I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

storytelling for truth lovers

  • Hail to the Chief!

    Hail to the Chief!


    (A/P photo/Carolyn Kaster)

    When the Fort Jackson military band played the first notes of “Hail to the Chief” indicating the entrance of President Joe Biden to the Smith Hammond Middleton Memorial Center at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg this morning, I was surprised to feel tears rolling down my cheeks as I watched him enter to deliver the commencement address to the 128 member graduating class. I’m not sure what moved me – I think I must feel sorry for this elderly white man who is trying so hard to do good for so many. And yet, recent polls indicated his popularity with the American people is a dismal 36%. I’ve always been part of a minority; maybe that’s why I cried.

    The Covid pandemic rages again with new twists and turns and more than 800,000 deaths in this country, vaccinations have become political punching bags, Americans may not get all they want for Christmas (and if they do it will cost more), gasoline prices spiked, black lives really don’t matter to police, workers are hard to hire because they are insisting on a decent wage which trickles down like a Reagan economic theory, the Senate is up to its ass in alligators who have forgotten their initial objective was to drain the swamp, January 6th. insurrectionists who attempted to overthrow American democracy are being released on their own recognizance and allowed to leave the country without supervision by judges who support the Big Lie, voting rights are assailed in every state and oh yeah, Russian autocratic president Putin has sent an army of 94,000 out of a projected 175,000 troops to the Ukrainian border to possibly invade in early 2022…to name a few of the problems President Biden has wrestled with in 2021.

    With these overwhelming concerns, what was this President doing in our state today giving a commencement address at a relatively small HBCU in a relatively smaller town 47 miles south of Columbia? The answer is his friendship with Congressman Jim Clyburn who resurrected Biden’s candidacy in the South Carolina Democratic Primary that made him the frontrunner and ultimately the party’s choice for its presidential nomination in 2020. President Biden can thank Representative Clyburn for his desk in the Oval Office of the White House if he has time to catch his breath, and today he did just that.

    Six decades ago a twenty-one year old young man from Sumter, South Carolina graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from the only publicly funded Black college in the state – now known as South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. His name was James Enos Clyburn, and he currently serves as the Majority Whip for the US House of Representatives where he has been a Democratic member since 1993.

    Jim Clyburn graduated from the HBCU in December, 1961 at a time when the college only held graduation ceremonies in the spring so his diploma was mailed to him. When spring rolled around in 1962, Clyburn was already teaching in Charleston and married to his wife Emily who he met while attending State. Both Jim and Emily Clyburn never forgot where they were from or where they attended college.

    Apparently sixty years later, though, Clyburn still wanted “to walk.” But on this occasion while his family watched, his diploma was presented to him by his friend Joe Biden, the President of the United States of America. In his introductory remarks, Rep. Clyburn recalled the parting advice his wife of 58 years gave to him before her death in September, 2019: if we want to win the White House in 2020, Joe Biden must be our party’s nominee.

    Hail to the Chief Joe and Hail to his friend Jim during this holiday season and in the New Year. Bless their hearts, minds and bodies in a time that tries all of our souls.

    *************

    Stay safe, stay sane, get vaccinated and please stay tuned for a holiday post on a lighter note: Dear Santa, Send Boxing Gloves.

  • it was just a matter of time for Carport Kitty

    it was just a matter of time for Carport Kitty


    Carport Kitty on the move

    Carport Kitty sitting in our driveway assessing the situation

    Hmmm…

    inevitable

    I told Pretty I believed Neighbor John must be out of town this week because Carport Kitty, Bully Cat and Yellow Cat a/k/a Orange Tabby have been frequenting our carport daily. For the past couple of nights CK has stayed in the box I improvised for her next to the back door steps she used as her signal it was time for me to prepare her meals. Yesterday was a nasty rainy cold day – I noticed she was in her box every time I opened the kitchen door.

    I had to explain to her that her new home was the best I could do under the circumstances. She seemed to meow back at me as if to say what circumstances? Sigh.

    Carport Kitty has arrived.

    ***********

    Stay safe, stay sane, get vaccinated and please stay tuned.

  • The Rest of the Story

    The Rest of the Story


    The disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai last month following her accusations of sexual assault against a prominent member of the Chinese Communist Party has had international implications for the world of tennis that have now spilled over into the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics which will be played under the cloud of a United States diplomatic boycott that was partially prompted by the censorship of Peng’s social media and subsequent loss of public communication. The ongoing saga surrounding this female tennis athlete jogged my memory bank of two posts I published in early September, 2014 about this young woman’s remarkable experiences at the 2014 US Open. This is the second of two, and it was dated September 06, 2014.

