Eric Frien, cold warrior Eastern bloc stand-in and accused cop killer was finally apprehended after weeks on the run in northeastern Pennsylvania. It seems agreed that he disliked the federal government with some passion and that he also developed a deadly grudge against police. Those traits combined with the fact that he was living at […]

The Ideology of Queerness? In 2001, Providence, R.I., firefighters drove a rig in a Gay Pride parade. Thirteen years later, that drive is the subject of a R.I. State Supreme Court case. Firefighters allege that their rights of free speech and religion were violated by then Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.’s edict to participate. The Providence Journal […]

Washington National Cathedral To Charge Admission It’s official: beginning in 2014 Washington, DC’s iconic National Cathedral will begin charging a $10 admission fee. To wit, the top ten ways to cover their budget gap. 10. Baptismal Font Admission Lottery- The Font will be refit as a lotto-style ping pong blower with balls marked $5 to $25. Pay […]

Notes From The White House Since the federal shut down I have spent some time most days in front of the White House in what might be called a “crazy old man supportive vigil.” I carry a home-made sign saying, “US Shutdown = Tea Party” and a smaller sign saying, “Christ is for Healthcare.”  I […]

  Groundbreaking Report From Saudis Now we know. Women should not be driving and a Saudi cleric, one Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Lohaidan tells us why:  it’s the pelvic tilt, stupid. The sheikh reports that the pelvis is forced upward when behind the wheel thus causing children to be born with all manner of medical problems. […]

  Keeping it Real Time was when the notice of a passing was an opportunity to laud achievements, celebrate family and otherwise ignore the deceased’s infuriating shortcomings, at least in writing.  Acknowledgment of the departed’s pain-in-the-assness was limited to oblique comments where the assembled mourners would nod and titter nervously at an honest observation. Not […]

We have no idea what we want.

Here we are, on the cusp of Memorial Day, when we honor and remember those who died serving our country.

  Doctrine, Disaffection and Violence The news is full of stories of the FBI and others “scrambling” for clues to understand the motivation of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the chief Boston Bomber.  So far we know that he was unsuccessful as a boxer, married, a father, unemployed and a follower of “radical Islam.” Patriot Gone Awry Tsarnaev’s trajectory […]