Category Archives: Commentary

News to Me

3/5/2009 – 12:06 pm

All politics is local. So is news. The news need not be geographically local, but if the events have a direct effect on my life, then I consider them to be newsworthy. For months, we’ve read about the economic crisis and how Wall Street money masters screwed everything to a fair-thee-well, then took taxpayer money, […]

By floegel | Also posted in Economy | Tagged , | Comments (1)

The City Within

2/26/2009 – 2:47 pm

Before his execution, Socrates was visited in prison by his friend Crito, who told him the bribes for the guards were ready and Socrates could escape whenever he wished. Socrates refused to go. Crito, angered, argued Socrates would a) leave his children orphans and b) bring shame on his friends, because people would assume they […]

By floegel | Also posted in Civil Liberty, Economy | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Stupid Political Games

2/19/2009 – 11:42 am

Some people don’t like politics because it often seems so stupid and immature. Strike that – people don’t like politics because it often is stupid and immature. In the month since Barack Obama’s inauguration, we’ve been (mis)treated to some of the worst displays of puerile politics in recent memory, which might be amusing, if the […]

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

Everything Converges

2/12/2009 – 1:52 pm

I’m in Rochester, New York, my hometown, today. I don’t get here much and it’s been a while since I last visited. I can still find my way around, more or less. I have the experience common to ghosts when I look for things where I expect them to be and see they’ve been replaced […]

By floegel | Also posted in Economy, Global Warming | Tagged | Comments (0)

The Arrogance Virus

2/5/2009 – 10:37 am

This time last week, Barack Obama was calling Wall Street bankers “shameful” for taking huge bonuses a) in the midst of an economic crisis that b) they caused and c) using taxpayer money that was meant to stabilize their banks. How could these guys be so clueless and out of touch? Sure, they shuttle between […]

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Don’t Expect to Like It

1/29/2009 – 10:46 am

I was helping a young Latin scholar with her homework last weekend. (“Helping” may be an overstatement. I read the correct answers off a sheet of paper.) She kept getting hung up on the difference between “satisfied” (contentus) and “happy” (gauisis). She’s not alone and distinguishing between the two, in whatever language, can be crucial. […]

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Miracle on the Potomac

1/22/2009 – 8:37 am

Inauguration Day in Washington, DC was cold. Not Vermont cold, but around 30 degrees, cold enough when standing in one place for several hours on end. The sun poured from a clear sky and warmed my face. Adrienne and I were on the national mall Tuesday, proud to swell the ranks even if we represented […]

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