Atlanta, GA May 28, 2023 I said unto the king: If it seem good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors of the country beyond the river, that they convey me over… – Nehemiah 2:7 (Douay Rheims Bible) Five centuries before Christ, Nehemiah sought permission from the King of Persia to […]
Barnsley Gardens, GA May 19, 2023 Last week we contemplated fear. Today we lighten the mood, and consider contentment. What makes us happy? The question has animated philosophy since systemic thought sprouted on Aegean shores. For centuries since, the hunt for happiness has followed countless trails of reflective contemplation and empirical inquisition. Today, under a cool […]
Atlanta, GA May 11, 2023 The US government almost always has its finger on the pulse. It’s hard not to when its hands are constantly around the country’s throat. But for a moment at least, it’s relaxed its grip. This morning its Department of “Health” and “Human Services” lifted the “state of emergency” that even […]
Atlanta, GA May 1, 2023 “US Constitution either permits the government we’ve had or has been unable to prevent it. Either way, it’s unfit to exist.” _ Lysander Spooner Today we mourn a paper tiger. Aside from administrative niceties like biennial elections, a fixed inauguration date, and two senators per state, the US Constitution is […]
Atlanta, GA April 9, 2023 It’s said that when a man enters a crowd, he exits civilization. A man in a mob doesn’t think for himself; the mob thinks for him. For evidence, we summon recent reckless reactions to viruses, riots, wars, and the weather. As new “crises” roll out like beer bottles from an […]
April 3, 2023 Atlanta, GA What New Year’s Eve is to drinking, April Fools Day is to comedy. Each reveals why some activities are best left to the professionals. Fortunately, this April Fools Day fell on a weekend, when juvenile jokesters are easier to avoid. For the most part, we evaded the predictable parade of […]
Atlanta, GA March 15, 2023 We recently republished our assessments of the best (here, here, here, and here) and worst (here, here, here, here, and here) US presidents. It’s almost as if Jimmy Carter waited for us to finish the lists to see if he was on them. He wasn’t. Safely omitted, he entered hospice… […]
Atlanta, GA March 7, 2023 In the course of my career, I’ve spent countless hours in hotel lobbies. Now, I’m passing a few more. Sipping coffee in a corner chair, I’m comfortably ensconced at the Hotel Whitley, in a building that once housed the Buckhead Ritz-Carlton. Rita and I were here a few years ago, […]
Atlanta, GA March 1, 2023 For my parents who got me out and on behalf of all the children who never did – Michael Malice, dedicating The White Pill Years ago, after dinner in Toronto, some colleagues and I went to a bar. When we walked in, I was startled by what I saw. Murals […]
Atlanta, GA February 15, 2023 More than a year passed before the US government acknowledged its role in the massacre at Mỹ Lai. A similar interlude separated the crimes at Abu Ghraib from the initial reporting that made them public. Seymour Hersh revealed each outrage, both of which the government denied or downplayed. But Hersh exposed […]