotic in his discussion of the Mueller investigation into the crimes of TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump.

"I trust the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, an experienced, skilled prosecutor, and a man of exceptional probity and character, to separate fact from fiction, and to get to the bottom of the so-called dossier. (The Steele Dossier) If it is the product of slander or groundless fears, he'll say so.  It will be up to Congress and the judiciary to evaluate his conclusions and act on them if necessary, to do our duty, whatever it proves to be, as diligently, fairly, and nonpolitically as Mueller will have done his."  (McCain & Salter, p. 241)

Although McCain did not discuss the Russian hacking and the collusion between TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump at length, on page 265 of the book he does say

"Moscow waged a sophisticated cyber and disinformation campaign against the Georgians as well, giving the world its first good look at a form of warfare the Russians would prove adept at, which we would see again in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, and, it pains me to say, in an American presidential election."  (McCain & Salter, p. 265)

If John McCain, a dying former US presidential nominee, long term senator, and war hero was willing to admit that the Russians hacked our election, no other American should ever doubt it. Keep in mind that John McCain was the person in American government who was chosen by Christopher Steele to deliver the Steele Dossier to the hands of US law enforcement and carried that out immediately upon receiving and reading the dossier.  Until we reach the end of the Mueller investigation and justice has run its course for TRAITOR and Spawn Of Satan Trump, America can never again assume that we are living in a functioning democracy.

Just as he did in reference to President Obama, McCain spoke favorably of Hillary Clinton on  page 270 where he said "She concluded correctly, that 'strength and resolve were the only language Putin would understand'." Time is likely to prove that the greatest tragedy of John McCain's life and career in politics was the fact that he did not fully endorse Hillary Clinton in 2016 instead of just refusing to endorse the TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump.  He did go on later in the book, on page 274 to say that Putin sought "...revenge five years later by ordering his trolls, and hackers and subcontractors at WikiLeaks to help defeat her."  He went on to say that "Sparing Putin any serious penalty for his assault on our democracy doesn't just encourage further aggression, it tells the victims and potential victims of Russian aggression...that the United States, the greatest power in the world, couldn't be relied on to defend its own democracy." (McCain & Salter, p. 288)  I would go even further and say that sparing both Putin and TRAITOR and Spawn Of Satan Trump any serious penalty for their crimes also encourages every other traitor and would be dictator in America to believe they can also achieve illegitimate and illegal access to power in our country.  McCain goes on in the book on pages 294-295 to further discuss his opinion of Vladimir Putin and his crimes against America and the world.  His concluding words in the section quoted immediately below also leave little doubt of his opinion about the fact that our elected congress members have failed to confront the crimes of both Putin and TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump.

"He is using our own weaknesses and virtues against us, the openness of our society and the increasingly acrimonious political divisions consuming us. He wants to widen those divides and paralyze us from responding to his aggression.  He meddled in our election, and he will do it again because it worked, and because he has not been made to stop.  He interfered in the  last French presidential election.  And he successfully helped reelect the president of the Czech Republic, a NATO ally, who opposes NATO and the EU and supports Putin's invasion and annexation of Crimea.  He did it with the same means he used to interfere in our election.  And yet, as of this writing, I don't see Washington prepared and focused to stop his continued assault on our democratic processes."  McCain & Salter, p. 295.

McCain goes on, a few pages later, to expand on his thoughts about what must be done to contain Vladimir Putin and the Russian plan to control our elections and destroy America, American Democracy, all out diplomatic alliances, and the entire free world.

"...we have a way to go before all Americans realize that Putin's goal isn't to defeat a candidate or a party.  He means to defeat the West.  He will try to interfere, he already is, in our next election, and the election after that, and the election after that.  He will keep doing it until we prevent him.  And we're behind schedule in that responsibility." McCain & Salter, p. 299.

The quote above from page 299 of McCain's book should have been a rallying cry for every loyal American both inside and outside the Washington Beltway to rise up and take the fight to Putin and Russia by all means possible and necessary.  But the TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump belongs to Vladimir Putin and has ever since Alfa Bank bailed him out of his deliberate bankrupting of the New Jersey casinos in 1987.  He will not and literally cannot do anything to fight or control Putin and has no desire to do so if he could.  He is a Russian agent.  We are in the deepest, most dangerous constitutional crisis in this country since 1861.

