It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

A lot of folks grumble and growl and punch the air when they see commentary they dislike on tv.  Others scrunch the editorial page into a ball. And swear they will never read that rag again. Maybe you are one of them? Well, I have been a rare and lucky guy. I got to...
It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

A double order of wings, but hold the wings

Why is it that politicians love to mess around with your food and drink? Give them an opportunity and they will find a hundred ways to tell you what and where you can eat and drink.  The virus pandemic has opened the flood gates for them. Governors and mayors have...
It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

Black Lives Shatter, In Our Big Cities

Death and despair. A friend leafed through her family photo album for me. “Here’s my cousin Herbie. He got murdered. And this is Uncle Fred. He got himself killed. Sam here is in prison. Shelly got hooked on drugs. I think she’s a hooker nowadays.” My friend grew up...

Merry 77 and a happy 66

Let us consider a practical solution. Inspired by holy monks. In case you have not noticed, the sensitive among us wallow in cancel-culture stuff these days. They topple statues that offend them. Or scrub names of presidents from buildings. They re-name colleges. They...
It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

Our original sin ain’t so original

Hating America is in fashion these days. As if you did not know. Fuel for the hatred comes in the form of sins. Sins the early Americans committed. They belittled women. They savaged the natives. And they owned slaves. As early as 1619. That was when an English...
It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

Across the fearful plain

Many years ago black Americans dared not speak out. They were afraid to demonstrate. They were afraid to write letters to their newspapers. Or stick signs of protest on their lawns. Or voice opinions at work. Even popular black entertainers and athletes did not speak...
It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

We are delicate. So shut up!

Everywhere we turn these days somebody is trying to shut up or shut down somebody else. Because they don’t like what that somebody else says or writes. Lately reporters at the New York Times revolted. Because the op-ed page ran an article they did not like. By a US...
It’s over! The fat gentleman has sung

We lead the world in decrepit buildings

Many visiting Europeans are stunned by the huge number of derelict and otherwise empty buildings we have. They ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. Most of our cities show signs of manufacturing blight. Especially northern and rust-belt cities. In this state, a city does not...