This incident looks like the real thing: a trigger-happy cop panicking and killing an innocent black man, Terence Crutcher. We don’t know enough about it to make a final judgment, but so far the fact situation looks bad. The exchange … Continue reading →
It’s such a familiar story. After acts of terrorism (or even non-terrorist mass shootings) we hear one of two refrains: he (or she, but it’s almost always a “he”) was a quiet and regular guy and no one saw it … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is an updated version of an earlier post.] On 9/11’s 10th anniversary I wrote a post that contained this observation: For those of us who were grownups when 9/11 happened, it’s also been transmuted””not to something that was … Continue reading →
Recently something reminded me of a book I had first read back in the 1980s, one I would recommend to everyone. It’s called Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust, and it’s quite different from most Holocaust literature: An important work of … Continue reading →
In a pattern that’s become all too familiar around the nation, the death of a black man at the hands of a police officer has sparked riots. This time it’s in Milwaukee. Here’s a lengthy article on the subject 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 →
In yesterday’s comments section, Geoffrey Britain offered this quote from the ever-admirable Thomas Sowell: Voting for an out of control egomaniac like Donald Trump would be like playing Russian Roulette with the future of this country. Voting for someone with … Continue reading →
A woman was killed and five others (two women, three men) injured in a stabbing attack in London’s Russell Square: [Officials] called the incident a “random attack” with mental health issues at the heart of it. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, … Continue reading →
When the recent police shootings in Dallas were in the news I was singularly impressed by Dallas Police Chief David Brown. In his public statements he was consistently calm yet intense, forceful yet articulate, during a time of great stress. … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a very big topic, and I’m pressed for time at the moment so I’ll only scratch the surface.] Earlier today, commenter “Fred” made the following statement: The problem with religions is not the text in holy books … Continue reading →
The latest atrocity committed by ISIS followers/admirers/members in France had an overtly religious target: Francois Hollande says France is at war with ISIS after two Islamist knifemen butchered a French priest and left a nun fighting for her life before … Continue reading →
In separate and seemingly unrelated attacks in Germany, two Syrian “asylum seekers” commit heinous acts of violence that are probably some mixture of terrorism and just plain craziness or psychopathy or vicious rage. This seems to be the new pattern, … Continue reading →