On the next page of the book, John McCain continues his discussion of the failures of TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump to use his illegally obtained office to confront Vladimir Putin. "...Trump seems to vary from refusing to believe what Putin is doing to just not caring about it."  If reading that statement from one of the most senior and most politically connected and experienced US Senators does not scare you, you aren't paying attention or simply denying the truth. "He (Trump) needs to needs to comprehend the nature of the threat Putin poses.  He needs to understand Putin's nature, and ours.  Last year, he implied that our government was morally equivalent to Putin's regime: 'We have a lot of killers, too.  You think our country is innocent,' he told an interviewer.  It was a shameful thing to say, and so unaware of reality."  McCain & Salter, p. 300-301

I do not believe that the statement quoted above by John McCain was "unaware of reality" on the part of the TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump.  I believe he was and is fully aware of what he is attempting to do when he discusses Vladimir Putin and Russia.  I believe he is first and foremost attempting to please the man who owns and controls him, Vladimir Putin.  I believe he is seeking to do everything he can to destroy America in support of his Russian Owner.  I simply believe he is a TRAITOR, fully aware of his TREASON and its potential consequences if he is unable to seize control of America in support of Russia.  I believe he is working toward his own selfish goals to protect himself from both the legal consequences of his TREASON and from the personal consequences if he is unable to do as ordered by the Russians who have owned him ever since they bailed him out of his New Jersey casino disaster.  Farther down page 301 in the book, McCain continues his discussion of the world wide consequences, both to the USA and to our diplomatic and strategic allies, of the TREASONOUS acts of TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump.

"The world is learning to live without our active leadership.  That's not good for the world and it won't be good for us.  That's the real damage our distractions are doing to our interests--the spurious nationalism animating our politics, our growing distrust of our institutions and of each other, facilitated by the activities of a committed enemy.  When President Trump compares us neutrally to the regime of a murderer and thug, it causes our allies and adversaries to wonder, if Americans don't believe in themselves, why should we."  McCain & Salter, p. 301.

Having that kind of public statement come from a senior US Senator, an undisputed war hero, a former major party presidential nominee, a man respected worldwide, is one of the most terrifying statements ever made about the relationship between the  USA and our diplomatic allies and it is absolutely true.  Our closest allies such as Germany, Canada, England, and the other members of the G7, the weak but struggling democracies we have always supported, and the enemies we have always fought both militarily and diplomatically are no longer accepting that the USA will stand up for good, fight against evil, or protect the weak whether they are people or governments and that is a tragedy which must be laid fully in the lap of the TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump.

I have gone to much greater lengths in writing this book review than I have on any other recently.  That is due to the fact that I firmly believe that this is a book which every American should read, especially those members of the Republican party who still, for some unknown and unknowable reason, support TRAITOR & Spawn Of Satan Trump.  This book is the final epistle from a dying American whose commitments to America and American Democracy were always unquestioned and unquestionable.  This author was writing his swan song to a wonderful career of service to his country and the world.  This is an author who will be considered credible by many people who still refuse to believe other American heroes and authors such as James Clapper, James Comey, and Madeleine Albright when they say the same things about the horrible state in which we find our country and our democracy today.  Read this book, study this book, take it seriously, and commit its truths to your memory and your heart.  I am also choosing to close with more words from John McCain.

"If you're alarmed by our descent into all-consuming partisanship  by the fact that much of the grassroots energy in both parties is with the closed-minded absolutists on the fringes, what are you doing about it?  Are you voting in primary elections?  Are you helping choose party leaders for your county, your state?  Are you running for leadership positions yourself? Are you showing up for precinct committee meetings, district elections, town halls with your elected officials?...Play as big a role in the mundane activities of politics as the zealots do.  It's important."  McCain & Salter, p. 360. 

                                                                        

We Had A Visitor Today, October 26, 2018!

We have lived in the same house in the country in Eastern Kentucky in a farming community for the last 26 years.  We have worked consistently during that time to protect, preserve, and enjoy the wildlife around us.  Over the years in our yard we have enjoyed visits from raccoons, skunks, wild turkeys, red and grey foxes, coyotes, opossums, rabbits, white tail deer, and untold bird species. We have seen a mother raccoon bring her litter of growing young to eat out of our cat feeder on the porch.  We have seen an adult coyote cross our yard in the broad daylight.  We have only missed seeing both young turkeys and white tail fawns raised in our yard a few years out of the 26.  We have had flocks of turkeys in a hard winter come to eat the bird seed on our driveway.  We have had as many as 5 fawns grow up in our yard in a single year.  And who knows what species we have missed seeing because they passed by in the dark?  We suspect that bobcats have regularly lived near us.  We have had eastern screech owls perched on our porch railing as the darkness gathered.  But today we had a rare visitor come by and I have the photos to prove it which were shot through the family room window.  A pretty nice 5 point white tail buck made a visit to the driveway and spent several minutes eating bird seed on our driveway.  It was pretty nice don't you think?  

