Send Forth a Ripple Today

A Tough Week. We ALL Remain the Answer

- by Kevin Necessary

It’s been a tough week. Jarring and numbing and infuriating all at once.

Kevin’s cartoon above provides the perfect and needed reminder that we all can make the difference in turning things around. That we must!

YOU ARE INVITED. If you’re looking for good company, and ways to get involved, you’re welcome to join our Blue Ohio call today — it’s at NOON. It’s our first of the year, and we will be discussing ways we can all make a difference. LINK here to sign on and join us.

Speaking of individuals sending ripples of hope, one at a time, my family once had a connecting flight through Charlotte on our way to a vacation. We had a tight connection, as did many others on the plane, so when our departure from Cincinnati was delayed, we were all anxious—our kids especially.

But there was one person who settled us all down. An incredibly warm and friendly flight attendant—who kept getting on the intercom to update us—empathized with us in the most amiable way, wrapped in a great sense of humor. His big personality and thoughtful, authentic service made our worries go away. He had us all smiling…laughing. He was our advocate to get there on time and make our connection. Which we did.

As stories emerged yesterday from the crash, we recognized his photo right away:.

We had the great honor of having Ian Epstein as our flight attendant that morning. His family should know how many thousands, like us, whose days and lives and moods he lifted.

May he rest in peace, along with all the other victims of the tragic accident.

🙏 🙏

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

―Maya Angelou

Day 61–January 30, 2025

America saw its worst aviation accident in more than a decade, as a military helicopter collided with an American Airlines commuter flight over the Potomac River.

At a press conference addressing the tragedy, with bodies still being recovered and families learning of lost loved ones, President Trump suggested that a possible cause of the crash was the hiring of diverse employees within FAA and air safety functions.

There was zero information backing up this claim. He then went on to speculate about other things that went wrong.

Later in the day, it was reported that the air traffic controllers at Reagan airport were short staffed and handling more aircraft than “normal.”

This news comes after, in the first days of the new administration, Trump targeted key air safety functions, including:

• forcing out the FAA director

• imposing a hiring freeze on air traffic controllers

• removing the head of the TSA

• disbanding the Aviation Safety Advisory Committee

• offering a “deferred resignation” to millions of federal workers, including air traffic controllers

And now, here is Kevin’s Commentary, along with more cartoons and sketches about Trump’s first week.

Welcome back, friends, to another behind the scenes look at my cartooning process. Everything is falling apart. So let's step over the rubble and check out last week's rough sketches….