Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
APRIL 22, 2023 – The world awaits Ukraine’s much anticipated spring offensive against the Russian invaders. Perhaps I overstate matters when I say, “the world.” At the time of the invasion 14 months ago, when news coverage was 24/7, we watched slack-jawed as Putin unleashed his horrors on the sovereign nation of Ukraine. The assault …
APRIL 20, 2023 – Every month or so for many months running, a good college friend calls me and opens the conversation with, “So, when are this Jack Smith character and Merrick Garland gonna come outta their comas and announce the indictment of your favorite ex-president? Last month you told me it was gonna be …
MARCH 31, 2023 – Today, Lindsey Graham called the indictment of Duly Defeated “the most irresponsible act by a prosecutor in the history of the country.” Currently, 9,832 people serve as prosecutors in the United States, which has been formally constituted for 234 years. Against the backdrop of those numbers, “most irresponsible . . . …
MARCH 21, 2023 – When the Duly Defeated came to Minneapolis for a rally in October 2018, the best parts of the show were the clever protest signs among the thousands of demonstrators in the street outside the rally. My favorite: “WHERE DO I START?” At around the same time, I encountered a well-educated, well-heeled …
MARCH 19, 2023 – If you’re bored and looking for an improbable tale beyond the bounds of Marvel Comics or any streaming service, read Wikipedia entries for “Wagner Group” and its self-announced founder, the cartoonish, ex-con, once aspiring competitive x-c skier (!!), former hot dog vendor-turned-oligarch, Evgeny Prigozhin. For background, see the bio of self-appointed …
MARCH 13, 2023 – My sincere apologies, Despite a whole litany of noteworthy encounters and experiences in my little world today, I choose to dwell yet again on the dismal science. But hear me—read me—out. Today I received several generic email from investment firms reassuring me that the banking system was sound. Our son who’s …
MARCH 12, 2023 – Sorry, back to the dismal science, because truthfully, I’m fascinated by dismal science and . . . of all the immediate and intermediate things for us good people to worry about, the economy ought to be front and center. If a light breeze now carries our excursion vessel—full lunch buffet included—around …
MARCH 3, 2023 – The latest news—except on FoxNews—is that Fox isn’t even pretending to be news. Correction: this isn’t news. Further correction: by an old-fashion definition of journalism, not much else that appears on cable news is . . . well, news reporting, as opposed to opinion. But a large distinction separates opinion channels …
FEBRUARY 28, 2023 – (Cont.) Almost all of my cases pled out. The public defenders were masters at their trade. One was always about to bust out of his shirt; an obvious body-builder, who, I suspected, was still caught in an adolescent need to compensate for the fact he was shorter than average. His dedication …
FEBRUARY 26, 2023 – Eventually, everyone with a law degree is asked about the accused in some recent, sensational crime, “Do you think he’s guilty [nine times out of 10 it’s a “he”]?” and “How could you defend someone you know is guilty?” These two questions assume that the person with the law degree knows …
FEBRUARY 25, 2023 – It’s okay: you can admit to your fascination over the made-for-Netflix “Murdaugh Murders” down in the “low country” of South Carolina. I won’t judge you. In fact, in the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll confess my own recent addiction to the case involving a scion of the Old South Old Boys …
FEBRUARY 24, 2023 – To Putin’s chagrin, Ukraine didn’t fall in a week or even a year. In a move personally humiliating to the Russian invader, on Monday the American president visited Kyiv—without breaking stride when an air-raid siren went off. If the brutish Boss of Russia has no regard for human life—be it Ukrainian …
FEBRUARY 23, 2023 – As is other headliner news, the full derailment story is a Venn diagram of causes and effects. In an authoritarian society, the diagram would be obscured by a giant ax falling on the necks of people whose survival threatens the hand that wields the ax. In our fractious democracy, the diagram …
FEBRUARY 20, 2023 – (Cont.) Now back to the big lie of Ivan’s “murder.” In fact, he was alive—if not exactly well—as proved by Peter’s mother (Ivan’s step-mother) courageously leading both boys by the hand out to confront the crazy mob of Streltsy crazies (egged on, historians believe, by Ivan’s older sister, Sophia, who sought …
FEBRUARY 19, 2023 – Today I didn’t attempt to ski. I risked life and limb slipping, sliding and otherwise navigating a course to “Little Switzerland” to confirm that I couldn’t ski without risking life and limb. Between audible cursing and intense concentration to stay upright, I considered proposals for the subject of today’s post. Since …
FEBRUARY 18, 2023 – My mood took a hit today when I discovered that iced-over “Little Switzerland” remains a big fail for skiing. My attitude plunged further after I examined a Venn Diagram of three news items. The first was a one-year review of Putin’s War—a brutal, pointless outrage spawned by a dictator’s megalomania and …
FEBRUARY 10, 2023 – Much has been made of the Chinese surveillance balloon that recently floated across the United States and was finally shot down over the coast of South Carolina. Most—though my no means all—of the “hullaballoon” was launched by indignant Republicans and their official megaphones. Why not? After all, they had what appeared …
JANUARY 31, 2023 – After nearly a year into the Russian war against Ukraine, I’m amazed that any people or buildings are still standing in the second largest (geographically) country in Europe. Russia’s brutal assault, prompted by delusions of imperial grandeur and fed by the age-old Russian tactic of quantity over quality, seems destined to …
JANUARY 21, 2021 – Recently, a college friend with academic credentials deeper than the seven layers of Troy uncovered a volunteer opportunity with the National Archives Citizen Archivist Project. The task involves transcribing old documents. As a PhD anthropological archeologist, he’s eminently qualified. In his email about it he wrote, “Transcribing some of these records …
JANUARY 18, 2023 – This morning I took a quick look at the latest “news”: arraignment of a Massachusetts man indicted on charger of killing his wife and moving the body; another shoot-’em-up in [fill in one (or several) of the 50 states]; compulsive liar accused of more lies and given Congressional committee assignments; another …
JANUARY 9, 2023 – Last night I experienced my usual kaleidoscope of dreams. In one segment, I was leading my wife on a chase through the back, cluttered offices of a bank. Our objective was to cash a check. She wore an N95 mask, but I’d forgotten mine, so I held my breath as we …
NOVEMBER 11, 2022 – If we look back on this day 104 years ago—originally Armistice Day; “Veterans Day” after June 1, 1954—the great rising and falling powers of Europe, drained of blood and purpose, called a halt to the mutual mayhem and destruction that had decimated an entire generation. Along the way, Russia was turned …
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 – No, this isn’t much about the meteorological calamity that recently befell parts of Florida. What the hurricane reveals to me, however, is how much there is to know about . . . everything, and how little I’ll ever know about anything. I remember the feeling—shared by most book browsers—of entering a …
SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 – Blogger’s note: Perhaps it’s a good sign that 32 days post-transplant, I’m now able to be cranky with reckless abandon. (Trigger warning: take this post with a grain of salt.) Today between rainy periods, I got myself out of the house and hiked for an hour, including hill climbs at “Little …
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 – When I was a corporate warrior, a fellow lieutenant remarked periodically that we were in trouble—again—because our corporate general believed his own (latest) “press release.” I think of that observation when I hear today’s circle of parrots—leaders of a major political party, personalities on a popular cable news channel, and followers/supporters …