Blog
The Trump administration boasts about protecting American Jews from antisemitism and anti-Israel attacks. The truth is just the opposite. Jews have been called “the canary in the coal mine.” Attacks on Jews warn that a society is giving way to ethnic autocracy. Other minorities soon will be assaulted. This canary smells the scent emanating from…
The Defense Department just accepted a luxury Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to serve as Air Force One. But that’s only half the story. The new plane, meant to serve only King Donald, must undergo serious modifications to make it presidentially secure. But other changes will be made in response to Oval Office demands. The…
Will my neighborhood in San Francisco’s Richmond District undergo NIMBY-YIMBY warfare? Or will common sense prevail? A while back, the Little Sisters of the Poor closed St. Anne’s Home, which housed retired nuns. They put up for sale the six-acre property, a 10-minute walk from my house. The site fronts on upscale, leafy Lake Street…
The Greek philosopher Plato and several comic-strip characters can tell us where America should be going. Plato wrote of numina and phenomena. Numina represent the ideal. Phenomena attempt to express the ideal in physical or other form. Plato used a chair as an example. The ideal chair can’t be seen. Real chairs, whatever their design, are attempts to…
Does eating breakfast make me a Benedict Arnold? I’ve always considered myself a loyal American. When I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army after being graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, I swore to protect and defend the Constitution. I maintain that oath. Now, am I aiding and abetting a…
My neighborhood is full of home-improvement projects, including my own. What I see says a lot about today’s American government. Most homeowners and landlords maintain or upgrade their properties. New owners often make major renovations. On my daily walks, I see up to two dozen subcontractors providing electrical and plumbing services, hardwood floors, windows, sheetrock,…
A favorite novel begins with a terrified protagonist: “The footsteps—thick-sole, steel-toe heavy, no pretense at stealth—approached our floor from the wrong direction. On a Monday morning, most people left their apartments for work, shlepped their still-sleepy way down the stairs as Indira had earlier. The stomping that terrified me came up from the lobby. I…
Shabbat ends tomorrow (Saturday) night and Passover begins. The weeklong holiday will bring both joy and distress. Passover commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and slavery (though not of the Black American sort). What’s more, Pharaoh ordered the deaths of newborn Israelite boys. The story is familiar to most Americans, though not all. Several years…
A drive to brunch at a friend’s house provided a jarring encounter with a suburban hermit. As I parked at the curb at the house next-door, the neighbor’s front door flew open. A white-haired man popped out. He wore a red, white and blue bathrobe over white pajamas. His feet were tucked into red slippers.…