Blog
I’ve often cited George Santayana about people ignoring the past being condemned to repeat it. I’ll add William Faulkner: the past isn’t dead—it’s not even the past. Let me offer two examples—one current, one ancient. Writing fiction, I’m drawn to the past. It offers perspective on issues the whirring present sometimes confuses. So, I set Flight…
Donald Trump did not welcome news of his indictment yesterday by that Manhattan grand jury. Politics-wise, he may be better off. Trump wanted the case dropped. On March 23, he attacked Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg as “a Soros backed animal who just doesn’t care about right or wrong no matter how many people are hurt.”…
I can’t identify every individual visitor to my blog, but I’m flattered to have readers from around the world, including Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, Israel, India and the Philippines. Still, one visitor country troubles me. I’m not paranoid, claiming “they” are out too get me. Of course, paranoia can be an effective…
At the recent CPAC Women’s Breakfast, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R.–Col.) announced that she was about to become a 36-year-old grandmother. Her son, 17, would be a father. She was delighted. Hello, human nature. Boebert’s welcoming a future grandson, the child of two teenagers, strikes me as expressing more of liberal than conservative thinking. Yes, her…
The political situation in Israel has become toxic. Parallels exist in the United States, but one problem hasn’t hit America—yet. As I wrote (January 27) in “Knesset, Congress and Chaos,” Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu and his far-right partners seek to gut Israel’s supreme court. The Knesset, rather than pass a law, could overturn a court decision…
Spoiler alert: If you plan to watch season 4 of the Netflix series “Fauda,” stop reading. Otherwise, consider the humanity of this Israeli show that focuses on the never-ending violence in Israel and the West Bank. “Fauda” (Arabic for chaos) follows a special commando unit in the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security force. These men and women are…
After Russia invaded Ukraine one year ago today, a friend—while not okaying the invasion—suggested considering Vladimir Putin’s fear of the West. I did. And dismissed it. Yes, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. During World War One, Imperial Russia suffered at the hands of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Alliances with Britain and France had…
Many literary publications charge writers a small submission fee to help cover expenses. These fees may pose a financial barrier to some writers, so a few publications waive them—if a writer fits a certain profile. Financial hardship doesn’t always factor in. One publication waives fees for Black, Asian-American-Pacific-Islander and LGBTQ writers during months that honor…
In her Republican response to the State of the Union Tuesday night, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders took dead aim at President Joseph Biden’s age—he’s 80. “It’s time for a new generation in Washington.” Biden was not her only target. Sanders, Donald Trump’s press secretary for two years, who slammed the media for “fake news,”…
You may be familiar with the phrase “the handwriting on the wall.” It comes from the Hebrew Bible. We find a parallel in this week’s Torah portion. Both are worth looking at. The Book of Daniel (chapter 5) presents a mysterious hand writing strange words on a wall in the palace of Babylonian king Belshazzar.…