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Posts published in “Essays”

Pure Victims, Real Human Beings

Straight from Riker’s Island to the Elysée? There’s a political arc worthy of Brecht and Weill! Dominique Strauss-Kahn was sprung from house arrest in Manhat­tan last Friday and his supporters in France are agitating for…

Highlights from Mendo’s 4th of July Parade

We got there early.  Set up camp in the back of a friend's pick-up and awaited the show.   Our buddy the Fire Chief and his family. My 7th grade Civics teacher telling it like…

Summertime. And The Livin’s Easy.

This morning, his dad brought him over at 10am.  We chilled for a minute.  Getting our cuddles in.  Then, we were off.  I had heard about a Book Sale at the Fort Bragg Library and…

Thus Spake Angelina

I used to hate it when I predicted something long in advance of when it happened, and then no one remembered I predicted it or believed me when I insisted I predicted the thing.

Great Moments In Public Radio

KZYX, Wednesday, June 22, 2011. Takes On The World, with Jeffrey Blankfort. Blankfort: I happen to be on the mailing list for President Barack Obama! I got an email from him the other day! He…

A Memoir: The Fortunate Son, Part 9

The person who would most connect me to the memory of my father and his generation was Max Halsey. For at least one chapter of his lifetime Max worked in the automobile business, oftentimes for my father.

Nail That Coffin Shut!

How many nails does it require to whack down for­ever the coffin lid on European social democracy? Lenin, outraged in 1914 at the sight of Social Democratic par­ties across Europe rallying behind their national flags…

Oop Boppa Loop Moppa Toppa

Readers may recall that the County’s budget process simply orders all departments to simply cut their budgets by a fixed amount. Three budget units were “unable to reduce down to the 15% Net County Cost…

Man Down

Last week, in an incident that didn't get much attention in the national news, a man named Tom Ball set himself on fire in front of the county courthouse in Keene, New Hampshire. He left…

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