    No Hollywood ending was in store for Peng Shuai at the 2014 US Open tennis tournament, the final Grand Slam event of the year. The crowd of 18,000+  spectators did give her a standing ovation as she left the court yesterday following her semi-final match with Caroline Wozniacki, but unfortunately she left that court in a wheelchair and was unable to appreciate the moment of respect.

    The bizarre ending to an entertaining duel between two tennis gladiators became bittersweet moments of victory and defeat while stirring a swirl of controversy that was as tempestuous as the wind blowing on the tennis courts at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.  CBS has broadcast the US Open for forty-eight years on television, but this was its final year to cover the event. The Wozniacki/Peng match will certainly be one of the most memorable in the archived footage of its last hurrah for the Open.

    The story of the unseeded Peng Shuai’s two-week run to the semi-finals flew under the radar as she quietly upset three of the higher seeds in the tournament and didn’t drop a set until she lost 7-6 to Wozniacki in the first one of the semi-final. The women played for over two hours in the same challenging conditions of gusting winds and brutal heat that had plagued most of the other day matches throughout the second week of the tournament.

    The second set started with the same equal ferocity of play as the first with long points and breaks of serve, but in the end the outside forces of wind and heat were the winners –  as outside forces often are for all of us in our everyday battles.

    Peng Shuai, who is ranked as the number 39 player in the world,  succumbed to heat illness in the middle of the second set and was ultimately forced to retire…but not without high drama as she reportedly told the medical personnel she did not want to stop play while they were evaluating her condition off the court. Wozniacki remained calm during the eleven minutes of her opponent’s medical evaluation, but the reaction of the TV commentators was less than sportsmanlike.

    Apparently the integrity of the entire tournament was at risk as a result of the possibility that too many minutes were taken between points played in the seventh game which was never finished.  Even as Wozniacki herself came across the court to comfort Peng who had slumped to the hard court surface, clearly in agony with tears, the announcers debated the rules of the game related to forfeiture during cramping. Come on, guys and gals. Seriously?

    Three hours following her retirement from the match Peng Shuai was feeling better physically and when asked about her condition she replied, “Safe now.”

    And then, “I want, but I could not.”

    In this match which was her best finish in her 37th. try in Grand Slam events, Peng Shuai literally left everything she had on the court as she refused to give up.  “I know I’m not going to stay maybe too long, but I just want to try,” she said about her decision to come back on the court after her initial medical evaluation. “This almost two weeks I feel like I play really good and then I just maybe need to believe more in myself. I keep going, fight and then look forward.”

    The good news is that in her home country she is considered to be the “pride of the Chinese people.” The Communist Party People’s Daily says “There is no loser today. Thank you Shuaishuai, you tried your best.”

    When the last ball dropped across the net in the final game before she retired, that is exactly what she did. It is what each of us can do. Pain, suffering, hardships abound – they are the elements in our lives and in the lives of those around us which we feel are out of our control; it is up to us to choose to try to make the circumstances of our lives, our communities, our country better. Often we lack the simple belief in ourselves that we can rise, pick up our racquet and finish the game.

    We must keep going, fight and then look forward. And this, as Paul Harvey used to say at the end of his radio broadcasts many moons ago, is the rest of the story.

    *********************

    As of this date, the whereabouts of Peng are still a mystery. Will she finally have the happy Hollywood ending she was denied in the semi-finals of the  2014 US Open Tennis Tournament? Stay tuned.

    Shuai Peng in Shenzhen, China

    January 08, 2020

    Photo by Zhong Zhi/Getty Images

  • the 37th. time is the charm: vivid memory of Peng Shuai

    the 37th. time is the charm: vivid memory of Peng Shuai


    The disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai last month following her accusations of sexual assault against a prominent member of the Chinese Communist Party has had international implications for the world of tennis that have now spilled over into the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics which will be played under the cloud of a United States diplomatic boycott that was partially prompted by the censorship of Peng’s social media and subsequent loss of public communication. The ongoing saga surrounding this female tennis athlete jogged my memory bank of two posts I published in early September, 2014 about this young woman’s remarkable experiences at the 2014 US Open. (The first one was dated September 02, 2014.)

    The name Peng Shuai is not a household name in the USA, but she is the third-ranked Chinese professional female tennis player behind the more familiar Li Na and  Zhang Shuai. More familiar to tennis addicts like me that is.

