3 days agoMember-onlyCredit Where It’s Due: The Power of the PressA demonstration of how the press can make a difference. Last week in this blog I wrote — yet again — about the responsibility of the press to call out the threat that the Trumpist GOP poses to American democracy, instead of engaging in the outdated, pre-2016 faux objectivity and…Supreme Court8 min readSupreme Court8 min read
Nov 30Member-onlyBiden Shames the PressCan the media resist its own worst instincts and tell the truth about the two leading presidential candidates? Among Americans who pay attention to politics, there is currently a palpable panic in Democratic circles that Joe Biden could well lose the 2024 presidential election. The opponent we fear can beat…Politics12 min readPolitics12 min read
Nov 9Member-only“War Crime” Is a Redundancy (Almost)What is beyond the pale? Keeping up with the news coming out of Gaza is daunting, so I can’t remember where I read it, but I recently saw someone reject the use of the term “war crime” because, as they put it, “all war is a crime.” That would put…War10 min readWar10 min read
Oct 25Member-onlyThe Penalty Kick as Ontological DilemmaHow can a goalkeeper react so fast to a penalty kick? Because there’s no such thing as a continuous Self. During last winter’s World Cup (remember when they held the World Cup in the winter?), the Washington Post ran a piece prosaically titled “Soccer Players React In Milliseconds In Penalty…Soccer10 min readSoccer10 min read
Oct 14Member-onlyBeware the BacklashEven in the wake of a horrific attack, support for Israel will be short-lived, as we watch an immutable rule of war demonstrated yet again. Bottom line upfront, as they taught us bright-eyed young infantry officers in Building Four in what is now known as Ft. Moore, GA: In asymmetrical…Israel11 min readIsrael11 min read
Sep 7Member-onlyKafka Would BlushTrump’s latest legal gambit is the height of absurdity and contempt for the law — even for him. Hey, hive mind: is there an app for keeping track of Trump’s various criminal and civil trials? (Ideally one that does not require me to update my operating system.) Between the Mar-a-Lago…Politics11 min readPolitics11 min read
Aug 30Member-onlyWhat Is the Best Case Scenario?Suppose we beat Trump in ’24, and even convict him of major crimes. What then? This blog is not known for its sunny optimism. In my experience, the light at the end of the tunnel usually turns out to be the headlamp of an oncoming train. That said, I am…Politics10 min readPolitics10 min read
Aug 23Member-onlySmiles of a Summer Night (Sorta)Another summer’s end, and another great unknown ahead. I hate the end of summer. That’s because — simple math — I love summer. Like the song goes, it’s my time of year. Part of it is just me, part of it is being a water sports guy (ha ha, I…Politics10 min readPolitics10 min read
Aug 15Member-onlyReason’s EndIs there any point in taking the high road when the other side denies there’s such a thing as a “road” at all? On the heels of a federal judge rejecting the Hunter Biden plea deal, Merrick Garland has announced the appointment of a special counsel to look into the…Politics13 min readPolitics13 min read
Aug 7Member-onlyThe Fast and the FuriousPoor people gonna rise up and take what’s theirs? Faithful readers of this blog would be forgiven for thinking that, after a week that saw the long-awaited Big Indictmentof Trump, one could turn to these pages for some pontification about it it. It’s coming, trust me. For now, The Washington…Pop Music8 min readPop Music8 min read
