Atlanta, GA February 13, 2021 Today we pour some coffee, settle in, and have a little fun. Years ago, tiring of conventional wisdom and political propaganda, I wrote some sketches of the more prominent presidents to whom almost every American reflexively bends the knee. As I did, I realized that the universal admiration (or revulsion) […]
Atlanta, GA February 4, 2021 A couple days ago, in western Pennsylvania, the groundhog was coaxed from his hole. Last week, in lower Manhattan, bigger game was smoked from its lair. Wall Street puppeteers routinely pull strings of their Washington marionettes…to enhance their power, fatten their wallets, and fleece the little people. But suddenly…unexpectedly…the Lilliputians […]
Washington, D.C. January 20, 2021 “I, John David Breen, do solemnly swear…”, “I, John David Breen, do solemnly swear…” “…that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States…” “…that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States…” “…and will to the best of my ability…” “…and will to […]
Atlanta, GAJanuary 18, 2021 This weekend marks the 35th anniversary of the first time a holiday honored Martin Luther King. In 1983, the third Monday in January was designated by the US government as the official annual recurrence. It took effect three years later. Over the ensuing decade-and-a-half, states adopted the day at varying rates […]
Atlanta, GA January 16, 2021 A few years ago, we got a dog. At the time, I resisted. But Rocky has grown on me, and we’ve grown close. Since March, when I was forced to work from home, he has trailed me around the house, and lain loyally beside my desk. On many mornings, I take […]
Atlanta, GA January 7, 2021 The calendar flipped, but 2020 continues. Yesterday was the Epiphany, and much was made manifest. During the afternoon, a hyped-up horde climbed the walls, broke into the US Capitol, wandered its corridors, ransacked a few offices, took in some sights, and posed for photos on the Senate floor. We don’t […]
Atlanta, GA December 17, 2020 When you toss private thoughts into the public pool, you risk getting wet. Yesterday, I got soaked. That’s OK. I ventured toward the deep end, so was prepared to be splashed. But in this case, I spouted a number of notions, so it’s probably not a bad idea to grab […]
Atlanta, GA December 16, 2020 After all this time, and all we’ve been thru, you’d think a little curiosity would be called for, and some humility in order. We read a couple days ago that the coronavirus has barely affected Africa, and caused no deaths in Cambodia. Not no deaths today…or last week…or last month. […]
Atlanta, GADecember 3, 2020 We never know where, or how, we’ll be influenced. Or the effect it will have. In April 1990, I was twenty-one years-old, and had just moved to Sacramento. I lived in a small apartment in the bedroom community of Rocklin. Fresh from college, I knew no one, and started work in […]
November 11, 2020Atlanta, GA Today we mark the welcome end of an horrific event. Armistice Day commemorates cessation of hostilities in what may have been the most ludicrous, yet consequential, conflict of all time. A couple years ago, we noted the centennial of this occasion. The war to end wars, unfortunately, did not. In a sense, […]