The refrain from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” suggests an alluring title for curious reasons; it encapsulates sentiments I’ve held for a very long time and leads in some fascinating directions.

In Poe’s poem ‘The Raven,’ the Raven symbolizes a mournful, never-ending remembrance and sorrow for his lost, perfect maiden, Lenore, who is the driving force behind his conversation with the Raven.

* If you’re interested, you can find the poem on the interweb; perhaps you have the book.

The maiden Lenore, in my case, is the republic as I learned it, and my sweet remembrances of the lovely maiden it was. Maiden, in this case, refers to a female virgin – someone not sullied, soiled, or tarnished.

Get the picture? Continue reading →

I know about too many things that no longer matter, antiquated ideals like honor, and commitment.

I understand what words actually mean; I use them carefully.

I defend the need for police, law, and order; I embrace the intent of our laws and the Constitution.

I know right from wrong; I learned it from my parents, church, and school.

I know that lying is wrong and I cannot rationalize it as free speech or freedom of expression the way our government or mainstream media does. Claiming that a lie is protected by ‘freedom of the press’ does NOT make it true or acceptable. Continue reading →

I awoke this morning from another fitful night. I can’t say I slept; I didn’t; I haven’t rested in quite some time. I’m usually a sound sleeper due mostly to mental exhaustion and fatigue, but the restful days are gone since I caught a glimpse of the puzzle many years ago.

I have several afflictions that cause my restlessness; there’s the inevitable onset of age and all the things ricocheting around in my brain. There are external stimuli like; where we’re headed as a republic and our out-of-control government, to name a few. I recall historical examples and the outcomes of other inattentive republics, replete with slumbering, inattentive, and distracted sheeple.

There’s the fall of the Roman Empire, the collapse of Russia, and the rise of the Third Reich, to name just a few. These, and too many more, ought to serve as cause-and-effect examples of our present direction, yet we hire misrepresentatives who choose to ignore them. I am astounded that our system provides opportunities to correct mistakes, yet we fail to make that choice.

It is said that we learn from our mistakes, but apparently, America has a learning disability; we don’t learn SHIT! We make the same mistakes repeatedly and foolishly celebrate them! Continue reading →

This article is my first post for 2024, so I thought I’d summarize last year in a single quotation; you all know how much I love quotes. Unlike Claudine Gay, I don’t take credit for them.

Today’s quotation is one that I find decidedly appropriate to the festering situation in America. It’s a summation of the last three years, and it is more than appropriate… by the way – I don’t expect this to end in 2024…

“Stupid is as stupid does…” ~ Forrest Gump

It was Forrest Gump’s retort in the movie bearing his name when someone asked if he was stupid. It means a person should be judged by their actions, not appearance. Continue reading →

Cicero’s final words: “There is nothing proper about what you are doing, soldier, but do try to kill me properly.”

Cicero’s pursuers decapitated him. Once discovered, he bowed to his captors, leaning his head out of the litter in a gladiatorial gesture to ease the task.

Amid the hate and turmoil of our world, we relent so the Sheeple may safely graze. We avert our gaze, content knowing that the barter for security was worth the price – our liberty – so the Sheeple may safely graze. Continue reading →

We get what they give us…

There was a power shift in America. It began when the first colonizers landed; it continues today and will continue in perpetuity.

That is how power works.

It is boundless because the pursuit of power is an addiction – insatiable and unquenchable. Continue reading →

The literal definition of this Latin phrase is Not sane or not in one’s right mind:

Classically, not having control of one’s mind.

It was first used in thirteenth-century English law to describe people afflicted by madness, the loss of memory, or the ability to reason.

My interpretation…

No Compass, Means Us…

I constantly wonder about the absurd and foundering America I see today. All reason and intelligence appear to be discarded, or we’ve intentionally abandoned using good sense and logic. We seem emotionally driven, guided more by feelings than intellect.

Did we utterly legislate or litigate reason into obscurity using “the end justifies the means” as our rationale? Continue reading →

I received a message from Brother David this morning on this exact topic. I responded to an assertion that this is something new. On the contrary – what we face happens all the time and throughout history just before the fall of every great nation when people equate irresponsibility and recklessness – licentiousness with freedom.

Allowing free expression is essential to growth, but knowing what to say and when is crucial to the republic’s survival. It’s like yelling fire in a crowded theater – you can, but should you? We forget that freedom implies responsibility and a willingness to agree to disagree. It allows everyone a choice of what and who to believe. The most difficult of all is deciding what’s most important: the Republic or the Individual. Continue reading →

I took a two-week break from the world, or at least tried to. It was no use. Regardless of where we were, man’s horrific intent and bad news encroached on our attempted serenity.

I keep thinking about the analogy of a chimpanzee with a loaded machine gun sitting on a fallen jungle tree with an empty bottle of vodka at its feet.

What could possibly go wrong? Continue reading →

The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubt, while the stupid ones are full of confidence. ~ Charles Bukowski

This commentary continues a theme I started in July, where I spin the titles and stories of Charles Dickens toward more contemporary circumstances. The second episode in the series was “Oliver’s Twist,” or “The Parish Boy’s Progress,” set in London’s seedy underworld; it is a story of poverty, corruption, and Oliver’s eventual reclamation. My observations correlate current political actors to the characters therein.

