Articles on PR for People

Book Review: Sergeant Dickinson

Sergeant Dickinson brings home the horror of the Viet Nam War wrapped in a tidy, decorative package that reeks of napalm. Sergeant Dickinson, called Dixie, is a flawed hero so damaged by the carnage of battle that he has lost his capacity to be human. He is not a beast, an asshole, or a cowboy, as any one of these singular descriptions would suggest. He’s all three descriptors rolled into one shell of a former human being.

 


MAY 2025 Magazine

May is the month we feature Do Gooders—those amazing individuals who set shining examples of how we can make a difference in the world. Yonkers Historian Mary Hoar is a Woman For All Seasons. She shows us how the essence of true community building is working with both children and their parents. “When kids see their parents valuing education, it helps kids overcome some of their own obstacles.” For a complete list of Mary’s accomplishments, her official bio is included, but know this: her handiwork is both visible and invisible. There are things she has accomplished from behind the scenes to benefit the community that will never garner an award or a mention. Barbara Lloyd McMichael writes about Carol Hosler, a retired Episcopal priest, who felt called by the Holy Spirit to counter social and political injustice with compassion, justice, and joy. She along with other like-minded people of conscience have formed the group “Seniors for the Constitution.” Annie Searle’s reflective essay Beyond the Pale reminds us that the times we are living in are far from normal. It’s time to step up! How do we choose good over evil? Think about it! Some of this month’s book suggestions might inspire you. –Patricia Vaccarino


A Woman for All Seasons

Mary Hoar is a tireless public servant who has devoted her life to supporting her community. Her accomplishments are manifold. A dizzying array of public and private projects makes one wonder how she gets all of these things done.


No more sitting around – heeding a call to action

Retired Episcopal priest Carol Hosler served a parish in a small town in Arizona for many years before relocating to be closer to family. When she moved into a retirement community in Des Moines, Washington, a small waterfront town located halfway between the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, she brought some of the vibrancy of the Southwest with her. 


Beyond the Pale

Most of what I’m writing about this month is beyond the pale, which means it’s “bizarre, outside the bounds of civilized behavior.”  The behavior of the Trump administration is corrupt and no respecter of the rule of law or of the principle of checks and balances.


A Judge Bans Trump’s Authoritarian Orders – Will SCOTUS?

“No American President has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue,” U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell wrote in a 102-page opinion. Howell was referring to Trump punishing a law firm that a president, without evidence of the firm violating a law, ordered the government to cancel their contracts and to block their employees from entering government buildings, interacting with government officials, or being hired for government jobs.  


Trump’s Blitzkrieg Rolls Over Liberal Law Firms

It took six weeks for the German Army to trample over France. In roughly the same period, President Donald Trump scattered his biggest legal opponents into disarray by issuing over a hundred Executive Orders. The key to both victories, although short-lived for one and still to be decided for Trump, was having a plan and executing it quickly.


Victory for St. Mary's Church!

St. Mary’s Friends has announced that the appeal made to the Vatican for St. Mary’s Church to remain as an independent parish has been successful. The Holy See has revoked the decree issued last year by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, which had eliminated Immaculate Conception Parish in Yonkers.


APRIL 2025 Magazine

The game being played in American politics right now is rigged in favor of the wealthy titans: corporations, billionaire donors and high tech leaders. The wealthy titans want only three things: They don’t want to pay taxes. They don’t want any regulation. They want a strong military to protect their interests at home and abroad. Wealthy titans get these three things rapidly and efficiently when democracy is eliminated and replaced by an authoritarian government. One note of caution: A lot of dust is being kicked up in the wake of our declining democracy. Don’t let the dust impair your vision. Keep your eyes open and read Dust in Our Eyes. Barbara Lloyd McMichael’s book review offers us a one-way ticket to the world of how the ultra-rich amass a tax-free fortune. Joe Puggelli writes about one of his all-time favorite books The True Believer by Eric Hoffer. What’s going on with Small Business? Entrepreneurs are being hit the hardest by economic uncertainty caused by the Trump administration’s erratic policies.      


The Consequences of Chaos

It’s been another roller-coaster month for the United States and our global allies as the Trump executive branch demonstrates what happens when “tit for tat” decisions are made without respect to the longer-term consequences. Those consequences affect citizens, the global markets, and a global diplomacy infrastructure that was built after two world wars, ongoing Mideast conflicts, and tensions with nation-state players like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.