Month: May 2025

MEMORIAL DAY

On May 26 millions of Americans will celebrate Memorial Day.  Traditionally, most of us have viewed MD as a day off from work, part of a three-day weekend, a day to gather with friends and relatives, watch sports, barbecue, go to the beach or pool club, or maybe go away for a mini vacation.  Regardless of the calendar MD is generally considered to be the unofficial start of summer. Wherever you go and whatever you do expect travel delays and crowds. Of course, we don’t like those inconveniences, but they are acknowledged and tolerated as an integral part of the holiday weekend.

According to AAA a record number of people, some 45.1 million, will travel at least 50 miles away from home over Memorial Day weekend. This would surpass the current record of 44 million established in 2005. The majority of travelers (87%) are expected to travel by car. In order to mitigate the prospect of delays AAA recommends traveling before 11 a.m. on Friday and before 2 p.m. on Monday.  Conversely, the worst time to travel is predicted to be between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday. 

A word of warning for drivers. According to Ken Kolosh, a statistics manager at the National Safety Council, Memorial Day weekend is one of the most dangerous periods for traffic accidents. The NSC estimates there will be some 440 traffic fatalities over the holiday weekend this year. Everybody says, “watch out for the other guy.” Don’t be the “other guy.” Drive with extra caution. Don’t become a statistic!

With respect to gas at the pump the good news is that the average price of $3.195 per gallon for regular is lower than last year’s $3.58. The bad news is that typically, the price increases over the course of the Memorial Day weekend, so gas up before you leave. If possible, try not to travel during peak periods. Again, allow extra time to account for delays due to heavy traffic and/or inclement weather. Moreover, whenever and wherever you drive I recommend using your friendly GPS to help you navigate around delays.

Approximately 3.61 million people are expected to travel by air, which would be a 2% increase over last year.  Allow extra time as one can expect the usual heavy crowds, overbooked flights, delays, cancellations and inclement weather. Also, refrain from packing prohibited items in their luggage, which delays the security check-in process. That is common sense, but as they say, “common sense is not always ‘common.’ ” A wise credo is to hope for the best but plan for the worst.

Back to the holiday, itself. How many of us actually stop to ponder the meaning of MD? What does it signify? What is its etymology? Well, I’m glad you asked. Read on and be edified.

According to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs the purpose of MD is to honor veterans who have died in the service of their country.  (Some people confuse it with Veterans’ Day, celebrated in November, which is to honor LIVING veterans for their service.)  MD is celebrated on the final Monday in May, which, as stated above, is May 26 this year.  As I said, it has also evolved into the unofficial start of summer and Opening Day for beaches, pools and vacation homes.

The original name for MD was “Decoration Day.”  The custom of decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers is centuries old.  Its origins are murky, but after the Civil War it became customary to “decorate” soldiers’ graves with flowers as a way to honor those who had died in that war.

Several cities claim to be the birthplace of MD.  Warrenton, Va. claims that the first CW soldier’s grave was decorated there in 1861.  Women began decorating soldiers’ graves in Savannah, Ga. as early as 1862.   Boalsburg, Pa. and Charleston, SC, among others, have also made claims.  NY became the first state to recognize MD as an official holiday in 1873.  In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, NY to be the official birthplace of MD.

The basis of Waterloo’s claim is that in 1865 a group of locals, including a pharmacist, Henry Welles, General John Murray, a CW hero, and a group of other veterans, simply marched to the local cemeteries and decorated the soldiers’ graves with flowers.  What gave Waterloo an edge in the birthplace battle was that Murray was an acquaintance of General John Logan, the general who issued “Logan’s Order,” the proclamation that declared “Decoration Day” should be celebrated annually nationwide.

At first, MD was celebrated on May 30 every year.  The date seems somewhat arbitrary as it was not the anniversary of any famous battle or military event.  Perhaps, it was chosen simply because flowers with which the graves are decorated are in bloom and plentiful at that particular time of the year.  The name, “Decoration Day” was gradually replaced by “MD” beginning in 1882, and in 1887 MD became the official name.  In 1968 the Congress moved the holiday to the last Monday in May.  This annoyed many traditionalists, but the lure of a three-day weekend overcame any objections, and the Monday date has prevailed.

