Pondering America

American politics and culture as seen through the eyes of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore (Beyond the Fringe) in the early 1960s.

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Sad Cypress

The magpie instructs Cyrano on some customs of the kingdom of the birds in the empire of the sun: “Every week a parliament is held, where anyone may complain of him [the king of the birds]. If there are only three birds dissatisfied with his government he is dethroned and they proceed to the new [...]

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Political Colors?

Does anyone else think it’s at least slightly ironic that the Republicans are the Reds? What would Mao think?

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Health Care Reform History Lesson

Here’s an interesting editorial from the Charleston (WV) Gazette on the history of attempts to bring universal health care to the United States. For fuller details, see the article “Health Care Reform and Social Movements in the United States” by Beatrice Hoffman in the January 2003 issue of The American Journal of Public Health. Universal [...]

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Mouseland

Mouseland, a parable by Tommy Douglas, animated by Kevin Durkee & Ted Healey Note: this message was directed originally to Canadians, but maybe it’s relevant to people in the United States as well?

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Healthcare Reform

This is an important issue. The state of healthcare in the United States has been neglected for much too long. The cost of care increases, driven in part by the expense of providing emergency care for people who lack health insurance and cannot afford basic preventive care. And in the present economy many more are [...]

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Gog, Magog, and War in the Modern World

Without further comment — just pointing out these reports: James Haught in the Charleston (WV) Gazette Allez savoir! No 39 (Septembre 2007). Allez savoir! is the magazine of l’Université de Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Political Participation

Here we are desperately concerned with the vast mass of our people who, thwarted through lack of interest or opportunity, or both, do not participate in the endless responsibilities of citizenship and are resigned to lives determined by others. To lose your “identity” as a citizen of democracy is but a step from losing your [...]

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