Category Archives: Commentary

Victims of Oil

7/26/2007 – 10:24 am

The shop around the corner raised the price of sandwiches by a quarter this week. Although the housing meltdown is raising concerns that it may take the whole American economy down with it, prices are going up and the reason is the cost of oil. Oil, and therefore gas, prices remain at near-record levels. A […]

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

It’s Not The Draft

7/19/2007 – 4:21 pm

Can you stand one further Iraq-Vietnam comparison?  They’re tiring, I know, but Iraq is tiring, Vietnam was tiring – exhausting.  The comparisons keep returning to mind perhaps because I keep trying to make sense of Iraq and there’s no sense to be made, just as there was none in Vietnam.  This comparison isn’t about Iraq […]

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We Laughed At The Time

7/12/2007 – 11:18 am

After cool and dry weather in May and June, the first two weeks of July have been hot and wet in Northwest Vermont.  Frequent thunderstorms send groundstrokes of lightning across Burlington and the keen of sirens can be heard through the open windows. The sirens always make my stomach tense.  I’m immediately distracted, irritated, unable […]

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Trouble in the Colonies

7/5/2007 – 11:53 am

The Fourth of July was cool and rainy in Vermont, as it seems to be with surprising regularity. I suppose that’s why my town sets off its fireworks on the evening of July 3rd, which was perfect for pyrotechnics this year. Fireworks finished, I had all day Wednesday to contemplate this year’s version of American […]

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

Mexicans Are…

6/28/2007 – 12:25 pm

Immigration legislation, supported by both the Congress-controlling Democrats and George W. Bush, is heading for a showdown on the Senate floor today.  Even with the White House and the majority of Congress in favor, the odds don’t look good. Senate Republicans control more than 40 votes and can thus filibuster the bill to death and […]

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Lessons From the Playground

6/21/2007 – 12:05 pm

Sunday was Father’s Day and a dad dropped by my front porch for a chat. He’s got a couple kids and like a good dad, he coaches some of their sports teams and shows up at games for the other sports. (It seems there are few single-sport athletes among the 8 and 10-year-old set in […]

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

Government Spies, Corporate Lies

6/14/2007 – 10:06 am

This morning’s Washington Post has a report that updates the ongoing revelations of how the federal government and its allied corporations are invading your privacy. An internal audit by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found over 1,000 instances in which the feds illegally obtained information about citizens’ phone calls, e-mails and financial transactions since 2002.  […]

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