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As I put these words onto page (or electrons onto screen), the news is full of news that I consider pretty good. The states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Nevada have all certified the results of the election. Our president-elect Joe Biden has selected cabinet members and senior aides who appear reasonable, competent, and capable. John Kerry will be spearheading efforts to combat climate change. Vaccines appear to be

NOW THAT the team of Biden and Harris have been elected President and Vice President—and heavens, does it feel good to type that!—I keep thinking about the good people who died before they could see this day. Plenty of valiant famous folk deserve acknowledgment, but I keep thinking of Sam Lieberman, who was in my Bar Mitzvah class all those years ago, and as an adult made a long list of contributions to the people of

The title of this post, minus the bit about the election, comes from a short story by Ernest Hemingway that I dubbed my favorite back when I was in eighth or ninth grade, for reasons I can’t remember. The narrator, who I suppose is a stand-in for the author, is sequestered in the hospital but neither dying nor seriously ill. The nun wants to listen to the USC-Notre Dame football game but is nervous about the ou

The title quote for this essay comes to us from Barack Obama, the former President, and a man whom I greatly admire. The quote has been distributed widely over social media to us liberals, and refers to our campaign for Joe Biden and other democrats in the upcoming election. I’ve been wondering whether the quote unintentionally applies to life in general. Seems unfair if it does, but still. We can find plenty of faul

I have been sending postcards all over the southeast in an attempt to bolster turnout for Joe Biden and other worthy Democrats. Hands down, the award for most interesting street names goes to the city of Corpus Christi, Texas. Check out these exciting samples from today’s dispatch: Misty Meadow RoadSable River DriveDyna StreetSea Horse AvenueLexington AvenueZarsky DriveEl Soccorro LoopBroomsedge Street Just now I cal

After dinner, I followed advice offered to me about 10 years ago and went outside to look at the stars. I am graced with a clear and cold October night in New England, and the stars are very beautiful. I had not thought about that advice or the particular adviser in a while. So thanks again, if you are reading this. I really should avoid the website for CNN because of the onslaught of all-caps headlines in 40 point t

I am writing postcards to encourage voting for Democrat candidates (see the previous entry here at the FFR). Today’s parcel went to Georgia in support of Jon Ossoff, who is challenging the incumbent U.S. Senator. Mr. Ossoff is liberal, he is young and personable, and according to the polls he stands a puncher’s chance of victory. Oh, and he is Jewish. Which in the deep south means….well, we may or may not learn what

The skies seem cloudy and the days seem dark—and yes, I am writing metaphorically. Here is a quote from Kurt Vonnegut, one of my literary heroes, who died back in 2007. The quote came from that year as well, and from his last interview. “My country is in ruins. So I’m a fish in a poisoned fishbowl. I’m mostly just heartsick about this. There should have been hope. This should have been a great country. Bu

September 22, 2020 Dear Senator McConnell (or may I call you Mitch?), You’ve been around so long, I feel like I can call you Mitch. That OK with you? Oh, good. At the risk of boring you to tears (meaning, I hope you hear these words repeated in your sleep) let me reprint a quote from the year 2016, when Barack Obama was President and chaos ruled the land: “The American people should have a voice in the selectio