November 22, 2011

Politics and Pepper Spray

The Chancellor of the UC Davis, Linda Katehi, is forming a task force to investigate the weekend's pepper spray incident, and called the incident "chilling." Not only is she apparently unaware of the silly irony in her statement (calling the pepper s...

May 15, 2011

Martial Virtues and the Survival of Civilization

Four years ago, I met and became friends with a police officer whom I'll call Brett Harrison.  As I got to know Brett, he shared more and more about his work life.  It was fascinating, but also troubling.  The multiple pressures on pol...

January 30, 2011

The Great Goodness of America

My parents were married for almost 65 years.  For at least the last ten years, my father was the sole caretaker for my mother, whose slide into dementia has been pronounced and heartbreaking.  Even though he had his own health issues, he in...

November 5, 2010

California Dreamin'

I would like to feel elated about the elections last Tuesday, but alas, I live in California. As the rest of the nation lurches back toward common sense, California defiantly stands as a testament to the power of delusion. Over twenty billion dollars...