In what can perhaps be most kindly described as a bizarre television comedy, Strangers with Candy, Amy Sedaris plays Jerri Blank, a 46-year old ex-junkie who returns to high school. In one of the many hilarious episodes, two of her male teachers each has a sore on his lip. The ongoing gag line is, “It’s…
As I have been writing about truth-telling for the past week or so, I have included each day some comments about individuals and groups which represent themselves as somehow being victimized. Evangelicals feel victimized by Starbucks, insurers by the Affordable Care Act, gun manufacturers by background checks for purchases — each crying “foul” when they…
I have postponed this particular post for a couple of weeks to get some distance from the fever pitch of debates about it in December. But how can anyone really write about truth-telling without commenting on Christmas? Seriously, can we let go of The Elf? We all know the one to which I refer. Santa.…
We can generally tell when this congress is in session because they are “debating” the Affordable Care Act, that change in the US health care coverage arrangements that is viewed by the far right as an effort to impregnate their mothers and get compulsory anal probes by alien forces from Remulon. We have seen threats,…
I know what it is to build a company. I have done it a couple of times. In the early 1980’s, I had a small start-up fine and decorative arts auction house with four full-time and a half-dozen part-time employees. We brokered some direct sales for clients who no longer wanted a painting or other…
It would be hard to miss the thousands of tweets, sound bites, or posts about examining gun laws over the past several weeks. Some proponents of unfettered access to assault weapons have argued that our President has declared war on gun owners and the Second Amendment. Every once in a while, there is interesting debate about the…
This week I am writing more in my ongoing series about truth telling, in which I am emphasizing directness and vulnerability. From my vantage point, sometimes I am exposed to too much information. The spot on my retina where the image of Kim’s Kardashian’s butt is burned, for example, suggests I really didn’t need to see it.…
Move around the floor in a Loco-motion (Come on baby, do the Loco-motion) Do it holding hands if you get the notion (Come on baby, do the Loco-motion) There’s never been a dance that’s so easy to do It even makes you happy when you’re feeling blue So come on, come on, do the Loco-motion…
At the 1992 Republican National Convention, Pat Buchanan delivered an inflammatory speech now known as “the culture war speech.” He said, “My friends, this election is about much more than who gets what. It is about who we are. It is about what we believe. It is about what we stand for as Americans. There…
Over the years of debate over Pro-choice or Pro-life positions on abortion rights, I have been struck by many issues that have ultimately taken me to positions I might not have gotten to without this very public struggle over women’s rights and women’s liberation. For example, I have learned through this struggle that some very…
Creating Community for Everyone 