There are some MD traditions worth noting:

  1. Flying the flag at half-staff.

Most of the time one will see the flag flown at half-staff all day; however, technically, this is not proper.  The flag should be raised to the top and then lowered to half-staff.  This is intended to honor those who have died for their country.  At noon, the flag is to be raised again to full staff, where it remains for the rest of the day.  This is to recognize that the deceased veterans’ sacrifices were not in vain.

  1. Poppies.

Poppies have become the official flower of remembrance, declared as such by the American Legion in 1920.  This is derived from WWI and the Battle of Ypres (English pronunciation is “Wipers.”).  Apparently, a proliferation of poppies grew on that battlefield around the soldiers’ graves.  These poppies were featured in a famous poem by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae called “In Flanders Fields.”  This poem caught peoples’ imagination and popularized the custom.

  1. Sporting Events.

No American holiday celebration would be complete without a sports connection. MD weekend features the Indianapolis 500 and the Memorial golf tournament, among others.  Also, until recently there was the traditional Memorial Day MLB baseball doubleheader.  Alas, due to economics, scheduled holiday baseball doubleheaders are all but extinct. 

4. Parades and ceremonies.

There will be parades and ceremonies in virtually every city and town of any size. Washington, DC will feature the National Memorial Day Parade, which will be televised and streamed live nationally and around the world.

CONCLUSION

I hope the foregoing has increased your understanding and appreciation of MD.  As a veteran, myself, I find it most gratifying that, in recent years, most Americans have come to recognize and appreciate the service and sacrifice of our country’s veterans.  I can remember a time (the Vietnam War period) when it wasn’t so.

So, whatever you do this weekend, however you celebrate, try to pause for a moment in honor of the many veterans who have given their lives so that the rest of us can enjoy the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.

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MOTHER’S DAY

Sunday, May 11, most Americans will celebrate Mother’s Day. Notice the singular possessive form of spelling. This is the standard and generally accepted usage. It was the format favored by Anna Jarvis, the acknowledged driving force behind the creation of the holiday, as you will see below, rather than the plural possessive. Her point was that each family should honor “the best mother, yours” rather than all mothers.

MD is celebrated all over the world in some form.  Different countries have their own way of celebrating the day and even celebrate it on different dates.  Some countries have replicated the US traditions – hallmark [or email (tacky)] card, flowers, chocolates, and family outings or gatherings; others have incorporated it into other holidays honoring women or mothers; and in still others, a combination of the two has evolved.

According to The National Restaurant Association based on decades of research MD is the busiest day of the year for restaurants.  Nearly one-half of customers eat out for dinner, but many opt for breakfast, brunch or lunch. The traditional custom is to give mom a break from kitchen duties and take her out to a nice restaurant to celebrate. And why not? Doesn’t she deserve it?

According to a recent poll of some 1,000 Protestant pastors conducted by Lifeway Research MD is the third busiest day for attendance at church behind Christmas and Easter (no surprise there).

In 2024, Americans spent roughly $33.5 billion on Mother’s Day. This spending was considered a near-record. It fell just short of the record $35.7 billion spent in 2023. According to the National Retail Federation the average MD gift cost about $254, a slight decrease from last year’s figure of $274. Why? As political analyst James Carville might say: “It’s the economy, stupid.” According to the website “RetailMeNot” the most popular gifts are greeting cards, flowers (roses and carnations being the most popular), chocolate and gift cards.

As always, traffic on the roads will likely be heavy during the holiday weekend. So, plan to leave early, and use your trusty GPS. Additionally, one can expect the usual delays at the airports and train and bus stations due to weather complications, security concerns and heavy usage.

In the US MD was first celebrated continuously in 1908 when the aforementioned Anna Jarvis held a special memorial for her mother, although some sources credit Julia Howe or Juliet Blakely for celebrating MD in the 1870s.  Ms. Jarvis had been campaigning for the country to recognize a day to honor mothers since 1905 when her mother had passed away.  In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed an official proclamation establishing the second Sunday in May as MD.  It was to be a day to honor mothers and the concept of motherhood and their contributions to society.

Eventually, Ms. Jarvis became disillusioned with the commercialization of the holiday.  By the 1920’s the greeting card, retail, candy and flower industries were all marketing their products aggressively to take advantage of the holiday.  Jarvis strongly advocated that people should demonstrate their love and respect for their mothers through personalized, handwritten letters instead.  Being a person of action she organized protests and threatened boycotts of these industries.  At one point, she was arrested for disturbing the peace at a candy manufacturers’ convention.

