In the first Star Wars movie there is a scene with Darth Vader and the officers of the Imperial star ship. The commander says, “The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I have just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the… [read more]
This is about people who are knowingly saying things that are false. It’s called lying. It’s not just that the dishonesty is present. It’s about its tentacles spreading malevolently and the speed of its corrosive march. Trump’s blatant dishonesty was on full display when he called for the execution of the Central Park Five after… [read more]
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd annually gives her Thanksgiving column space over to her brother Kevin, whom she calls a conservative. I’ve read several of his offerings and have come away with the sense that Kevin is not a conservative; he’s a Trumpy, which is distinctly not conservative. And in this year’s essay he… [read more]
Reading time – 3:40 . . . Blanketed with frustration and anger over this ongoing spectacle of an election, disappointment haunts me, but it isn’t about Trump. I want to hug my ancient 48-star flag, not to disrespect Alaska or Hawaii, but to touch what I used to believe. Underneath it all, my heart is… [read more]
Reading time – 3:49 . . . The tectonic plates are shifting rapidly, leaving lots of us wobbling a bit and looking for something secure to hold onto. Indeed, a recent NBC/WSJ poll reported that 80% of Americans think our country is “out of control.” I don’t know what “out of control” means. Absent a… [read more]
Reading time – 4:34; Viewing time – 6:40 . . . Ed. Note: Be sure to check out our periodically published new feature, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up at the end of the regular post. ___________________________________ By now you’ve at least heard of the kerfuffle created by the remarks of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)… [read more]
Reading time – 4:56 . . . It wasn’t always this way. In fact, there have been many times when it was the reverse. But this is how it is today. Newt Gingrich was giddy in his self-righteous moralizing in pursuit of bringing down Bill Clinton following the 1994 mid-term election that put Republicans in… [read more]
Reading time – 54 seconds; Viewing time – 2:39 . . . The insults hurled about in what passes for our politics are flagrant judgments that polarize us. As harmful to our republic are the insidious accusations buried in attack speak by those seeking to steal power for themselves. Just the other day Republican candidate… [read more]
Reading time – 3.1 minutes; viewing time – 4:58 . . . Gotta wonder how righties and lefties can stop talking past one another and join in order to start solving some of our vexing challenges. Here’s a key piece of what has to happen if we are to progress. First, some context. The pundits… [read more]
Reading time – 47 seconds; viewing time – 2:23 . . . Thirty-five years ago we learned that the nine most frightening words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Ronald Reagan told us that over and over as he campaigned to become president of the United States,… [read more]
