THE CONVERSATION — In each of former President Donald Trump’s four indictments, he has been allowed to stay out of jail before his trial so long as he abides by certain conditions commonly applied to most people accused of crimes in the U.S. In the federal case in Washington, D.C., that concerns Trump’s alleged efforts […]

THE CONVERSATION — Hunter Biden, the surviving son of President Joe Biden, was indicted on Sept. 14, 2023, on gun-related charges – facing a possible criminal trial while his father is campaigning for reelection. The charges relate to Hunter Biden’s alleged lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun in 2018. And a […]

The U.S. Supreme Court will come back in a couple of weeks, and it will again be making politically charged decisions on whether laws passed by Congress are allowed by the Constitution. Such decisions are among the most controversial it makes. They give the Court a power greater than Congress, which makes the laws. This […]

Being of the compulsive persuasion, I’ve long realized it’s only by the grace of something “out there” that controls such things, that I don’t drink booze. It is not that I am a crusader against alcohol or anyone who likes to have a nip now and again. It’s simply that I cannot abide the taste […]

The Gathering Place (TGP) is a unique community. Our guests are of all ages: older people living on Social Security or a pension, some just scraping by and some pretty comfortable; aging hippies; bold young men and women, school dropouts, college graduates, musicians, fishermen, veterans, retirees, artists, new Mainers, people traveling through, and people who’ve […]

I used to think the gold standard for American health care reform would be a “universal” or “single-payer” system similar to Canada’s, where everyone is covered, there are no bills to consumers and government directs spending to providers. Canada’s system is called Medicare. It started when our Medicare did, in 1965, and became nationwide by […]

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” hasn’t cracked a Joe Biden joke since April 15, when cast member Michael Che quipped, “President Biden has tried to downplay the recent leak of classified U.S. documents that were posted on social media, because when you’re over 80, a couple of leaks are nothing to be embarrassed about.” With strikes […]

While I always enjoy Maine State Music Theatre’s spectacular productions, the highlights, for me, are often the big dance numbers, the times when ensemble members strut (or tap) their stuff with utter precision and unabashed joy. I imagine the years of hard work that each dancer spent leading up to that moment. I appreciate the […]

The last time that I wrote anything about the Proud Boys, I got into some hot water. There was a young man from the Bon Air Fire Department in Delaware County who had attended one or two Proud Boys meetings and decided that it wasn’t for him. However, the mere fact that he had dared […]