Volume 265 | No. 22

Sun, July 18

1985—Doped up after cancer surgery five days earlier, Ronald Reagan OKs an arms-for-hostages deal with Iran. 1984—James O. Huberty tells his wife he’s “going to hunt humans,” then kills 21 and wounds 19 at a San Diego McDonald’s. A sniper gets him. His widow sues Mickey D’s for poisoning his mind with MSG, but to no avail. 1981—Norman Mailer’s protege Jack Abbott, on work release after a stretch for robbery and manslaughter, fatally stabs a waiter in the East Village. 1972—A sailor disables the U.S.S. Ranger for three months by dropping a paint scraper into its reduction gears. 1969—Senator Ted Kennedy gives Mary Jo Kopechne …

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Afghanistan: The Graveyard of Empires

by W. D. Ehrhart I’ve never taken any pride in my service to my country in Vietnam back in the 1960s. When people thank me for my service, I think about what I did in Vietnam and want to tell them to go see a priest. But I’ve always taken a perverse delight in having participated in this country’s longest and stupidest war. Kind of like being a pre-2004 Boston Red Sox fan or a post-Jim Brown Cleveland Browns fan. Sadly, even that small pleasure was taken from me when the U.S. war in Afghanistan finally eclipsed the longevity and stupidity of the American War …

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Tossing N.H. Under the Bus?

To the Editor: A civil engineer by training, Chris Sununu has apparently completed his survey of New Hampshire’s political landscape and concluded he needs the blessing of Trump’s big-lie machine in Washington more than the support of this state’s moderates to secure his political future. Some still question if Chris will run for Senate, but his willingness to sign New Hampshire’s Free-State inspired budget and its draconian trailer suggests he will. After all, who in their right mind would approve such a travesty and then hang around to preside over the consequences? Also, what better way to signal wealthy GOP donors in Washington that he’ll …

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The Cost of Under-Taxing the Super-Rich

To the Editor: We often hear conservatives say that government should “live within its means.” I agree. As a nation or a family, we have the option of living within, above or below our means. Living either above or below our means has negative consequences on both a family and a nation. Since the 1980’s, America has been acting like a family whose primary earner has decided to work less than part-time, earning just enough to provide the bare minimum of essentials. This decision is not based on any physical or intellectual limitation, or the inability to earn much more than they are capable, rather …

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Beyond Politics

by Jean Stimmell As Christianity’s hold on America has weakened, many pundits believed our politics would become more ecumenical and rational, less tempestuous and back-biting. But the opposite has happened: We are now more polarized: in danger of being torn apart by two diametrically opposed ideologies about what America represents. One party I will call “Woke;” the other, “Trumpy.” But this column is not about politics. It’s about an elementary force underlying our political food fight: Religion. And by that, I mean religion in the broadest sense: a belief in something bigger than the individual. As social animals, it is hardwired in us: we have …

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