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Political Culture: “We Will Prevail — We Are Virginia Tech”
One year ago today, my hometown of Blacksburg, Virginia, came face to face with a horror few American towns have had the misfortune of witnessing. To mark this somber anniversary of Seung-Hui Cho’s rampage
Read More »Political Culture: Chuckles and Cho, Part One
I know I’m a few days late, but may I please be the one who gets to pry the gun from his cold, dead hands? Forgive me if I decline to mourn last weekend’s
Read More »Political Culture: Two Guys Named George Play Ball
In our current age of hyper-partisan combat and contempt – to which I have proven myself at least as susceptible as my fellow fifth-rate political blatherers – it sure does chap my ass when
Read More »Political Culture: Parsing — and Damning — “God Bless the USA”
“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” — Abraham Lincoln Tuesday evening I was homeward bound,
Read More »Political Culture: “Jericho” Walls Come Tumbling Down … Again
“It’s not a country, it’s a company.” The most politically daring drama on network television comes to a likely end next Tuesday – for a second time. The saga of Jericho’s cancellation and resurrection
Read More »Political Culture: Films They Won’t Be Celebrating on Oscar Night
Looking back on a year that many critics hail as one of Hollywood’s best ever, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that many of this season’s Oscar-nominated films bear political undercurrents. There Will Be
Read More »Political Culture: Songs for the Stump
Silly Republicans: Don’t you know heartland rock is for Democrats? We seem to go through this every election cycle: Another GOP contender tries to trade his corporate-shill reality for some Reagan-Democrat populist cred, appropriates
Read More »Political Culture: No Sex, Please, We’re American
Last week the Federal Communications Commission harrumphed briefly to life, handing down one of its outrageous and seemingly arbitrary fines to a broadcast network that dared show a bit of live flesh. It was
Read More »Political Culture: Rudy and the First Amendment, Part Two
“In Rudy Giuliani’s New York, where the curtain is being lowered on civil rights and civil liberties, anyone who dares to challenge the Mayor, this joyless man with the angry visage who throws out
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