Here are this week's topics: the Xeric Way hawk; who in America will lead?; who is leading Labour in Great Britain?; the new Prime Minister; the Kasich alternative; America's shame list; race in America; Cleveland, Philadelphia, & technology; national disorder; a final uplifting story; the weekly Optimist section.

Hawk here.  The daily blog by David Hawkings in Roll Call, is appropriately titled, "Hawings Here." Meanwhile, here at home, the recently arrived red tail hawk continues its nest building activity. Our neighbor to the east and his young son have been altered and now have their binoculars close-at-hand on the back deck.

A leader needed. Last Tuesday conservative columnist Michael Gerson asked, "In our moment of division, who will lead?" Indeed. For all his oratory skills, the president's laments about recurring violence are becoming passé. Gerson remembers, "On April 4, 1968 — the day that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by a sniper — Robert Kennedy gave (arguably) one of the greatest American speeches not given by a president...[He] quoted Aeschylus on the wisdom that comes “drop by drop” from pain, and set out the ideal of a politics that could 'make gentle the life of this world.' ”
     Gerson continues, "Our country is less riven than in 1968, but our [current] leaders are not as skilled, at least when it comes to rhetoric....[I]t would be nice if politicians did not immediately fall into partisan ruts, or post Facebook banalities." Alas, this generation's RFK, if it has one, is strangely quiet.
     Washington Post columnist, Kathleen Parker, thinks that perhaps one of the best leaders might be an insider who is outside the political system, namely Dallas police chief, David Brown.

The People's Labour Party (PLP) in Great Britain. You may have thought the British political scene was a bit like ours: relatively uncomplicated, two political parties slugging it out, toe--to-toe. But, of course, we know that is not that simple, the systems on both sides of the pond are becoming ever more complicated. Here it is the Republicans with their Tea Party and Trump-backers, plus the ill-defined, amorphous "Never Trump" group. The Democrats confront their own equally vague "progressive" element.
     So, too, it seems that the Brits have not only their now-conventional Conservative and Labour establishments, but also the Labour Parliamentary Party, their upfront left-wing parliamentary equivalent of our more stealthily named, right-wingers, the Tea Party.

A new Lady in the House. The House of Commons, that is. Theresa May is now the leader of the Conservative party and Great Britain's new Prime Minister. She joins the ranks of twenty-two women leading nations on five continents. Does that number surprise? None yet in North America, but stay tuned.

The Trump alternative. Gordon Humphrey, former Republican governor of NH, believes that former OH governor John Kasich is the last and only obstacle to Donald Trump's nomination. Senator Humphrey's column succinctly presents the thoughts and fears of those who oppose Trump.

America's Shame List. Last Thursday Denver Post columnist, Greg Dobbs  noted that far too often one place name revives memories of shame: Columbine. Virginia Tech. Aurora. Newtown. San Bernardino, Orlando, Dallas, and yet again Baton Rouge. Seventeen years with little action and the continuing common theme: "a crazy guy with a gun." And, as for the NRA's assertion that the only defense is a "good guy with a gun," how do you explain Dallas where there were more than a few "good guys with guns" in the immediate vicinity? 

Canis latrans, aka coyote. This Christian Science Monitor review examines Dan Flores's book,  Coyote America, a survey of the long, long coyote - human relationship. Coyotes are now found in all fifty states, in cities and suburbs, as well as wild-America. Flores's research has found references indicating that these uniquely adaptable animals "prowled the side­-streets of Aztec cities like Tenochtitlan 600 years ago, much as they now prowl the side­-streets of Cape Cod and NYC's Central Park. He also notes as urban America has eliminated its Canis familiaris (stray dog) problem, the coyotes have moved in to fill the vacuum. Cautiously guard your small dog and the family cat.

Race in America, bluntly put. The Washington Post headline for Stacey Patton's recent column is pointedly blunt: "We don't need Lincoln-inspired racial 'unity.' We need whites to stop being racist." Her summation of Lincoln's views on race and are sure to upset many. She takes Hillary Clinton to task for talking about racial unity.
     Rather, "...talk of unity, reconciliation and restoring trust is a diversion from the raw, ugly, excruciatingly painful work of addressing the systemic racism that is tearing our nation apart." She quotes MLK, Jr., “The thing wrong with America is white racism. … It’s time for America to have an intensified study on what’s wrong with white folks.”
     Ms. Patton quotes Lincoln, speaking to a group of freed slaves in Richmond, Virginia: "Although you have been deprived of your God-given rights by your so-called masters, you are now as free as I am, and if those that claim to be your superiors do not know that you are free, take the sword and bayonet and teach them that you are.” She then asks, "Are white Americans ready to embrace the Lincoln who said this?"
     Ms. Patton, an African American, is an assistant professor of multi-media journalism at Maryland's Morgan State University.

Political conventions, technology, and violence. Presidential historian and author, Tevi Troy, writes of the early travel/communications limitations that gave birth to political conventions and how our evolving technology has continually changed them. It is an interesting historical read. Troy writes, "The upshot is that smartphones and social media may very well exacerbate floor fights, as warring party factions use their ability to connect directly with delegates to try to lure candidates to their preferred positions."
      These changes generally benefited leading candidates and their parties, though the first convention was held in 1831 by the Anti-Masonic gathering in Baltimore. This summer's conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia will give evidence of this ongoing technological process. As the public saw recently with the Periscope broadcasting of the Democrats’ sit-in on the House floor, those in charge no longer have the ability to choose what people see. Yes, House Speaker Ryan could turn off C-Span, but.....then there were all those members with their smart phones!
      Strangely, this make make for boring, disjointed TV coverage. On the positive (?) side, it will mean the networks' coverage which depends on advertising $$$ will have a devil of a time. "As the World Turns," "Judge Judy," and the usual evening's bill of fare may well outperform the convention coverage.

Disorder. Colbert King: "[Like it or not,] regrettably this national disorder is who we are." (emphasis added)

Baltimore, Cal Ripken, and Earle 'Jock' Freedman. In this moving op-ed remembrance, Adam Neuman, Mr. Freeman's grandson, remembers both Ripken and Freedman as symbols of Baltimore's steadfast, resilient character.

The Optimist. If you would enjoy a weekly dose of uplifting news in these trying times, subscribe to the Washington Post's Optimist section. 

Thank you for reading. Have a good week and brace yourself for the next onslaught of convention hoopla from Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.