Yesterday, after watching the Thursday broadcast of the latest Congressional Hearings into the attack on the U.S. Capitol, I sat down to write a reaction, but the words just didn't mesh the way I wanted, and I abandoned the effort.... Continue reading

I have read and heard lots of prolix discussion over the past month regarding the legal basis for a right to abortion. Some opine that Roe v. Wade would not now be history if the case had been argued originally... Continue reading

The U.S. and its government are founded on a handful of premises that were understood by (nearly) all as positive statements of principle: equality, individual rights including especially the right to vote, the idea of the fairness of representative government,... Continue reading

I heard that President Biden was doing a major statement tonight, so I listened before posting my own view. The President gave a heartfelt, calm, rational statement expressing the hope that we have reached the point where elected politicians may... Continue reading

Everyone is afire about the leak of the U.S. Supreme Court's supposed "draft" decision on Roe v. Wade. Ho-hum. There are things to be said about Roe, which I'd like to address later, but for now, I'm just wondering, since... Continue reading

Washington Post Political Columnist Dana Milbank recently explored the new Trumpie social media platform "Truth Social" to see what kinds of posts are appearing there. (See "I tried Trump's Truth Social So You Don't Have To" in today's Post.) And... Continue reading

The phrase "second thoughts" usually implies changing an opinion or a decision. But my second thoughts on Ukraine, Russia, and the United States have only brought me to double down on opinions previously expressed, to wit: As regards the U.S.:... Continue reading

I had not wanted nor expected to resume this blog after a year's silence with a war on our hands. Nevertheless, no one can deny the Soviet elephant in the room (or across the border). In Ukraine, Russian President for... Continue reading

The Prosecution: A great job. The presentation just blew us away. But the case was not a difficult one to make. The Defense: Constitutional scholars have debunked the silly notion that the President may not be judged guilty now that... Continue reading

It's really difficult for me to understand why elected Republicans seem so reticent to spend money on economic recovery. Specifically, that besides their general complaint that the Biden plan is too expensive, they want to cut the amount of the... Continue reading

Two weeks ago, in its magazine section of January 17, the Washington Post invited a group of randomly selected "experts," and seven "artists" (?), of many of whom I've never heard, to write essays about "one surprising thing" the incoming... Continue reading

What happens when politics, the "Art of the Possible," tries to survive in a world where nothing seems possible? There are a lot of teeth-gnashing reports in many quarters of our media, worrying that Biden's pledge to unite the Disunited... Continue reading

What's in a name? Columnist George Will's recent column "The Sensitivity Sweepstakes" reviewed the art of political correctness and the extremes to which it went in 2020. It's worth a read. To cite just a couple of his examples, in... Continue reading

For years, the G.O.P. stood for fiscal responsibility and conservative spending. It occurs to me, though, that in recent years, at least the past couple of decades, that has changed. Nowadays, they are for such conservative policies when Democrats are... Continue reading

I praise columnist Eugene Robinson's piece of January 15, entitled "The GOP Is out of Time to Reject Trump's Lies." You can find the entire column on the Washington Post website, or elsewhere online, but I would just quote the... Continue reading

Years ago, there used to be an old joke people would play right before an election day. In a group - your office, your class - somebody would post a notice like this: "To relieve congestion and crowding due to the expected high turnout in tomorrow's election, the government has announced special procedures. All Republicans will vote on Tuesday, while Democrats will vote on Wednesday." (That's the Republican version, of course.) No one in the room was ever fooled by it, and most got a bit of a good-natured bipartisan chuckle from it. But that was in easier-going times. Today,... Continue reading

We in the U.S. all tend to think of a new year - whether it's the calendar year, or the chronologically later beginning of a new President's term, as a fresh start. Out with the old problems, on to new... Continue reading

Over the past weekend, in my county, there was an evident uptick in activity to deliver anti-covid vaccine to a broader section of the population. We're still not at the stage where everybody has access, but we've moved beyond the... Continue reading

As the occupation of the U.S. Capitol by Trump dupes unfolded two days ago, I noted, as many did, that planning for the security of the building clearly had been inadequate to the need. This must have been an error... Continue reading

Well, today's events at the U.S. Capitol certainly merit the term "shameful," as rioters egged on by our mentally deranged criminal-in-chief stormed the Capitol, seeking to disrupt the proceedings. There is lots of shame to go around: for the "protesters"... Continue reading

I wonder if many people these days recall the character in the "funnies," as we used to call them, named "Baby Huey." Read all about him here on Wikipedia (make a donation to support them while you're there); but he... Continue reading