Usually it’s gratifying to see the New York Times devote a rare column to the ongoing outrage of the U.S. resort to torture during the failed “war on terror.” But not today. Today’s article, The Legacy of America’s Post-9/11 Turn to Torture, mostly ticked me off: “Twenty years after the attacks, the United States is … Continue reading A Tortured evasion of the ultimate issue in U. S. Torture
From a letter to a friend: They’re talking and talking about the 20th observances for the 11th, with Biden going nonstop, and there’s an article in the Times or somewhere about a bunch of the books which supposedly show all the ways we totally screwed up the impact & aftermath of all that. Which is … Continue reading Reflecting on 9/11: My Other Lost Cause
A substantial Holiday Weekend Read: I always feel uneasy when finding myself in agreement with rightwing Catholic pundit Ross Douthat. But in his August 31 NYTimes column, he nails it, mocking the spectacle of : ” . . . generals and grand strategists who presided over quagmire, folly and defeat fanning out across the television … Continue reading A Quaker Theologian for Our Hard Times.
Yes, things could definitely be worse: the filibuster is still in place. The Chief Insurrectionist remains unindicted. And the wildfires and hurricanes! But there has been some summer relief around here. The fires and hurricanes have missed us so far. Delta has too, tho it’s still prowling the neighborhood. And we’re (almost all) out of … Continue reading Surviving our COVID-Induced Coma
“Predictions are hard,” said the sage yogi Berra, “especially about the future.” Yet sometimes there are exceptions — predictions that are easy. Like this one: