Author: Jack

Ron DeSantis has written and published the obligatory book for a Presidential candidate. He calls it The Courage to be Free. I read the book with interest, but this article for Jack’s Journal is not a book review. Instead, it’s what I think and feel about the author after reading his I’m-running-for-President book. He’s smart, … Continue reading DeSantis: Courage to be Free

In the 1980’s. I went on Sabbatical Leave from UMass to GE Research Labs. The goal was to study artificial intelligence (AI) for Engineering Design. Fortunately for me I was steered to a brilliant scientist at GE who was also interested in the idea. We collaborated for a year, wrote a couple of seminal publications, … Continue reading AI – Old and New

White police attacks on young black men are common, and are surely racist. But now we have a black man brutally beaten to death by five black policemen. Some (e.g., Rev Al Sharpton) are saying that’s racist, too, but that doesn’t make sense. Racism has to do with different skin colors and/or different cultures; the … Continue reading Racism, Sociopathy, or Emotions?

Before the recent mid-term election, there was talk by Democrats, including Barack Obama and President Biden, about the possibility of the U.S. losing its democracy. Since the election went well enough, it appears we haven’t lost it yet. (By the way, even though Democrats claim victory, they lost the election. They didn’t lose as bad … Continue reading Will We Lose Our Democracy?

Most people love to gamble, and everybody hates taxes. So when I say the lottery is a tax, albeit voluntary, it creates mixed emotions. How dare I criticize the beloved lottery? I dare because the lottery is an unfair bet, and because the lotteries promote themselves by talking about all the money they give to … Continue reading State Lotteries – A Voluntary Tax

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said that December 7, 1941, would be a “date which will live in infamy.” Indeed, the date of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, where they bombed and sunk most of the United States Navy, has lived on in our memories. And now … Continue reading Another Date That Will Live in Infamy

Democrats are feeling their oats. They won! Warnock defeated Walker in Georgia, Fetterman defeated Oz in Pennsylvania, Hobbes defeated Lake in Arizona, Dems have 51 seats in the Senate, and so on. Never mind that they lost the House of Representatives . . . In their euphoria, however, the Dems are delusional. Never mind that … Continue reading Who is Listening to Them?

President Joe Biden has a lot of problems on his plate. You know them: (1) Putin and the war in Ukraine; (2) Inflation and the possibility of recession; (3) The midterm and the 2024 elections; (4) Taiwan and China; (5) climate change and energy; and (6) If Republicans win, they will likely impeach him. There … Continue reading Biden and Energy

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, my wife and I (and our seven-year-old) did what we could to prepare for disaster. There wasn’t much – stock up on food and water, fill the car with gas, create a makeshift shelter in the basement. We were mightily scared, but the scariest times in the Crisis … Continue reading Where Are the Peacemakers?

Part I - Who Is Donald Trump? Though a lot is known about Donald Trump and how he operates, not a lot is being done with that knowledge. For example, we know Trump counter-punches. When Biden made a big speech about how Trump and his MAGA followers are dangerous for democracy, Trump comes back with … Continue reading Trump and the Trumpers