The Unclad Soul

President Obama’s speech last night on temporary immigration reform was excellent. He was poised, determined and intelligent. He was our nation’s leader; the one many of us have been waiting for these last few years to show real courage. The executive action he will enact is compassionate, sensible, and humane. It does not go far enough for me, but at least, finally, something tangible is being done to address the millions of undocumented living and working in our country, many of them for years.  The Republican’s freak out over this is silly and so over the top it borders on cartoonish. They know they have royally messed up. In spite of their recent election victories they have failed and lost. For now and forevermore the Latino community in this country will be grateful to President Obama, and those Democrats who have supported him in this, for actually doing something to legitimately include them in our society. This nonsense from Republicans that the president’s action has “po...

In the musical movie, “Oliver,” a crowd of orphaned boys march into the workhouse mess hall of the grimy orphanage they live in, singing: “ Is it worth the waiting for? If we live 'til eighty four All we ever get is gruel! Every day we say our prayer -- Will they change the bill of fare? Still we get the same old gruel! There's not a crust, not a crumb can we find, Can we beg, can we borrow, or cadge, But there's nothing to stop us from getting a thrill When we all close our eyes and imagine Food, glorious food! The boys march in line one by one and are each given a bowl of grey mush. They orderly seat themselves at a heavy wooden table. A grim-faced burly man dressed smartly in a colorful Napoleon outfit steps forward and prays, “May what you receive make you truly thankful!” After Oliver gulps the gruel he’s still starving. He dares to walk to the front to ask for more food. The burly man screams and Oliver is chased about the room by old skinny grey h...