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Donald Trump was just indicted on four counts regarding attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Yet he remains the heavy favorite for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination. A pollster and a novelist offer insights. On Tuesday, GOP pollster Frank Luntz told Dana Bash on CNN’s “Inside Politics” that conservative, faith-based Iowa voters “like Donald…
The media have speculated about the usual suspects regarding Donald Trump’s vice-presidential candidate. But let’s not overlook lesser-knowns heading under-the-radar conservative groups. Here are their selling points they provided in recent interviews. Marry Anne Cross, Make America Christian Again. “America must be Christian in more than name only. The Founding Fathers—the Mothers were busy rearing children,…
Months ago, Disney+ hyped season 3 of the Star Wars-related “The Mandalorian.” A thousand people from 20 countries read my 2021 post, “The Mandalorian and the Jews.” Season 3’s Jewish connections were even stronger. “The Way” of the Mandalorians suggests Jewish law, Halacha—the way of going. Maimonides writes about the “way of the Lord” in his Mishneh Torah. The…
Mark Twain once wrote, “The report of my death is greatly exaggerated.” I’d apply that to San Francisco. Much has been reported about San Francisco spiraling downward in a “doom loop.” No question, the pandemic took its toll. A bunch of the workforce moved away, schools closed, stores shut. But I’d add to Yankees Hall…
Hey, it’s me, Old Glory aka the Stars & Stripes. With July Fourth coming, I’ve got three important things to say. First: I’m proud that the nation will celebrate its 247th birthday. Many countries have been around longer. Real democracies? We took the first plunge. Second: That said, I could dodge America’s problems, take the…
Pride Weekend has arrived in San Francisco. People often misuse the word pride. As the father of three sons—straight, trans and gay, I have my own take. LGBTQ people say they’re proud to be gay. Likewise, many folks are proud of their ethnicity. Given a world that often persecutes minorities, I get it. But that can…
Last Sunday, Carolyn and I tuned in—late—to Broadway’s Tony Awards TV show. When the nominees for Best Play were announced, I was certain one show had no chance. Of the five nominees, Leopoldstadt, by Tom Stoppard, presented a multi-generational Jewish family’s experiences in Vienna from 1899 to 1955. These included discussing escape plans following Nazi Germany’s…
Texas’ House recently ended its biennial session considering—but not voting on—a Senate-passed bill. It would require all Texas public-school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments. This is as troubling as it is unsurprising. Said Texas State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R), “There is absolutely no separation of God and government, and that’s what these bills are…
My 2014 post, “Street Games of the ’50s,” presented outdoor games kids played in New York City. But could we entertain ourselves indoors before the advent of video games? We didn’t have even Pong or Frogger, but we had imagination. And maybe a touch—I’m talking boys now—of stupidity. For instance, we did tumbling in junior high P.E.,…
From November 1966 through May 1967, I attended Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. On May 11, Fort Benning disappeared. It wasn’t a casualty of Congressional budget cutting but a tribute to decency. Few candidates knew that the post was named for Henry L. Benning, a Confederate brigadier general. It’s hard to square…