White Tail Buck Photo by Roger D. Hicks

White Tail Buck Photo by Roger D. Hicks

White Tail Buck  Photo by Roger D. Hicks

Snack Time Photo by Roger D. Hicks

"The Miracle Of Propolis" by Mitja Vosnjak--Book Review

Vosnjak, Mitja. The Miracle Of Propolis.  (Wellingboro, Northhamptonshire, England Thorsons Publishers Limited 1978)

Ever since I was a child, I have been exposed to bees, beekeeping, and honey.  My parents regularly bought and ate honey although my mother did not regularly cook with it.  My paternal grandfather Charley Hicks was a well known beekeeper in Mousie, Kentucky, where he spent his entire life. I have read in genealogical writings of his regularly riding a mule from Mousie, Kentucky, to the coal camps in Floyd County on Beaver Creek.  One story says that he would load two burlap bags of honey, one of quarts and one of pints, on a Saturday morning, tie them to the saddle horn of his mule, leave Mousie singing, and ride to Wayland, Lackey, Estill, Glow, Punkin Center, and Garrett to sell his honey.  My maternal uncle Corbett Terry, around whom I grew up with my cousins Johnny and Jack Terry, regularly kept several hives of bees until he became too infirm to do so.   I sometimes provided minor help to Corbett when he was working his bees.  

Elizabeth and Charley Hicks Photo by The Hicks Family

I also became interested in the possible therapeutic effects of bee venom as my wife began to experience what have become disabling neurological symptoms arising in a rare genetic anomaly.  So when I strayed into this book, "The Miracle Of Propolis" by Mitja Vosnjak, I immediately chose to read it.  The book was published in 1978 so it is clearly possible that research into the possible therapeutic effects of propolis is more advanced than it was at the time of publication. However, there seems to be little empirical research available on the Internet to support or deny the efficacy of propolis despite many anecdotal accounts of successes with its use. But I am also convinced that many of my readers are likely to be interested in this book.

Mitja Vosnjak was a Yugoslavian diplomat who gave up his career in diplomacy to become Director of the Center For Biotic Research. He devoted a great deal of his time to research and writing about the therapeutic effects of honey and its byproducts including propolis, royal jelly, and bees wax.  However, I must say that this book is much more anecdotal than empirical.  But it does do a great deal to increase my curiosity about the potential therapeutic gains which bee byproducts might provide.  It is worth reading if you are interested in bees, beekeeping, propolis, bee venom, or royal jelly.  However, I believe that any claims made in this book should be investigated further by the reader with further reading, more empirical research, and, perhaps, some judicious personal experimentation with bee byproducts. 

Knott County High School Class of 1968 Fiftieth Reunion

On Saturday, October 13, 2018, I attended a small, but nice fiftieth reunion get together for my high school graduating class of 1968 from Knott County High School in Pippa Passes, Kentucky.  I was responsible for putting the event together during Appalachia Day at Alice Lloyd College which is located adjoining the site where our high school used to be.  Many of that graduating class had also attended ALC and/or Upward Bound on the ALC campus.  ALC Alumni Association Director Teresa Grender worked with us gladly, professionally, and productively.  ALC provided lunch for all of us which was appreciated.  The turnout for this event was dismally low and I am certain that part of the reason for that is that I did not manage to personally contact each person in the class.  But that would have been unrealistic for me in the best of times.  Only four former students, including myself showed up.  We were Sandra Kaye Hall Huff, Larry Huff, Kenneth Sparkman, and me.  My cousin Charlotte Hicks Caudill who writes part time for the Troublesome Creek Times also showed up with her husband and took photos for the paper which had graciously run an announcement about the event each week for a month. Our former teacher, Mary Lois Jacobs, was also on the grounds of ALC volunteering for Caney Baptist Church and we were able to speak with her but she was unable to get away from her duties to join us.  She did bring a bag of prints of the photo above of the old school, a few photos of a painting her daughter had done based on the photo, and a list of the information she had about the alumni.  I had also been in contact with Jean Francis, whom we believe to be the only other living teacher from that period, but she was unable to attend due to the ongoing health problems of her only son.  We met in Hunger Den, the college dining hall for a couple of hours and shared stories, tried to remember every member of the class since none of us had a yearbook, and also tried to remember just how many of the class have died since graduation.  That is an inordinately high number somewhere near twenty.  If you are reading this and are an alumnus of Knott County High School, please get in contact with me and pass on information about who and what you know from that time.

