history
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Nation Cannot Survive At Shallow End Of Swimming Pool
Somewhere between rereading The Imperial Presidency by Arthur Schlesinger and the daily newspapers, I have been trying to place the lessons of the past into the constant absurdity and irrationality of the present. I am not sure I am making headway in my thinking, but I want to share where I am as of today. Continue reading
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What Must Be Done To Face Our Current Crisis In America?
While reading the newspapers today, I thought about a book I had read decades ago by Arthur Schlesinger. I read it in my 20s while in Door County, a decade after it was published. The Imperial Presidency was written following the twin debacles of Vietnam and Watergate, with an emphasis on what should be the Continue reading
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Americans Cannot Bend To Threats Of Insurrection Act — Not in Minneapolis, Not Anywhere
It does not take a news junkie to realize that something is dreadfully wrong in our nation. Someone with severe macular degeneration can witness the absurd overreach and absolute lack of humanity after an ICE employee murdered a woman by shooting her in the face multiple times. Following that, numerous law enforcement and military veterans, Continue reading
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Charles Michelson: The Man Who Saw Hoover Clearly, Lesson For Trump Years
I want to write this column about a newspaperman who understood the times in which he lived and then worked to report on what it meant for the people. He also revolutionized political marketing as the first party official dedicated to media outreach. When reading 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin, which contains many memorable personalities, Continue reading
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President John Kennedy’s Values vs. Gross Spectacle Of Donald Trump
The repulsive feelings we have for what is happening to our nation, and our utter disgust with those who allowed this to happen in 2024, go without my needing to write it here. It also goes without my needing to write that Donald Trump’s supporters were likely never aware of President-elect John F. Kennedy’s City Continue reading
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Democrats Don’t Need New Message For 2026 — Use One Already Screaming At Us
Some Democrats are already tying themselves in knots searching for the perfect “message” for 2026. Should it be inflation and price pressures? Should it be the controversial military attacks on Venezuela and maritime trade? Should it be some new economic slogan or kitchen‑table issue framed in a way consultants can test‑market it in suburban focus Continue reading
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1929: Greed Creates Public Crisis, Andrew Sorkin’s Masterpiece
As the New Year unfolds, I am reminded of how I wish to spend a chunk of my time in the next 360 days. Reading great books. Recently, I wrote rarely do I read a newly published book. My shelves and current book pile are filled with slices of history published many years and decades Continue reading
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Character Matters In The Oval Office
The words during the 1912 nomination speech by Warren G. Harding, then an Ohio newspaper editor, for President William Taft at the tumultuous Republican Convention need to be considered this week. The following portion showcases a stark contrast between then and what happened this week when Donald Trump verbally attacked Rob Reiner just a few Continue reading
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The Price Tag For Federal Troops in Our Cities, Fiscal Conservatives Stay Quiet
One of the ironic aspects of the first year of Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office is how conservatives are being asked to balance their ongoing racism with their ongoing zeal to constrain federal spending. Somedays it must be a constant internal spinning of the hamster wheel for those who want their deportations Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 