Here is what’s known so far:

On Monday, shortly before 3:00 pm, two bombs were detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Another bomb was detonated shortly after at the JFK Library.

Twelve people were killed.

Three people were killed and more than a hundred injured.

Shortly before… Read full post »

(The New York Times Sunday Book Review prints a weekly column, “By the Book,” in which an author answers generic questions about his or her reading habits. I decided to take a crack at some of the most common questions. Since everyone loves to talk about books, feel free to… Read full post »

I met Sandra at a Ron Paul rally and it was love at first sight. When she and I finally took the plunge, we knew exactly where we wanted to go on our honeymoon: Ayn Rand World, the new libertarian theme park.

The day after our nuptials, we landed at Milton… Read full post »

Once upon a time, in the Greatest Kingdom on Earth, a boy was born. He was not a king, nor was he a prince. In fact, he was just an ordinary Joe. But he grew up to be a smart, kind, hard-working man.

Around the same time, a girl… Read full post »

Fourth or fifth grade.  It’s between classes and I’m racing down the hall to the nurse’s office because my tummy is rumbling like Mount St. Helens and I’m about to blow chunks.

Didn’t make it.  Nature does/… Read full post »

For the last few years, I’ve attended an annual movie marathon in which they presented all of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture. Since I couldn’t make it this year, I asked my good friend Wayne LaPierre to attend in my stead. I know you have heard Wayne’s harsh… Read full post »

On January 2, 1999, hunters in Sam Houston National Forest in Texas discovered the body of Melissa Trotter, a 19-year-old Lone Star College student who had been missing since December 8. She appeared to have been strangled with one leg of pantyhose.

Investigators had already settled on Larry Sweari… Read full post »

I am a Republican.

I don’t believe people should be required to carry a government-issued ID because that’s the first step toward Big Brother. I also don’t believe people should be allowed to vote unless they carry a government-issued ID.

I am a Republican.

I believe that Democrati… Read full post »

       … Read full post »

I almost never write straight political pieces; there are people here who do it way better than me, and with greater depth of knowledge. I also admit that I did not watch the first Presidential debate; as I commented elsewhere, the debates will not affect my vote and… Read full post »

They say that you never regret the things that you do, only the things that you don’t do. I don’t believe that’s 100% true – I’ve done a couple of ghastly things I desperately wish to erase from my memory bank – but when I’m melancholy, which is too often… Read full post »

I was assembling a “desert island discs” list – you know, 25 records that you absolutely could not live without – when I discovered two CDs I had burned a few years ago consisting of my then-favorite songs. Instead of doing clever sequencing for the CDs, I had just sorted… Read full post »

At Home Pilgrim used to post an annual Open Salon baseball playoff preview, so in his lamentable absence, I have volunteered to fill his shoes. (And yes, that is like replacing a pair of Bruno Maglis with flip-flops.)

There is one big difference this year: to make a wild card… Read full post »

Thank you for that warm welcome. It’s great to be here in Ohio on the first day of Oktoberfest. You may think that, because I’m not allowed to drink liquor, I don’t understand beer drinkers, but that’s not true. I have several friends who are brewery owners.

Did… Read full post »

If you’ve been a member of Open Salon for a while, you’re probably familiar with the writings of Greg Correll, wordsmith extraordinaire. If you’re not, this is a pretty good place to start. (Dammit, OS, these links had better work!)

Most likely, you haven&rsqu… Read full post »

“A hurricane is headed straight for the Republican convention. More proof that God is a woman.”
- David Letterman

12. Attend a NASCAR race so I can hang out with a bunch of white people too.

11. Crash a gay wedding, pose for pictures with the happy couple, then head to a… Read full post »

And Richard Cory, one calm summer night
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
- Edward Arlington Robinson

Last weekend, I was re-reading Darkness Visible, William Styron’s essay on his descent into clinical depression. Around the time I was reading Styron’s chapter about his friends… Read full post »

“Did you see the new law being considered by Congress?” asked the blogger. “It’s outrageous! I’m going to post something on my blog about it.”

“Good,” said the blogger’s wife. “Because I’m sure the columns this morning by Paul Krugma… Read full post »

(Looking for something light after the last few days, and following Oryoki Bowl’s request for funny reposts, I combined two posts on my daughter’s time at a bakery. All stories are true, though some of the dialogue is invented. The format was based on ex-OSer LC… Read full post »

In news that had comedians across America saying, “Thank you!” porn star Jenna Jameson endorsed Mitt Romney for President, saying that “Republicans are better for rich people.” Only in modern America could “porn star” and “rich person” be synonymous.… Read full post »

Dude, first off, it’s the 21^st century: get yourself a computer! Then, if all that phony moaning and grunting on the screen is too distracting, turn down the sound and turn up these odes to self-love guaranteed to keep you in the mood. Finally, don’t be ashamed and remember… Read full post »

We’ve been together a long time. We’ve had a lot of great times and I’ve got many memories that I will always cherish. Remember that time we …? No, let’s keep that private.

But we’ve been drifting apart for a long time. Communication has grown strained and has go… Read full post »

(Think Mitt Romney is the only person to declare a retroactive retirement? You haven’t been paying attention.)

SPRINGFIELD, IL, December 9, 2008 – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich denied the corruption charges filed against him, explaining that he had retroactively resigned his post… Read full post »

The report that Jesse Jackson, Jr. may be receiving treatment for clinical depression, and his office’s apparent reluctance to confirm it, reminds me that, despite progress in awareness and sensitivity, mental illness continues to retain a stigma, especially among men. It also reminds me that… Read full post »