The Republican Party has lost its mind.
Out of desperation, its House members have elected a speaker who, if his party's candidate is not elected, believes that the democratic election process is corrupt.
If his candidate is elected, no problem.
Where does America go from here?...
I live in a house with a porch that has been described as having the best view in the county. Maybe yes, maybe no, but it is in the middle of Williamsville and faces south, straight across the road into the Rock River from a slightly elevated vantage point.
Invading a smaller nation under false, trumped-up pretenses; doing so with superior weaponry; massacring people; and shattering the infrastructure with toxic waste should be seen by anyone as a criminal act. What if Iraq had been tied into adjacent NATO nations with their powerful allies and a significant amount...
Proud Boys? I'd rather be proud to be a man - one who accepts the fact that his childhood was far from perfect, that this life is far from perfect. I'd like to be one who accepts that he needs help from another person or other people from time to time to deal with the scary places and feelings in my gut. I'm overwhelmed with hints and jabs to the effect that I'm small, powerless, and worthless compared to “others.”
I was born in the early '50s. As far back as I can remember, there has been the specter of communism/socialism lurking in the shadows. We called each other “commie pinkos” on the playground. Our new '60s house had a flimsy bomb shelter built in the basement just in case that Soviet threat proved real. We played in it. In this last election, socialism was once again used over and over as a fear-tactic weapon to keep Americans voting to...
It's Friday night here in our little old village, with the Rock River plummeting through variegated post-Tropical-Storm-Irene-riven channels. There used to be a crib dam here, as well as many businesses that derived their power from multiple river-driven locations. Tonight, I am walking approximately 1,000 feet down Main Street from my driveway to the Williamsville Hall, where one of my talented neighbors is settling down on the well-tuned old Poole piano to accompany a 1929 silent Russian film that he...
About a month ago, two years after making my reservation, I finally received my deposit back from Cinnamon Bay Campground on St. John. The U.S. Virgin Islands were shattered by Hurricane Irma at the beginning of September 2017. Gusts were reported at 250 mph. I have no idea what happened to the island's birds, fish, and other species. Not many leaves remained on the trees. I can't imagine how much garbage is in the surrounding sea. Cinnamon Bay Campground was...
I need to speak up about the obvious negligence in regard to human waste on the part of the state or whatever towns are responsible for the hugely popular swimming holes on the Rock River and West River. We have wickedly hot days that drive people to use these natural assets, then voluminous rainstorms flush them out repeatedly. I have spoken with people who have gotten waste on their bodies while frequenting this riparian zone. Even if the tests that...