"Happy Bushisms Day"

George W. Bush's quote, "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully," was made during a speech in Saginaw, Michigan, on September 29, 2000.

Reflections on Winter, Presidents Day, and the People Who Shaped Us

The Beauty of Winter
Mother Nature has been generous this year, giving me exactly what I wished for: a snow‑covered hill that has carried me through January and now well into February. This morning, a flutter of black birds—crows or ravens, I can never quite tell—performed their daily dance among the bare treetops and the tallest buildings downtown. It’s a small ritual, but one that fills me with joy.
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Snow still blankets everything. Another round fell around 2:00 AM, though by then I had already shut down the world and surrendered to sleep. I used to joke that the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco, but that turned out to be a lie. The coldest winter I ever spent was the winter of 2026 in Peekskill, NY. And strangely, instead of dragging me into defeat or depression, this winter gave me life. It made me embrace the season rather than endure those bleak, snowless winters of brown and gray.

Presidents Day and the Morning’s News
​Today is Presidents Day—a celebration of all 46 individuals who have served consecutively as U.S. presidents. And in the midst of that reflection came the news that Jesse Jackson has died. He was the one who helped popularize the term African American, a shift that carried cultural weight and dignity.

Back in December 1988, he stood before the press and declared that the community preferred the term African American, emphasizing heritage, identity, and continuity. That moment changed the national vocabulary. It’s remarkable how a single voice can redirect the language of a country.
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Remembering Influential Figures
We also lost one of my favorite actors—Robert Duvall. I remember him best as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, in the haunting Twilight Zone episode “Miniature,” and later in Network, where he delivered yet another unforgettable performance. He was one of those actors who didn’t just play roles—he inhabited them.

My Thoughts on Presidents
Now, when it comes to presidents, my friends may think I’m out of my mind, but I always had a soft spot for George W. Bush. He was far from perfect, but he made me laugh—especially with those famous Bushisms. There was something endearing about the way his tongue would twist itself into knots. It reminded me of myself whenever I have to speak publicly. Words betray me just as easily.

The Best of Bushisms