Shameless self-aggrandizement department: By the time you read this, dear reader, The Chas will have observed a major milestone. To wit: the big 8-0. How he got to this point in his life, he cannot say. The big 8-0 seemed to have sneaked up on him while his attention was
One in a continuing series Concerning the further adventures of PFC Chas: The Third Armored Medical Company, a.k.a. the “Third Herd,” in the land of door handles (Germany) was logistically a MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) unit, but we never performed similar to a MASH unit. We were too busy
Tear it down! That seems to be the rallying cry across these United States (or is it these “Untied States”?) in a loud and clear voice against white supremacy. Most of the action is taking place east of the Mississippi River where white supremacy once held sway in the Southeast.
June 28, 2020Dear editor; Charles Coddington wrote an opinion piece in The Voice June 18 edition. In it he asserted, without any facts or supporting documentation, that the following “has failed us”: Our Federal government; our electoral system; our health care system; our law enforcement system; our education system; our
Police brutality is a fact of life. It has been around ever since police agencies were created to enforce the laws and to protect the citizens from criminal activity. In every nation-state, in every era, one will find numerous instances of how ill-trained police officers enforced the laws, sometimes inventing
All of America is anxious to get back to the way things were before the pandemic struck. Alas! we can’t go back. We mustn’t go back, because the way things were created the failures which the coronavirus (COVID-19) rudely exposed. Strange as it may seem, the virus did us an
Australia. Germany. New Zealand. South Korea. Sweden. Taiwan. These are some of the countries which have gained a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic and are cautiously re-opening businesses, recreational venues, and government buildings. How did they do it? Their leaders recognized the seriousness of the virus early on and took
Disclaimer: This essay contains information gleaned from the website of the Organic Consumers Association (www.organicconsumers.org/blog/murder-most-foul). Dr. Anthony Fauci, a face and voice of Donald Trump Administration’s war on the coronavirus, (COVID-19) is in a state of denial. He, and the medical establishment, have refuted the theory that the virus was
Psalm 23, revised: My diet is my shepherd; I shall not be sick. It maketh me to seek out healthy foods; it leadeth me to the proper combinations. It restoreth my body; it leadeth me in the path of veganism for my health’s sake. Yea, though I walk through valley
A progressive report: • December 2019: The coronavirus (COVID-19) is a hoax, said by our accidental president, fostered by the Democratic Party to sabotage his re-election bid. • January 2020: The coronavirus will pass quickly, said our accidental president, and everyone can maintain a normal routine. • February 2020: The
When last we read about PFC Chas, he was just settling in at his new post, the Third Armored Medical Company, a.k.a. the “Third Herd,” in Nuremberg, Germany. And, by “settling in,” I mean making sense of it all. What does a MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) do in peace
“Illinois’ convoluted and broken property tax system has been driving the high cost of living that’s pushing families and businesses out of our State. Despite the fact that homeowners have been crying desperately for relief, Democrats last year failed to produce any significant action,” said Republican State representative Deanne Mazzochi
From the vault, November 13, 2014, revised: Swine flu. Asian bird flu. West Nile disease. Remember the hue-and-cry over these threats to public health? Whatever happened to them? They seem to have disappeared off of our radar. But, wait! There’s a new, even more deadly, threat on our radar. It’s
Stolp Avenue, Aurora, part three: Part two is available at thevoice.us/aurora-hotel-and-leland-tower-start-early-days-on-stolp In 1964, Stolp Avenue and Island Avenue downtown were conjoined into one street (Stolp), and all of the addresses changed to either North or South Stolp with Galena Boulevard as the zero point. Before listing any new businesses, I’ll
It’s all over, but the shouting in the impeachment, and that is taking place and will continue to take place. The shouting will be from our accidental president, Donald Trump’s proclaiming, “I’ve been completely exonerated! Not guilty! I did nothing wrong!” These will be his opening remarks at all of
The primary election season is almost upon us, and the political parties are gearing up to seize/keep the office of the president of the United States in their clutches. One party already has its candidate; the other has multiple contenders jostling with each other. A number of issues have been
It’s déjà vu all over again, as baseball great, Yogi Berra, used to say. 2002: The George W. Bush administration requested Afghanistan to surrender Osama bin Laden so that he might stand trial for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. The Taliban-dominated government in Kabul responded
From the vault – December 12, 2013 (revised): A response to Donna Crane’s column of December 19, 2019, Unplugging one day each week a salute for stress 24/6. Once upon a time, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were separate events. Now, however, they are connected to each other by an economic
In 1937, Mr. William Randolph Hearst, newspaper-publishing tycoon, appeared before a committee of the U.S. Congress and requested that it introduce a bill prohibiting the growing, selling, and distribution of hemp. He was very disingenuous in his arguments because the hemp plant produced cannabis, a.k.a marijuana, which, he claimed, was
Thinking-out-loud department: • Donna Crane’s recent column about women in government in America got me to thinking deep thoughts. Here’s one thought to explain why there are such low numbers of women in government. Sociologically, the United States is stuck in the 19th Century. Men ruled the roost, and women
