Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
OCTOBER 17, 2019 – I watched snippets of Tuesday evening’s “debate” among 12 Democrats running for their party’s nomination for president. Snippets were all I could handle. Here’s why: For many election cycles, presidential “debates” have been a platform for policy billboards pushing non-existent products. Moderators, commentators, and we the people have become swept up …
OCTOBER 16, 2019 – Anyone who was awake for The Great Recession is familiar with the Michael Lewis book entitled, The Big Short. The movie version followed. “Short,” of course, referred to selling borrowed mortgage-backed securities on the bet that the securities would drop in value. We all know how the bet played out. More …
OCTOBER 15, 2019 – . . . two guys in their early 20s, one wearing a MAGA cap, the other a camo-jacket and camo-cap. I found them standing behind the main protest crowd. “You’re Trump supporters?” I asked. “Yeah,” said MAGA. They looked nervous and wanting to slip away. I worked to gain their confidence. …
OCTOBER 14, 2019 – . . . an attorney hoisting a large sign listing the federal statutes that he believed Trump had violated. They were framed as “Suggested Reading.” “Ultimately it gets down to rule of law, doesn’t it?” I said. “Yes it does,” he said. We exchanged a ‘thumbs up,’ as we moved in …
OCTOBER 13, 2019 – Last Thursday Trump came to town . . . and we who oppose him went to town. If the “rally” inside Target Center (where the Timberwolves play) was highly regimented, the gathering of thousands outside was thoroughly organic. My office is six blocks from Target Center. For nearly three hours, I …
OCTOBER 1, 2019 – Today’s post features an experiment. Quick quiz (with no “correct” answer): How would you prioritize the issues listed below? Impeachment (Or, “Democrats’ war against the president” (if you’re a Republican)/”The need to halt foreign interference in our elections” (if you’re a Democrat)); Responding to climate change; Keeping out hordes and rounding …
SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 – I’ve devised an impeachment quiz for supporters of the president: 1. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land: ____ Yes; see next question. ____ No; we’re done. 2. Have you read the background to Article II, Section 4 (impeachment) of the Constitution? ____ Yes; see next question. ____ No; …
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 – Like you, I trust, I’m scandalized by the incessant gush of the president’s corruptionfecklessnesserraticismselfdealingnepotismvindictive behaviorsupportfordictatorscontemptforalliesscornforsciencedisregardfortheruleoflawinhumanetreatmentofdesperatehumanbeingspersonalderisionofothersetceteraadnausem. Now the latest serious infraction: Ukraine-Bidengate, a much simpler case of wrong than the Byzantine record of prior offenses. Finally, Pelosi says enough is enough. Yet some Democrats still oppose impeachment on grounds the process would …
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 – In case you haven’t already heard it, you must listen to the speech of Greta Thunberg (pronounced, TŪN-berry) at the UN Climate Change Summit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJsdgTPJpU Her words and delivery smack you directly between the ears—where the brain resides. As she cuts to the quick, you remind yourself, “To travel from her …
SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 – I’ve now started the “War Years” portion of Carl Sandburg’s two-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln. If you want to know “polarization,” read this work. But here’s the thing: the fracturing didn’t happen overnight. The seeds had been sown when slaves were introduced to Jamestown in 1619; when 13 independent colonies debated …
SEPTEMBER 1, 2019 – After a two-week hiatus from the news, I dared to take a peek. My glance prompted two thoughts: 1. People’s world views are determined primarily by people’s perceptions of how their bread is buttered; and accordingly, 2. A considerable degree of government regulation is a necessity. “Bread” is financial well-being. “Butter” …
AUGUST 10, 2019 – Today I criticize Republicans’ defense of corporate America. My target: money, money, and . . . money. There’s nothing inherently wrong with money. It’s simply a medium of exchange. However, the American corporate obsession with short term money (profitability) and money in politics undermines our future. First, take executive compensation. For some time, …
AUGUST 9, 2019 – To be honest, I’m not following the Democratic presidential campaign very closely. I don’t have to. I just need to vote for the Democratic nominee. The 2020 election will not be one in which a responsible citizen, in my judgment, should express displeasure with both major parties. A vote for any candidate …
AUGUST 5, 2019 – Gun control; immigration reform; student loan burdens; opioid crisis; arms sales to Saudia Arabia; support of Israel; relations with NATO allies; relations with Russia; relations with China; disease control; tariffs; war in Afghanistan; religious extremism; white nationalism; investment in public transit; transportation safety; affordable and accessible quality health care; storage of nuclear …
JULY 31, 2019 – I listened to several patches of yesterday evening’s Democratic Presidential “Debate.” I think each of the innumerable candidates falls into one of three rings: FIRST RING: “I can beat Trump because I’m for free stuff”; SECOND RING: “I can beat Trump because I can”; THIRD RING: “I can beat Trump because I’m …
JULY 20, 2019 – In a vibrant democratic society, just as in every parent-child relationship, a tension exists between independent thought and the need to conform. On the surface—and in the mind of many-a-teenager—these two concepts seem inherently incompatible, but they are not. In a well-adjusted society/relationship, they are complementary. I’ve written an entire screenplay …
JULY 18, 2019 – My favorite lines in the classic, Lost Horizon by James Hilton, are spoken by Chang, an initiate of the lamasery in Shangri-La, to-wit: If I could put it into a very few words, dear sir, I should say that our prevalent belief is in moderation. We inculcate the virtue of avoiding …
JULY 10, 2019 – In the news again is talk of reparations to descendants of American slavery. I say, “No.” If the answer were to be “Yes,” we’d lose our way in weeds and never emerge. Hear me out. At the outset we’d face a definitional question: who qualifies? According to DNA testing as part …
JUNE 14, 2019 – And I’m not talking only about Nero. I’m talking about Congress. I’m talking about all the Democratic candidates for president—because to date there are no Republicans with requisite spine to challenge the incumbent. I’m talking about the media—mainstream, social, cable, network, business. I’m talking about . . . all of us. …
JUNE 12, 2019 – The flag-waver talked on. “Muslims shouldn’t be allowed into this country either,” he told me. “How many Muslims do you know personally?” I asked. “I know what they stand for.” “No, my question was how many do you know personally.” “I know what they want to do to this country.” “But …
JUNE 11, 2019 – Yesterday on my way to work I had two contrasting, back-to-back encounters. I’ll report them objectively, using as few adjectives and adverbs as possible, except to enhance visualization. I want the reader to be self-directed as far as conclusions are concerned. PART I – CAP AND FLAG When I crossed Third …
MAY 30, 2019 – [NOTE TO READERS: The poetry of Wallace Stevens will have to wait (see yesterday’s post).] – After Robert Mueller’s appearance yesterday, I read Volume II of his Report. Volume II addresses the question of the president’s obstruction of justice. The Report is an exemplary piece of rigorous legal writing, but you …
MAY 16, 2019 – We who despise the president struggle to answer this: “Who in the world are the people who continue to support him?” Joining now thousands of other armchair pundits, diviners, and opinion purveyors, I proclaim the answer! (Drum roll . . .) The president’s supporters fall into one of four groups: ANTI-TAX, …
MAY 10, 2019 – I once had a flight simulator computer program that allowed me to “fly” all sorts of aircraft, big and small, fast and slow, old and new. Taking off was the easy part. I adjusted the flaps, powered up and away I flew. The toughest part was always landing the damn plane. …
MAY 9, 2019 – I think the producers of The West Wing should do an encore called, IMPEACHIM’. The show would mimic what’s unfolding today—mostly on CNN—but provide depth and context. The first season would feature the president behaving within a full range of what people of taste would find distasteful. Some of the infractions …