Herschel Walker, Senator
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Let’s consider how Herschel Walker would most likely have spent his first hours in office as Senator of Georgia had he been elected. There are no surprises here. Continue reading
Earthly Treasures
After my father’s memorial service, a cousin whispered to me that he had hoped I might say a word or two. My answer at the time was that my feelings were too much in turmoil to be able to say anything coherent about my father. Only now, ten months after my father’s death, do I know what I would have liked to have said then, and am able to say now. Continue reading
Ukraine’s Crisis and the N-Word
The audacious cruelty of Putin’s assault on the Ukraine beggars description. No account can relate the suffering, no observer can fathom the Ukrainians’ courage in the face of this nightmare. And no one can do anything about it. We simply read on, aghast, sickened, helpless. Why? Putin used the N-word. Continue reading
Debunking Deities
The debate about the existence of God rages on because it has never been anything but inconclusive. And so it is doomed to remain. Contemplating the existence of God requires us to use cognitive equipment we simply do not have. Continue reading
Passage
Robert Reed McCutcheon
June 4, 1921–August 2, 2021
A Memorial. Continue reading
Homeless
A neighborhood stroll turns into a laborious attempt to help a homeless woman find shelter. And my efforts yielded real knowledge: She wasn’t homeless, and I wasn’t really helping. Continue reading
Buberian Obesity
On a chance afternoon walk in late May, I had occasion to witness an incident that instantly established in my mind the connection between Martin Buber’s world view and the cause of morbid obesity. Let me give a little background . . . Continue reading
Get in the Car
The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, occasioned U.S. leaders to follow the groundswell of outrage and finally embrace the daring resolution required to drive the nation’s white-hot demand for change into legislative chambers. No wonder. Never has the plight of the oppressed been depicted so succinctly. Continue reading
The Hierarchy Upon Us
The vast social contract that binds us, which rescues us from a brute state of “warre of every one against every one,” nevertheless grants us generous leeway to establish our own brutish hierarchies within it. To work our way up, we must acquire wealth, which can incentivize a host of good qualities. Ascents can also reflect treachery, deception, and acts of theft. Continue reading
Courage, Mitt
The apology Mitt Romney gave for casting his lone Republican vote to convict at Trump’s impeachment trial was deeply emotional. Odd that he had to plumb his soul before calling a spade a spade. Continue reading