-
THE 0-FER FACTOR
The Salvation Army, the Baptist Young People’s Union, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Luther League (Missouri Synod) have approved this essay only on the ground that I disclose that it is a political and not a baseball essay. But to make my point it is necessary to call on the practice of baseball…
-
MITT ROMNEY’S TERRIBLE SLUMP
Under ordinary circumstances, I do not become involved in Republican politics at any level. However in this year of 2011, the entertainment value of the Republican primary season is totally compelling. Among other things, there is Herman Cain who strikes me as a professional comedian. Cain is capable of stating a position and contradicting it…
-
THE LANGUAGE ACCORDING TO MITT ROMNEY
Willard “Mitt” Romney is in a pitched battle during the Republican primaries with Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich is a master at spinning a phrase in the English language. Mr. Romney, on the other hand, does not know his backside from third base. But two additions to the American language pronounced by Mr. Romney compelled my…
-
GREAT PARKING LOT IN THE SKY
As most of you know, I do not follow Republican politics very closely. But this year there has been a major exception to the rule. The Herman Cain/Michele Bachmann/Rick Perry enjoyment has been endless as the Republicans vie for their party’s nomination to run against Barack Obama. The Republicans have been at it for several…
-
THE MOTHER TONGUE REVISITED
Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court Justice, is a man who has his head in the sand. He insists that the law is what was written in 1776 – 1789 without any improvements to the law or the language. You may recall that Scalia is the person who gave us George W. Bush when the hanging…
-
REFLECTIONS ON THE WAHHABI
At the outset, it might be well for the author of this essay to explain the title. In round numbers, the Prophet Mohammed lived about 1500 years ago. The Prophet took several wives and they produced several children. But if my understanding is nearly correct, two of his grandsons founded competing brands of the Muslim…
-
MITT AND WILLIE
The principal characters in this essay are Mitt Romney, the Republican aspirant to the presidency of the United States, and a fellow called Willie Nelson, who is a singer of folk songs. My memory is that Willie Nelson is perilously close to being 80 years of age. The knock on Mitt Romney is that he…
-
RETIRING RETROACTIVELY
The network news broadcasts and the politicians are attempting to determine what was meant by Mitt Romney’s saying that he had retired retroactively. I fancy myself a wordsmith but I am thoroughly baffled by the use of the term “retired retroactively.” The case in point involves Mr. Romney filing papers with the Securities and Exchange…