Category Archives: Commentary

A Change of Heart

10/22/1998 – 2:35 pm

There are a number of people who will tell you they never watch tee vee, then go on to qualify what they mean by “never.” I’m one of those people. I never watch tee vee, but the World Series is on this week. Last week it was the league championships. Because I live on the […]

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A Crime Against Nature

10/15/1998 – 2:33 pm

I’m calling you this week from the city jail in New London, Connecticut, where I’m currently under arrest. This is my one phone call. I’m here because of a crime that’s being committed in British Columbia, a continent away. Does that sound confusing? Bear with me. Across the globe, we have less than 22 percent […]

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Under the Influence

10/8/1998 – 2:31 pm

I’ve traveled extensively in America. I’ve driven across country four times and visited every state except Hawaii. I’m always amazed that all of this – the different landscapes and temperatures, the different attitudes and accents, are all part of one nation. I’ve traveled overseas, but I really enjoy seeing America first, like the billboards used […]

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Invalids of the Modern Era

10/1/1998 – 2:29 pm

As if I don’t already have enough to do, I lost control of my senses a while back and agreed to help put together a conference on nature and environmental writing. When organizing a conference, the easy part is lining up the tangible goods: rooms, chairs, lecterns, food. Or so I thought. As it happens, […]

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And Last Week, They Won

9/24/1998 – 2:28 pm

In Louisiana, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, both sides of the Mississippi River are lined with factories. Oil refineries, chlor-alkali production facilities, plants producing plastics and polyolefins. The Chamber of Commerce types are proud of the concentration of industry; they call the area the “Chemical Corridor.” If you stop in a diner down there, […]

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Parody Instead of Disaster

9/17/1998 – 2:25 pm

Vermont held its primary elections last week, and the contest for the Republican nomination for senator was a curious one. The campaign pitted a Republican who is not from Vermont against a Vermonter who is not a Republican. The first, Jack McMullen of Massachusetts, is a millionaire businessman with no experience in politics. He’s owned […]

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A War We Can’t Win Against an Enemy We Can’t See

9/10/1998 – 2:23 pm

We are now one month into our war against terrorism and everything is – for now – pretty quiet. This war has been predicted to run for decades, so I suppose we can’t expect an embassy bombing or a cruise missile attack every week. The embassy bombings, in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam on August […]

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