Category Archives: Commentary

The Price of Certainty

2/14/2008 – 10:58 am

This is an election year. It’s a war year, the fifth, soon to be the sixth. It’s a recession year. If recent trends continue, it will be a year of heat, drought and storms. All of this year’s presidential candidates – the ones that have dropped from the race and the ones still in – […]

By floegel | Also posted in Civil Liberty, Economy, Electoral Politics, Peak Oil, September 11th | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

One Nation, Under Water

2/7/2008 – 11:59 am

Did you heave a sigh of relief on January 20th? Did you think, “Finally, we’ve got less than a year before we get these criminals out of the White House”? Don’t celebrate yet. The Bush/Cheney appetite for crime will likely increase, if anything, in the months ahead. This morning’s Washington Post gives good examples. Attorney […]

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

Tet Again?

1/31/2008 – 11:39 am

Happy New Year. Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Tet, short for Tet Nguyen Dan, is the Vietnamese new year. Based on a lunar calendar, Tet will begin on 7 February this year. I’ve been thinking about the Tet Offensive because 1968 was an election year. The […]

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

The Theme Park

1/24/2008 – 2:35 pm

Twenty-five years ago, I worked at a theme park in central Florida, the one with the mouse. It was not a good fit; I lasted about 90 days, then fled back north. I learned some things, however, and the lessons stayed with me. The first thing I learned is that appearance is reality. The theme […]

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

Lost in the Hospital

1/17/2008 – 1:23 pm

In a small northern city in the middle of the winter, it seems like the middle of the night when you arrive at the hospital. Everything is dark and cold, but the parking garage is alive with activity as couples and families pull one small bag from the trunk and lock up their cars. If […]

By floegel | Tagged , | Comments (0)

A Record Every Day

1/10/2008 – 9:28 am

“All the snow has turned to water, Christmas day has come and gone.” The old John Prine/Steve Goodman song’s been rattling in my head all week because the two feet of snow that were on the ground at New Year’s is gone, running through my basement like a righteous mighty stream. “Think globally, act locally.” […]

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

The Power of Belief

1/3/2008 – 10:53 am

I must have been seven years old. My dad was helping me learn to ride a two-wheeler. He held the bike steady as I mounted and found the pedals. Then, holding the frame, he ran along behind as I cruised the sidewalk. It felt good, I was doing this, but I was apprehensive. “Keep pedaling, […]

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