    This afternoon in New York City at the US Open, Peng played her 37th. match in Grand Slam events since turning pro in 2001 at the age of fifteen – and reached her first singles semi-final ever. Think about that. Thirty-six entries and thirty-six times falling short of a goal over thirteen years. Finally, on try number thirty-seven, she made it to the semi-finals of one of the most prestigious tournaments on the Women’s Tennis Association tour.

    Her interview following the match with Tennis Channel commentator Tom Rinaldi was not nearly so entertaining as the ones with the number one Chinese player Li Na, but then she hasn’t had the same practice. The most she could do was smile and wipe her face with a towel while she tried not to cry. “Very excited,” she managed to say in English, when asked to describe her emotions.

    Very excited, indeed. Peng is the daughter of a policeman and homemaker and the niece of an uncle who encouraged her to start playing tennis at the age of eight; she has played off and on for twenty years since. When she was thirteen years old she had heart surgery and has struggled with several health issues throughout her tennis career according to her bio.

    “I love tennis, I love to play tennis,” she said in her post-game interview.

    I was happy for her because I love a good story about individuals who overcome adversity to realize their dreams after years of hard work.  Years of hitting a little yellow ball across a net. Hours, days, weeks, months, years…and in those years believing within herself that she could win the big matches that place her name among the elite in her sport. She has spunk. I love spunk.

    In February of 2014, Peng Shuai reached a career high ranking of number one in the world in doubles.  She is the first Chinese professional tennis player, male or female, to reach that standing.  Beyond impressive. Rankings are rankings in every sport and are often overrated, but Peng has had a tortuous climb from number 357 in the world in 2002 to number 39 in singles in 2014.

    She will face the winner of the Caroline Wozniacki/ Sara Errani match which will be played tonight under the lights in the Arthur Ashe arena. They each have their own stories and are, I’m sure, equally excited and deserving of the opportunity to meet Peng in the semi-finals.  Exciting matches in store for the readers of Sports Illustrated.  I can’t wait…

    Peng Shuai may not make it to the finals of the Us Open this year, but I’d bet good money she’ll keep trying until she does.

    **************

    As of this writing, the whereabouts of Peng are unknown.

    Stay tuned for The Rest of the Story of Peng’s experience at the 2014 US Open Tennis Tournament. Hint: unbelievable.

     

     

     

     

  • all cat adventures point to Pretty

    all cat adventures point to Pretty


    If the Jeopardy question was who loves to rescue people, animals, random family castaway treasures – the correct answer would be who is Pretty?

    If the Jeopardy question was what particular super Cat Sleuth solved the mystery of the Bully Cat’s permanent stomping grounds weeks ago – the correct answer would be who is Pretty?

    Bully Cat’s crib – one block south of our house

    Yes, Pretty observed with her cat detective skills several weeks ago that we have neighbors a block down the street from our house (the opposite direction of Neighbor John’s cat condo) who regularly leave their garage door open at night…just enough for a cat to scoot under. She suggested that cat might be Bully Cat since I mentioned I saw him occasionally in the vicinity of the open garage door on my morning walks. Aha.

    Today I spied Bully Cat hustling toward the garage door

    My last view of BC was his tail as he made himself little to slide under it.

    However, 15 minutes later when I finished my walk he mysteriously appeared in front of our house, gave me a wary stare and then looked longingly toward our carport – perhaps for Carport Kitty who never materialized.

    Bully Cat was exploring my yard trash today

    where in the world is Carport Kitty?

    Not to worry. Although CK was nowhere to be seen when we came home from babysitting late this afternoon, Pretty called to me from the kitchen a few minutes later with the welcome words the cat is out here looking for you and her supper. I sprang into full meal preparation mode with her Fancy Feast chicken pate plus a generous helping of Meow Mix pellets. Yummy. She allowed a brief pet as I placed the bowl in front of her. Sigh.

    I stood guard to protect her from undesirable interference from either Bully Cat or Yellow Cat now revealed to be the Orange Tabby.

    Seriously. I stood outside in the cold carport guarding a cat’s dining experience for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time. My dogs eat their meals in 30 seconds, but this cat made a career of her dinner.

    As for Pretty, she was safe and warm inside catching up on her Tweets, getting ready for tonight’s Jeopardy, perhaps plotting her next rescues. Thank goodness she rescued me.

    *************

    Stay safe, stay sane, get vaccinated and please stay tuned.