I used to consider women pitifully weak and pathetically delicate. For this, I blame Marvel Comics. As a boy in the 1960s, I was seldom without my nose in one of that company’s fables. From them, I learned many valuable life lessons: Always lock the portal to the Negative Zone Never ignore your spider-sense Mutants […]

The police report paints a confusing and chaotic picture. Apparently, the young man and his girlfriend got into an argument over her ex-boyfriend. At some point, things became physical. When police arrived, they say they found the young man outside his parent’s home, where he lives. He was belligerent, evasive and stank of alcohol. He […]

“Them that’s got shall get. Them that’s not shall lose” — Billie Holiday It was in April of 2014 that the water turned bad. Residents of Flint, Mich., reported that the stuff smelled. It was yellowish brown. You drank it and your hair fell out. Or you developed a rash. Or you were nauseous. Again, […]

Nikki Haley’s 44th birthday is this week. You would think her a little old for fairytales. But a bizarre, little-reported remark the South Carolina governor made last week suggests that, age notwithstanding, Haley lives in Fantasyland, at least insofar as American history is concerned. The comment in question came the day after her Tuesday night […]

As a general rule, I loathe both Holocaust and slavery comparisons. Sadly, such comparisons have become more common in recent years even though, almost by definition, they trivialize two of the greatest crimes in human history. When GOP senatorial candidate John Raese declared that having to place “smoke-free environment” stickers on buildings he owned was […]

He didn’t bawl. His voice only roughened for a moment and he dabbed at a couple tears that straggled down his cheek. As displays of emotion go, it wasn’t all that much. But it was, of course, more than enough. Inevitably, President Obama’s tears became the takeaway from last week’s White House speech on gun […]

He brought his rifle up at the sound of footsteps crunching the Oregon snow. “Who goes there? Stop and be recognized.” A weary voice answered out of the darkness. “It’s me, Sam. It’s Bud.” “Give me the password.” “Come on, Sam. Stop foolin’ around.” “The password,” Sam insisted. Bud sighed. “‘Patriots act.’ Are you happy […]

So where was the march for Tyshawn Lee? Where were the demonstrators barring access to stores in Chicago’s premiere commercial district on the busiest shopping day of the year? Where was Rev. Jesse Jackson, joining his voice with a thousand other people demanding justice? Where were news media, beaming the images out to the world? […]

In the new movie “Creed,” Rocky Balboa once again mounts the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In the original “Rocky,” the climb up those stairs was the climax of a training montage that has since become iconic. With the gladiatorial horns and sweeping strings of Bill Conti’s soundtrack pumping full out behind him, […]