I read George Orwell’s 1984, picked up at the local library in 1965, when I was in middle school. I read it again in 1968 for a high school English class. In the late 60’s we had several young, very progressive teachers. In one class... Continue
Personal/Political
A movie by Paulino Duran, called “Chasing Bliss” was screened at the Sonoma International Film Festival a few years ago. It was described as a search that brings Duran to the happiest country in the world, Finland, where he embarks on a journey to test... Continue
Sometimes, a time past, a memory, sinks to the bottom, is forgotten. Then something happens. It breaks free, floats to the surface and brings back pain, long forgotten. In 1979, I left Minnesota for Los Angeles. Everything I owned was crammed in a camper shell... Continue
“You will lose if you choose to refuse to put her first. She will and she can find a man who knows her worth. A Real man just can't deny a woman's worth.” These are words from “A woman’s worth” by Alicia Keys, written in... Continue
I took down our shiny, new, pristine, “Cats for Kamala" and "Harris/Walz” yard signs. Still in the yard are two, very old, ragged signs. One says, “In this house we believe: Black lives matter, woman’s rights are human rights, no human is illegal, science is... Continue
Thousands of words have been written in the press, social media and by local political bodies to oppose ballot Measure J, authored by the Coalition to End Factory Farming. I have 550 words in this column. First I must disclose that I have been a... Continue
Start of summer of 1968, the war in Vietnam was raging. A smaller war was raging in our little green house. My father, World War II vet, notorious underachiever, with a bad temper and me, a drug addled 16-year-old hippie war protester, were at odds.... Continue
Last year I watched the movie, “Leave the World Behind.” The plot is an apocalyptic scenario in which external threats and internal strife break down societal order. Starting with a tanker ship running aground on the beach, then building the story that everything we know,... Continue
As I was growing up my father constantly downplayed our dreams saying they were not reality. I now realize that his “reality” was, indeed, only his perception of reality. As I grew older, I found out I could make lots more money than he did... Continue
On November 19, 2023 I attended a church service held by the Sonoma Collective Church in the theater at Sonoma Valley High School. I am not a religious person, though I had a Catholic upbringing. My mother was a devout Catholic and never missed mass. ... Continue