The Peril I will be blunt. Our Constitutional Order and our democracy are comatose. Here’s why. • We can no longer depend upon our elected leaders. The Republican Party has imploded. The Democrats are in disarray.  Checks and balances in government are moribund. Bip

On a visit to an ophthalmologist, I noticed my medical chart said I was mobility impaired.  Having climbed 3 flights of stairs to get to his office, I was non-plussed.  “What does this mean?” I said, stabbing an accusing finger at the chart.  The doctor took a moment to read th

Patriotism is out of favor these days, dropping from 70% support in 2000 to 38% today.  (“The Strange Triumph of a Broken America,” by Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb. 2025, pg. 50.)  Because we choose our leaders in a democracy, the decline says the voters are unhappy

Growing up as a Catholic, taking Confession struck me as a wonderful device.  Whenever I did something wrong during the week, if I confessed on Friday, the priest would assign me a few prayers to recite, and “poof”, like magic, I was absolved of sin.   If I missed a week, I cou

I am not hopeful for a country to be led by Donald Trump over the next four years.  Frankly, his presidency looms like a hurricane funnel on the horizon.  So, I’ve been thinking about what to put in my mental storm cellar to survive.  After all, at age 88, I’m hopeful for a few

A friend shared a letter with me from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.  In it, he outlined a course of political action for the future. (Dec. 31, 2024)  Like many of us, he sees the next 4 years as rocky ones for the country.  To protect our democracy he makes 3 proposal

Though averse to ageism, I was moved when I  read that longtime Congresswoman Anne Kuste was retiring to allow someone younger to take her place.  As a tribute to her decision, I have recorded below my relevant brunch conversation with a Millennial.                  

Note:  Boycott Tesla  

                                What is hope but futility for moments stood on end?  (Sydney Lee) When I was a child learning my catechism, I wondered about the hopelessness of hell.  Condemned to the fires of eternal damnation, why didn’t those lost souls rebel?