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CNN has called Donald Trump “presidential” in the wake of his cruise missile attack on Syria. Fareed Zachariah, on CNN’s “New Day” said on Friday: “I think Donald Trump became president of the United States last night, I think this was actually a big moment.”

FOX called the missile strike a “success”, and other FOX headlines read: “Russia Condemns Attack”, and ” A Russian Battle Ship heads Toward Navy Destroyers that Launched Attack”.

How easily manipulated is the press? Very. This missile strike was orchestrated to for theatrics. It was an intentionally ineffectual empty political gesture that left: a cafeteria damaged, a training unit damaged, fueling units damaged, minimal damage to 6 already damaged airplanes. The main airstrip remains intact, (as shown below), and troops were mercifully left uninjured, thanks to receiving advance notice of the attack from Donald Trump.

This reporting of the missile attack is propaganda spoonfed…

As I listened to one celebrity after another pay tribute to the recently deceased golfer, Arnold Palmer, yesterday afternoon, I recalled my own brief encounter with this legend of the links.

For Christmas one year I’d purchased club house passes for Studly Doright and my dad to Arnie’s Bay Hill tournament in Orlando, FL. We lived in Melbourne, FL, at the time, so we were only an hour away from the course. I have to confess that when I purchased the tickets a part of me was secretly hoping that I’d get to attend at least one day of the tournament. As it happened I ended up using the passes more than Studly and Daddy did.

Now, I’m not a golfer. I’m the furthest thing from a golfer anyone could possibly imagine. But I grew up watching the great golfers on television with my dad, and Arnold Palmer almost seemed…

The only true sunlight came late today. And it lasted only minutes.

I tried to shake off last night’s news but the images of limp, choking babies being hosed down by the adults trying to save their lives stuck with me. The babies were like toys in the news, ornaments for commentary otherwise preoccupied by lies. The babies aren’t lies. They are real.

But they are other people’s babies. It’s important to remember that. It wasn’t our babies who were gassed.

Our babies were shot, mowed down by a man with an assault rifle while they were at school, safe with their teachers.

Last night, we watched as a favorite female news commentator nearly teared up after the film of injured and murdered Syrian children ran.

“She’s really upset,” I said to my husband.

“She has children,” he answered.

Yes, I thought to myself. She has children. Probably around the…

I am tempted to use my whiteness as a weapon.

Why? Because I know it would probably work. Why not? Because it’s contrary to my beliefs, undercuts people who aren’t white, and buys into and reinforces white privilege.

I could weaponize my white privilege in a current situation that actually is of great import to me. The powers that be don’t know I’m white but if they did, their responses would be different, more energetic, more conscious and accommodating. If I was in the room when they realized that I’m white, I’d see the shift on their faces. I guarantee it. Being white is worth a dozen lawyers.

Years ago, one of my teenage Nicaraguan sons was in a car accident on the freeway. He and his friends were safe but the owner of the other car, a white man, was pounding on the hood of my son’s car, screaming…