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It was predictable, if also pathetic.

Already. “There’s no need to classify this as a hate crime.”

Yes, there is. Because it was one. Read the shooter’s own incoherent manifesto. He killed ten people and wanted to kill many more simply because he was filled with racial hatred and nothing else. He traveled 200 miles to hunt Black people.

For a while, I thought we were simply in a national state of denial about the depths of American racism. But I was wrong. It’s much more sinister than that. What we’re seeing now is active and enthusiastic promotion of escalating racism, and the more deadly the better.

“The Great Replacement Theory” is no longer the Sole Province of Whack Jobs. It is now being mainstreamed, even as Whack Jobs in general are being mainstreamed.

The Whack Jobs tell us that America is not a nation of white extremists, even as their every utterance reflects white extremism.

The Whack Jobs want to portray themselves as defenders of free speech, even as they ban books and outlaw any classroom discussion of race in America.

Simply teaching documented American history is now hysterically and inaccurately condemned as Critical Race Theory, not that the shriekers could accurately define CRT to save their sullen souls.

The Whack Jobs groundlessly assert that an election was stolen from them, even as they attempted to steal it, and came very close to succeeding.

The Whack Jobs tell us we didn’t see what we all saw—a premeditated, armed insurrection at our nation’s Capitol whose intent was to overthrow the government of the United States.

And now on this Monday morning they are telling us we didn’t see what we clearly saw on Saturday in Buffalo—a hate crime.  Make that, “yet another hate crime.”

The distinction for me is less a legal one than it is simply a matter of honest categorization. That was a hate crime.

We have a right and a pressing need to honestly come to grips with who we are as a nation right now.

We are a racist society, and becoming increasingly so.

We coddle domestic terrorism.

The dominant strain of domestic terrorism is White Supremacy.

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.