Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
AUGUST 16, 2021 – Now that we’ve arrived home safely from a 2,900-mile road trip, I can write about silent road rage: hyper-speed. I’ve driven and ridden on enough byways the world over to know that America has no monopoly on crazy driving. No one who survives a bus or taxi ride in Egypt or …
JUNE 17, 2021 – On Tuesday, FoxNews “personalities” excoriated Biden for being “weak on Russia.” Huh? Rewind the tape and watch You-Know-Who reveal his weakness. If ever there was a time to cringe, all bells rang when the Dolt-in-Chief said (in so many words) in Helsinki, “My people tell me Russia did bad things, so …
MARCH 24, 2021 – As I read about the latest shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, I’m thinking it’s time for a change; time to modernize our national emblem. I speak of the proud bald eagle that forms the official seal of the United States of America. What’s with the arrows in the claws of that …
FEBRUARY 20, 2021 – Years ago I ate occasionally at the Texas Steak House—a restaurant chain where on a budget you could pretend you were in the money by eating . . . steak. The slab of beef came with extra-large fries and a piece of “Texas toast,” about two inches thick and soaked in …
FEBRUARY 15, 2021 – During last week’s impeachment trial, the defense presented a montage of prominent Democrats saying “fight” in various public settings. The point was to show that Trump was being singled out unfairly. The argument fell flat, given that none of the Democrat speeches could be linked to a riot right down the …
JANUARY 26, 2021 – Okay, here I am on a cold Tuesday morning in January, minding my own business, meaning, “working furiously on client matter,” when I catch a break—having just slammed the tennis ball over the net and forcing my opponent (Paul) to chase after the now runaway spheroid. In the few spare seconds …
NOVEMBER 10, 2020 – Whenever we chat with friends these days, the conversation inevitably plunges into politics, but just as predictably, we exchange recommendations for shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, et alia. I’ve watched enough online TV streaming shows to have developed an altered view of reality. I now pretend I’m living Season Four …
NOVEMBER 3, 2020 – Polling is still our main method of predicting election outcomes. Back in the day we had only two national polls—the Gallup Poll and the Harris Poll. Now, of course, polls are too numerous to list. After the debacle of 2016, pollsters’ credibility suffered, and everyone’s skittish about placing too much reliance …
OCTOBER 28, 2020 – To improve your driving, I suggest you slap a presidential campaign sticker onto your vehicle’s back window. Personally, I’ve found that our “BIDEN/HARRIS” sticker has made me a much more careful, courteous, and lawful driver. Whether the car behind me is Democratic (say, a Prius) or Trumpian (a Ford F-150 with …
OCTOBER 17, 2020 – Yesterday, as I drove through the countryside to get to the Red Cabin, I thought about the state of our country. While driving deeper into despair, I saw a rafter of wild turkeys feeding off leftover grain in a harvested field. This prompted an idea . . . What if I …
OCTOBER 16 2020 – An acquaintance of mine thinks I’m a “radical leftist.” I’m not, but because I questioned his support of Trump five years ago, I left the immutable impression that I’m not merely opposed to Trump but a radical leftist. Or more precisely, because I’m opposed to Trump, I’m a radical leftist. What …
OCTOBER 10, 2020 – The recent square-off between Pence and Harris wasn’t a “debate.” It was 90 minutes of non sequiturs and carefully rehearsed “talking points.” “It reminded me of the time that” . . . as a guest on a local Boston TV talk show, my oldest sister, a champion high school debater, told …
OCTOBER 1, 2020 – You know the country’s in trouble when the local elementary school proudly broadcasts they’re a bunch of cheaters. I kid you not. Worse than Tuesday evening’s debate are the fallen standards at our neighborhood “institution of lower learning.” The sign currently bears large black lettering that reads, “WE ARE CHEETAHS!” And …
JUNE 1, 2020 – Facebook isn’t for the thin-skinned or those of tentative conviction. Personally, I swim hot and cold with it. On one hand, I’m entertained, informed, and enriched by it. On the other hand, like the title figure in Finding Nemo, I’m habitually looking for trouble and . . . finding it. Last …
APRIL 23, 2020 – Putin’s Puppet has made me a believer in . . . states rights. After all these years as an armchair liberal, champion of wasteful federal spending; confiscatory taxes; and bureaucratic invasions of my freedom, liberties, and privacy—not to mention my God-given right to board unworthy aircraft, drink polluted water, eat contaminated …
APRIL 7, 2020 – Yesterday morning I was doing just fine minding my own business, in full retreat from the world, head stuck in the sand while I listened to Mozart. But then, by the habit of the age, I sneaked onto social media. I scrolled down my Facebook “newsfeed,” then switched to two different …