Roger D. Hicks, Larry Huff, Sandra Kaye Hall Huff, Kenneth Sparkman Photo by Charlotte Hicks Caudill

We talked about how successful that 1968 class from KCHS had been despite having had nearly a fifty percent dropout rate.  We had entered high school as the largest freshman class in KCHS history with more than one hundred students and graduated with only fifty-eight.  But nearly a dozen of those fifty-eight received graduate degrees in our lifetimes and quite a few worked as teachers, mental health professionals, and other human services positions.  We had a wonderful get together, caught up on old times, and discussed the possibility of trying to have another get together at Sandra Kaye's house in the spring of 2019.  Stay in touch if you are a KCHS alumnus and let us know where you are and provide up to date contact information. 

KCHS Painting by Daughter of Mary Lois & Burnis Jacobs

A Day In Kentucky Politics

I am so proud of my wife, Candice, today, Thursday, October 11, 2018! She had an appointment today for some followup to having been in a wheelchair for almost 20 years. The first doctor to see her was a short term intern from Chicago and during his very thorough history and exam, he did a Mini Mental Status Exam. Dr.: What year is this? C: 2018 Dr. Where are we? C: UK--Good Sam Dr. Who is the President Of The United States? C: We don't have a president right now! The doctor stifled his laugh and went on with the questions. I've been laughing off and on ever since. God, I love this woman! Feel free to share this if your FB friends need a smile and some encouragement to keep on fighting for Democracy. BTW, that photo was shot in Little Rock. Guess where???  Candice Hicks at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library--Photo by Roger D. Hicks

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I posted the above little vignette on my Facebook page on Thursday, October 11, 2018, after we returned from Candice's appointment at UK Rehabilitation Medicine in Lexington, KY.  The post was quite well received by the people on my Facebook Friends list and a few shared it.  A few also told Candice to her face how proud they are of her.  Candice was on a political roll over the last few days.  On Friday, October 12th 2018, we also attended a political rally in Owingsville, KY, in support of the Democratic Congressional nominee Lt. Col. (Ret.) Amy McGrath in Kentucky's Sixth Congressional District in Central Kentucky.  We do not live in the district but felt this election is far too important to allow us to fail to support Lt. Col. (Ret.) Amy McGrath.  In my opinion, the future of America, American Democracy, and the entire free world are at stake.  If the Democratic party does not regain control of congress in order to be able to impeach, convict, and bring about the imprisonment of the TRAITOR and Spawn Of Satan Donald Trump, we will literally become a Third World country.  The featured speaker at the rally was former Vice President Joe Biden and we both wanted to be sure to take this opportunity to see him speak within an hour of our home.  As of this edit on April 20, 2020, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Amy McGrath is in a nip and tuck battle with #MoscowMitch McConnell for his seat in the US Senate.  Please help support McGrath in her battle to help save America. 

At the rally, I left Candice's side for a brief while and when I returned she told me happily that she had just met former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins since Candice and other wheelchair attendees were seated in the back row of the special guest section.  To Governor Collins' credit, Candice said the former governor had made a point of introducing herself as she entered the seating area. She also stopped at our vehicle as we were leaving the event and had a brief conversation with us. Later, former Governor Steve Beshear also appeared and I actually asked him to take a photo with Candice which he gladly did and also worked as much of the crowd as he could before the speaking started.  Former Governor Paul Patton also attended the event but we did not meet him.  Democratic Senate Minority Leader Rocky Adkins also attended the event, spoke with me as he was working the crowd, and also took photos with Candice. As of this edit on April 20, 2020, Rocky Adkins is a key member of the team of Kentucky's wonderful Governor Andy Beshear.   Rocky's duties, as I understand them, are primarily as a liaison with the Kentucky State Legislature which is overrun with Right Wing Radical Repugnicans.  They must also be voted out of office in November 2020.  We also met and had wonderful, lengthy conversation with WKYT-TV 27 Emmy winning producer and videographer Barton Bill after the event.  He was gracious, informative, and willing to spend his time talking to us about politics, the ongoing news business and the recent birth of his latest child.  To say the least, Candice was quite pleased with her day and her week.  

