The draft changed America and the world. It preserved the Union, and it defeated Hitler. On the other hand, it adversely affected several generations touched by the Vietnam War. But bad as it was then, it may be necessary to reinstitute it now.

Before elaborating… Read full post »

Momma had an expression for these trying times – “Up Shit Creek without a paddle”. The good news is the fool who would be king has fallen overboard; the bad news is we’re in the same canoe. There is no joy in watching another human being suffer… Read full post »

My worst job? That’s like asking what’s worse, a stick in the eye or getting your weenie caught in your zipper? I’ve had so many godawful jobs, I feel like I’ve been to Hell and back. Actually, I have been. No, really. More about that in a minute, but first, let… Read full post »

What a day for OpenSalon/World of Wordcraft. An ad on IFC invited the world to join Open Salon. Methinks things could get very crowded here very soon. Then our own Dear Leader appeared on Hardball, where she tried to get a few words in edge-wise while Chris Matthews rambled and ranted.… Read full post »

 Just north of Cincinnati along I-75 is a modern mega-church that resembles a sprawling office complex. It sports a large reflecting pool and a giant concrete Jesus rising waist-deep from the shimmering water, arms outstretched to all those passing by on the Interstate. Apparently, churc… Read full post »

During much of the painfully long decade from 2000-2009, America suffered from a virulent strain of avian flu. The fowl fool who would be king infected the entire nation with his debilitating disease.

During the latter days of the decade, this fowl fiend was often referred to as a “lame… Read full post »

Like a lot of young people, my son is wasting his life away with video games. World of Warcraft has become a way of life for him and his friends. When I get on him about his habit, he tells me that I’m just as addicted to my own Internet life.… Read full post »

I don’t want to write this, and there's a part of me that really doesn’t want to share it. But since it hurts so bad, I guess I have to. I’ve been crying like a baby, crying like I cry at the funeral of someone I dearly, truly love … sobbing,… Read full post »

Overcoming my gag reflex with great difficulty ...

(This post is in response to fellow OSer Denis Faye’s desperate plea. Please go here for the back-story.)

Auction houses around the world are competing for the chance to drop the gavel on one of the most sought-after pieces of paper in recent history. It was discovered in the… Read full post »

One Tired Old Man Examines Eternity

One tired old man
Nearing the twilight of day
Examines eternity

Heaven or Hell or somewhere in between?
Under the gloomy haze of uncertainty
Nothing is as it appears, he fears
Darkness falls on the deep end of days
Resigned… Read full post »

I’m probably signing my death warrant on OpenSalon, but somebody’s gotta say it: Sorry, Joan Walsh, you’re wrong.

On Hardball tonight, Joan defended Barack Obama’s putative choice of Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State. I don’t care if Joan, Barack,… Read full post »

Dr. Amy Tuteur’s rant about Cosmo and Man Talk Now’s rebuttal have tempted me to engage in a little gratuitous exploitation of everyone’s favorite subject – sex – and I’ve never been one to resist temptation.

For the record, I’m not a doctor, nor… Read full post »

Alan Greenspan – once the maestro of the economic corrida – was trampled by raging bulls rushing to escape the slaughter. He was left naked in the dust of the arena, dead to all the mewling sycophants who once groveled for a mere nod from this once untouchable matador. … Read full post »

The Washington rumor mill says George W. Bush plans a career in country music after he leaves office. A reliable source whose first name is Laura, but who requested her last name not be used discussing private matters, says Bush has already signed with Loon Stare Records.
… Read full post »

That was the last straw, now I’m going to protest in… Read full post »

Behold the legend – Barack H. Obama! As for the middle name, it appears it may be more properly transliterated as Hercules. For like that legendary hero, Obama has performed many seemingly impossible feats.

To win the Presidency, he not only had to slay the Rovian… Read full post »

Mark Twain once wryly observed that “history doesn’t repeat itself; it rhymes.” This must have been what he had in mind:

Moscow, 1986: In the twilight of his life, pianist Vladimir Horowitz returned to his native Russia after a sixty-year self-imposed exile. Horowitz was a perf… Read full post »

Last night a promise was kept, a promise made between generations since the very founding of this country, a promise that anyone can grow up to be President – now we know it’s true.

If this wondrous story had an anthem, surely it would have to… Read full post »

It’s Halloween, time for a premature burial! After thirty years of slimy, divisive politics, Republicans are about to drown in their own vomit. I say “About damned time and good riddance!” What I won’t say is “Rest in Peace” – maybe “Rest in Pie… Read full post »

An old Indian teaching tells of a young boy whose dreams are troubled by the constant battle between two wolves. The boy asks his grandfather which of the wolves will win, and his grandfather replies, “Whichever one you feed.”

Like the boy’s dreams, our world is deeply… Read full post »

 For Preventing Children Of Poor People In America From Being A Burden To Their Parents Or Country, And for Making Them Beneficial To The Public

It is a melancholy object to those who walk through our great towns or travel in the country, when they see… Read full post »

For Sale: Respectable Republican cloth coat, been in closet since 1952

In his infamous Checkers speech, Richard Nixon poor-mouthed his way to the Vice-Presidency by claiming his wife Pat didn’t own a fancy fur coat. Things have changed quite a bit for Republicans since then. … Read full post »