Carole Simpson

Abortion Rights Under Virulent Attack

Jun 11, 2019 | Reproductive Rights, Something. To. Say., Women | 0 comments

Abortion Rights Under Virulent Attack

I have something to say about the attacks on abortion.

In 1973, we women thought the question of abortion was all settled.  The Supreme Court decided in the Roe v. Wade case that abortion was a matter of privacy and medicine, not politics and religion.

But this year at least nine states have–in quick succession–passed laws severely restricting the rights of women to get an abortion. Other states are trying to do the same.

Why now? Because Donald Trump appointed two conservative justices to the Supreme Court who are likely to be on the side of striking down Roe.  The worst thing about the current fight is that men are behind it. They have no idea what a pregnant woman goes through.  All of those state laws were proposed by white men. That’s because they have the power. What do you think would happen if men got pregnant and didn’t want to have a baby?  You can believe they would make sure it was as easy as pie for men to get abortions.

Ladies and concerned men, you’re going to have to fight the power.

See you next time.

Old Lady Fashion

Jun 4, 2019 | Ageism, Something. To. Say., Women | 0 comments

Old Lady Fashion

I have something to say about fashion.

I was browsing through a women’s magazine and came across an article and photos of what women should be wearing during different decades of their lives. There were clothes for women in their 20’s—very hip, very trendy. For those in their 30’s, really cool casual and workout clothes. For women in their 40’s, the fashions shown were for evening, with short skirts, lots of skin and stiletto heels. And in their 50’s, there were professional clothes, suits and dresses and lovely.

I turned the page and there was nothing else. The article ended—no clothes to look at if you are in you are in your 60’s, 70’s or 80’s. Those age groups seem to be non-existent to the fashion industry.

My son is getting married this year and I went on line looking for a mother of the groom dress.  They were hideous. Evening gowns with jackets in ugly lace designs and gruesome colors like gray, and beige, and dusty rose.  I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those mother’s wedding dresses. I want something in hot pink.

But designers either think we older women don’t want flashy clothes or worse they don’t think we should be seen in them. Well, listen up clothing industry, 20 percent of the population is over 60.  That’s millions and millions of women who need clothes, and will spend millions of dollars to buy them. We are still working and going places, and meeting people, and we want to look good, too.

Chicago Murders

Jun 3, 2019 | Being Black, Gun Violence, Something. To. Say. | 0 comments

Chicago Murders

Hello:  I have something to say about the Chicago shootings and murders.

I grew up on the southside of Chicago, just like Michelle Obama. But now, some of the streets I walked as a child have been dripping with blood. My kind of town is the murder capital among America’s big cities. Every weekend we can hear shocking statistics on the number of shootings and killings, which will get undoubtedly get worse during the warm weather.

The murder rate has gone down over the past two years, but last year there were still 555 people shot dead. The Chicago police say the violence is due to gang warfare.  But a study by the University of Illinois says the high number of homicides is due to race and poverty

You can visit Chicago and see all the sights and conduct business and never see or hear anything related to the murders.  That’s because the crimes are confined to a few scattered neighborhoods on the southside and westside of the city. The residents are mostly black and mostly poor. The shootings are not happening on the Gold Coast, or the enclaves of luxury condos and expensive shopping, or the quiet white ethnic neighborhoods on the northside.

 Do I believe that if the victims were white, more would have been done to stop the killing?  Yes, I do. Do I believe the problem persists because 75 percent of the victims are black?  Yes, I believe that too. It seems black lives still don’t matter that much in Chicago.

Until next time.

Fake News

May 31, 2019 | Journalism, Something. To. Say., The Media, Trump | 0 comments

Fake News

I have something to say about Fake News. I’m sick of hearing “fake news.” The term suggests that what you read and watch in the mainstream media is just made up by journalists. And by mainstream media I mean the long-established newspapers and television networks, like the New York Times, NBC and CNN.

