December 1941 is usually remembered by Americans as that fateful month when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, thus thrusting the United States into World War II. Read More»

The ink was barely dry on the asterisk in Jimmy Hoffa Jr.’s rant about taking out those “sons-of-bitches” — referring to Tea Party members — when the vice president made his own contribution at a Labor Day rally.

“This is a fight for the existence of organized labor,” the veep shouted. “You are the only ones who can stop the barbarians at the gate!”

And the diatribes have continued, with the establishment of a website designed to track unfair comments made by those who, in President Obama’s words, want to “cripple” America. Read More»

President Obama’s tour through the Midwest in a coal-black Darth Vader-mobile begs comparison with past presidential excursions. I’m thinking of those made by presidents Harry Truman and Woodrow Wilson.

First, the president repeated his Trumanesque mantra about his version of a “do-nothing Congress,” dominated by a minority who put the good of the party above the good of the country.

That is a serious charge, though few in the press called him out. Read More»

Madison, Wisconsin’s winter follies relinquished their national attention to Tuscaloosa’s tornado in April, events along the Mississippi in May, and finally to the most recent twister in Joplin, Missouri, where genuine suffering puts into perspective tenured teachers who are learning that they must actually pay a fraction of their healthcare costs. Read More»

Two books that should top any reading list for progressives who believe in “winning the future” by waging war against its current inhabitants are H. G. Wells’ classic “The Time Machine” and Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “The Black Swan.” The former’s narrative has entered the culture, especially through a film version that appeared in 1960, starring Rod Taylor. The first speaks volumes about cowardice, bravery, and the end of history, while the second book brilliantly demonstrates the uncertainty of it all. Read More»

One of the most telling moments in the healthcare reform debate occurred when Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trademark expression of perpetual astonishment kicked into hyper-drive after a reporter inquired about the constitutional status of ObamaCare. Pelosi paused and asked, “Are you serious?” Read More»