Category Archives: Civil Liberty

Above the Law

10/8/2009 – 12:50 pm

No one is above the law. Not Charles Rangel (D-NY) chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. One of the most powerful members of Congress, responsible for writing the tax laws, he has recently been found to be obeying very few of them. Oops. He forgot to declare $75,000 in rental income he earned […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Summer’s Over

9/17/2009 – 12:42 pm

Labor Day was late this year, so even though we had the warmest weather ever for our annual camping trip up near the Canadian border, the leaves were more than usually tinged with color. One mountain maple blazed fiery red on the shore of the reservoir as I floated along in a canoe at sunset. […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary, Electoral Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Taking One for the Team

8/20/2009 – 2:27 pm

Lately, when I sit around and talk about sports with my friends, I ask this question: “Rank the order in which you think professional sports are more or less honest.” It’s not easy. Most people agree pro wrestling is at the bottom and boxing and horse racing are not far from it. Not that any […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

You Don’t Say

8/13/2009 – 10:02 am

Some days, it must stink to be president. Earlier this week, for example. Barack Obama was in Mexico meeting with President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Kind of a NAFTA meet-and-greet. The three big topics were supposed to be drugs, gangs and immigration. (The New York Times says Canada has a sudden […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Copping an Attitude

7/23/2009 – 4:39 pm

I just got home after several days of travel. Between living in a non-hub city like Burlington and the state of the airlines these days, it was unsurprising that I didn’t get home last night, as scheduled. After the better part of two days hanging around airports or crammed into a seat in coach, I […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Call Me Charley

7/16/2009 – 10:05 am

I must have been in fifth or sixth grade when we were assigned to read “Call Me Charley,” by Jesse Jackson. Not that Jesse Jackson, but Mr. Jackson the author was an African American and “Call Me Charley” is about an African American youth trying to fit into a white community. Mr. Jackson said he […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Withholding Consent

7/9/2009 – 10:41 am

During last week’s Fourth of July festivities, it occurred to me that the celebration of our nation’s founding commemorates a political act. We could reasonably date the founding of the United States to the battle of Lexington and Concord or the battle of Saratoga or the battle of Yorktown. It’s true America was born in […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary, Electoral Politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)