Category Archives: Commentary

Ecclesia Culpa

We are now more than half way through Lent, the 40-day period of solemnity, abstinence and penitence observed annually by Catholics the world over. Lent this year is more solemn and penitent than usual, due to a lack of abstinence. The American Catholic Church is reeling from wave after wave of disclosures about priests molesting […]

Bushwhacked

Presidential candidates, challengers usually, often ask, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Why wait four years? This is the age of instant gratification. To help your assessment, let’s consult a list compiled by Dr. David Sprintzen of Long Island University. Dr. Sprintzen looked at the first six months of the […]

Enron Without End

Are you still following the Enron scandal? Do you obsessively log onto the Washington Post’s web site every morning and check out the latest he-said, she-said “what did they know and when did they know it” gossip from the previous day’s hearings? Probably not. Few of us do, nor should we have to. We all […]

Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Did you know smoking pot makes you a better driver? Hard to believe, but getting stoned before you get behind the wheel of a car may be the best thing you can do for highway safety. On January 25, the Burlington Free Press ran an AP story about the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturning […]

Opportunity Knocks

In a surprise move, the White House announced today that Interior Secretary Gale Norton is to be replaced by former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay. Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said the sudden appointment was triggered by the recent removal of Mr. Lay from the Enron board of directors. “Ken Lay is a valuable player in any […]

The Return of Tricky Dick

Richard Nixon, banished from office by scandal and shame, spent the final 20 years of his life trying to rehabilitate his reputation. It was to no avail. Nixon could run, but he can’t hide, not even in the grave. His legacy is Watergate and always will be. The crimes and – more important – the […]

The Silence of Colin Powell

Colin Powell has broken his silence in the classic Washington way, with a leaked memo. He’s also broken ranks by being the first member of the Bush administration to suggest that the Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters held at Guantanamo Bay be treated as prisoners of war. The secretary of state was shocked, shocked I […]