The Alleged Editor

Hummingbirds!

Dear Editor, May 1, 2021—News has reached me from friends in Groton, Mass., that their hummingbirds have arrived! I keep track of their arrival date here. In 2011 I had mine in the yard on April 30th. In 2012 it was May 1st. Other years, later. May 18th in 2013. Most years somewhere in between, with its being closer to the start of May. Time to put out the feeders. We have no black flies for them yet, nor their favorite flowers. Ours fly more than 3,000 miles from their winter habitat in Mexico, at 30 miles per hour! Let’s be ready for them. Lynn …

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GOP Senators Block a Jan. 6th Commission

To the Editor: Apparently an insurrection to overthrow the U.S. Government, derail the 200+ year tradition of peaceful transition of power, murder elected officials, steal an election and riot against the Capitol police isn’t sufficient grounds to have a bipartisan investigative commission? Why? Because the truth “might make Trump or the GOP look bad.” Five people died, more than 140 police officers were injured, the Capitol was overrun and ransacked. It was the first invasion since the British burned the White House in the War of 1812. And the Republicans tell us they “have better things to do with their time.” Oh, and it “might …

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Can Any Republican Officials Be Trusted?

To the Editor, Most of the current red states have been red states for decades. Some large areas in these states do not have any viable Democratic Party presence at all. Can we expect a red state that loses a considerable number of key offices and majorities to allow the will of the voters to prevail? Will they even count votes properly in a situation they will lose in? The national scene is troubling now, but at the state level will we see red state coups resist democracy at the state level? My guess is that we will see red state voters throw Republicans out …

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GOP Makes Last Chance Power Grab

Horrifying times often bring with them a certain measure of clarity; it’s a paltry consolation prize, and rarely makes up for what’s been lost, but it does help to dispel confusion—or would if we ever used it. Recent events have made this much clear: having done a heck of a job wrecking the nation, the goon squad calling itself the Republican Party is hard at work dismantling the apparatus with which we might rebuild it. Their goal is nothing less than to stamp out democracy itself. Perhaps we exaggerate—but if so, not by much. They have thrown the nation’s transmission into reverse and hit the …

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Who Knew Dr. Strangelove Was a Documentary?

Just a week into the Biden administration, a familiar old bugbear reared its ugly head: would the U.S. go to war with China in defense of Taiwan? Should it? Speaking of “should,” we know we ought to be concerned about the geostrategic implications behind this issue, not to mention the serious humanitarian concerns, but—and you can sue us for this if you like—remembering, as we do, all the hot air generated on this topic back when Ike was in office, we’re just going to yield to temptation. Herewith: a few spitballs from the back of the class. The right wing in those days was made …

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Flotsam & Jetsam

“People used to think that learning to read evidenced human progress; they still celebrate the decline of illiteracy as a great victory; they condemn countries with a large proportion of illiterates; they think that reading is a road to freedom. All this is debatable, for the important thing is not to be able to read, but to understand what one reads, to reflect on and judge what one reads. Outside of that, reading has no meaning (and even destroys certain automatic qualities of memory and observation). But to talk about critical faculties and discernment is to talk about something far above primary education and to …

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