After 54 years of decorating for Christmas, I'm grateful that I have all the things I ever will need – and probably a few more. It's an especially good thing this year, when the president promises us that he will raise tariffs. That, by the way, is the term for taxes on imported goods. The "duty free" shops you see in international airports are there because the items they offer are tariff-free, and therefore presumed to be cheaper. This is sometimes true in European airports, but seldom here. It just means the government doesn't get a share of what you spend.
Doris writes a weekly column for LaGaceta, the nation's only trilingual newspaper, which has pages in English, Spanish, and Italian. Begun in 1922 for Tampa's immigrant community, it continues to thrive more than a century later. Her column is titled "In Context," as it aims to put contemporary issues in the context of the past.
An Amazing Thing That I Did Not Know
August 12, 2019
No, I'm not going to talk about Jeffrey Epstein, at least not until we know more. Instead, I'm going to talk about something that I didn't know until this week – and a major omission, especially in Southern and African-American history. My sister in Arkansas is a successful businesswoman who makes more money than I, but she volunteers a lot of time in preserving history. Right now her biggest cause is to ensure that the newest casino franchise goes to the Cherokee tribe because they inhabited our home area until the 1830s, when they were driven out on the Trail of Tears to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. We grew up not knowing any of that, nor other minority history, or anything beyond white military and political men. That is not what is most important, as the nation is slowly discovering. Read More
First, My Last Word
August 5, 2019
You know that I've written about gun control over and over again, making many points from history and from the present. This will be my last. I'm so profoundly tired that I'm declaring it a dead end for me and giving up the cause to others. But first a couple of thoughts that need more thought. I simply can't ignore two incidents in two days that killed 31 people and injured dozens more, some of whom doubtless will be incapacitated for the rest of their lives.