Despite her efforts, commercialization of the day has continued to grow.  Americans, in particular, tend to demonstrate their love in tangible, material ways through the giving of gifts.  According to a recent National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, 84% of U.S. adults plan to celebrate MD this year.

As I stated, MD is celebrated in many countries in different ways and at different dates. For example:

1. The most common date is the second Sunday in May, which is May 11 this year. Beside the US, some of the countries that celebrate it on this date are Canada, Italy, the Peoples Republic of China and Turkey.

2. Some countries, such as the UK, Ireland and Nigeria, celebrate it on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The UK incorporated it into a previously existing holiday called “Mothering Sunday,” which dates from the 16th Century.

3. Many Arab countries, such as Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia celebrate it on the vernal equinox (March 20 in 2025). (For those of you who do not remember your astronomy, an equinox happens when the sun’s rays are directly over the equator, resulting in approximately equal hours of daylight and darkness.)

4. Russia used to celebrate MD on March 8 in conjunction with International Women’s Day, but in 1998 the date was changed, by law, to the last Sunday in November.

5. Bolivia celebrates it on May 27, which is the date of an historically significant battle in which women played a key role.

6. Since 1950 France has celebrated MD on the fourth Sunday in May, except when the date conflicts with Pentecost in which case it is delayed to the next Sunday.

7. Hindus celebrate MD on the new moon day in the month of Baisakh (April/May).

CONCLUSION

As I said, MD is one of the few truly internationally-recognized holidays.  One of the charming features of the day is the variety of ways and dates on which it is celebrated.  This is derived from the differences in customs and cultures around the world.

One thing is certain now and will remain so prospectively: on this day the mother/wife is truly in charge.  Men, remember the adage “happy wife, happy life.”

Finally, men, all together now, let’s repeat the two-word mantra for a successful marriage:

“YES, DEAR!”

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HARVARD’S SHAMEFUL ANTISEMITIC CULTURE EXPOSED

In the last year or so I have published various blogs regarding Harvard University’s longstanding and well-entrenched antisemitic culture, both overt and covert, which dates back at least to the early 20th century. This was minimized or ignored by most of the media and the federal government until the current administration. To be fair, Harvard is not by any means the sole perpetrator; many other universities are guilty as well. However, for purposes of brevity I will focus this blog on Harvard.

Recently, this long-festering problem has come to a head. I attribute this primarily to two events: (1) the plethora of vitriolic and malevolent protests on campus incited by the far left and foreign radical groups and (2) the election of Donald Trump. The aforementioned protests have been excessive on many levels. The civil rights of Jewish students are being routinely violated. They have been subjected to intimidation, ridicule and violence in the classroom, in the dorms, and on campus and have generally been obstructed from pursuing the college education to which they are entitled and for which they have paid.

In Trump we finally have a president who has the mandate and the will to address and resolve this problem. This is one of the problems he campaigned to address and was elected to address. He has various powers at his disposal to compel these universities to cease and desist, and they know he will use them. More on this later. As we all know Trump says what he means and means what he says.

The university’s current president, Alan Garber seems to be trying to address this problem. As reported in the NY Post and various other media outlets recently the university commissioned two task forces comprised of both students and faculty, to conduct a thorough and objective analysis of antisemitic, anti-Isreal and anti-Muslim/Palestinian bias. They interviewed over 500 members of the “Harvard community.”

Their recently published reports are particularly damning. According to the Post they opined that “decades of woke activism have destroyed Harvard University and turned it into a cesspool of antisemitism.” They cited as examples “cruel and hateful posts” with respect to Jews, Israel and the Holocaust. Furthermore, some protesters unveiled a poster of Garber, who is Jewish, featuring “devil horns and a tail.”

Moreover, the studies contended that Harvard has “failed to live up to its mission including stifling diversity of thought and denying historical facts to prop up activist political agendas.” One faculty member told a Wall Street Journal reporter anonymously that if the current culture remained unresolved satisfactorily it could “pose an existential threat” [to the university].

The reports denoted that some members of the faculty are as biased as the protesters. These biases are routinely manifested in their lectures. For example, it was reported that one professor asserted that the Jewish people have “no historical connection” to Israel,” which is not only historically inaccurate but also grossly inflammatory. Other faculty members were linked to pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian advocacy groups.

