I’ve always believed that if our democracy gave way to authoritarianism, it would come from the right, never from the left. The last six years has confirmed my worst fears. Over the course of its history, the United States has experienced numerous challenges to its democratic-constitutional government both from the right and left. This despite…

A poet friend sent me the enclosed poem as a commentary on the United States today. It was written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 2007 after a poem by Khalil Gibran. It prophetically and succinctly says what needs to be said out loud. For your thoughts Pity the Nation By Lawrence Ferlinghetti (After Khalil Gibran) Pity…

Anyway you tell it or spin it, the United States is DIW (dead in the water) as I write this. I don’t mean to imply that the country is on the brink of destruction or even a major catastrophe, but that it is simply treading water and going nowhere, as if waiting for a breakthrough…

“A Letter to Our American Friends” by Raphael Melancon, public affairs consultant and political analyst. Ottawa Citizen, July 4, 2026 Ottawa CitizenJul 04, 2026 Canadians will not be raising a glass to you — and you deserve an honest explanation why To our southern neighbours, Today, across all 50 states, millions of you will be…

DON’T LET HIM DOWN!

Every morning I read the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal hoping that the flagship newspaper for conservatives will finally have come to its senses about what is happening in America. This 4th of July holiday offers a propitious opportunity to stand up for the principles of the Declaration of Independence before our democratic…

Back when I was a kid in Iowa, my brother-in-law built a bomb shelter in his backyard. It was the height of the Cold War, and people were scared, though looking back, I doubt that the Russians would have wasted an atomic bomb on Iowa. But fear was real, and it was a dangerous time….

Now that the Memorandum of Understanding* (MOU) has been signed allegedly ending hostilities between the United States and Iran, the diplomatic drama will become one of handwringing, outrage, boasting and predictable mendacity especially on part of the White House. Many wars over the last couple centuries have ended In what diplomats call “status quo ante…

We all do, don’t we? At least those of us who have dogs and respect their uncanny skills in navigating human society. Our dog companions always make us feel better. Think about it. Observations about dogs are always positive: dogs are always happy to see us, dogs understand our moods, dogs make us feel better…

On this D-Day anniversary we are reminded of the courage and resilience of the United States and its Allies in defeating Nazi Germany in 1945.The effort was the result of many nations joining together to prevent the destruction of western civilization by fascists and their anti-democratic allies. In contrast, we find Americans today unable to…