Trump, Thoreau and Jesus

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of…

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High Noon in the House of Representatives

In the 1952 movie “High Noon” Will Kane, the sheriff of an unnamed western town, is left alone to face the murderous Frank Miller. The townspeople, who the sheriff is paid to protect, desert him in his hour of need because they are cowards, willing to accept the chaos and corruption Miller represents rather than…

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Trump and the Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Never mind dog whistles. If any doubt remained about where Donald Trump draws his inspiration, we no longer need to wonder. He revealed his source on Veterans Day, promising to “root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal…

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If You’re Upset About Gun Violence. . .

This is a little out of the ordinary for this space, but the times we live in are–we can hope—a lot out of the ordinary. I want to say a word about my favorite cousin, Judy Lyons Sherry. She’s been my favorite cousin as long as I can remember so that goes back almost 80…

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Jerry Springer, Donald Trump and Thomas Hobbes

In one of our earlier installments, I attributed much of the bad behavior in our recent experience to Jerry Springer. It was Springer, the former mayor of Cincinnati, who became a television talk show host of a different kind, inviting participants to come on television to reveal their innermost, darkest secrets—and to brawl with each…

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Invading Iraq—and Its Consequences

 “Why, of course, the people don’t want war.  Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don’t want war, neither in Russia nor…

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Is Lying Contagious?

Some years ago, while traveling for a client, I spoke with the editorial page editor of a Wyoming newspaper about writing an editorial supporting the trade agreement I was advocating. He told me he couldn’t do it. I asked him why. He said if he did support the agreement, a small, local cattleman’s association wouldn’t…

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A Word About the 2022 Election (Coverage)

Why was this year’s midterm election outcome such a surprise to so many—especially in the media? In the weeks before November 8, we were reading and hearing that the Democrats had surged during the summer because of the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, but that the ravages of inflation had brought voters back to renouncing the…

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What’s on the Ballot? (Cont’d)

It has been an interesting summer, beginning with the House hearings of the January 6 committee and continuing with the revelations of how the 45th president pilfered classified documents when he left office 14 days after his failed attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Important as they are, neither of those events…

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Is the Cart Pulling the Horse?

A person very close to me has been complaining a lot lately that Joe Biden—otherwise known as the President—can’t catch a break with the media. He’s too old, he’s too progressive, he’s not liberal enough, why isn’t he doing anything about inflation, why did he let the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, etc., etc.…

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