Conclusion

As stated above President Trump has a variety of remedies at his disposal. For instance, he has frozen some $2.2 billion in federal grants due to HU. (According to published reports the federal government provides Harvard with some $9 billion of federal contracts, and grants annually.) Additionally, the university enjoys a tax-exempt status.

Today’s NY Post reported that Trump intends to make good on his threats. He announced that he intends to strip HU of its tax-exempt status on the grounds that it is not in compliance with the requirements of it pursuant to the tax code, namely it is failing to operate in the “public interest,” and it is failing to “operate exclusively for public educational purposes.”

These actions will likely be challenged in the courts, but nevertheless the message to HU and other universities is clear. The established order is unacceptable, has no place in our educational system, and will no longer be tolerated. Trump was elected to root out bias in our educational system, and he intends to do just that. Academia would be wise to take him seriously.

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FIRST 100 DAYS

The term “First 100 Days” was conceived by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 as a benchmark to evaluate his administration’s progress in implementing the much-ballyhooed “New Deal.” As some of you will recall from history the ND was his key campaign slogan, his plan to lift the country out of the Great Depression. It focused on three key areas: relief for the unemployed and impoverished, economic recovery, and reforms to the financial system to prevent another depression.  Over time we have come to recognize the first 100 days as an arbitrary benchmark to evaluate a president’s tenure. I believe it is useful, to some degree, but it is important to realize that some of an incoming president’s policies will take months or even years to bear fruit. Nevertheless, in my view Trump has accomplished more during this period than any other president.

Wednesday, April 29 marked the 100th day of President Trump’s second term. How has he done? Has he implemented the policies for which he was elected? Please read on for my observations and opinions.

