There are two ways of relating to government: 1) I think my government is acting in my best interest – and act accordingly or 2) I think my government is not acting in my best interest – and act accordingly.
Most of us fall between 1) and 2). I was closer to 2) for eight [...]
“May you live in interesting times,” is supposedly an old Chinese curse. I doubt it’s really Chinese, but I’m becoming convinced on the curse bit.
I like to keep up with the news, but I’m suffering from sensory overload: a huge economic crisis, what is on the verge of being labeled a global swine flu [...]
The weird thing about the torture memos in the news this week is that I can’t stop thinking about Harry Potter.
In those books, the bad guys – the wizards and witches that had been drawn to the Dark Side – make their case thusly: This isn’t about good and evil, it’s about power and the [...]
I am. Principles aren’t principles unless they’re consistent. Now that the White House and Congress have changed hands since 2006, it’s interesting to see politicians and pundits on both sides of the ledger flipping and flopping.
Still, the world is not two-dimensional and those who pretend it is do an injustice to reality. [...]
I’m in Washington, DC this week and the town reels already with inauguration fever, even as the temperature plunges. As I type, a flatbed truck bearing 12 port-o-sans drives past the window, headed for the National Mall, there to await the expected millions next Tuesday. At least this week, the capital’s homeless will [...]
I’ve been driving around southern Louisiana this week. It’s my first visit in three years, since I was here in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina. Life has changed here. I’m not sure if Louisianans live in the future while the rest of us live in the present or if they live in [...]
Joe Biden Date Night
Barack Obama is causing me trouble. Me, personally.
The president and first lady are making a habit – a very public habit – of reserving one night a week for a date. Marriage maintenance is important for couples who’ve been together a while, especially if they have kids and the day job [...]