Vice President Biden gave a great, motivational speech in support of Lt. Col. (Ret.) McGrath and so did she.  The crowd was enthusiastic, supportive, and pleased by the significant amount of support from high level officials both past and present.  Candice and I had a great day.  But the real point was to support the nominee in her effort to replace inept Right Wing Radical Repugnican Congressman Andy Barr. Sadly, Amy McGrath was defeated for congress in 2018 but is now running for the US Senate against #MoscowMitch McConnell and is out producing him in fund raising and most polls show it be a nip and tuck race.  Kentucky deserves a great US Senator and Amy McGrath deserves to be that senator. Be sure to go out to vote in this election on November 3, 2020.  However, the Cornoa Virus pandemic could affect the dates and manner of all American elections this year and you should stay informed all year long so as to avoid the possibility of missing your opportunity to vote in the most important election in the nation in many years. No matter where you live in the USA, be sure to vote straight Democratic.  The future of this country and the entire free world depends on it.  

Former KY Governor Steve Beshear & Candice Hicks Photo by Roger D. Hicks

KY State Senator Rocky Adkins & Candice Hicks Photo by Roger D. Hicks

Former Vice President Joe Biden Photo by Roger D. Hicks

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Amy McGrath Photo By Roger D. Hicks

Roger D. Hicks, KY Senate Minority Leader Rocky Adkins, & Candice Hicks Photo by Unknown Volunteer

An Updated Reading List For The Resistance

In early January 2017, I posted  A Reading List For The Resistance which was primarily a list of historical works both factual and fictional which placed the recent illicit and TREASONOUS rise to power of Donald Trump into its proper perspective.  I am now amending that list with a sizeable collection of recent memoirs and historical works and will also add some further dystopian literature since we are now in the middle of the worst constitutional crisis since 1861 and our very form of democracy is under daily attack by the Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate which occupies the White House illegally based on the TREASON of Donald Trump.  There has been a long list of recent memoirs, biographical works, and investigative books which have furthered the body of works which every American should be reading.  I have not read all of these highly important books but they are on my "To Be Read List" and most of them are already in my possession.  They need to be on your lists of future reading also and the sooner you read them the better.  I have reviewed nearly all of the books I have read on this blog and will continue to do so with future reading.  I do have a complex life and never find myself up to date and saying "I wish I had something to read."  It would benefit all of you to lead a similar life of reading, study, and research.  If every American had read and studied this way over the last three years, this country would not be in the current deepening crisis.  Russia would not have been able to hack our election in 2016, and we would have a legitimate president instead of a TRAITOR living in the White House.  You can also always go to the bottom of the home page of this blog to the list called "Books I Have Read Lately" to find what I have thought was worth my time and effort to read.  

I have had a few recent encounters which have motivated me to do this update and I admit that it is somewhat overdue based on our increasing political peril in this country.  Try to read at least one of these books between now and the federal election of November 6, 2018.  If it is not too late in your state, be certain to be registered to vote.  Register as a Democrat!  Vote the straight Democratic ticket.  It is the only way we can stop the ongoing treason in America and stymie the ongoing Russian effort to destroy America, American Democracy, and the entire free world.  If you have enough courage to find out what is actually happening in America today this list of books will assist you greatly in that effort.  Notice two things, please, about the additions to the first list.  The authors include a former US Presidential nominee, a former US prosecutor & FBI Director, a former US Director of National Intelligence, 27 of the best psychiatrists in America, a former US Secretary of State, and the man who broke the Watergate story.  The second thing to notice is that two of the titles from two of the most experienced people on the list use the word “Fear”. 

The Restless Wave by John McCain  "Worse misfits have not been seen in a White House since William Taft got stuck in his bathtub."  (John McCain, p. 327)  When I read that sentence in John McCain's last book, I laughed out loud.  I have not reviewed this book yet, and have a few pages left to read before I finish it but this book is the most pleasant surprise I have had in a book in quite some time.  I began reading it since McCain has recently died and he had up put some level of public resistance to TRAITOR Trump.  However, in 2016, he had failed to go the full mile and endorse Hillary Clinton for president instead of just refusing to endorse TRAITOR Trump. Yet this book is far more positive about Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama than toward TRAITOR Trump.  I had begun the book expecting to hear a pretty standard espousal of fairly Right Wing Repugnican politics and a play by play of McCain's career.  But the book is often very honest about McCain's serious misgivings, distrust, and opposition to TRAITOR Trump.  But once again, he fell short of taking the full step and calling a spade a spade.  But the book is very well worth reading.  

