"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
In the news
Watching NBC and MSNBC reports on the Charlie Hebdo terror killings in Paris, I see very few depictions of the magazine’s cartoons. In print and web-based media, though, the cartoons … even the really offensive ones … are everywhere. You’d have to be a cloistered monk not to have seen them, which makes me wonder why our TV […]
Never mind there should be no debate over torture, any more than there should be a debate over rape or child molestation. There is a debate and it’s heading downhill fast, witness this statement by one of the most powerful men in the land: “I think it is very facile for people to say ‘Oh, torture is terrible,’” […]
People keep saying torture can’t be all that bad … after all, we torture our own aviators and special operations forces at a super-secret training facility so they’ll be able to stand up to it if they’re ever captured by the enemy …. and you don’t hear any of them complaining, do you? The acronym for this specialized training […]
Americans who look like me torture.
I feel like we’re slipping back to the 1960s; I meant it when I said I can see Donna and I packing clothing and food for freedom riders again, just as we did in 1964.
Sometimes I wonder what it’s like on Conserva-Earth, where this nasty woman lives. Do young couples elope because they hate each other? Does the water smell vaguely of urine? Are surfaces coated with a thin layer of grime? Does everyone carry? Are pimples considered marks of beauty? Who are their role models? The Walton family? […]
Can I say I regret what’s going on with Bill Cosby without everyone interpreting it to mean I regret what’s happening to Bill Cosby? What’s in it for the women coming forward with their accusations? At this late date they must know Bill Cosby isn’t going to be prosecuted. They must know there’s no chance of suing him successfully; any evidence […]
What magazine would not have published such a fascinating story? And what is a working journalist, who sells stories for a living, supposed to do when the forces of self-righteousness on social media rise against him? Quit writing and get a job at Burger King?