Verbal Sparring
Verbal Sparring: If you don’t like it, leave.
A reader contacted me yesterday, asking me to reprint a post I wrote back on September 26, 2016 entitled “Verbal Sparring: If you don’t like it, leave.” I had no recollection of the post, which didn’t surprise me. When you write a post every single day of your life since the spring of 2005, you…
Read MoreHow dare you?
I’ve recently heard a lot of people spouting, “How dare you?” Trump (and others) said it regarding the FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh. Many used this phrase to express outrage at Nike’s hugely successful and highly popular use of Colin Kaepernick in their recently ad campaign. A CNN anchor said it to a Republican operative…
Read MoreA small but glorious victory thanks to Charlie and Elysha
I’m on the beach with Charlie, watching him play in the sand when a man about my age approaches. My thought is always the same: “Damn. He knows me, but I have no idea who he is. I hate this.” It happens all the time. But no. Instead, he reaches down and plucks one of…
Read MoreCrazy man in the airport
On the way to Michigan, my plane encountered a mechanical problem. After sitting on the runway for more than an hour, the pilot asked us to disembark while they attempted to find us another plane. An hour later, another aircraft was located, and we were assigned a new gate. This gate was designed for a…
Read MoreName your sources or begone!
It wasn’t a fight. More like a minor confrontation. I was pouring myself a soda at my local McDonald’s on Sunday when I heard a man telling a couple who I know fairly well that “President Trump is going to make a great Supreme Court pick.” The couple – McDonald’s regulars who I see almost…
Read MoreThe answer to “How dare you?”
I hate “How dare you?” I hate it so much. How dare you is a meaningless bit of outrage. Argumentative spittle. A waste of three words. A ridiculous rhetorical question designed to express overdramatized personal outrage. We must stop “How dare you?” in its tracks. Bring it to an end. Remove it from the lexicon.…
Read MoreVerbal sparring: Don’t allow your opponent (Trump) prescribe beliefs to you
A bit of advice to all of the journalists and news anchors who are interviewing Donald Trump (or any other politician): When Trump says makes a wildly false assertion and then adds, “I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it,” it’s perfectly acceptable and even advisable to say something like: “Actually, Mr. President, I…
Read MoreI made an old woman cry. Was I wrong?
I’m standing in line at McDonald’s, waiting patiently to order my daily Egg McMuffin. The woman in front of me is having a problem. She’s an old lady in the truest sense of the word. She’s as crooked as a question mark and is holding a cane. She’s ordered a “Big Breakfast Egg McMuffin” and…
Read MoreVerbal sparring: Never tell someone to do something that they can ignore
As a result of my outspoken opposition to Donald Trump, I am frequently attacked online by trolls who disagree with my positions. When I say trolls, I don’t mean the people who support Trump and respond to me in thoughtful, measured ways. I’m talking about the people whose emails, Facebook messages, and tweets are laced…
Read More“Yeah, but…”
I despise these two words. It’s not that I don’t say them, but when I hear myself saying them, I despise myself. I remind myself of how stupid I sound. I’ll even apologize for them if the moment is right. “Yeah, but..” is never good. It’s a disingenuous agreement. An artificial attempt to move on.…
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