Puts a lump in my throat. The Dixie Chicks were among the most unexpected, unlikely and unforgettable heroes of the bloody GWB/Iraq years. Their documentary movie of that ordeal, “Shut Up & Sing” (this clip can help you see why it’s worth the $3.99 to stream it) still makes me cry; I showed it to … Continue reading The Dixie Chicks Are Back, and the Head Gaslighter is in their sights
My onetime colleague Joe Klein gets this right: I too was among many angry youth (even worse, an angry young Quaker) who despised Establishment Democrat Hubert Humphrey in 1968. I remember hearing Dr. King’s close aide Andrew Young pleading with an angry college crowd to vote for Hubert Humphrey. Young made two memorable points: “Some … Continue reading Remembering the 1968 Election: Politics, Snakes & Snakes
On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2020, the Washington Post ran an engaging story of two independent-minded women who faced down the CIA and won. That’s our first story: The two women were Florence Thorne and Margaret Scattergood. The Post: Five thousand square feet, wide windows, a grand staircase, a front porch with a panoramic view … Continue reading Two Stories of Quaker Women: One True, One (Maybe) Fiction
Here’s a speculation: For three years, Trump has been singling out American military commanders and lower-ranking troops and treating them like dirt. He’s also elevated some dirt bags, like the Navy Seal prisoner-killer he pardoned, who was hated by his own team members. He’s toyed with whole units, sending them on phony-baloney, embarrassing “missions” to … Continue reading Trump & the Troops: Is the Party Over?
Here are three great snippets from Rain Dogs,the latest mystery by Adrian McKinty I just read, a terrific tale set in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles.” It’s Book #5 in a series I started just a week ago, and have binge read in seven days. Like I said in a blurb: Catholic & Protestant, war & … Continue reading Nuggets from a Mystery Reading Binge