When writing a poem, it allows me to say A lot of short views, in a slight teasing way. Mrs. Mac likes my poems though I don't do too many, And I'm sure some of you wish I wouldn't do any. It's Thanksgiving weekend, and as I think who to thank For the good in my life; I want to be frank. My life is quite good; I'm happ...

We are so gullible. Congress, yes the House AND the Senate, passed a bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein files Tuesday, President Donald Trump told them to. Of course, Trump's motivation in advocating a "YES" vote came after he figured out that he was going to fail in his months-long attempt to get them to vo...

When Donald Trump returned to office in January, he promised to change immigration enforcement, committing that the "worst of the worst" would be tracked down, arrested, and deported. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said in July that the administration is focused on "rooting out unvetted cri...

I know. You know. But U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson does not know. We thought he should know; it certainly seems like he should. But Mike Johnson often claims to not know what the heck is going on. "I don't know about the details about that; I just read it," he shrugged when asked about the former pr...

I have shocking news for some readers. Donald Trump did not actually fly a fighter jet over a group of No-Kings protesters two weeks ago and dump excrement on them. I never really thought that the Trump fighter-jet video was real -- Juvenile? Yes - Real? No -- but apparently some folks did because it was on the Interne...

It is difficult to miss the symbolism. We're tearing down the East Wing of the White House, my house, your house. On July 31, Donald Trump talked about his pet White House Ballroom project, and its impact on the current structure, noting, "It'll be near it but not touching it; and pays total respect to the existin...

I published a column on Monday. The rest of this column reflects on that, so if you did not read it, I encourage you to spend 5-6 minutes before you read the rest of this. Click HERE. Monday's effort took considerable time to compile, as there was a lot of fact-checking, some quotes to verify, and several topical areas...

Long ago we lost any recognition of political irony in America. This past weekend, an estimated 6-8 million Americans participated in "NO KINGS" rallies in more than 2,500 towns and cities across all fifty states. While those rallies were going on, Donald J. Trump declared that if Zohran Mamdani has the audac...

In Donald Trump's second presidential inaugural address, he promised, "After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I also will sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America." As a writer, I lov...

I am angry, and I think you know why. No, it's not that the war in Ukraine didn't end in 24 hours, and it's not that the bike paths in our little community haven't been repaved in several years. It isn't about Gavin Newsom's Twitter trolling of President Trump (although that could be a column topic soon), or the fact t...

Last week in this space, I ranted (in verse) about gerrymandering - the art of carving up voting districts so one party, whichever holds the majority, can rig the constituency and call it fair. If you missed that column (yes, it really was in verse), you can read it HERE. But, come back, because as I warned last week, ...

Gerrymandering is a term noting the political tactic of manipulating boundaries of electoral districts for unfair political advantage. The term, originally written as "Gerry-mander," was first used in 1812, in the Boston Gazette, when their editors reacted to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election...

It is difficult to turn away from the Trump show. Every day brings new chaos, new cruelty, new tests of democracy. Each day, like a cat chasing a laser pointer, we're drawn into the latest crisis. Trump is a master at controlling the news, at BEING the news. So, each morning we rise to discover the latest Trump-news. T...

Dear Elon, Have you read the news? How about taking a couple million out of your net worth of $393 billion (according to Forbes) and feeding some kids for a couple of weeks? After all, you had a big hand in this. Now, five months into the dismantling of foreign-aid programs, the United States will be incinerating nearl...

Idaho. The gem state produces 13 billion pounds of potatoes annually. It's one of only four states that I have never traveled to. And now, I'm not sure I'm welcome there. In March of this year there was news about Sarah Inama, a sixth-grade history teacher in Idaho who decorated her classroom with inspirational posters...

We all learned this in school. We fought a revolutionary war, in large part because of it. No taxation without representation. Right? It bothered us in 1773, but we seem less concerned 252 years later. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., forced a name change for the tax/spend bill proposed by Trump and Congre...

We've all read about billionaires becoming so much richer over the past two decades. And we see the headlines about billionaires buying stuff that only they can afford. In 2012, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison purchased 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The $300 million purchase included two Four Seasons resorts, two champ...

On Thursday, something happened that every American should see - and hear. At a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, California's U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla, attempted to ask a question that he felt had been left unanswered in Congressional hearings. He got a surprising response. Before he c...

In this spot, May 19, I made an offer to readers of this column (). I offered this: For a reader who would like to refute the criticisms I've made of the Trump administration over the past few months, or who simply wants to present "the other side," email me and let me know. I will reserve a column in the nex...

I have written since college, often as therapy, exploring facts and pointing out the absurdities I find in life. My writing forces me to consider the topics I explore, to do the research to ensure a thorough understanding, and then to present those observations as opinion. The resulting work is intended to offer a view...