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Everywhere I look, the nation feels adrift. Politically, we're more untethered from our founding concepts and ideals than we've ever been. The economy is in a state of flux, obviously. Even though Wall Street seems to be on a rally, it's difficult to tell if this is the harbinger of…
The Fox News network is the most powerful and influential cable news network in the world. Two of its star commentators, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, are near the top of their field. Each of them commands a large following, both on television and through talk radio; each is devoted…
I think I first began to be aware of how powerful the idea of feelings had become in our society back in the early '70s. Olivia Newton-John sang, "I love you, I honestly love you" in a breathless voice that seemed so sincere. Then she explained that she knew this…
The tentative state of all things economical has spawned more commercials for banks, investment houses, and retirement programs than I've seen in a long time. The message sounds a little like, "Hurry! While you still have some money! Invest now!"Undoubtedly there is wisdom in seeking to make the best decisions…
I spent a good part of yesterday catching up on some of my journals and periodicals. I must have read a dozen articles in three or four different publications. There was an interesting article about the competition in ebooks now that Apple's iPad is out to rival Amazon's Kindle. A…
We have become so accustomed to the language of rights in our society that we're beginning to miss the trap that lies beneath that bait. Governments move to establish and preserve the rights of certain parties only because those who have particular responsibilities are failing to fulfill them. Take the…
As of this writing we're still awaiting the final House vote on health care reform, although, with the President's "cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die" executive order promise to Bart Stupak, the outcome seems anticlimactic. It's pretty clear that, by the time you read this, health care reform will be the law of the land.…
Unable to convince members of their own party to commit political suicide, Democratic leaders are contemplating the use of a procedure called, "deeming," to bring the health care reform bill to passage. In this procedure House members do not need to actually vote for the Senate bill; they can simply…
The present Administration is making a concerted effort to change the face of governance in this era of image and information. These past few weeks of trying to push through a health-care reform package offer a study in the new approach to governing President Obama and his cohort have determined…
In one of his movies Steve Martin plays an LA weatherman whose life is boring and pointless because the weather is always the same, the forecast is always the same, and he is thus in a huge emotional and professional rut. He even takes to taping the weekend weather forecasts…
Unemployment in America currently stands at around 10%. But that's only part of the picture. If we add to that number all those who have simply given up seeking employment, or who are employed in jobs well beneath their qualifications and past experience, the number rises to closer to 20%.…
More information is being gathered in our day than can be stored in all the computers, everywhere in the world. According to a special report in The Economist (February 27th), advances in technology now permit the daily gathering of quantities of data so vast, that a special science has developed…
The term, "show trial," came into the vernacular during the Soviet period. In a show trial an innocent is dragged before the court for a hearing and sentencing that usually led to years in the gulag. The accused was doomed before the opening arguments. The judge already knew what he…
What an odd name for a legislative procedure that promises to alienate Republicans and Democrats even more than at present and drive the wedge between Congress and the White House even deeper into the wood of government: Reconciliation? Not to mention the way this maneuver, if it succeeds, will further…
Saturday night Fox News host Glen Beck wowed the faithful as keynote speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. His address was, in typical Beck fashion, a lesson in history as much as an exhortation to action, and both Democrats and Conservatives felt the ruler across the wrist.…