Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

Help Drill

Posted on August 17, 2019 by JMN

Help fix inaccurate voter rolls Help address shortages of voting machines Help address shortages of provisional ballots Help formalize the rules around counting absentee ballots Help increase participation in the 2020 census. Help increase youth turnout Source: Melanye Price, “Stacey … Continue reading →

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Here Lies a Scotsman

Posted on August 10, 2019 by JMN

There once was a Second Amendment paladin in the Houston area who lay in wait one night to discharge his Ruger into the belly of a nefarious shadow on his castle’s driveway; having done which he laid his weapon down, … Continue reading →

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Disquieting Skein

Posted on August 8, 2019 by JMN

It has dawned on me in the last few days that the model of government from above visited upon the yielding heads of the governed by an all-powerful executive comports somewhat with what I take to be certain tenets of … Continue reading →

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Ascribe It to Editing Lapse

Posted on August 8, 2019 by JMN

Domestic terrorism includes violence by Americans who belong to anti-government militias, white supremacist groups or individuals who ascribe to similar ideologies not connected to Islamic extremism. (Frank Figliuzzi, “I Predicted More Hate-Based Violence. El Paso Won’t Be the End of … Continue reading →

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Fashion Landscape

Posted on August 6, 2019 by JMN

Down to the details — jeweled buttons, transparent blouses and velvet trims among them — these fashions subvert gender lines. (“Fall Fashion: The New Androgyny,” NYTimes, 8-5-19) (c) 2019 JMN

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Ouch!

Posted on August 6, 2019 by JMN

“Our problem was what laid underneath all that: the way things really were, despite what we taught in civics class.” (James Comey, “Mr. President, Please Take a Stand Against Racism,” NYTimes, 8-4-19) No disrespect to Mr. Comey, but what lay … Continue reading →

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Today’s Useful Moral

Posted on August 6, 2019 by JMN

If you want a clear answer, ask a clear question. Adapted from Steven Strogatz, “That Vexing Math Equation? Here’s an Addition,” NYTimes, 8- 5-19) Strogatz reprises an online debate about the answer to this equation: 8 ÷ 2(2+2) = ? … Continue reading →

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Morbid Rumination

Posted on August 6, 2019 by JMN

The violence that erupts continually in an “advanced” country has trapped me in a morbid rumination that has two horns. First: Given our pervasive gun culture, along with the persistence of capital punishment as a remedy-at-law, why is the firing … Continue reading →

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Feminine Manet

Posted on August 4, 2019 by JMN

My favorite touch on this painting is the mauve-against-yellow bonnet garnish — purple-yellow adjacencies enthuse me. Otherwise, the mannequin with the bee-sting pucker and doe-stupid gaze is both masterful and tiresome. Jason Farago writes about the exhibition “Manet and Modern … Continue reading →

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Weaponized Food

Posted on August 4, 2019 by JMN

“Food is constantly implicated in economic and political processes, as well as in social and historical processes… Because of the recent events in the Middle East, even something as innocent looking as a ground chickpea ball can be used as … Continue reading →

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