Midlife Meditation

Sure, they look like they're having fun, but just wait. This is gonna get ugly. Pity the poor politician. To succeed in politics, one must convince a majority of voters that one will enact policies congruous with those voters' wishes. One must further convince a subset of these voters that one sincerely believes in the principles behind these policies. Simultaneously, one must refrain from engaging publicly in behaviors or making comments, even in error, that these voters will find offensive. Finally, one must appear genuinely warm and friendly to one's voters, while appearing fierce and defiant, perhaps even rude, to interests they oppose. And don't even get me started on donors. It's a rare politician whose mind can be spoken to any hot microphone, and stay in the game for long. It remains to be seen how long Donald Trump can pull it off: with his billions, he's immune from donor decay, but it's extremely doubtful he can attract a real plurality, le...

The passion's undeniable. The strategy? Hmmmm... Let me get this out of the way up front: I agree with everything in Bernie Sanders' platform. He's on what I believe to be the right side of every issue save gun control--which, if I was a single-issue voter, would be my single issue. But I'm not. I'm a strategic voter, checking the box of the candidate I think is most likely, if elected, to make the most substantive progress in making this nation more free, open, compassionate, and affirming of diversity. If Bernie Sanders is the Democratic nominee for President, there is no question but that he'll have my vote. Until that happens, though, I've got some concerns about Bernie. I've spelled them out in this space. I'm not convinced Bernie's electable, given this nation's long-running distaste for socialism, and I worry that this could put Donald Trump or Ted Cruz in the White House. The possibility of Michael Bloomberg entering th...

Did I mention I like Star Trek ? Welcome to Sisko's Creole Kitchen, an establishment that epitomizes the economics of the 24th century, when technological innovations work hand-in-hand with fully enlightened attitudes toward work and leisure to liberate human beings from wage slavery. People are no longer locked into drudgery by the need to earn a living wage, for all essential human needs are provided by society. Money is a dim memory, as anything one wants or needs can be instantly replicated. Individuals are freed up to follow their true vocations, whether that means enlisting in Star Fleet to explore the galaxy or opening a five-star restaurant in New Orleans. This doesn't mean that anyone can just do exactly what he or she wants. Joseph Sisko, I assume, prefers serving authentic dishes made from scratch, rather than replicated to identical perfection, which means someone still has to catch the crabs for his kitchen, and someone else has to cook it. I expect there...

I lean leftward. A lot. I am well to the left of this guy: Still to the left of this guy: Maybe even a bit to the left of this guy: Here's one guy who's probably to the left of me:   What all these guys have in common (and I do apologize for not putting any women in this gallery, but sometimes I just want to get the damn thing written) is that they have had their positions distorted by both opponents and allies for their own purposes, and that those positions were far more nuanced than anyone gave them credit for.   In both politics and religion, nuance is the enemy of partisanism. People want simple, binary answers to their questions, sound-bite responses to issues that can be easily memorized, memed, and quoted ad infinitum on Facebook, Twitter, Pintarest, and whatever social medium du jour they get their news from. In churches, mosques, synagogues, and wherever else religious leaders wax homiletical, complicated, nuanced sermons generate congr...