What Size Shoe Are You Looting?
When I was in school and the protests were about the Viet Nam war, people threw eggs and police sometimes used water cannons. Today, a great deal of the protest seems to be about carrying tools to break into stores and
Masking
How long before there are brawls and new laws about people wearing masks that have political or profane statements on them? Aren't masks a natural benefit to criminal acts? And I'm seeing a competition among elite and status masks. I'm not
The Truly Corrupt
Remember Rodney King? His brutal police beating sparked the LA riots that required military units to restore peace. He was awarded nearly 4 million dollars in compensation and became an activist and writer. He died in 2012, found at the
Opening Up
I am an independent voter, and a persistent one. I've voted in every single election I was eligible to vote in since I was 21, the then-legal age. I vote on issues, not parties, and an entire person, not a
Why Go Back to “Work”?
Is there a chance we're subsidizing people so much that some won't return to their jobs? Many people are in legitimate need and deserve help and support throughout this crisis, so let me acknowledge that first. But as we emerge from
There’s A Rule of Law and A Law of Rules
Like so many bureaucratic rules, the ones governing the opening up of the economy are often arbitrary. And, as with many arbitrary rules, people feel freer to ignore or violate them. The same applies with clients. What kinds of rules do
Shame on You!
The Mayor of Providence, RI, Jorge Elorza, who has never been a draft selection for Mensa, said on my buddy Gene Valicente's radio who yesterday that, "People who aren't wearing masks in public should be publicly shamed by others." This
Masking Motives
Now we have "mask etiquette" and "mask shaming." Of course we do. The reason is what I call "wowsing," which means there are people who implacably believe they are on a higher moral plain in all things ("wowsers"). I remember giddily one
Did You Hear Something?
If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? If political arguments on Facebook never sway or change the opinion of even one person, is it really debate? In fact, is it really
Conversation Sanitization
In normal times there are idiots on the internet, That's not a "judgment," that's a fact. The idiots are people who are bigoted, profane, become enraged if you disagree with them, are abusive. In these times, they seem to have