A Friendly Letter

One Officer’s January 6 Testimony: “Terrorists pushed through the line and engaged us in hand-to-hand combat.”

He did it: Officer Hodges went there — he used that taboo word. The “T” word. Again & again. Testimony: Officer Daniel Hodges, Metropolitan Police Department, excerpts from testimony July 27, 2021, before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. [Source: the Select Committee] Good morning to the … Continue reading One Officer’s January 6 Testimony: “Terrorists pushed through the line and engaged us in hand-to-hand combat.” →

Saturday Night at the Ballpark. With Kids. Oh — and Guns.

Privilege and the Shooting Outside Nationals Park By Jonathan V. Last I’d like to tell you a story. On Saturday I took my 13-year-old son, Flash, to the ballpark to see the Nationals and the visiting San Diego Padres. Here’s the view from our seats as the most exciting player in baseball took the field: … Continue reading Saturday Night at the Ballpark. With Kids. Oh — and Guns. →

Saving the Country on the Fourth

Two emissaries from America’s future came to visit and delivered a stern warning: “Grandpa, Nana — y’all & your friends gotta fix up the mess this country’s in! I started to answer, then they added, “But can we go to the park first?” (After that we distracted them with blueberries & whipped cream . . … Continue reading Saving the Country on the Fourth →

For A Hearty Holiday: Our Democracy Is Approaching Cardiac Arrest

So: I went in for a thorough cardio checkup, a long overnight at Duke Med. As the capstone of the process they stuck me in this MRI machine for a long hour of lying stock still on my back, eyes closed and hands slowly going numb under the barrage of whanging and zapping aimed at … Continue reading For A Hearty Holiday: Our Democracy Is Approaching Cardiac Arrest →