Blog

HAILING THE UNSEEN 

By David Perlstein | August 30, 2024 |

A hundred red firetrucks get you thinking. Six weeks ago, Carolyn and I started our return drive from Willow Creek in Humboldt County where we’d visited family. As we headed down route 299 to Arcata, a new shift of firefighters convoyed up to a fire near (but not threatening) our cousins’ summer home.  Sometimes, we…

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FIVE NEW OLYMPIC EVENTS 

By David Perlstein | August 23, 2024 |

Pole dancing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?  In last Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, Marisa Ingemi wrote, “Pole organizations across the globe have begun a focused effort to get representation at the World Games and, eventually, the Olympics and Paralympics.” Seems that “poling” has left (well, not really) bars for gyms. If poling makes it—uniform…

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THE VEEP AND THE JEWS

By David Perlstein | August 16, 2024 |

Kamala Harris’ pick for running mate—Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota—has raised new questions about Jews in America.  In a recent New York Times article (“For Some Jewish Democrats, Heightened Worries About Anti-Semitism”), Jennifer Medina and Katie Glueck wrote, “For many American Jews, the prospect of Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania as a running mate for…

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LESSONS FROM THE COURTROOM 

By David Perlstein | August 9, 2024 |

Most people flee jury duty, but a recent experience confirmed that our courts offer much to learn. Recently, I reported to San Francisco’s Hall of Justice on Bryant Street. It sits in an area south of Market Street where most San Franciscans don’t go. In the ’90s, I served on two criminal juries there. The…

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THE CAT LADY AMENDMENT 

By David Perlstein | August 2, 2024 |

As a parent of three sons, I’m licking my chops at the possibility that I may have more power to sway future presidential elections. In 2021, JD Vance, now the Republican candidate for vice president, declared that the United States was run by miserable “childless cat ladies.” As a prime example, he cited Vice President…

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TRANSFERRING POWER 

By David Perlstein | July 26, 2024 |

The Hebrew Bible can teach Americans a lot about our transfer of presidential power. We’re witnessing an historical event. President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, withdrew his candidacy. No presumptive nominee had ever done that. Biden endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris. In 48 hours, Harris won the support of the Democratic leadership, brought the…

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ON TURNING 80

By David Perlstein | July 5, 2024 |

This Tuesday, I turn 80. What have I learned? I’m imperfect. And the older I get, the less I understand. Yet, I still claim to know a few things worth sharing. But first, don’t ask me to predict who’ll win the 2024 presidential election. Or whether Joe Biden will withdraw from the race. Or if…

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PRIDE AND STRAIGHT PARENTS 

By David Perlstein | June 28, 2024 |

Pride Month in San Francisco concludes Sunday with the annual parade up Market Street. Carolyn and I have a personal connection.  We have a trans son, Yosi, and a gay son, Aaron—and gay son-in-law Jeremy. Also, a straight son, Seth. We love them equally.  Pride serves as a celebration for two straight parents who learned…

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WHEN IS IT TIME TO STEP ASIDE? 

By David Perlstein | June 21, 2024 |

Getting old poses challenges. One: defining old. A second: knowing when to step aside. This quandary is evident in the historical play The Lehman Trilogy, closing in San Francisco this Sunday. Written by the Italian playwright Stefano Massini and translated into English by Mirella Cheeseman, The Lehman Trilogy, directed by Sam Mendes, opened in 2018 at London’s National Theatre.…

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JUSTICE FOILS THE DEEP STATE 

By David Perlstein | June 14, 2024 |

Last Tuesday, a jury found Hunter Biden guilty of three felonies involving filling out a gun permit. Many Americans will take away a reassuring lesson. Others won’t. I was neutral about Hunter Biden’s trial. I also didn’t have a dog in the fight regarding Donald Trump’s recent New York conviction on 34 felony counts. A…

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