Ezra's Essays

Category: Current Event

  • WHAT WILL THE CHILDREN SAY?

    Wars have an interesting way of stirring cynicism as time passes. The entry of the United States in the First World War was described by Woodrow Wilson, the president at the time, as the war to end wars. In other quotes, the war was termed an effort to make the world safe for democracy. It…

  • TONY NAVE’S FATHER

    This essay about the death of Tony Nave’s father is dedicated to George Bush and to George Nethercutt, a Representative from Washington State who made it all possible. Nearly eight months ago, there was printed in several newspapers and on the Internet, a photograph taken by Steve Perez of the Detroit News Photo Department. It…

  • STUD DUCKERY

    This little story has to do with Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and other world figures and a small, young orange and white tabby cat who is now walking on my writing paper and is trying to catch my pen. It also has much to do with one of my soldier friends from Indiana.…

  • THE MCGREEVEY AFFAIR

    On Friday, Miss Chicka called my attention to an Internet report that James E. McGreevey, the Governor of New Jersey, had resigned and had announced he was a “gay American.” My retirement took place a long time ago, so what is being said around water coolers is now largely unknown to me. However, using my…

  • A CASE OF GROSS DISAPPOINTMENT

    On Sunday, May 2, 2004, the New York Times reported on its front page, “Kerry Struggling to Find a Theme, Democrats Fear.” John Kerry has been planning to run for the presidency for years. For virtually all of 2003 and through the early part of this year, he has been engaged in the Democratic primary…

  • AN IRISH EYE MAY POSSIBLY SMILE AGAIN

    Last April 25, an essay was produced here called, “Fading to Gray.” It had to do with the possibility of approaching blindness which is not an inspirational subject by any means. In the interest of full disclosure, there may be a development which accounts for the title of this little story. So far, so good.…

  • ENDORSEMENT THOUGHTS

    There was a time when your well worn essayist lived in Chicago.  In former days when employment was accepted from AT&T, that company reserved the right to send its employees where it thought they could best serve the company.  And so in the early 1950’s, this former AT&T employee was sent from St. Louis to…

  • CHERISHING THE CHILDREN OF THE NATION EQUALLY

    In this essay, it is my intention to give consideration to the importance of the religious vote to the recent re-election of Bush, particularly to the Jewish element of that choice. The title comes from a sentence of a proclamation by the “Provisional Government of the Irish Republic to the people of Ireland.” The proclamation…

  • A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT

    In his 93rd year, former U. S. President Ronald Reagan, died on June 5, 2004. His death came at an inopportune moment, as the Allies from World War II were planning to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6th. Although Reagan had absolutely no involvement in the landings, his…

  • BITS AND PIECES – PART I

    From time to time, there are some shorter subjects that demand the attention of the essayist. To devote a whole essay to these transient items would probably be more than they deserve. On the other hand, to fail to comment on such items would be a significant injustice. And so what we have here is…