Facts And Fears by James Clapper This book continues James Clapper's public denunciation of the crimes of TRAITOR Trump.  I have reviewed it here.  The one glaring shortcoming in the book is the use of acronyms for literally dozens of branches of the federal government and international agencies which Mr. Clapper worked with or for during his lifetime of public service.  For the person not well versed in the federal bureaucracy, this use of hundreds of acronyms is confusing and irritating in spite of the insertion of a list of full names in the back of the book.  But this book is one of the first on the list that I would suggest that you read.  It is a fine historical perspective on American intelligence efforts over the last forty years and brutally honest, especially so about the Russian collusion and hacking of our 2016 election.   

A Higher Loyalty Truth Lies And Leadership by James Comey  First and foremost, I want to say that this book is about James Comey and his life of public service much more than it is about his firing and public victimization by TRAITOR Trump.  I have reviewed it here.  This book, just as is true of James Clapper's is much more about facts and history than it is about any emotion the author might feel toward the current illegal occupant of the White House.  It is an excellent piece of work which I do not believe would have ever been written if Mr. Comey had not felt that it was his duty as a patriot and lifetime public servant to do so because of the criminality of TRAITOR Trump.  Read it!  Learn from it!  Familiarize yourself with and utilize the truths it contains.  

Collusion Secret Meetings, Dirty Money And How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win by Luke Harding  I have reviewed this book here.  This is the first historical book that I read about the crimes of the TRAITOR Trump. It was well worth the experience and has often guided me in my choices about other subsequent reading.  Luke Harding is a writer for The Guardian and is a tremendous writer, researcher, and fact finder in the very dangerous world of international politics.  He and his colleagues are on that list of journalists whom every American citizen should read regularly.  This book goes a very long way to explain and corroborate the information contained in the Steele Dossier which literally began the revelations about the crimes of TRAITOR Trump.  This book also does a great job of putting the timeline of the crimes of TRAITOR Trump into a logical frame for the less aware reader.  This book "reads like a spy novel" is what my friend and follower of this blog Steve Sargent said about it.  My response to that was "it is a spy novel". However, it is also the farthest thing in the world from fiction. 

The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump Edited by Bandy Lee, M. D. I reviewed this book here.  This is one of those books that every reasonably intelligent citizen of this country should read.  I have been promoting this book ever since the day the initial publicity campaign began when it was released.  This book was written in individual articles by 27 of the best, best known, most experienced, most respected psychiatrists in the country and edited by Dr. Bandy X. Lee, M. D. who is a psychiatrist and professor at Yale University.  Her credentials are incredible and so is this book.  Just as the letter to the senate from 2,400 law professors should have put an end to the legal career of Brett Kavanaugh, this book should have put an end to the public life of TRAITOR Trump.  Read this book even if you do not choose to read another book on this list or another book of any kind for the rest of your life. Do not let the fact that it is written by a bevy of psychiatrists deter you from reading it.  When you are done you will have a far better understanding of the serious and danger mental illness of TRAITOR Trump.

Fire And Fury by Michael Wolf  I reviewed this book here.  This book is not nearly as well written and likely not nearly as honest as any of those I have discussed earlier.  But I read it and reviewed it because it was the first book written and published by someone who was an insider in the so-called "administration" of TRAITOR Trump.  Wolf seems to have begun his research hoping to write a glowing review of the Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate.  It did not turn out that way at all.  However, put this book somewhere later in your reading since it is not nearly as high quality work as most of the others and still attempts to put a positive swing on the actions of the perpetrators.  

Now we arrive at the list of books which are still sitting on my "To Be Read" shelf.  I fully intend to read and review all of them but all I can say about that is that I am behind.  If you have or choose to obtain copies of any or all of them go ahead and read them.  I have read reviews of them by others and am aware of the work of most of the authors.  They are all worth your time.  As soon as I finish each of them, I will return to this blog post and update my comments on them. 

