Actions make a real American (as published in the Tampa Tribune)

Does anyone know anymore just what makes an American … an American?

Americans used to be everyday action heroes – a nation, once, of people who worked hard, saved for luxuries, ate meals together, and air-dried their laundry. (more…)

A prayer for the living

As published in the Tampa Tribune May 26, 2008.

It’s Memorial Day, and I don’t have anyone to remember. No one close to me has died in the service of our country.

I don’t even personally know anyone who is currently being paid to protect, fight, and possibly die for his or her country.

But I’ve known plenty of courageous civilians. Men, mostly, whose everyday swagger hints at the bravery that must expand to heroic levels in a place like Iraq. (more…)

Funny money business

In the March issue of Sarasota Magazine, a local business leader spoke about a new campaign to improve the public perception of the business community in Sarasota. When asked how a campaign like that would help, he replied, “People didn’t get to Sarasota by working on an assembly line. They’re entrepreneurs. They’re educated, risk takers, capitalists. They really get it when you explain it to them, but we have not done that.”

Oh dear. I’m sure the business leader didn’t mean it the way it sounds. (more…)

Clinton country

(This was the follow-up column to Blasphemy at the pulpit — ran in April 08.)

After finally digging myself out from under the deluge of reader mail sent in response to the Blasphemy at the Pulpit column (where I questioned the wisdom of Hillary bringing her husband back into the White House) … I’m here to tell you two things:

First: I DON’T HATE HILLARY CLINTON!

And second: Boy, oh, boy, Sarasota is definitely not Clinton Country! (more…)

Was Wright so wrong?

Was Wright so wrong?

Let’s all just take a moment and untwist our knickers.

Despite The Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s dramatic style of rhetoric … despite his poor choice of words, is what he said really so wrong? (more…)

Blasphemy at the pulpit

(Had a request from a reader of my book, Sideways in Sarasota, who wanted to know why this column, originally published in March 08, wasn’t on my online column site — so for that reader — here you go and thanks for asking. I don’t have the “send a friend” link you requested, but you can simply send them the link to this site.)

When Bill Clinton dilly-dallied with Monica Lewinsky in the shadows of the Oval Office — on many occasions while his wife Hillary was just minutes away in the White House –and then later lied about it, he may as well have flipped all of us the bird and been done with it. (more…)

Pint-sized philosophy

As published in the Tampa Tribune March 17, 2008.

The Irish have been known to knock out a poem or two (think Seamus, Oscar, Van). Poetry, which for me is just another form of philosophy, is in their blood it seems, and while I’ve been known to wax poetic, I’m neither Irish nor poet.

But I know poetry when I see it – a flock of geese flying over my head at dawn; feel it – rain on my skin when everyone else has run for cover; hear it – anything Beethoven; and smell it – a kitchen full of cooking.

But it wasn’t until recently that I learned you can even taste poetry – in a pint of beer, no less. Irish beer. Guinness beer to be exact. (more…)

Ben and Jerry take a hike

Someone snapped my photo recently and when I saw the picture, I just about dropped the cheesecake I was eating and nearly fell off the couch.

My name was in the caption, but surely they’d mixed me up with some puffier, pouff-ier, well, let’s just say it – fatter! – version of moi, right? (more…)

Tiny tech talk

R U there? I ♥ U! G2G! TTYL!

Somebody, please …GMAB! (Give me a break!)

With all the smaller, faster technologies available now, people seem obsessed with saying not very much at all, but saying it at lightening speed. (more…)

Hope’s got my vote

I’m planning to vote for Obama – in part because he’s black.

I want a black person to be president of this country. But why? (more…)