There was a time in this election cycle that I was fairly optimistic. Not anymore. There isn’t one purple state where the news is getting better recently, and there are even a few blue states in which I’m hearing of developments that make me cringe. I live in the state with two of the absolute …
WE’LL SOON SEE IF THINGS ARE REALLY FALLING APART Read More »
“Magic always comes with a price.” If there’s one thing predictable about television, it’s that 95 percent of shows come out of what is essentially a giant cookie cutter. Family shows, lawyer shows, doctor shows, cop shows, detective shows, westerns … It got especially silly in the ’70s with the (fill in the blank) detective …
“Respect your betters.” Most of the people who like to throw that expression around are better at only one thing than people a lot less “better.” They were fortunate enough to choose the right grandfather. If fact, I’ve never known anyone who was truly better than me who had to say something like that to …
WHEN PEOPLE TELL YOU TO RESPECT THEM, FORGET THEM Read More »
When my friend Mitch reached middle age — at least the part that he would finally admit was middle age — his doctor told him he needed to get a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy. He apparently though the doctor had said sigmundoscopy, but that was something of a Freudian slip. When the doctor told him …
My wonderful granddaughter Albanie will celebrate her eighth birthday later this month. She’s the youngest of six children, and we have established a tradition in our family. Both of our children grew up loving to read, and we made sure they had plenty of books. Both Pauline and Virgile have continued reading into adulthood and …
NO GREATER GIFT FOR A CHILD THAN A LOVE OF READING Read More »
“The Great Replacement conspiracy theory is a white supremacist, xenophobic, and anti-immigrant concept that posits white people are being replaced by immigrants, Muslims, and other people of color in their so-called ‘home’ countries. The conspiracy often blames the ‘elite’ and Jews for orchestrating these changing demographics.”— Global Project Against Hate and Extremism Is there anything …
I can’t be the only person who gets a sick feeling just hearing Donald Trump’s voice. Especially when he tries to be soft and reasonable, I’m always reminded of Louis Gossett Jr.’s Academy Award-winning performance as the drill sergeant in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” When David Keith’s recruit answers him in a soft voice, …
I was surprised to see that people in the late 19th century were upset that Americans weren’t reading as many books as earlier generations had. Newer pleasures like photographs and the telegraph were taking up their time. That sounds more than a little strange to me. I don’t think telegraphs were ever home appliances, although …
“This world will never be right until Jesus returns to rule with an iron hand …” Whenever I hear right-wing Republicans talk about a Christian America, I’m always reminded of Maudiebelle Smith. Twenty-five years ago, one of my duties working for a Southern California newspaper was to verify and edit letters to the editor from …
“Our government wasn’t set up for one group to have all three branches of government — wasn’t set up that way. You know, the House, the Senate, and the executive.” I liked Tommy Tuberville better when he was just stupid, when as an incoming senator from Alabama he forgot there was a branch of the …
