Politics

From The Guardian, October 2021: “This year has provided bitter evidence that even current levels of warming are disastrous, with astounding floods in Germany and China, Hades-like fires from Canada to California to Greece and rain, rather than snow, falling for the first time at the summit of a rapidly melting Greenland…A “heat dome” that pulverized previous temperature records in the US’s Pacific northwest and Canada's west coast in June, [killed[ Read more about Existential Dread

The big question presented by the incidence of violence perpetrated by humanity upon itself is: What is the proper response?

This morning, we woke up to another incident of individual violence against neighboring humans. Eighteen people are dead in Lewiston, Maine, because a man with a weapon of war took it into places of camaraderie and commenced slaughter.

Lewiston is not an isolated incident in the United States. Other individuals here and there are even now killing someone else for one reason or another. We will have to let Lewiston stand in for them all. Read more about Violence

I’m fairly convinced that we will win the 2024 Presidential election. What’s more, I’m very nearly convinced that we will not only win back the House, but we will win back the Senate. In numbers that cannot be denied. Numbers that will very likely be able to pass Build Back Better, as it was originally intended. Maybe even better than that.

What if we do? Read more about What If?

There is a big patch of brown grass in my yard – southern Wisconsin had no rainfall in June. Otherwise, it is as if we are forgotten by the future. The temperature still averages between 75 and 82 a day, lows in the 60’s at night. Lovely July weather. A little rain in the forecast. However … Read more about No Place to Run

In the continuing negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, Republicans want to tie any increase to cuts to clean-energy incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act. This is insane.

Here are only a few takeaways from recent news pieces: Read more about Stuck in the Kitchen

That is, is Joe Biden too old to become President once more? Well, if Chuck Grassley (90) wasn’t too old for a red state to vote back in for another six-year term last year (he’ll be 95 when he’s up for re-election), then maybe old Joe’s got a chance. Read more about Is Joe Too Old?

Suppose you lived in a pretty how town with good schools and well-established churches. A local industry that employed nearly everyone who hadn’t already found jobs with the local bakeries and auto shops and various small but relatively prosperous businesses scattered here and there. Your children were healthy, kind and intelligent. With any luck, a few of them were funny. It livened up your day. Most mothers were home all day and a few appreciated that. There was a country club, but even if your parents weren’t members you were friends with kids whose were. Read more about Waking Up

These past few years have been putting this country to a test of sorts. On the one hand, the Democratic Party has been all about delivering benefits to the Common Good. On the other hand, the Republican Party has been fighting a rear guard Culture War. Two enormous swathes of the country fighting two completely different battles. And in the most recent clash at ballot boxes across the nation, the country seems to have opted for the Common Good. I was disheartened somewhat by the narrow margins, but not surprised by the results. The Culture Warriors have nothing to offer. Read more about Comfort Ye, My People

Seems as if this entire year has been all about the midterms – when it wasn’t about January 6th and The Former Guy, and even then it turns out to have been all about the midterms. Read more about Midterms

Just like Florida in 2022, I was not prepared 42 years ago when, coming out from a Fellini film on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, I heard someone tell a friend, “Carter’s conceded. Reagan won.” Read more about Islands in the Storm