POLITICS & THE ECONOMY
UKRAINE ONE YEAR OUT
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…
Read MoreG.O.P. TO TRUMP—SEE YA
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,”…
Read MoreKNESSET, CONGRESS AND CHAOS
Two countries. Two democratic systems. The same chaos caused by those who put their theology above the will of the majority. Israel maintains a parliamentary system with twelve parties now represented in the single-house Knesset. The present government under Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu rules because Bibi’s party—Likud—holds 32 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. That’s…
Read MoreTHE TWO OF EVERYONE
Last Tuesday was the 112th anniversary of my mother’s birth. Belying surface impressions, there was more than one of her. Blanche Finkle Perlstein was a middle-class Jewish housewife with a successful husband (Morris); a well-furnished apartment in Queens; a mink coat and lots of jewelry. She loved opera and Broadway theater. But . . .…
Read MoreMY SPEAKER RESUMÉ
As of my posting this morning, Kevin McCarthy has lost 12 votes for Speaker of the House of Representatives. I’d like the job. Membership in the House isn’t required, and my resumé makes my case. Smarts? I hold degrees from Harvard, Stanford and Oxford. Patriotism? I rose from Army recruit to full colonel in only…
Read MoreCHANUKAH’S LESSON FOR AMERICA
The House of Representatives’ Select Committee on January 6 held its final hearing last Monday—the first day of Chanukah. This offers much to think about. Around 164 BCE, the Jews won a victory against their Seleucid Greek overlords. This forms the background of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. Only recently have some Jews glimpsed the…
Read MoreDEMOCRACY AT WORK
To many Americans, the last few years have seemed dark and foreboding. But rays of light shine through. Here are two examples, small and large. Last Tuesday, the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency held a final public hearing live and by telephone. City residents were invited to speak for and against the city’s Slow Streets…
Read MoreTRUMPTY DUMPTY
Two days after the midterm election, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post published a striking cover. It “formalized” the break—pun intended—between Murdoch and Donald Trump. Are America’s political winds shifting? The Post featured Trump’s head superimposed on a drawing of an egg-shaped man sitting on a brick wall. Headline: “TRUMPTY DUMPTY.” Subhead: “Don (who couldn’t build a wall) had a…
Read MoreA BLUE VETERANS DAY SALUTE 
Liberals and progressives in deep-blue San Francisco display strong anti-war sentiments. That’s good. War is bad. But many ignore Veterans Day. That does a deep disservice to our past and present military personnel. Veterans Day traces its roots to November 11, 1918. An armistice ended the Great War. Armistice Day soon became a national holiday.…
Read MoreWHO ARE “WE THE PEOPLE?” 
The first draft of my novel 2084 (set in 2044) contained the Preamble to the New Covenant for America. On July 4, 2035, Congress had replaced the Constitution. A recent New York Times article cautioned that this may be less fiction than forecast. The Preamble read in part: We the People of the former United States, in Order to .…
Read MoreADAM, EVE AND THE MIDTERMS 
Adam and Eve relate directly to the principal owner of the San Francisco Giants and America’s upcoming midterm elections. Let’s start at the beginning. This week, we begin the annual Torah reading cycle. It commences with the initial portion of Genesis—B’reishit. “In the Beginning” is one of several translations of that first word. The portion…
Read MoreTHE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK 
I think I’ve been too hard on Donald Trump. To be more evenhanded, let me contribute a few ways he and his legal team might rebut Department of Justice suspicions of criminal behavior. The dog ate my homework. Items the FBI took from Mar-a-Lago included empty folders. Many had contained a classified document up to top…
Read MoreMAR-A-LAGO’S OTHER TREASURES 
Much has been made about government documents Donald Trump stashed at Mar-a-Lago. I’ve accessed the Department of Justice’s list of personal items to be returned. The following bear stickies with Trump’s comments. (Note: DOJ semi-redacted key words.) Items include . . . A photo of President Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Trump’s note: I’m KING PRESIDENT of…
Read MoreUNPRESIDENTED
Richard Nixon, resigned from office, told interviewer David Frost, “If the president does it, that means it’s not illegal.” Howls of scorn met that remark. Donald Trump and his supporters evidently agree with Nixon. Regarding the FBI’s seizure of documents from Mar-a-Lago, the far right’s protests against the Department of Justice and FBI include many…
Read MoreCAN HEARTS DESTROY DEMOCRACY? 
The House Select Committee on January 6 concluded its summer hearings last week with a detailed examination of the 187 minutes during which Donald Trump did nothing to halt the invasion of the Capitol. But testimony at an earlier hearing frightened me as much or more. On June 21, Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer of…
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