Author Archives: Steve
Radar
[This is a short story I wrote a few years ago. I was pretty pleased with it and asked my friend Joe — who was a published writer — to critique it. Unfortunately, his main objection about the story happened … Continue reading
Denouncing Socialism
On Thursday, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution denouncing socialism. Besides being the performative nonsense we’ve come to expect from Republicans the resolution was very likely designed to pwn Democrats who dared to vote against it. Heather Cox … Continue reading
Election Day
It’s election day in the US and as Jena Friedman (@JenaFriedman) put it in 2018 “It feels like all of America is awaiting the results of a biopsy.” Many pundits have expressed that, in this election, democracy itself is on … Continue reading
Debt Limit
If Republicans win a House majority in the upcoming election, Democrats must prioritize eliminating or suspending the debt limit during the lame duck session. House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, has indicated that Republicans will refuse to raise the debt limit … Continue reading
A New Era?
It’s the first of November and the midterm elections are in one week. I have been meaning to start blogging again — not least because I just wound up auto-paying for another year of hosting. As long as I’m paying … Continue reading
What I Read in 2018
If I was the sort to make New Year’s resolutions, I would resolve to read more and write more in 2019. Last year, I read 18 books — far fewer than some other years, but significantly more than the 2 … Continue reading
Arming Teachers
In one of his later movies, The Shootist, John Wayne plays an aging gunfighter who’s dying of cancer. He’s living at a boarding house with a widow (Lauren Bacall) and her son (Ron Howard). He gives a shooting lesson to … Continue reading
What I Read in 2017
Sadly, I only finished two books in 2017. I reread The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. I began rereading the series upon learning that Pullman would publish another trilogy that constitutes a companion (Pullman says it’s neither a sequel nor … Continue reading
Books I Read in 2016
I read more than many people do. I always aspire to read more than I have. I was a little dismayed this year when I finished a book in early November and couldn’t quite get myself to start another. Looking … Continue reading
Free Speech and the National Anthem
At the time that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked on September 11th, 2001, I was working as a Division Manager for a company that did work, nearly exclusively, for the Federal Government. Shortly after the attacks, … Continue reading