Volume 266 | No. 15

Mon, April 11

2006—At the Washington Nationals home opener, the ceremonial first pitch is thrown by Vice President Dick “Dick” Cheney, who is greeted with raucous jeers and catcalls. 2002—Venezuelan generals replace elected President Hugo Chavez with CIA-approved Pedro Carmona. 1985—Press Secretary Larry Speakes says Ronald Reagan will lay a wreath at Bitburg, where American and German soldiers lie buried. Oops. Americans? No. Waffen SS?  Yes. 1968—Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law. 1966—Set out as bait at Xa Cam My by the CO of the Big Red One, Charlie Co., 2/16th Inf., 134 strong, is ambushed. Relief plans go awry, friendly fire …

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Sun, April 10

2018—Goldman Sachs warns clients of a downside to gene therapy: there is no cash flow from a cured patient. 2017—The State Street Saloon burns. 2005—Huge mobs of Iraqis mark the 2nd anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s fall, shouting “No, No to Satan!” and demanding that U.S. troops leave. 1972—Crooked financier Robert Vesco slips $200,000 to Nixon’s re-election campaign; Attorney General John Mitchell cuts him slack. 1970—Dick “Dick” Nixon’s lawyers backdate a deed giving his papers to the National Archives so he can illegally claim a tax deduction. 1963—Lee Harvey Oswald takes a shot at U.S. Army General Edwin Walker because he’s leader of a “fascist organization.” …

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One For All, And All For One

by Jean Stimmell I was mesmerized by a scene I saw on TV at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: A group of neighbors with rifles guarding a suburban street leading into Kyiv against approaching tanks, their faces illuminated by fires they had lit in trashcans to keep warm, fearless and immovable, belting out in unison the Ukrainian National Anthem. When everything is on the line, we forget our differences and come together as one.  Of course, we do: as social animals, it has been bred into us. That’s why we have survived as a species. Although much less dire, I once was …

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Going Green, or: Poetic Justice

by W.D. Ehrhart I’ve just purchased a piece of the state of New Jersey. Really. It’s ten feet by ten feet and located in a lovely pine forest. Sooner or later—I’m 73 now, so I wouldn’t hold out too much hope for “later”—it will become my final resting place when I shuffle off this mortal coil and join the Choir Invisible. My wife will eventually be there with me, too, though she’s younger than me and thus has a better shot at “later.” But why South Jersey? I’ve never lived there and have no family connection to the area. All my life, I’ve been completely …

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Foul-Mouthed Governor Tells the F___ing Truth, Then Recants

In a shocking performance at a Washington, D.C. gala, New Hampshire’s Republican Governor told the f___ing truth. Due to its unexpected nature, the event made headlines around the world—which, given Governor Sununu’s political ambitions, was likely his intent. Typically, when he’s back home among the rubes voters, Chris Sununu presents a folksy, more wholesome image. On Saturday evening’s Gridiron Dinner, though, before 600 Washington insiders in formal evening wear, he was exceptionally foul-mouthed. Rep. Jamie Raskin [D–Md.], quoted in the Washington Post, said he had not heard a “Republican use the F-word that much since the Nixon administration.” The Gridiron Dinner is an annual celebration …

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Which Side Are They On?

This will sound crazy but the day may come when we’re grateful that Ginni Thomas was once the spouse of a Supreme Court Justice. That feeling of gratitude would be contingent, of course, on certain further developments. First, there would have to be an appropriate public response to the bizarre recent revelations about the Thomases. At a bare minimum these would include Congressional hearings, with all their officious folderol, preferably expedited, and culminating in the resignation of Justice Clarence Thomas. Ideally, this action would be followed by an appropriate form of chastisement for having trod upon his ethical obligations. If we seem premature in this …

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