Essays
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Page 74
Those Civil War re-enactments
War is swell (especially if it's air conditioned)
When Santayana said that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it, he must have had today's Civil War re-enactors in mind. These weekend warriors repeat actions that no one has any way of remembering or repeating. How authentic can you be if you don't have to dodge real bullets and cannon fire?
Essays
4 minute read
Eight questions about the Civil War
What Castro learned from Fort Sumter, and other lingering questions about the Civil War
As we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, some questions are seldom if ever asked. For example: Was the bloodiest war in U.S. history really necessary?
Essays
3 minute read
Obama's unproclaimed war
Watching the war on my vacation, or: A sudden illumination about Obama
As I kicked back on a sunny Aegean island, I was startled by the roar of NATO fighter jets returning from Libya. I could see that getting away from Obama this summer was going to be more difficult than I thought. Our president has been a puzzle to many: so prompt to confront a foreign dictator, so easily intimidated by any Republican.
Essays
5 minute read
Heart attack, Part 2: Anatomy of a procedure
‘It looked like a bomb exploded': A patient's-eye view of a heart procedure
Inserting the stent wouldn't take more than an hour, I was told. Two hours later, sedated but still awake, I gleaned troubled conversations among the doctor, the nurse and the technicians. If these professionals were worried, what was an amateur like me supposed to think?
Rape and SlutWalk: A therapist's view
Rape, SlutWalk and the hopes of youth
I was trained as a therapist at a time when women were easily blamed for “castrating” their men. For three decades I've counseled rape victims who believed their misfortune was their own fault. The SlutWalk protesters who challenge this notion may be young, but who else is willing to take the risks necessary to change the world?
Essays
5 minute read
My pal, Rick Santorum
Santorum and me: Oh, the things we'll do!
I've been receiving “Dear Gerald” messages lately from Rick Santorum. Although we've never met and I'm 30 years his senior, the former Senator seems to think we're old buddies.
Essays
3 minute read
Congressional sex scandals: Do it yourself
Do it-yourself news: The D.C. sex scandal
Another member of the U.S. House of Representatives has resigned his seat due to a sex scandal. And by now you can write the news story yourself.
Essays
2 minute read
Surviving on the fringe: Tips for arts groups
The joy of life on the fringe: What arts groups can learn from Apple and BMW
How can the high arts survive economically in today's mass pop culture? Simple: Stop wringing your hands and start reveling in the joys of life on society's fringe. That approach worked for Bach and BMW, and for me too. Here are six simple suggestions for putting this notion into practice.
Essays
4 minute read
Capitalism's rolling crisis
The banks vs. the state: And the winner is…..
The recently announced Greek bailout is a stopgap measure that won't solve the country's financial crisis but does confirm its loss of economic sovereignty. In a world where banks rule— not only in Athens but in Washington— the eclipse of the state by global capital is a profound systemic event with consequences for all.
Essays
4 minute read
Why you shouldn't quit your job
Take this job and shove it? Not so fast
Scott Gilmore urges us to quit our humdrum jobs and find important work instead. But when you come right down to it, what job isn't important?
Essays
4 minute read