The Case for Great American Hagiography
We have to once again pay tribute to our best and let Hollywood fester with the rest.
The Merry-Go-Round Never Stops
No one will remember the details of the speaker fight in years to come. But the takeaway isn’t in the details.
A New Year, A New Political Party?
Likely now is the time to start a new political party, with stated principles not unlike the Declaration of Independence, and constructed carefully in ways that will avoid the defects of the past.
Naming the Names We Name Ourselves
The underlying purpose of these generational names is to divide. Perhaps some rebranding is in order.
Suede Shoes, Common Sense, and the Failure of Philosophy
It is nearly impossible to build a philosophy around why you should not wear suede shoes. It’s just a fact.
Something Troubling
Are there no leaders with the nation’s best interests at heart?
When Stupid People Rule
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was wrong. Stupidity is dangerous, but we have no choice but to reason with and combat it.
Autonomy and Individualism
The frictional fires of a fictional divide.
Can We Survive?
Yes, at least as long as they need us. As slaves. But we must work toward liberation.
‘You Can’t Take It With You’ and An Argument for a More Civil Society
If our society prefers the “John Wick” world to the one Capra defined, it makes sense that we are in the mess we have.
A Commonplace Enlightenment
As Shakespeare transcended Sophocles in his appreciation of love and hate and wonderment, there might be something of our salvation to be found in novels, and movies,
and even in music.
and even in music.
This Too Shall Pass
It is no accident that the few exceptional politicians in my memory were not dependent on winning.
Iain McGilchrist and the Attack on Life and Understanding In Our Times
To ignore the routine reduction of our humanity is to devalue ourselves.
The Hill Mowing and a Refuge in Books
The added perspective of a memoir can be the
best salve for the soul.
best salve for the soul.
Hard Work: An Appreciation
Maybe we should reverse the paradigm and pay more for hard work than for optional labor.
Halloween and Election Day: Days for the Undying Dead
When bad ideas are like a horror flick killer, continuously resurrected to kill again.
No Free Rides
We have failed ourselves. We must correct and repair.
That’s what elections are for.
That’s what elections are for.
‘Twelve O’Clock High’ and the Forgotten Art of Henry King
King had learned that it was the characters that mattered, not the director, or the stars.
The Enemy
Boomers chose their way. And they are their own worst enemies.
The Faith of Nations
The faith that we once knew has failed us. No longer a young nation, we have to find our way back to the faith of our youth in order to thrive.