POLITICS & THE ECONOMY
OSTRICHES, TURTLES AND CROWS
Opponents of America’s direction on both the internal and international fronts consist roughly of three basic species. Much has impacted these Americans: The Trump regime—a more fitting word for an autocracy than administration—seizing Venezuelan oil after kidnapping its president (not a good guy to be clear) and leaving turmoil in its wake. Threatening Colombia. Threatening Greenland. Homeland…
Read MoreMY CHANUKAH WISH LIST
Don’t think me greedy, but I have a long wish list for Chanukah presents, and I want everything. Chanukah is the Jewish “Festival of Lights.” The eight-night (and day) holiday begins on the 25th of the month of Kislev which, in the lunar-solar calendar, falls anywhere between late November and the end of December. Chanukah…
Read MoreVENEZUELA AND DELUSION
America is being led down the rabbit hole of self-deceit and towards potential war with Venezuela. I believe that our bellicose commander-in-chief has three goals in mind. Donald Trump’s fixation on small boats crossing the Caribbean from Venezuela to the U.S. goes beyond restricting drug-running. But first, let’s agree that the drug trade is horrible.…
Read MoreSHOULD WOMEN VOTE?
Last Sunday, we saw the Broadway road-show musical “Suffs” about the suffragist movement. The Tony Award®-winner made a powerful and entertaining case for the 19th Amendment, ratified on June 4, 1919. Yet some (many?) Christian nationalists oppose women’s right to vote. On October 9, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat interviewed Doug Wilson, pastor of…
Read MoreINSIDE MY NEW NOVEL “RIDE THE TYGER”
Reading a novel is easy. Harder: writing my tenth novel, “Ride the Tyger: The Lost, Unauthorized Oral Biography of Madison Hadder.” I started with a question: What leads someone to embrace the political far right and ignore reality? Witness Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, (R., Georgia) with “Jewish space lasers” and Trump former counselor Kellyanne Conway’s…
Read MoreSETTING THE CLOCK—AND AMERICANS—BACK
Sunday at 2:00 am, we’ll turn our clocks back one hour. Sadly, the month-long federal government shutdown is turning the national clock back to eras when millions of Americans went to bed hungry and sick. Venture capitalists, bank executives, senior tech bro—they’re fine. But tens of millions of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck. Others…
Read MoreHAS THE WAR AGAINST AMERICANS BEGUN?
Did last Tuesday’s Quantico, Virginia, ingathering of generals and admirals tip the scales towards Donald Trump conducting a war against Americans? Since January, Trump has grabbed more and more executive power while Congress—make that Congressional Republicans—has stood abjectly by. At Quantico, Trump addressed the nation’s top military commanders and their aides. His remarks followed those…
Read MoreAM I GOING TO PRISON?
Last Saturday, a friend offered to send me muffins if I went to prison. His generosity responded to ABC taking the late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel off the air. Kimmel remarked about the man who killed Christian-conservative advocate Charlie Kirk. He said the shooter was a MAGA follower. No evidence has been presented tying the shooter…
Read MoreTRUMP FOR THE CHAMBERLAIN PRIZE
America’s newest war hero seeks a Nobel Peace Prize to recognize another of his astounding accomplishments. I see him deserving a different prize. Granted, when it comes to war and peace, Trump’s been there and done that. On Wednesday, he called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war hero for Israel’s bombings of Iran’s air…
Read MoreGUESS WHO’S HOSTING THE OSCARS
Donald Trump is clearly demonstrating to America that busyness is next to godliness. Last February, Trump appointed himself chair of D.C.’s Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. This past Wednesday, Trump announced the—his—Kennedy Center honorees. They include Sylvester Stallone who, along with Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, will be his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood. Americans…
Read MoreMY BANK KERFUFFLE—A FABLE
Dealing with numbers like your bank balance can be exasperating. I went online to see the balance in the checking account Carolyn and I maintain to pay household bills and collect Social Security. The website was way out of whack! Our balance appeared only in the low four-digit range ($1,000–$9,999). I expected to see a…
Read MoreEXTREMISM AND ITS PERILS
A character in the Book of Numbers and a man who ran for President of the United States 60 years ago share something in common. I n 1964, Senator Barry Goldwater (R. Ariz.) campaigned against Lyndon Johnson, who assumed the presidency after the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. In his acceptance speech at the GOP…
Read MoreTHE FOURTH, NEIL DIAMOND AND ME
Who cried three times during a Broadway touring musical about the pop songwriter-singer Neil Diamond? Recently, Carolyn and I saw “A Beautiful Noise” about Diamond’s career and emotional challenges. And yes, the one who cried was me. Let me explain, particularly since today is the Fourth of July. One of the show’s first songs was…
Read MoreBUNKER BUSTING QUESTIONS
Right after Air Force B-2s dropped “bunker busters” on Fordo and Natanz last Saturday, President Trump announced that those facilities had been “obliterated.” Did he jump the gun? A preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report—I emphasize “preliminary”— stated that Iran’s nuclear program had been set back by only two to three months. In a few days, more optimistic…
Read MoreAMERICA AND IRAN PLAY CHICKEN
When making decisions, government leaders must evaluate their nation’s pain threshold and their own political risks. Cue Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump gave Khamenei 60 days to agree to processing uranium only for civilian use—and outside Iran. Khamenei refused. The deadline passed. Given the stalemate and American inaction, Israeli prime minister Benjamin…
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