The Quixotic Deacon

  Before last week it didn’t much matter that Congressman Mike Johnson was a scary, far-right extremist — an ideological clone of fellow congressman Jim Jordan, without Jordan’s in-your-face demeanor. Johnson’s ultra-conservatism hadn’t attracted much attention because of his obscurity among 434 other members of the House. But now that he’s been elevated to the ...

For several reasons, I haven’t felt motivated to write for many weeks. First, there was my biannual move. Every fall I pack up my car, settle my dog into her seat beside me and drive to Louisiana where we’ll spend the next 7 months before returning to Rhode Island in May. Lucy flies down later ...

A few days ago my editor and friend, Fitz, suggested that I take a look at a somewhat under-publicized story — the downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt by Fitch, one of the “Big Three” credit rating agencies. Boring stuff, right? I thought so too until I read about Fitch’s reasoning for downgrading us from AAA ...

This morning on Morning Joe I heard GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie harrumph that inflation will cost Joe Biden his presidency, just like it cost Jimmy Carter his. Who knows whether former Gov. Christie is right, but his assertion underscores an indisputable fact: Inflation can bring down governments. People become uneasy — angry even — ...

Like many, many parents and grandparents around this country, Lucy and I had the experience of learning of a mass shooting in a school in the city where our grandchildren live. Fortunately, our son-in-law had the presence of mind to text us, before the news broke, that his sons were safe and that the attack ...

I have often written about my aversion to calling our United States “the greatest country on Earth,” as many politicians of both parties are wont to do. It’s an absurd statement to make.  The statement begs the question, “by what criteria did we earn ‘greatest country’ status?” Did some respected international institution give us the ...

I read lots of commentary last week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Much of it delved into academic/legal arguments about the correctness of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, including Justice Clarence Thomas’ supporting opinion on the reversal of  Roe.   Thomas’ opinion seems to rest on his interpretation of ...

    Another 21 innocents have been slaughtered in our “great country,” sacrificed on the altar of gun manufacturers’ right to maximize profits. This sacrifice was enabled by the gross corruption that characterizes our political system, which allows companies that make weapons of death to buy loyalty through their powerful lobby, the NRA. So don’t ...

Were it not for Fitz McAden, my editor and friend of 70-plus years (yes, we played together as toddlers!), I might have missed this story from today’s New York Times. Court decisions about campaign financing don’t stand a chance of being noticed amid headlines about Ukraine, this week’s multiple mass shootings, the Roe v. Wade ...