My Dad remembers needing to keep score to know the Republican nominee. I listened to Reagan fail as a kid in 1976. This year if the GOP Convention is more like a Professional Wrestling match than a real sporting event. We know the outcome: it will be R and R for recovery. A no-tension convention is fine with most of us, but for the political geeks (looking at you Dad), it is a bit disappointing. For your viewing pleasure, here... Read more
My parents remembered their fiftieth anniversary at the Alamo. This struck me as an unusual request, but my parents are unusual Americans. Dad has, so far as I know, never told a lie and Mom is so insightful that no psychic ever impressed me. They are also unusual in staying married for fifty years. When I asked Dad once about the idea that romance declines with age, He said: “That is crap.” Mom was sorry he said “crap,” but agreed.... Read more
When I was a kid, a wise woman said of a politician: “At least he has the right enemies.” The thinking was sound: you cannot take a stand on an issue without causing somebody to disagree with you. Making evil people mad at you is not such a bad thing. In fact, I have learned to distrust the man who will not let his opponents be his opponents. Sometimes one can agree to disagree, but eventually one meets people so... Read more
This I do not believe, God help me, I just cannot. The wonderful world of the Internet oddly has led to a kind of “hardening” of possibilities for some folk. Too often there is a package response to everything: if I vote for Mitt Romney, I must not believe in global warming. If I believe in global warming, I must think humans are the primary cause. If I believe humans are the cause, I must embrace certain solutions. If I... Read more
We live in dangerous times . . . last year I drove to class and my car was covered with ash from burning homes. It was hard not to se it as a sign, and an apocalyptic one, for our culture. But I do not see it so: for one value of a great books education- the education that is the common core of HBU- is that it teaches us that history is a long story Those that would heedlessly... Read more
A candidate for high office can be foolish and win, but we need not rejoice in it. A candidate for high office can be offensive and win, but nobody should wish it. A candidate for office may “vote right,” but still be unfit for high office by character, or temperament, or intelligence. Todd Akin has a long history demonstrating that though he votes as a conservative, he lacks the temperament for the Senate of the United States. While one might... Read more
My Nana was a wise woman, but she attended little formal school: at most, eight years. She continued to grow culturally and intellectually, evidenced by her songs and poetry, but she had to do so with the resources she could find. When I went to college, Nana said an insightful thing to me: “Don’t forget the folks.” By this she meant the “plain people”—the men and women who made my education possible. Nana did not resent my education or fear... Read more
The dead of Colorado cry out for an explanation: how could a good and all powerful God let such a thing happen? Christian philosophers provide decent answers to this question and Christian ministers comfort. After all, if the problem of “evil,” the hurt and sting, is not made less if we discover that there is no hope that the death of these people means nothing at all. Getting rid of the tension between the existence of actual, personal goodness and... Read more
Last night I rested from sanity and watched Birdemic: Shock and Terror. That the film is a marvel akin to Plan 9 or Manos tells certain folk all they need to know. If you love bad movies, you have already seen Birdemic, a plausible candidate for Worst Movie Ever. One personal rule for this title is that the film could not intend to be bad. No “ironic” frat boys with a camera need apply for Worst Movie Ever: one always... Read more
When I am sad, I often read Sherlock Holmes: lots of Sherlock Holmes. Victoria and Albert is excellent television comfort food and Mary Poppins works well as far as movie goes. Every so often a retreat from the slings and arrows of outrageous America is welcome. I need to remind myself that such a retreat can go too long. Somewhere between reading Hound of the Baskerville and The Complete Sherlock Holmes a weekend gets lost and, generally, that is not... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In