Margin of Error

A great man, the statesman and civil rights activist Rep John Lewis has died.

"He once described an incident when, as a young man, he was beaten bloody by members of the Ku Klux Klan after attempting to enter a "white waiting room. Many years later, in February of '09, one of the men that had beaten us came to my Capitol Hill office -- he was in his 70's, with his son in his 40's -- and he said, 'Mr. Lewis, I am one of the people who beat you and your seat mate'" on a bus, Lewis said, adding the man said he had been in the KKK. "He said, 'I want to apologize. Will you accept my apology?'"After accepting his apology and hugging the father and son, the three cried together, Lewis remembered. 'It is the power in the way of peace, the way of love," Lewis said. "We must never, ever hate. The way of love is a better way.'" -- CNN

The son of sharecroppers, he marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and served 17 terms in Congress.

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From a man who believed in the power of love to one who preaches hate. Trump's contention that "nobody" could have foreseen that the Covid-19 disaster has been revealed to have been simply another lie.

"Former Trump administration economist Todas Philipson said on Friday that his team alerted the White House about the dangers of a looming pandemic outbreak about three months before Covid-19 is believed to have made its way into the United States...(His) report warned a pandemic disease could kill as many as half a million Americans and cause up to $3.79 trillion in damage to the U.S. economy." (CNN)

Then there is this:

"The official portraits of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were removed from the Grand Foyer of the White House within the last week...and replaced by those of two Republican presidents who served more than a century ago...The portrait of former President Barack Obama is not expected to be unveiled for a formal ceremony during Trump's first term." (CNN)

And a frightening report from OPB:

"Federal law enforcement officers have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland and detain protesters since at least July 14. Personal accounts and multiple videos posted online show the officers driving up to people, detaining individuals with no explanation of why they are being arrested, and driving off.

"The tactic appears to be another escalation in federal force deployed on Portland city streets, as federal officials and President Donald Trump have said they plan to “quell” nightly protests outside the federal courthouse and Multnomah County Justice Center that have lasted for more than six weeks."

That's three news reports to ruin your breakfast. My apologies.

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The average relationship now lasts two years and nine months, according to Google. Getting over the average relationship, however, can take decades. The margin for error here is roughly two years, nine months, plus or minus.

Roughly 48.2 percent of Americans are married, but about 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce, according to Google.

If you tossed a coin, same odds.

But...

...into this cynical, depressing moment of time, a little light can bring some hope. My happy news is that I have just learned that I have a grandchild on the way. (S)he is due next spring.

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