Rosie the three-legged dragon and the three days of night, part one

Rosie the Three-Legged Dragon

Rosie was black and beautiful, long and lithe, with a patch of white on her neck, on the tips of her paws and end of her tail, but she didn’t have wings and couldn’t breathe fire because Rosie wasn’t a dragon at all.  She just thought she was. Rosie was a three-legged dragon, black and… Continue reading Rosie the three-legged dragon and the three days of night, part one

Springsteen isn’t a “critical patriot,” he’s a partisan hack, but I love him anyway

Statue of Liberty replica on pedestal with inscription honoring fallen heroes under dark cloudy sky

For a man who claims to be driven by principle, he has an odd habit, one dating back to the 1980s, of only entering the fray when a Republican is in office, either sleeping through Democrat Presidencies or somehow believing all our problems are solved when we elect a Democrat. “I believe in critical patriotism,”… Continue reading Springsteen isn’t a “critical patriot,” he’s a partisan hack, but I love him anyway

No, Iran isn’t the same as before and they’re certainly not stronger

Two abstract human figures fighting on a broken chessboard with scattered chess pieces and crumbled architectural ruins around them.

Unless they’re the equivalent of an alien organism out of a science fiction film, not subject to any of the normal limitations of government, economics, or military might, the death of a leader in power for almost forty years and a trillion in damage will have an effect. As we continue to celebrate America’s 250th… Continue reading No, Iran isn’t the same as before and they’re certainly not stronger

America at 250, the heat was both literal and figurative

Crowd of protesters with signs 'Civil unrest', 'Freedom', and 'Enough!' in a burning cityscape with US landmarks and flags

After losing power for the entire weekend, we joked that we were doing it as the Founders did – no lights, no running water, no air conditioning – but who are we kidding? The Friday before the Fourth of July my lovely wife and I did something we almost never do:  Went out for dinner… Continue reading America at 250, the heat was both literal and figurative

America at 250, why does progressive politics define the lives of so many of our fellow citizens, making them almost completely miserable?

Mountain landscape with sunrise on left and thunderstorm with lightning on right

As even Vox.com was honest enough to note, America in 1976 was in a far worse place than today, and yet Americans felt better about the country and the future. Before the results of the 2024 election were known on the evening of November 5, I encouraged everyone to remember their Billy Joel.  At the… Continue reading America at 250, why does progressive politics define the lives of so many of our fellow citizens, making them almost completely miserable?