A reader said to me the other day, “You’re stuff’s getting dark lately.” She was right; it has. I don’t know what to do about that, given I define the mission of this site as calling it as I see it. Right now, it looks dark. If it’s any consolation, it’s [...]
When I was a young man, I read (as every young person should) Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22,” a novel about the absurd bureaucracy of war and the misery it wreaks on those caught within it.
The most absurd character in the book is Milo Minderbinder, who – at least initially – runs the mess hall. A [...]
Because there’s an energy crisis, we have gone to daylight savings earlier in the year. Because we’ve gone to daylight savings earlier in the year, it was still light when Adrienne and I arrived at the sidewalk in front of the Unitarian Church just before 5 p.m. for the vigil.
How many times have we [...]
The past six and a half years have offered plenty of opportunities for reflection and regret and most of the “what if” scenarios played out have involved an honest election in Florida in 2000. But there’s a different “what if” scenario that might achieve the impossible – make us believe we’re not suffering the [...]
Twenty years ago, Bruce Springsteen used to do a monologue during his concerts about going to traffic court. Defendants were given three options: they could plead not guilty, guilty or “guilty with an excuse.” Bruce said his trip to court taught him that “everyone is guilty with an excuse.”
So it is today. [...]
State of the Race
The front page of today’s New York Times says George W. Bush in July gave orders for American forces in Pakistan to carry out operations without notifying the Pakistani government.
Nearly a year ago, in a Democratic debate, Sen. Barack Obama said that if he is elected president and has a chance to capture or kill [...]