Blog

ARTEMIS II AND IRAN 

By David Perlstein | April 10, 2026 |

A cartoon in last Friday’s San Francisco Chronicle says much about the war on Iran.  Wiley Miller’s “Non Sequitur” appeared two days after Artemis II lifted off to circle the moon. Two astronauts ride in a moon buggy. One holds a rifle. A gun rack holds three more. The dialog balloon: “Let’s call it quits,…

THE SECOND MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD 

By David Perlstein | April 3, 2026 |

My favorite TV advertising campaign consisted of humorous commercials for Dos Equis beer featuring “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” Frankly, I could have been Dos Equis’ spokesperson.  The spots ran from 2006 to 2018, and were brought back last January. (“He had a staring contest with the sun. And won.”) Fine. But I’ve…

BASEBALL, PASSOVER, AND IRAN 

By David Perlstein | March 27, 2026 |

Baseball, Passover and the war with Iran have a connection.  The national pastime represents an ordered world. Games end in a recognized win or loss. The standings clearly position each team. Simple.  Passover: not so simple. God freed the Israelites from Egypt. But the waters—during and after Pharaoh drowned in the Sea of Reeds—muddied quickly.…

HUGE-BOAR AND THE NARROWS—A FABLE 

By David Perlstein | March 20, 2026 |

Once upon a time, HUGE-BOAR, the brawniest beast in the forest, called out a very aggressive, if less powerful, rival. “Idiot-Ram is a danger to the whole forest!!!” Without telling anyone, HUGE-BOAR—known for his huge hump, the hugest—crossed the forest. With a deer friend, Big Buck, he attacked I-Ram’s territory.  HUGE-BOAR deployed his enormous tusks…

EXODUS ON WHITE HOUSE CORRUPTION 

By David Perlstein | March 13, 2026 |

The book of Exodus says something important about corruption contaminating the Oval Office. Americans should pay heed. Exodus’ final portion, Pekudei, presents an example of power modified by integrity. The Israelites had brought precious gifts for the Tabernacle and the priests’ vestments. Pekudei begins, “These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, that were drawn up…

BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN AMERICA? 

By David Perlstein | March 6, 2026 |

I started this post about the Iran war on Wednesday. Yesterday, a comment by Donald Trump confirmed my worst fears about imperiled American democracy. As to the war, I’m not disturbed by the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and other top officials. They can rot in Hell. Since 1979, the Iranian theocracy has…

STATE OF DISUNION 

By David Perlstein | February 27, 2026 |

Last Tuesday night, Donald Trump gave the first part of the State of the Union address. Here’s the rest he decided—with anguish—not to share. “My SUBJECTS: ‘My Fellow Americans,’ that’s Bullshit! The only people on my level are guys with three COMMAS in their asset totals. Also Numbers. Numbers add up to DOLLAR$$$. You break…

THE CRUELEST MONTH 

By David Perlstein | February 19, 2026 |

“April is the cruelest month,” T.S. Elliot wrote in his 1922 poem, “The Waste Land.” I disagree. Those words begin Part I, “The Burial of the Dead” and present a world filled with post-Great War despair. I find more gloom in my own choice of cruelest month. March? They say it comes in like a…

THREE VALENTINES 

By David Perlstein | February 13, 2026 |

Tomorrow being Valentine’s Day, I want to launch three Cupid’s arrows. I’ll work backwards. My first valentine goes to America. Not the America of MAGA, Christian (white) nationalists and antisemites. People like them have been here since Colonial Days, but I won’t sell this country short. We are a nation of immigrants who, going back centuries or…

ABUSING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 

By David Perlstein | February 6, 2026 |

A 15-foot, gold-plated statue of Donald Trump—a $300,000 “grift” from cryptocurrency investors—challenges the Christian champion’s supposed respect for the Ten Commandments.  Tuesday’s New York Times reported: “Don Colossus” awaits installation on Donald Trump’s golf complex in Doral, Florida. “Pastor Mark Burns, one of the organizers of the effort and a friend of Mr. Trump’s, told his…