“If the strong person exercises all his rights to oppress and pillage the weak, he is only doing the most natural thing in the world.” — Friedrich Nietzsche When we observe the imperatives of nature, it might appear that might makes right. With relatively few... Continue
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There is a silent scream stuck in my throat. It has been there for as long as I can remember. As a child, living two of my most formative years in immediate post-war Berlin, with forays through the rubble-strewn remains of the Third Reich, seeing... Continue
Diligent readers abreast of the latest news (wildfires, wars, mass shootings, environmental collapse, political insults du jour) are well aware of the nation's simmering problems with immigration. It's again a hot topic of political brick-batting in the current election cycle. (e.g., "Build that wall! Build... Continue
Humanity’s place in nature is terrifying. Fires, floods, landslides, predatory animals, starvation, poisoned water, infection, plague; the list of depredations goes on. Were it not for each other we’d have never survived; alone we are weak and vulnerable. Some animals are solitary, but human beings... Continue
Looking ahead to the future has never been easy. One transformational wave after another has swamped humanity in its wake. The control of fire was perhaps the first such event, followed by flint arrowheads, bows, metallurgy, the wheel, gunpowder and the internal combustion engine. One... Continue
Most of us have too much stuff, and it continually creeps into our space. By the looks of the hourly Amazon and FedEx deliveries on my street, online retail is also alive and well. I seldom shop online. When I do, it’s for things I... Continue
Hilary Campbell is a New Yorker magazine cartoonist who just happened to grow up in Sonoma. Her work now appears regularly in the Sonoma Valley Sun. Continue
Anyone studying climate change-related CO2 production understands that trans-boundary emissions are inadequately accounted for. Those are the emissions emitted by the airplanes that bring tourists to Sonoma Valley hotels, restaurants and wineries. They include the internal combustion engine emissions that out-of-county tourists generate getting to... Continue
I’m glad my sweet kitty, Einstein, didn’t live to see the day we have a politician putting him down. J. D Vance – a candidate for vice president – calling childless women cat ladies! Seriously? Someone in government slurring pussies? Hmmm … what’s next? The... Continue