I am forced to concede that my last post was, as the French would say, retarded.  (Actually, when a suitable occasion arises, they probably just use the term "Americain".)  I suppose that I had wanted this so badly that I had to protect myself from disappointment with that reliable balm, cynicism. . . . (More)

 I was going to wait until after the election, but now that it seems like a foregone conclusion, I would like to express my relief at the likely Obama victory. For the record, this is the first time I have ever felt any sincere enthusiasm for a presidential candidate for whom I have voted. Ob . . . (More)

  Five things Barack Obama could safely do upon taking office without risking his significant advantage over the incumbent in credibility and public support: Sit motionlessly for four years. Hold a press conference at which he admits that he hung out with Bill Ayers because people who hav . . . (More)

 I remember, shortly after 9/11, the TV was on.  And wasn't it always on?  No airplanes, but plenty of TV.  Apparently, that is what we do.  I don't say that it's bad or good; I say that it is what we do, now that we are the people that we have become.  An off-screen announcer said, behind plain . . . (More)

 It's not really my style, and it's sort of a cheap shot, I suppose, but what with the election becoming closer than it should be (except, perhaps, on Bizarro World), I think it bears mentioning that John McCain is on record for unapologetically referring to his Vietnamese captors . . . (More)

 Our civil libertarians have a lot to complain about, and theirs is a righteous struggle.  But, candidly, there is very little that is forbidden in America.  And yet...There are things that, while not exactly forbidden, are nonetheless very effectively prevented from happening.  There are many . . . (More)

 I wish you all had one neck, and my hands were around it.                - Carl PanzramNews flash!!  This just in!!!!!Barack Obama loves his wife, and his children, and his parents, and America, and God and shit!And also he has children!  They love him back!  Also his wife!And he is in . . . (More)

 It's become the most elephantine of elephants in the living room - and the Lord knows that we have plenty of those, these days.  (Did you know that the American family is held together by money and incest?  Oops.  Move along - nothing to see here.)  In fact, of all the mammals infesting all . . . (More)