In his novel “Oliver Twist,” Dickens introduced several memorable actors and personalities that remind us of people we know and recognize in contemporary events. Among the significant supporting characters in this story is The Artful Dodger. This title exercises my literary license with that title, adapting it to fit my intentions.

I’m calling this piece “The Artful Codger.” Continue reading →

I’ve been distracted for the past few weeks dealing with personal issues; however, I’ve maintained my routine of morning coffee and the usual unhealthy dose of corporate media’s prevarications (bullshit). I’ve discovered that some of my issues stem from the dissonance between what I’m expected to believe and what I experience.

It’s this dichotomy that created the schism. Continue reading →

“The prpblem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubt, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” ~ Charles Bukowski

UAW Strike
No one will win this contest; everyone will lose. Continue reading →

Bennett just floated another title balloon over the virtual fence – this will be the fourth in the series. Then, just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water, another idea came floating in. I’ll save that one for installment number five.

Charles John Huffman Dickens wrote about the inequities and inequalities of nineteenth-century England. His stories provide a glimpse of life’s concerns and issues in those times through his masterfully created characters and their stories in those situations. He wrote what he saw around him, taking his readers on a journey of enlightenment and allowing them to experience their trials and tribulations through his prose, illuminating things most people never saw or simply chose to ignore.

Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop, 1841, is the story of an old man with a disquieting secret: his gambling addiction, which creates uncomfortable encumbrances, causing him no end of problems. Is it gambling or the obsession that drives the story or the ensuing life situations it makes? You decide… Continue reading →

Uriah Heep

Friend Bennett and I share an uncommon appreciation for literature, notably Charles Dickens.

Our love of music brought us together many years ago in a blues club where I played. The club’s name escapes me, yet this encounter kindled a splendid friendship, and many discussions about music, art, and literature; especially the works of the author whose name I share along with some ancestry.

Jeff and I frequently gab about books, especially Dickens’ writings. One such chinwag launched this collection of commentaries based on Mr. Dickens’ novels and characters.

I quipped in the first of the series that I fully expected the Newspeak-police to revoke my literary license for taking liberties with Dickens’ work. A black van has been parked in the neighborhood lately, replacing the helicopters that stopped circling a week ago. ;)

This commentary is an interpretive parallel based on a character in the novel David Copperfield (1849). Dickens connected character traits to a name so masterfully that they remain analogous to this day. His fascinating and enduring descriptions give us an image to link to the message. Continue reading →

              ‘Twistin’ the Night away...

I sought a deferential theme in keeping with my recent Dickensian motif; my muse proposed a Twist on Oliver. Thank you, friend Bennett…

Oliver Twist: The full title is – Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress; a novel by Charles Dickens, published serially under the pseudonym “Boz” from 1837 to 1839 in Bentley’s Miscellany and a three-volume book in 1838. The story was the first of the author’s works to depict the impoverished London underworld realistically and to illustrate his belief that poverty leads to crime, a premise embraced by Big Brother, with some rationalizations and twists – naturally…

Crimes’ catalyst is the topic of my commentary. . . Continue reading →

I usually have two or three commentaries, essays, or a chapter for my book in progress at any given time and switch between them as my muse abets.

As I shifted gears from business mode to my alter-ego today, preparing to work on an existing project, a dear friend called with an enthralling idea for an article.

My dear friend Jeffrey Bennett called to propose a title fitting for this intriguing moment in America. As we discussed my current project, the appeal of his compelling recommendation took flight. Jeff piqued my interest with “Great Expectations,” and as the possibilities unfolded, the outline and theme materialized… Continue reading →

I met a friend for a bit of brekky at a Hipster joint on 40th Street and Camelback in Phoenix, AZ.

I always arrive early to scope the place. Since it was early and the joint was empty, I thought I snagged a table and enjoyed a cup of coffee.

As I opened my car door, I was assaulted by LOUD modern music thumping in the outdoor patio dining area and blasting away in the indoor dining area.

SO LOUD I felt the music. Continue reading →

While enjoying my morning routine of coffee and headlines, profound apprehensions plague me, knowing we’re lost and foundering. Not only as a republic but as a society. Is this awareness the new normal? Is it what we endure and where we abide? Or will we alter our course before this sinking ship of state drags us all under?

It may be too late.

I’m looking for similes and corollaries, but all I can find is space – as in the universe, but I imagine the ocean, standing at the shore, wondering what’s on the other side. We know the sea is finite; it’s a massive depression in the earth filled with water. On the other hand, as Einstein postulates, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” Continue reading →

If there were ever an argument for why decisions are so far off the moral and ethical target, and that supports the statement that America has no moral compass, this title says it in five words.

These five words explain every unconstitutional, unethical, and immoral decision in our republic. These five words mask any implication of impropriety because, from a particular perspective, it’s for the greater good, the good of the republic, because… “The End Justifies the Means!“

When the exception becomes the rule, there is no need for reason. When everything becomes an excuse, there are no more pretexts. When a republic rationalizes everything as critical to its existence, it eventually fails, and there is no need for morality.

America is that republic. Continue reading →

My wife and I enjoy movies of the past because they represent the promise of America, offering positive moral assessments and messages. Most of the films are adaptations of books or plays extolling conservative messages.

Yes, some are just pure entertainment but of a positive nature. Some warn of impending doom or consequences of poor decisions. Continue reading →