  1. The Trump Administration hit the ground running. He had a mandate and a plan, and he wasted no time to begin implementing it. The same has been true for his cabinet appointees, all of whom have been most effective. According to CBS News in the first 100 days he has signed 142 executive orders, the most of any president.
  2. The Trump Administration has been the most transparent of any in history. He has given dozens of interviews many of which last for an hour or more during which he has answered every question often extemporaneously. Many of his cabinet meetings have been televised. Contrast this with the opaqueness of the Biden presidency where Joe would remain sequestered for days on end and then answer prearranged fluff questions, such as his favorite flavor of ice cream, from prechosen reporters, often incoherently.
  3. Any objective analysis of Trump’s accomplishments must recognize the impact of the intense negative and mendacious media coverage, which, reality, has plagued him since he began his first presidential campaign.
  4. For example, the latest polls published by the Media Research Center have reported that 92% of the media coverage by three of the major tv networks – ABC, CBS and NBC – has been negative. Even though the media’s credibility has been in sharp decline it is inevitable that this one-sided coverage would affect the public’s viewpoint to some degree. For example, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll twice as many people opined that President Trump deserves a grade of “F” rather than an “A” for how he’s handled his first 100 days in office. This would be among the worst first 100 days rating for any president. However, I have seen many other pols and opinions that strongly endorse his many accomplishments and assert the country is on the “right track.” So far, Trump’s legion of fans has been sticking with him.
  5. Trump’s greatest achievement has been reasserting control of our southern border, which has resulted in a 55% approval rate. By any objective measure the border is the most secure it has ever been.
  6. Trump has made us feel safe and secure again. We are now respected by our allies and feared by our enemies.
  7. Homeland Security and ICE have been rounding up and deporting illegals at a massive rate. We don’t really know how many entered the country under the Biden-Harris open border policy of the last four years, nor their intentions nor where they are. Estimates run as high as 20 million. In addition, tragically we have “lost” some 500,000 children many of whom are likely being “trafficked.”
  8. The initial deportee groups include criminals, traffickers of illegal drugs such as fentanyl, and other undesirables. They have been the priority and deservedly so, but the plan is eventually to also address other groups. According to ICE, to date, it has deported nearly 66,000 illegals and arrested some 66,000 more, 75% of which have pending criminal charges or convictions.
  9. It should be noted that this effort has been hindered to some degree by some far-left district judges whose overly zealous rulings have exceeded their legal authority, and Dem congresspersons and most notably Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen who have advocated for an MS13 gang member who is a convicted murderer (of a Maryland citizen, no less, that Van Hollen conveniently ignores) and wife beater who had been ordered deported on two separate occasions by two different judges.
  10. Border encounters have been down 93%, crossings 99% and “gotaways” 95%.
  11. Perhaps, his biggest criticism has been with respect to his tariff policy. He has aggressively sought to reverse what he has characterized as a well-entrenched, longstanding, inequitable trade system whereby other countries have been charging us high tariffs, which have impeded our ability to export products. There are many egregious examples of this. His oft-stated goal is to create an equitable playing field by equalizing tariffs. A corollary goal is to encourage foreign-based businesses to relocate to the US to create jobs.
  12. These tariff policies have hollowed out many of our key our industries to the point where we now manufacture virtually nothing. This presents a potentially existential threat to the US should there be a war or another COVID-like disaster that interrupts our supply chain of necessary imports. We could be at the mercy of our enemies, particularly China. (To quote acerbic Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, “The Lord made the earth in seven days. Everything else is made in China.”) Over 100 countries have been lobbying Trump to make tariff deals, but negotiations are complicated. This is one of the policies that will take some time to bear fruit. Eventually, they should work to our benefit, but there has been some short-term pain.
  13. He has facilitated the return of 26 Americans who were being held hostage in foreign countries.
  14. He has been getting inflation under control. Due to the Biden Administration’s wild, irresponsible spending the Consumer Price Index for all items rose 2.9 percent from December 2023 to December 2024. The CPI reported a 2.4% increase for March, a six-month low, and for the next few years most predictions forecast a gradual return to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. 
  15. He has commenced drilling for oil with the intent of creating jobs and making us energy independent again.
  16. The financial markets have been fluctuating wildly, which has caused angst among investors, but I believe one should trust that the long-term prognosis is positive.
  17. He created the DOGE to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.
  18. Perhaps, the most critical task, however, will be to extend the 2017 “Trump Tax cuts” which are set to expire this year. Congress hopes to include this in its “one big, beautiful bill.” An extension would likely result in a massive tax cut, which, like all tax cuts, would probably provide a substantial boost to the economy. If not, the country will likely suffer a huge tax hike which could lead to a recession and a decisive defeat in the 2026 mid-term elections. In my opinion this bill holds the key to Trump’s economic policy and perhaps his presidency.
  19. He has begun to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions that have insisted on harboring illegals in defiance of federal law.
  20. He is cracking down on colleges who have failed to rectify the rampant and blatant antisemitism on their campuses.
  21. He is curtailing DEI and wokeism and eliminating transgender men invading women’s safe spaces and competing against them in sports.
  22. All that said, Trump’s most significant and long-lasting achievement may be that he has maneuvered the Dems into advocating for the wrong side of every significant issue that the voters care about. This is because the Dems simply are unable to support ANY policy or issue that Trump has advocated, even if it is obvious and makes common sense.
  23. Thus, the public perceives that they favor criminals over victims, illegal aliens over citizens, open borders over closed borders, radical Muslim terrorists over Israel and Jews, government fraud, waste and abuse over government efficiency, foreign workers over American workers, and America last over America first to name a few examples.

Conclusion

As I have said in previous blogs the Dems are in disarray. Six months after the election they still have not figured out how and why they lost so decisively. In my view until they do so they will not be able to win a national election again. They are allowing themselves to be dominated by the party’s far-left wing. They are woefully out of touch with the voters. The party’s favorability rating in most polls is in the 20th percentile. Senate Majority Leader Chuck (the “Chameleon”) Schumer’s approval rating is a well-deserved 15%, and he is in danger of being ousted by the radical AOC in his next election.

They make speeches and tv singalong commercials that are inane and nothing short of buffoonery. They are unable or unwilling to offer cogent alternatives to Trump’s policies. All they do is criticize and spew hatred and divisiveness. They have become the Party of “no.” This is not a sustainable strategy in the long-term.

Has Trump’s tenure been perfect? No. Have some of his policies caused some concern? Of course. However, we elected him decisively to do a job, which is to fix what ails the country. I say give him a chance. Love him or hate him, there is one undeniable truth; he means what he says and says what he means.

Remember, 100 days is just an arbitrary benchmark. He deserves more than 100 days to accomplish what needs to be done, to undo the damage of the last four years, a lot more.

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