Read on a sign: You can’t spell HATRED without RED HAT. Following the George Floyd murder in 2020, after conservative America began its backlash against the Black Lives Matter movement, Susan and I joined a protest. A few hundred people, mostly college professors, nonprofit workers and retirees, encircled the Gettysburg town square. We held signs … Continue reading No Kings!
Trump
The Biggest Lie of 75,000
“I will stop the war in one day.” How many times did he say it? How many times was it repeated by his followers, his minions? “Only Trump can stop the war.” So, what’s my problem? Why get hung up on this specific lie? So many others: I’ll reduce grocery prices. And gas prices. Mexico … Continue reading The Biggest Lie of 75,000
Abandoning My Post
As a college graduate in the mid-eighties, I lacked seriousness and substance. My girlfriend’s father at the time called me the ‘party kid’ and ya know what, he nailed it. My knowledge of the world around me ended at my five favorite bands, which six packs I could purchase for under two bucks, and an … Continue reading Abandoning My Post
The Resistance
The Resistance. My friend Regan first brought it to my attention in an email on December 19, a full month before the inauguration. The Resistance. It recalls the scrappy human soldiers in the futuristic clips from the Terminator movie franchise. Nicaragua’s Sandinista freedom fighters in the seventies. My college roommate Tom commandeering the microphone at … Continue reading The Resistance
The Winter of my Discontent
Image from The Day the Earth Stood Still (not the Outer Limits) Despite the similarity of titles, this isn’t about Steinbeck’s novel. In fact I’ve never read The Winter of Our Discontent, and I can’t read it now because I'm slogging through the midpoint doldrums of Fairy Tale, a recent Stephen King publication, a six-hundred-page … Continue reading The Winter of my Discontent
The Known World
Annex Canada, invade Greenland, pillage Panama. Deport our neighbors—our pickers, our laborers, our factory workers, a million Americans, lynchpins of our community, of our economy. Hush money, insurrection, stolen secret documents, sexual assault. Billionaires running our country, the far right ruining the world. Skyrocketing temperatures, exploding debt, morphing viruses: tipping points everywhere you look. (Expensive … Continue reading The Known World
Shouting into an Echo Chamber
When class ended, they fist bumped and stretched their legs and grabbed paper towels to wipe down their bikes. A couple of shouts of “good class,” and “thanks Jeff” and people filed out of the room. As they left, I gave a quick plug for my next class, “I’ll see y’all on Saturday at eight,” … Continue reading Shouting into an Echo Chamber
The Mourning After
I woke up this morning, the morning after election day, and thought, “Oh! This is the country I live in!” I apologize to my overseas friends, we let you down. But we can stop the debate; we now know who we are. We elected a serial and self-proclaimed sexual abuser, a felon, a man who … Continue reading The Mourning After
Apologize all you want…
Apologize all you want, you're still a Dirt-Bag.* Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stepped into a big stinking pile of Donald Trump the other day. Like so many American politicians repeatedly do, Albanese showed his true colors when he became annoyed with political opponents who interrupted him. “Do you have Tourette’s or something? You know, … Continue reading Apologize all you want…
Cease and Desist
[The Other Stuff] Contact Name:Albert Kinney Email:albert.d.kinney@usdoj.gov Comment: Notice: Cease and Desist (DOJ-02262025-003) Mr. Cann: It has come to our attention at the U.S. Department of Justice that your website, The Other Stuff, contains forty-two articles critical of President Donald J. Trump dating back to 2015. As you are already aware, as evidenced by your … Continue reading Cease and Desist
The Truth
I try to write coherently. I can’t corral my thoughts. This topic is too large, all encompassing. My brain is scattered, agitated. It keeps jumping around. -- -- -- Remember the shithole countries? Oops, content warning, foul language. On Facebook today, a friend posted a meme, a quote by Bruce Springsteen: “Someday we’ll look back … Continue reading The Truth
Dying to Win
I saw this meme near the start of the pandemic: A cemetery, stately, over crowded with graves on a bright, sunny day. Dialog bubbles pop up from two headstones, the words of the dead. “We owned the Libs!!!” “Hell yeah we did!!!” Kind of funny, really not. I read an article this morning. Conservative talk … Continue reading Dying to Win
Words Matter
I mean, ya gotta write about it. They’ll write about it for decades. Centuries? In 2253, second graders will still learn about the day the president told an angry mob to attack the U.S. Capitol. Of course, that won’t happen, humanity will be long gone. Baked and broiled in our ever-heating atmosphere. Only the cockroaches … Continue reading Words Matter
Disaster is Inevitable
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars... Right here on this blog, Halloween night. I wrote of the coming election and the expected aftermath—at least my expectation. A Biden win, a Russian bot-campaign to foment distrust and hate among the American people. A stolen election! Widespread cheating! Elites staffing the polling places, … Continue reading Disaster is Inevitable
God, Guns, Country
The sign appeared one day on the normal route. That’s what Susan and I call the loop around our neighborhood, the normal route. It’s neat how names develop. “Which way do you want to go?” “Let’s take the normal route.” Eventually it sticks. Sometimes we walk it, sometimes we run it. We’re not the only … Continue reading God, Guns, Country
Every day is the same. I check the news expecting something terrible. I’m rarely disappointed.
Coming apart at the seams
Remember when news was boring? It wasn’t long ago, six maybe seven years. I googled the biggest stories of 2013. The Boston Marathon bombing—that one was huge. Things get pretty tame after that. Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal and Prince George’s birth. Those are a couple of the more notable stories of the year. Midday today, … Continue reading Coming apart at the seams
A Second Civil War
I’ll be happy when Donald Trump realizes: No, he’s not exceptional. It’s incredibly satisfying going through life believing you know more than everyone else. I used to believe this. Maybe not that I was the best, but certainly in the top ten percent. I call this thirty-itis. It’s an inflammation of the brain. In your … Continue reading A Second Civil War
Transition to Greatness
Give me a fucking break. LANGUAGE! Back when I worked at the Y, “language” was my admonishment when I heard people, usually in the men’s locker room, swearing. I have the cursing conversation frequently with my kids. “Use your vocabulary, see if you can find a better word. Not only will people think you’re more … Continue reading Transition to Greatness
Distopia
I read this today: “worst health crisis since 1918… worst recession since 1933… worst race riots since 1968.” This is the worst start to a hurricane season, ever. Second day, already three named storms. Eli told me on Sunday about the internet chatter he’s been seeing. The super volcano under Yellowstone National Park is getting … Continue reading Distopia
The Other Stuff 