The pending defeat of Trump, accompanied by the blue wave of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, evidences the Republican party’s death. While parties have suffered severe losses in the past, this time it’s real. The party doesn’t stand for anything good anymore. There is nothing left to rebuild. Those nostalgic for the old GOP will find the current one is different. It is rotten, racist, short-sighted, and shrinking.

Why the GOP Won’t Come Back

Last summer’s remarkable Black Lives Matters protests prove that civil rights are not just for African Americans and other minorities. Large contingents of whites, people previously mostly absent from such…

Politics

Prosecutors will pound another nail into the Trump coffin next week when indictments are issued against the Trump Organization and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg. If these indictments are followed, as expected, with charges against Trump himself, the far-right’s use for Trump may be at an end.

Predictions of Trump’s fall from relevance have been predicted before. The man who could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and still be loved has dodged dozens of bullets. Over 30,500 lies, as painstakingly documented by the Washington Post, have not yet persuaded Republicans to abandon him.

Despite everything, two-thirds of Republicans still believe Trump…

We’ve been reading about the Strawberry Moon. The name got our attention. We like strawberries and grow them, sometimes successfully, in our garden. The prospect of a Strawberry Moon was too much for us to ignore. So, we timed its rise on our horizon, and I took a few pictures.

What is a Strawberry Moon?

You are not alone if you are not an expert in Strawberry Moons. I had heard the term repeatedly, but for various reasons, I had not sought one out. When the news was filled with stories about this year’s Strawberry Moon, my interest was awakened.

I wanted to know more…

My apologies in advance for posting a picture of poop in SNAPSHOTS.

I did not set out this morning on a photo expedition with either doggie poop bag dispensers or bird poop in mind. When I encountered this scene, however, something made me stop and snap the picture.

At first, I thought of the Alanis Morrissette song, “Ironic.” But was it ironic that something meant to keep a park clean had itself become fouled? Was it ironic that the poop bag dispenser was so fouled that it discouraged dog owners, including myself, from using it. …

Journalism

Are today’s editorials undermining democracy? In his final regular editorial for the New York Times, Bruni answers yes. Bruni tells us that today’s editorials, even a few of his own, often are too strident and reinforce readers’ prejudices rather than stimulating thought.

Commenting on the trend in editorial writing, Bruni comments, “I worry, too, about how frequently we shove ambivalence and ambiguity aside.”

Politics

Growing up, I was a Civil War buff. The war had been fought less than 100 years ago. Civil war veterans were still alive. I went to a high school named after J.E.B. Stuart, a confederate calvary commander known for daring raids on the Union. Our nickname was the “Raiders.” Our mascot was a rebel that waved a confederate flag at our football games. During the annual senior year basketball game, where senior male students competed against the varsity basketball team, the players got nicknamed. One of my teammates was “Klu Klux Kloman.”

If I had a choice between giving up red meat or strawberries, the red berries would win. They are delightful, versatile, beautiful, and, for us, difficult to grow. Until this year, that is.

Over the years, I have tried to grow strawberries several times. It looked easy. Buy some plants, put them in the ground, water and weed them, and wait for the berries. Simple enough.

The road is busy. Cars whiz by with no apparent awareness of the children. There is a sign, but with age, weather, and fouling by birds, does it still work? Does anyone driving by heed its message of caution?

I wonder when the sign was first erected. Over its long service, did it ever slow down a car and save a child’s life?

And of the children whose play was protected by the sign, how many are still playing? Somehow the sign is old and tired. Its work should be behind it.

Yet, the sign continues its lonely work. Perhaps…