Fascism by Madeleine Albright  Former Secretary of State Albright's book has been postively reviewed by most of the media people who have read it.  Secretary Albright was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to the US to become our first female Secretary of State and one of our best.  This is her description of a Fascist: "A Fascist is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.”  There is no more accurate description of TRAITOR Trump.  Read this book and if you finish it before I do send me an e-mail or a comment on this blog post.  

Trump/Russia by Seth Hettena  This book provides an excellently researched timeline of the more than 30 year history of interactions between TRAITOR Trump and Russia.  Hettena's reputation as a reporter, researcher, and writer are excellent.  He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and that, in itself, is a recommendation of his mind and ability to function successfully in a high pressure environment.

The Plot To Destroy America by Malcolm Nance Malcolm Nance is a career US Navy man and the author of several books on counter terrorism, intelligence, national security, and Islamic extremism.  He is a trained intelligence expert and cryptologist.  His unique perspective and ability to write about what he knows without endangering his security clearance or his reputation is remarkable.  Malcolm Nance is the kind of person you could expect someday to be a national security adviser to the next duly elected, legitimate administration to occupy the White House.

Russian Roulette by Michael Issikoff & David Corn  These two authors are writers for Yahoo News and Mother Jones Magazine respectively.  This book is another examination of the Russian interference in the 2016 election.  While I consider Mother Jones to be a far more reputable source of news than Yahoo, these two authors also have excellent reputations and their work is well respected.

Fear by Bob Woodward Bob Woodward needs no introductions anywhere in the world.  He is one of the two men who broke the story of the Watergate Conspiracy and eventually could be said to have helped bring about the resignation of Richard Nixon.  His reputation is flawless and he has steadily written political works since the 1970's.  Nearly all his books, more than a dozen, have been best sellers and above average works.  His ability to develop sources deep within sheltered organizations was first seen in the information he and his co-author Carl Bernstein obtained from Deep Throat who eventually revealed himself as a Deputy Director of The FBI.  This might be the first book some of you read or may have already read.  Tell me about it if you have.

The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy by Greg Miller This book was written by Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post reporter Greg Miller.  No author should ever need to have their resume bolstered after having been employed at the best newspaper in the nation and winning a Pulitzer Prize.  Place this book high on your list of works to be read as I have.  I can't wait to get to it and neither should you. 

Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever by Rick Wilson  Numerous reputable Republicans who desire to keep their reputations intact have spoken out over the last three years about the crimes and ignorance of TRAITOR Trump.  Many have left the Republican Party over his actions.  The rest should do the same.  Rick Wilson has a more than thirty year career as a Republican political operative and worked in the Department of Defense under Dick Cheney.  His resume and his political roots make this book worth examining. 

House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia by Craig Unger Craig Unger has a Harvard education and a growing list of books written primarily about connections between Republican politicians and less than desirable partners. This book examines the long history between TRAITOR Trump and the Russian Mafia whose upper echelon members own many of the apartments in Trump Tower.  Nothing more need be said about that connection when you look at the list of business deals and money laundering schemes which have been perpetrated between these prinicpals. This book seems to be worth the time to read it.  Let me know what you think if you get to it before I do. 

Now we get to the earlier books which I had put on my first Reading List For the Resistance.  Each of these works is also worth your time and the entire list is intended to lay the groundwork for you to fully understand the actions of the TRAITOR Trump and his Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate.  Each of these books was listed here for an important reason.  Read them to understand those reasons.  Your mind and your self-esteem will thank you for it. 

United States Constitution The US Constitution and individual rights will be under attack from the first second the Republicans take control of the US government.  Donald Trump has already, on numerous occasions, stated a desire to restrict freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and all rights of Muslim citizens and immigrants in general.  Every citizen should have a solid understanding of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.  Every citizen should also be willing to stand up and speak out in defense of these basic principles of American Democracy at any time Trump or his generally uneducated, ignorant, and unprincipled followers make attacks on these concepts.  The Capitol Net publishes pocket copies of the Constitution and many other important American political documents which are cheap and easily ordered from their web site.   Capitol Net will actually send you a free pocket copy of the Constitution upon request. Get a copy, read it, study it, understand it, carry it with you wherever you go, and be prepared to confront ignorance about the foundations of American Democracy wherever you encounter it. 

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay Do not ever listen to and accept the opinion of another about what the Founding Fathers thought, intended, or wanted.  Read what they said for yourself and form your own opinion.  

