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Cowardice, Hot Tubs, Serial Killers, January 6th

Cowardice I have reason to believe we are all natural cowards, that it takes training and education and moral conviction to overcome our natural state.  Even if you ask experienced combat veterans about fear, they will tell you that only the truly insane are without it.  Those who are considered “brave” are the ones who..

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The International Commission on Beige

Beige is the Rage The unfolding of the crisis — the actual events themselves — were similar for everyone, I suppose. In my case, a co-worker, Sally Truesdale, zoom-called me and asked, “Did you hear yet?” “What?” I asked. “They are grounding all international flights.” “Why?” “The beige crisis.  It’s finally hitting.  You haven’t been..

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Adjusting For Size

At first, when the frogs all started getting bigger, people thought it was cute.  It wasn’t a plague, after all.  They weren’t roiling and pulsing across the plane—threatening invasion.  You didn’t find them between the bed sheets, or massing on the lawn furniture. It’s just that the damn things were getting larger. “Everett found one..

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Dark Math

Think About It.. According to one source, California has $1.5 TRILLION in unfunded pension liability.   “Unfunded pension liability” represents that portion of the state’s pension obligation not covered by agency and employee contributions.  Another way of putting it is this: “in order to keep paying your pensions, we need to come up with about $1.5..

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Random Fiesta Summer Stuff..

Don’t Cry For Me, Santa Barbara I approach festivals — any community festival heavily managed by institutional types worried about their ESG/DEI ratings — with deep suspicion, since you never know when a congregational response will be required of you.  (Priest: “May climate change worry be with you.”  Worshippers: “And also with you!”) So I..

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Square Dance Pride

The Ugly Problem of Folk Dance Hate.. September is National Square Dance Month, but the national celebration will be too late for Marcy Quinsdale.  Marcy, just 14 years old, had saved enough money from her allowance to buy a competitive dance outfit, with a gored, pocketed skirt and peasant style blouse. The ensemble was all..

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Christian Nationalism, By All Means

Even atheists should warm to the idea… Calm down.  This will not be a defense of theocracy.  My position here is fundamentally rooted in the American story itself, and the governing tools forged at Philadelphia in 1776.  (“Christian Nationalism” is NOT “white nationalism,” by the way;  people who make that claim don’t understand that Christianity..

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Pleasants For Mother’s Day

Not a typo.. Our daughter, in her new kitchen, made us “sheet pan frittatas” yesterday.  We took mimosas on the back porch, talked shop, watched our grandson, Silas, blowing bubbles, gave Mary a few presents, lazed on the lawn, napped, and parted.  In the driveway, on the way out, Mary gave voice to the reality..

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