Recent Personalities Commentaries

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Mr. Eastwood’s Balls
Responses to my commentary It’s Confirmation Bias Time in America, about the political spinsmanship regarding Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl ad, were all over the political map. From, “I Love Clint Eastwood” to “The message was the same: American Exceptionalism;” from, “We are going to Politically Correct ourselves out of existence,” to “It was disturbing to me and completely contrived.” However, one reader,  » Read...
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February 13, 2012
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It’s Confirmation Bias Time in America
Who would think that a TV ad featuring Clint Eastwood giving America a pep talk would create so much political uproar? “I was, frankly, offended by it,” said Republican strategist Karl Rove. “I’m a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, I thought it was an extremely well-done ad, but it is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and...
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February 10, 2012
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Halftime in America
The Super Bowl is about everything that is over-the-top. From the two-hour pre-game to the intro of the teams, and the million dollar ad buys for commercials that compete for most creative, funniest, most special effects, well… you get the idea. This year caught all of us completely flat-footed. You could hear a pin drop… not when Madonna made her...
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February 6, 2012
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End of the Year Round-Up
Hold on to your cynicism, kiddies, it’s my end of the year wrap-up of the highs and lows. Here’s just part of the past year’s craziness summarized in words: “The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal-consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short.” – Standard and Poor’s, in a statement regarding the downgrade in the U.S....
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December 28, 2011
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How to Improve the World
Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. He is both head of state (in exile) and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He is admired and esteemed worldwide as a man who has championed policies of nonviolence. His consistent compassionate nonviolence, even in the face of great aggression, led to his receiving the Nobel Prize for Peacein 1989....
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December 19, 2011
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Whatever happened to statesmanship?
England’s finest Prime Minister and Statesman Winston Churchill famously said, “A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” Considering the ticking clock deadline for Congress’s bipartisan supercommittee to find a path to cut at minimum $1.2 trillion from the budget over ten years, Churchill’s words seem sadly prophetic. “It wasn’t so much of a...
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November 21, 2011
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An American Master
Writers are, for the most part, invisible to the public. Sure there are those exceptions who have used their talent to stand in the spotlight, but Norman Corwin was more focused on his craft than the attention. Corwin was not just extraordinary with words; he was master of radio, stage and screen. Such a master of radio drama, that Orson...
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October 24, 2011
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Sundays will never be the same
Most Sunday evenings, I tune in to watch 60 Minutes. The stories are relevant, fascinating and always newsworthy. Near the end of each show, one of a company of reporters would come out of commercial break and introduce the final member of the team with these familiar words, “…and now, a few minutes with Andy Rooney.” Thus, would begin a witty...
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September 30, 2011
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Buffett on Fairness
When the Oracle of Omaha speaks not enough people…correction… not enough of the right people in Washington listen. By now, Mr. Buffett’s Op-Ed has circled the political and financial globe enough that most are aware of the basics. “Our leaders have asked for ‘shared sacrifice,’ Mr. Buffett said in the New York Times last month. “But when they did the asking,  » Read more about: Buffett on...
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September 23, 2011
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Bachmannian Ethics
While Aristotle is often referred to as the “philosopher of common sense” due to his works on logic, being, nature and ethics, Tea Party Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann eschews all of that in bringing forth all manner of false facts and flawed thinking. This is the same congresswoman who declared at a Florida rally, “I don’t know how much God...
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September 21, 2011