Books
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Fake Books On Air Force One For Reading-Adverse Administration And Their Low IQ Voting Base
The nation learned last week, courtesy of a photo op that looked like a Pottery Barn clearance display, that Karoline Leavitt, the shallow White House press secretary, was giddy to be photographed while seated in front of a wall of fake books. Not light reading, not decorative editions, but straight‑up hollow props. The kind of… Continue reading
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A Young Artist, A Summer Night, And A Deadly Hate Crime
The murder of O’Shae Sibley wasn’t just another hate crime; it was a reminder that some in white America still treat gay Black life as a provocation, a dare, a challenge to the fragile egos of men who can’t stand the sight of someone living freely. I want my readers to know that Sibley was… Continue reading
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Letter From Home “The Embosser” 5/23/26
The old man in Maine looked like he had more local wisdom than anyone around, so I asked if he had lived there all his life. “Not yet,” he said while grinning back at me. The best folks to talk with when traveling are the ones with weathered faces and eyes that link with yours:… Continue reading
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Jan Swoboda, Political Navigator For Former State Representative Lary Swoboda, Dies At 82
Upon hearing the news that Janice Swoboda, 82, of Luxemburg, had died, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was that a very unique couple was together again. She was married to former State Representative Lary Swoboda. who served for 24 years in Madison. He died at the age of 73 in 2012.… Continue reading
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Letter From Home: “Farewell, Ted Kennedy” Reprint From 8/30/09
It has been a week of memories, melancholy, and musings about the past. It was one of those weeks when I needed to seek out time alone to reflect on the news and images flooding the airwaves in the aftermath of Senator Ted Kennedy’s death. The absolute necessity of solitude—on long walks or while sitting… Continue reading
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Book Journey Through History
Every summer, since the mid-1990s, I have selected a topic to read and explore. One year, it was Catherine the Great, then Russian history, and another year, Mao Zedong consumed my attention. This year, I am not sure which direction to head. So, over the past couple of weeks, I have spent time on the… Continue reading
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Chaos In The Republic: What President McKinley’s Assassination Revealed About A Fractured America
Eric Rauchway’s Murdering McKinley situates the assassination of President William McKinley within a nation deeply divided by the forces of industrial capitalism. I probably did not need to pull another book from the shelves this weekend, but I was in the mood for something different, so the slim volume of just over 200 pages fell… Continue reading
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Exhaustion From Hypermasculinity In (Ted Bell) Books
I was reading a book in the parking area at the Middleton Post Office this afternoon as James ran some boxes in for mailing. I was 300 pages into Ted Bell’s second Alex Hawke book, Assassin, and abruptly closed it and threw it in the back seat. I had come close to calling it a… Continue reading