"Mein Kampf" by Adolph Hitler Donald Trump's campaign was a carbon copy of the campaign Hitler used to gain power in Germany.  One of Trump's ex-wives has stated that he kept a copy of Hitler's speeches by his bed.  Many of the same techniques Adolph Hitler used to gain and maintain power are the same being used by Donald Trump today and that use is not accidental.  It is deliberate emulation of Adolph Hitler. 

"Night" by Elie Wiesel This is a classic and powerful personal account of the Holocaust by a Jewish survivor who went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for his work to bring about world peace. And, yes, it can happen here.  Trump has uncovered, nurtured, spread, and encouraged a great deal of hatred already in this country.  With great power, he will do worse.  

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak This is a fictional work about the Holocaust written for adolescent audiences.  But it does an excellent job of informing the reader of how the Nazis spread terror during the Holocaust.  It is well worth reading by the adult reader to learn about how terror is spread by unjust governments.  While this book is fiction, the descriptions of Nazi terrorism in Germany are factually based and quite accurate. 

Black Earth The Holocaust As History And Warning by Timothy Snyder One of the most cogent quotations from history comes from the philosopher George Santayana:  "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."  Donald Trump is backed by a coalition of extremist groups ranging from the Ku Klux Klan to the American Nazi Party.  Trump has consistently refused to condemn them, their ideologies, or their actions.  Here is a link to a great story from Mother Jones about those groups.  Most of the followers of these groups are psychologically very similar to the German citizens who became Hitler's Brown Shirts and SS Troopers.  And the most important thing to remember about the Germans who carried out Adolph Hitler's crimes against humanity is that before Adolph Hitler rose to power those people were considered to be ordinary German citizens just as most of Trump's followers would have us believe they are ordinary American citizens.  This book by Timothy Snyder looks at the Holocaust both as a historical event and as an event that could be repeated if the people of today do not heed the warnings provided by the Holocaust.  This is one of the most important books to have been written in the last 25 years. 

Stubborn Twig: Three Generations In The Life Of A Japanese American Family For those of you who do not believe that anything remotely resembling the crimes of the Holocaust could happen in America, this book is a must read as Donald Trump rises to power after having preached disrespect, disregard, and unconstitutional labeling of groups in America such as the media, Muslims and immigrants.  It details the life of a very successful and patriotic Japanese American family which had their land and property seized during World War II and were sent off to interment camps simply because of their ethnicity.  Yes, it can happen in America and it already has under the administration of one of the greatest American Presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt.  

The Cherokee Removal A Brief History With Documents edited by Theda Perdue & Michael Green  For those of you who have read "Stubborn Twig..." and still find yourselves saying it couldn't happen here, it already has...twice, once to the Japanese Americans and once to the Cherokee.  In many ways, the disrespect that Trump shows to Muslims and immigrants is a lot like the attitude which Andrew Jackson showed the Native Americans.  

The United States Of Appalachia How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture, and Enlightenment To America by Jeff Biggers  This book will teach you a great deal about the birth of American Democracy, especially for those of you who have never heard of the State Of Franklin.  Jeff Biggers will also show you a lot about how a few dedicated citizens can change a country for the better. 

A Nation Defiant Polish Resistance To The German Occupation Of Poland by Richard S. Fuegner  The only way the country will be able to successfully resist, confront, and stop the destruction of American Democracy by Traitor Trump and his henchmen will be by utilizing a committed, determined, and well organized populist resistance.  Such a resistance is forming in America and can win this battle in the long run but that resistance must learn techniques which have been successful in other periods and other places.  This is an excellent book about the Polish resistance and will teach you a lot.

When Even Angels Wept by Lately Thomas During 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin led an effort known as the Communist Witch Hunts which destroyed the lives and careers of many thousand falsely accused Americans.  Senator McCarthy, another classic megalomaniac, led a senate investigation into alleged communism in the country and dragged hundreds and thousands of innocent socially active people in front of the committee where they were pilloried, denigrated, and defamed with little to no evidence in most cases.  Many of these people spent the rest of their lives unemployed, defamed, and in poverty.  But Senator McCarthy was confronted and stopped before he could completely destroy the country and American Democracy.  This is a great book to learn about one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the country and to utilize that knowledge to prevent TRAITOR Trump and his henchmen from perpetrating another such crime.  

I hope every person who reads this post will go on to read at least one of the listed works, especially the United States Constitution, which will be under attack for the next four years by the Republican Party whether or not Donald Trump is successfully prosecuted for treason.  

 “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." Thomas Paine