Sun, Dec 19

2007—A fire breaks out near “Dick” Cheney’s office. Probable cause: spontaneous inhuman combustion. 1998—As Bill Clinton is being impeached for some hanky-panky, Speaker-elect Bob Livingston resigns to cover up a bit of his own. 1984—Due to a work speedup, 27 coal miners are killed in Utah. 1974—Norris Cotton finagles a bill giving New Hampshire’s senior Senator the right in perpetuity to commandeer Daniel Webster’s old desk. 1973—Johnny Carson makes a joke about a non-existent toilet paper shortage, inadvertantly causing one. 1946—The Viet Minh take on the French in Indo-China. 1944—Primarily due to bad generalship, two-thirds of the 106th Infantry, comprising 8,000 men, must surrender during …

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You Want To Serve Your Country?

by W.D. Ehrhart I recently received the following e-mail: “First off, Mr. Ehrhart, thank you for your service. My main question is this: what wisdom do you think you have gained from experiencing the Vietnam War? Do you think that younger generations could learn something from you and your experience?” “Thank you for taking the time to write,” I replied. “What wisdom have I gained from experiencing the Vietnam War? What could younger generations learn from me? I hope I don’t sound too cynical, but what I learned was to question everything I’m told by those in authority. Donald Trump lied to the American people …

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Like Father, Like Son: A Tale of Two Sununus

by Richard T. DiPentima, BA, BSN, MPH It may be a unique historical record: a father and a son, both elected Governor in the same state 36 years apart, holding office as global pandemics affect their state. As if to guarantee that distinction, both used the pandemic they were responsible for controlling to further their personal political ambitions. Too improbable for fiction, but true in the case of Governors John H. Sununu and Chris Sununu. I observed—and participated—from a front row seat as the first Governor Sununu used the AIDS pandemic for his political gain at the expense of public health. To now witness his …

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Sleepwalking Into Fascism

Another fortnight, another resounding “Thunk,” as Uncle Sam’s top-hatted noggin slams into yet another landing during his violent and interminable descent down the endless staircase leading to democracy’s crypt. Did he fall? Or was he pushed? Oh, please. We are the nation’s last living exemplar of a truly free press. Do not expect us to mimic our corporate competition by pretending to be even stupider than we actually are. Following the incoherent barking of their malevolent leader, the members of Cult #45 have volunteered enough of their warm if not necessarily sapient bodies to give the Covid-19 virus the opportunity to develop a new mutation …

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