There’s been a ton of chatter and mockery about Kelly Conway’s use of the phrase “alternative facts” to describe Trump press secretary Sean Spicer’s initial statements about attendance at the Trump inauguration. Here’s a piece at The Hill by Jennifer … Continue reading →
Today is the seventy-fifth anniversary of the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. The generation that reacted to it by mobilizing and fighting World War II is on its last legs. But they were the ones we still call “the … Continue reading →
The death of Fidel Castro has further exposed the long slow drift of the West towards leaders who lean so far left they are unable to tell the truth about a man who was—as Trump put it—“a brutal dictator who … Continue reading →
Commenter “groundhog” asked this question in the “Hamilton” thread: The same free speech can be trash to one person and treasure to another. The same speech you or I treasure may be considered worthless to others. And although decorum and … Continue reading →
Many years ago I used to do weekly podcasts for PJ Media with three other bloggers (“The Sanity Squad”), and most of my readers were familiar with the sound of my voice. Although at first doing the podcasts made me … Continue reading →
I just noticed that a commenter here has used the word “literally” incorrectly in a recent thread. I won’t call attention to who it was; the error is so common that it pretty much could have been anyone. But why … Continue reading →
Recently a commenter used the phrase “cloud cuckoo land” to refer to something outlandish in the political realm. I’d heard the phrase before, and always had thought it was of relatively recent vintage—sort of like “la-la land” or “tinfoil hats.” … Continue reading →
I try to write these posts as fast as possible, for obvious reasons. But even when I write fast, they take a long time to turn out at a good clip. But you should see them before I proofread them. … Continue reading →
There’s been a lot of praise for a prepared speech Donald Trump gave last night in North Carolina that emphasized his role as a voice for the common man/woman against a corrupt elite. That’s a good approach, I think, in … Continue reading →
So Donald Trump has done it again—this time he’s handed the opposition ammunition (pun intended) to accuse him of the basest of political dog whistles: encouraging the assassination of Hillary Clinton. I’m going to get this out of the way … Continue reading →
Edward FitzGerald’s translation of “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam” is justly famous and justly beloved. I studied the poem in high school, and it was one of my favorite assignments—really, a revelation. But FitzGerald was very free with his translation, … Continue reading →
There are four main things to say about any political speech. The first is whether you liked it. The second is whether you agreed with it. The third is whether you thought it was effective in political terms. And the … Continue reading →