Category Archives: Politics

Donald Trump’s presidency (the Jerry Springer Show comes to mind) stumbles on with the outspoken or at least tacit support of almost all his party. But stumbling doesn’t mean getting nothing done. On the contrary, Trump is getting a lot done. … Continue reading →

During the Cold War, America spent much treasury on the ability to respond within minutes to a Soviet threat. How many months are needed to respond to our own homegrown threat from Donald J. Trump? Will lack of moral courage … Continue reading →

Are we crazy? The Las Vegas death toll has shocked the nation, as all such events do. News channels are full of the usual hunt for information on the assailant, identity of the victims, and examination of the circumstances that … Continue reading →

I’m a bit of a hawk on illegal immigration; well, in theory. I have a liberal friend who disagrees with having national borders to begin with, though as well-meaning as is her position on pan-citizenship, I’ve never been convinced by … Continue reading →

Memory and attribution serve me poorly, but I’ll credit the late management guru Peter Drucker for this insight: the cost of working for a corrupt boss is to become corrupt yourself. We don’t work for Donald Trump, but much of … Continue reading →

From the successful marketing of what became America’s Constitution in 1788 until today, we Americans have not only celebrated our commitment to democracy, we have proudly proclaimed our union to have brought democracy to the world and that, even now, … Continue reading →

Citizens of the United States made Donald John Trump the most powerful man in the world. Citizens of the United States made a grave, careless error. A mechanism for removing an unfit, incompetent, shallow president is available only if his … Continue reading →

What should we look for in a president? I don’t mean the obvious consideration of whether a candidate’s vision for the country is compatible with our own. Nor do I mean political choices like health insurance, immigration policies, or other … Continue reading →

Well, the presidency of [here, reader, insert a string of adjectives so now overused as to be tiring] Despot Don continues in its shameful way perfectly consistent with his behavior during his years of birther madness and months of campaigning. In … Continue reading →

President “Despot Don” is ushering America toward despotism . . . or—almost as bad—his precariously excellent imitation thereof. (OK, I coined the moniker, Despot Don, to inject a bit of comforting humor to aid my own endurance.) One frightening aspect … Continue reading →

President Trump’s distortions, deceitfulness, and simple lies are so unceasing that to believe him on any specific matter is bad judgment. Strong allegation? I assure you I mean it. But first, a proviso: Being untrustworthy does not mean he never … Continue reading →

President Donald Trump’s victorious campaign was remarkable for both inciting Americans’ incivility and fears and for exploiting them. Over the past months, the most troubling of the fears associated with President Trump is his proto-despot personality and his growing list … Continue reading →

Strange hair? Small hands? Please forgive my inappropriate levity; my point is deadly serious. President-elect Trump is a proto-despot. Might I be wrong, crying wolf? Will happier events in the next few years lead me to regret the chilling words, “proto-despot” … Continue reading →

Donald J. Trump is a fool. He is dangerous to America and to the world due to his incompetence, his paranoid reactivity, and his l’état, c’est moi personalization of important issues. Let me be clear: I acknowledge the legitimacy of … Continue reading →

The intent of this blog has not been to enter political controversy. The weirdness of the 2016 not-so-presidential campaign has shaken my resolve, but I don’t intend to write another on this topic. Previous ones are “Democrats vs. theocrats” (Jan. … Continue reading →

“Deplorable” does not apply to half of Trump supporters—as Hillary Clinton exaggerated, then retracted—but it definitely applies to Trump himself. Since founding of the republic voters have had wildly diverse opposition to candidates’ positions, but we’ve long assumed they at least … Continue reading →

Republicans were a party of intellectually respectable politics only a few decades ago, so much so that its take on economics, particularly fiscal policy and free markets, won me over. Later, however, the path went sadly downhill from Ludwig von … Continue reading →

As if enough disinformation about abortion has not been spread by politicians lately, the domestic Christian terrorism in Colorado last week has stirred heated rants on the political right. Don’t get me wrong, the left is quite capable of misinformed … Continue reading →

Much of the world has long noted—often with affection, often with contempt, often with disparagement—that Americans, along with a frequently charming can-do attitude, are sold on themselves, their power, and the purity of their national motivation. I, too, have an … Continue reading →

American policy currently avoids the term “Islamic terrorism” and “Islamic radical” to—if I understand the president’s position—avoid appearing to be at war with Islam. Republicans, though not themselves addicted to calling a spade a spade, see the Administration’s persnickety word … Continue reading →

I know. Stupid question. Meaningless to ask; impossible to answer. To a biased observer, however, the question (or allegation, if so worded) is enough to get the intended point across; it is much like being charged as a child abuser. … Continue reading →

In a political discussion last year I accused my correspondent (politely, I hope) of intentionally seeking out biased news sources. He confronted me with a question that—if I may translate loosely—was “OK, wise guy, where can one find unbiased sources?” … Continue reading →

Today across America citizens go to the polls to choose a select group from among themselves to make governmental decisions on their behalf. We cast votes for a special few not only because there are so many governmental decisions to … Continue reading →

Ebola may yet cause a widespread effect in America, though it’s not at all clear that it will. Prevention and treatment have seemed to be slow off the mark, expert opinion has been modified, and the country has teetered between … Continue reading →

A friend directed me to a “preppers” website-whether as a joke or a friendly warning, I’m not sure. If you don’t know what preppers are, you’re in the same ignorant state I was in until a few hours ago. Preppers … Continue reading →

I am in constant distress about politics no matter who is winning, who is being exposed, and even who has policies that delight me. Political discourse in the United States has deteriorated to a point I’ve never seen. Before my … Continue reading →

When I was a child growing up in America’s south, I could be forgiven for misspelling “damn Yankee” as one word; after all, that’s the sound that conveyed our intent, damnyankee. “God-given rights” also long ago acquired that single word … Continue reading →

I am neither politically inclined, politically partisan (much), politically knowledgeable, nor politically skilled. But I do follow national politics reasonably well, read a lot of governmental history and opinion, occasionally write elected officials, and get emotionally carried along on the … Continue reading →

It’s like watching a two year old shatter your treasured Ming vase with no understanding of the great value destroyed. Two year olds we can forgive. With grown politicians, haughty in their piety, it’s a bit more difficult. The current … Continue reading →

It is hard to watch the craziness of the current American political scene and not wonder whether the republic can outlast our widespread stupidity. (If you’ll allow me a bit of typical American bloviating, perhaps we are so “exceptional” as … Continue reading →