Category Archives: Commentary

Bush Knew

2/5/2004 – 10:21 am

Abraham Lincoln, whose 195th birthday is coming up, is remembered as a moral force in American history. He was also a shrewd politician. He was in shrewd mode when he said, “You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

Zero to 9-11 in 30 Seconds

1/29/2004 – 11:12 am

On September 6, 2001, I wrote about the hazards of transporting toxic industrial chemicals on railcars through urban areas. Two months earlier, a fire in a Baltimore rail tunnel burned for five days, sending a toxic cloud over the city. The point of my commentary that week was that we should avoid industrial accidents. On […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

‘Every Day, in Every Way’

1/22/2004 – 11:44 am

At the turn of the last century, a French psychotherapist named Emile Coue maintained individuals could improve their physical and mental health by frequent repetition of the phrase, “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” Constant reaffirmation can help a person keep his or her chin up, but one needs stronger […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

Something to Save It

1/15/2004 – 11:02 am

On January first, I wrote that 2004 will determine whether American democracy will survive. I got some e-mail on that, people wrote asking if perhaps I was being too extreme, although some admitted they harbor the same concern. In the end, none of us hope it will come to that, but we’re afraid it might. […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

Born on the First of July

1/8/2004 – 10:26 am

In politics, especially international politics, it’s important that a nation’s deeds conform to its words; that actions taken by a nation, especially a powerful nation, are consistent with that nation’s stated goals. Or not, whichever is most convenient on a given day.

By floegel | Comments (0)

The Tree of Liberty

1/1/2004 – 5:12 pm

Two thousand four will be the year that determines whether American democracy survives. Although this notion has been growing for some time, two articles from the front page of Monday’s Washington Post confirm the diagnosis. The first was headlined “Army Stops Many Soldiers From Quitting” and said the U.S. Army has issued a series of […]

By floegel | Comments (0)

The Meaning of Christmas

12/25/2003 – 12:22 pm

Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas; I hope vestigial Santa was good to you. Santa’s always been difficult to spot on Christmas, doing his work in the dark of night, but it seems the spry old elf is keeping a lower profile each year. Down at the multiplex, Billy Bob Thornton portrays Santa as a drunken, […]

By floegel | Comments (1)