Donald Trump started this fake news drumbeat when news stories were critical of him–his behavior, his policies, and his character. He is trying to make the American people believe that the great news organizations are just making up stuff and you can’t trust ‘em.

Journalists are reporting the hell out of the Trump presidency to inform, you the people, but Trump calls reporters the enemy of the people. Attacking journalists is one of the first tactics used by autocrats to solidify their supreme power. Is that what you want?

The Mueller report said in essence that Trump was the biggest purveyor of fake news using his tweets to lie and mislead the American people. We don’t have division in this country because of fake news, but because we have a fake president.

Chocolate is Good for You

May 28, 2019 | Health, Something. To. Say. | 0 comments

Chocolate is Good for You

Hello everybody. I have something to say about chocolate.

I have been a lifelong chocoholic. When some people get upset about something, they turn to drinking, smoking, taking pills or eating. My drug of choice has always been chocolate. I don’t even have to eat it. Just knowing I have some stashed away is comforting. 

They’ve always said chocolate is bad for you…all the fat, sugar and calories are unhealthy. Now comes a report I’ve been waiting for most of my life. This year no less than the American Heart Association conclusively reported that dark chocolate is packed with nutrients and is high in flavonoids. Flavonoids are anti-oxidants that can lower blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease. 

That’s not all. Dark chocolate can improve cognitive function in old people like me.  Helps your heart and brain? What more could you ask for? But you have to eat dark chocolate with at least 70 percent or more of cacao, that’s the raw chocolate. But we are cautioned to eat the chocolate in moderation. Despite the healthful benefits. It still has lots of calories.

I found out something else. Do you know which candy bar is the most popular all over the world?  It’s Snickers.  Reese’s peanut butter cups came in second. Time for a snack. Hmmm.

Generation Z Needs to Get Woke

May 24, 2019 | Education, Something. To. Say. | 0 comments

Generation Z Needs to Get Woke

Last fall on the first day of class, I asked my 60 freshmen journalism students in what year they were born. One young man shouted out, “2000.” Others nodded in agreement.  2000? I thought, oh my God. This is Generation Z, the vanguard of people born in the second millennium. They will the biggest generation ever.

       While my students were getting settled in their seats, I thought to myself, “They don’t know anything. They haven’t seen anything.”  Well, that’s not fair. They know about technology and social media, celebrities and sports, but they don’t know about America’s history, civics, and the economy… and the perilous times for our democracy. In that respect they are probably not much different from the President.

      Generation Z is made up of entitled children, who grew up with time outs and iPhones, iPads and Fortnite. They probably didn’t hear “no,” very often. And now they come barreling in, and I feel, they’re ill-prepared for the challenges the United States is facing.

     We older generations have a responsibility to help prepare these kids to tackle the problems ahead. We can’t rely on the schools to teach them everything. We can educate them.

     Take your children and grandchildren, as I have, and sit them down and tell them about the past and what the heck is going on today. If you don’t know, look it up. You should know, too. Generation Z is expected to be the smartest generation in history, but what good will that be if all they care about is me, myself and I.

     Until next time.

Not Enough Adjectives

May 20, 2019 | Something. To. Say., Trump | 0 comments

Not Enough Adjectives

Hello Everybody:

I have something to say about adjectives.  Adjectives about Donald Trump. You know what adjectives are…the part of speech that describes a person or a thing.

Adjectives can be positive, like an honest politician. Or they can be negative, like a shithole country, or nasty Meghan Markle. Those negative adjectives were used by Trump. He’s always calling people names: Crooked Hillary…creepy, sleepy Joe Biden. As for himself, he says he’s a stable genius.

Now this man is testing our English. His critics have nearly run out of negative adjectives for his behavior and policies. He has been called everything but a “son of God.” They have been bad adjectives.

You know we may have to go to another language and borrow some. Like Spanish: presidente muy malo, or French, mauvais president; or Russian? plockhoy prezident.

Isn’t it a shame that this is the first President in U.S. history that is so bizarre he is even challenging the English language.

Until next time.