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Power Over Policy

The Conservative Political Action Conference wrapped up their annual party on Sunday with a dystopian storyteller spinning a tale of political intrigue and skulduggery to an audience of screaming fans. Trump repeated all the lies he had told over a four year assault on America and the people’s ability to discern fact from fiction. He demonized immigrants, people seeking colorblind justice, attempts to improve access to healthcare for all, those who would try to save Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

Garland Confirmation Likely

Merrick Garland will be confirmed as the next Attorney General of the United States. He will be confirmed with a bipartisan vote from the United States Senate. This will be a further indictment of the Republican Party, another reminder of their hypocrisy and total disregard for the American people. Allow me to explain. Merrick Garland is widely regarded as a jurist without a party, the nearly perfect embodiment of the statue of justice, blindfolded with Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

Thank You, Cancer

Have you ever felt like you can’t make a difference? How can one small voice make a dent in this vast landscape of a world? It’s too vast and unreachable! How can one lone voice screaming into the wilderness be heard over the cacophony? One man found a way and became a defining voice in the American landscape through sheer grit, determination, lack of education and absence of any ethical restrictions and his name was Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

Republican Suicide

Some cancers you can’t avoid. They follow you down the ancestral path, stalking you until they come out of hiding, seemingly from nowhere. Others are the result of poor choices, habits that we know better than to indulge but we do anyway. The short term pleasure is just too much of a temptation, the risk ignored until it is too late. That happens to other people but it won’t happen to me. The Republicans have Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

Empty the Bucket List

I’m 63 and in OK shape. Not great, but not horrible. I have a little bit of a gut that grew over the holidays. I can still play tennis and ride a bike, hiking is still cool. My friend Ted is a year or two older and he just ran a half marathon to celebrate his 65th birthday. Obviously he is a ridiculous show off and I won’t speak of him again, but our sixties Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

The Second Impeachment Trial

And so it begins. The second impeachment trial of Former President Donald J. Trump begins today. The first order of business will be arguments and a vote on the constitutionality of the trial itself, taking place as it does after the exit of the subject of the proceedings. The Constitution doesn’t prevent this, but you may be hard pressed to realize this after arguments are heard. By the time you read this, that vote will Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

Memory and Frustration

The idea of retirement is very appealing to me. I had a taste of it during an extended furlough from my job and I think I’ll be pretty darn good at it if I can figure out how to supplement my Social Security income somehow. I did an exceptionally poor job preparing for my post-work years and my resources won’t permit me to simply stop working. I think I have that in common with many Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

Is There A Third Rail Anymore?

In 1861, John B. Clark, John W. Reid and Henry C. Burnett were expelled from the United States House of Representatives for their support of the Confederate rebellion. Oh well, timing is everything. Apparently if they had just waited for today they would have been seen as simply quirky. Leadership, true leadership, can have consequences. When Congress expelled these men from their midst before the Civil War actually broke out, there could have been no Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

The Good and Bad of Buying Glasses for Seniors

I’m still working full time so January is when my benefits renew and I look forward to it every year, as I get a chance to re-invent how I present myself to the world by picking out my new glasses. I’m old enough now that I don’t fret even a little about wearing them. They are a necessary accessory to my life and improve it enormously, but they are also one of the only intentional Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago

Will the GOP Survive?

Right now, it is a very good thing to be an older progressive. Just ask Bernie. The GOP faces an existential crossroads that is of its own making. With an impending impeachment trial in the Senate, Republican lawmakers will have to stand up and be counted. Will they stand up for the Orange Menace or the continuation of the American experiment in democracy? There is ample evidence of the former President’s incitement to riot. Hell, Read more…

By Bruce Eaton, ago