Nolan’s The Odyssey and the fact that we have way, way too much time on our hands

Remove text; Greek myth battle onscreen; chaotic audience fighting

Whether you choose to see it or not see it, whether you love it or hate it, or feel something in between, The Odyssey remains a movie, a few hours of entertainment that has absolutely no real impact on your life even should it go on to make a trillion dollars. Long before the rise… Continue reading Nolan’s The Odyssey and the fact that we have way, way too much time on our hands

The perverse incentives that will drive the 2028 Democrat primary and the sad story of Representative Ro Khanna

Stage with podium and banners reading solidarity of the working class and power to the people

Whoever wants to be the nominee in 2028, needs to understand that the modern Democrat Party is in the process of both being devoured by Democratic Socialists and consumed by Trump derangement. Once upon a time, Ro Khanna was considered a reasonable Democrat in Republican circles.  While the Representative from Silicon Valley might’ve been unabashedly… Continue reading The perverse incentives that will drive the 2028 Democrat primary and the sad story of Representative Ro Khanna

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?

If simple words like “temporary” don’t mean what everyone knows they mean, democracy is screwed

Antique brass balance scales with weights on old parchment paper

In 1990, Congress established a program for refugees that needed temporary relief, but somehow, almost no one admitted under the program ever left, the number admitted increased ten times in the past nine years, and proponents are now insisting they never should. In principle, I’m a supporter of the Temporary Protected Status program, which allows… Continue reading If simple words like “temporary” don’t mean what everyone knows they mean, democracy is screwed

America at 250, confessions of a late blooming patriot on the principles and personalities that founded the greatest country in the world

Group of people in colonial clothing walking in front of Independence Hall during sunset

It wasn’t until college when I was transformed by a James Madison quote, a timeless statement of truth, the equivalent of political poetry, illuminating something deep inside the heart of us all:  If men were angels, no government would be necessary. I’ll confess:  I wasn’t exactly a patriot early in life.  A born cynic, probably… Continue reading America at 250, confessions of a late blooming patriot on the principles and personalities that founded the greatest country in the world

The Democratic Socialists of America are devouring the Democrat Party, who are the real radicals now?

Voting ballots swirling in a tornado over a detailed city street map

While the conventional wisdom holds that the Republicans have become increasingly extreme, the Democrats keeping picking proud socialists to be their standard bearers, some of the most radical politicians in history on a major party ticket. For at least a decade, the conventional wisdom has held that the Republican Party has become increasingly extreme, moving… Continue reading The Democratic Socialists of America are devouring the Democrat Party, who are the real radicals now?