Opinion Forum

That Was Then; This Is Now

November 30th, 2008

I don’t have a problem with President-elect Obama selecting well-known establishment figures, some of them veteran clintonistas, to staff his administration. After all, at least someone in the administration should have relevant experience and a serious resumé. But Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State? Remember: March 2008, Barack Obama: “What exactly is this foreign policy [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Hillary, Obama
Categories: Politics | Comments (10) | Home

A Woman on a Bus

November 29th, 2008

A woman got on a bus holding a baby. The bus driver looked at the child and blurted out, “That’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen!” Infuriated, the woman slammed her fare into the fare box and took an aisle seat near the rear of the bus. The man seated next to her sensed that [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Humor
Categories: Humor | Comments (1) | Home

Life With Cat

November 28th, 2008

A cat lives with me. Or, more accurately, he permits me to live with him. His name is Cat. That’s all, just Cat. Of course, there are other names I use for him, depending on the circumstances, but I won’t include them here. I think Cat is a Republican. All the signs are there. He [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: cat, friend
Categories: Life | Comments (4) | Home

Happy Thanksgiving

November 27th, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. President! You can’t even get a break from the turkey…. (Old photo, but still a good one!)

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Humor
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Football Fanatics

November 26th, 2008

One of the things I’ve missed living in Europe is American football, particularly the NFL. You have to say “American football” because “football” in Europe and almost all the rest of the world means “soccer” in American parlance.

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Humor, Life
Categories: Life | Comments (0) | Home

The Duty of Correspondents

November 25th, 2008

I recently came across an editorial policy statement by a major New York City newspaper. It was startling in its emphasis on the duty of war correspondents not to report information that could compromise the operations of troops in the field. It was so at variance with the attitudes of correspondents and editors we see [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Media
Categories: Media, Politics | Comments (0) | Home

Bilateral Bliss

November 23rd, 2008

A while back, two commercial crabbers working on the Chesapeake Bay caught a crab that is half male and half female. Actually, it’s right side is female, and it’s left side is male. This extremely rare crab is called a bilateral gynandromorph. Whatever.

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Humor
Categories: Humor, Life | Comments (0) | Home

Policy in the Interregnum

November 22nd, 2008

There are those who believe that President-elect Obama is breaking his promise to bring about change by selecting well-known people to run his administration. Many of them have been around the Washington–New York circuit for years, and some served in high places during the Clinton administration. This doesn’t bother me at all. Who best to run [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Bush, Obama
Categories: Politics | Comments (0) | Home

Guantanamo Menu

November 21st, 2008

“…one recent menu for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo consisted of orange-glazed chicken, fresh fruit crepe, steamed peas and mushrooms, and rice pilaf. Sounds like the sort of thing you’d get at Windows on the World – if it still existed.” –Ann Coulter (I know, I know–it’s Ann Coulter. But even she isn’t always wrong.)

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: press, terrorism
Categories: Politics | Comments (0) | Home

Preparing Chickens

November 20th, 2008

“May I take your order?” the waiter asked. “Yes. I’m just wondering, how do you prepare your chickens?” “Nothing special, sir,” he replied. “We just tell them straight out that they’re going to die.”

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Humor
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Colin Powell

November 19th, 2008

As I commented earlier, I was disappointed by the choices we had for president this year, as I have been in some earlier elections. The greatest disappointment is that it seems many of the best among our citizens don’t run for president. I don’t know what it is–maybe the indignity of the process, the cost [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Military
Categories: Military, Politics | Comments (0) | Home

Prez and the Pig

November 18th, 2008

Ex-President Clinton steps off his private jet with a squealing little piglet under his arm. A smiling assistant greets the former president. Assistant: Nice pig you got there, sir. Clinton: This here is an Arkansas Razorback that I got for Hillary. Assistant: Nice trade, sir!

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Clinton, Humor
Categories: Humor | Comments (0) | Home

Senator Byrd and the KKK

November 17th, 2008

As Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) approaches 90 years of age, he is praised in some quarters almost to the point of reverence. Lest we not forget, the Senator has a past that would have been used to force him out of public life if there was an “R” after his name instead of a “D”. [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Law, Military
Categories: History, Politics | Comments (0) | Home

Catholics and Abortion

November 16th, 2008

As I’ve written elsewhere, I’m pro-choice. I arrived at that position reluctantly, given the moral and legal ambiguities involved. This most difficult policy choice must be even more troubling for those whose thinking is guided by religious doctrines. In particular, the contradiction of Catholics who profess to be pro-choice has interested me for some time, especially [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: abortion, Catholic
Categories: Life, Politics | Comments (3) | Home

The Answer for Africa

November 15th, 2008

People dying from hunger. The victims of genocide and war dying at the hands of murderous militias or their own governments. Huge numbers of people dying from curable diseases, including the inexorable AIDS epidemic. Despite over four decades of massive foreign aid and development assistance in sub-Saharan Africa, little seems to change. Nevertheless, leaders of [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Africa
Categories: Politics | Comments (3) | Home

Hostage Lawyers

November 14th, 2008

One morning a group of armed men stormed a large law firm, taking all the lawyers hostage. Police and SWAT teams surrounded the building. A hostage negotiator contacted the leader of the hostage takers. Negotiator: What do you want? Leader: We want $10 million dollars, a helicopter to fly us to the airport, and a [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Humor, Law
Categories: Humor | Comments (0) | Home

A Horse Called Denver

November 13th, 2008

I guess you could say Denver was just a horse, but that would be wrong. Some creatures are more than they seem to be; their value to humanity transcends logic. Horses are like that. As Mark Twain said, “There is nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse.” [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: friend, horse
Categories: Life | Comments (3) | Home

It’s the Soldier

November 12th, 2008

By Tom Carter This isn’t new, but it’s certainly worth reading again: It’s the Soldier It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Categories: Military | Comments (0) | Home

Borders, Language, Culture

November 11th, 2008

It’s been said that borders, language, and culture are the essential elements of nationhood. Borders define the physical space a nation lives in the same way the property line around our homes or the walls of our apartments define the space that is ours. Within this space, we define and enforce the standards and conditions [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Law, terrorism
Categories: Politics | Comments (1) | Home

Dave Barry in the Opera

November 10th, 2008

Dave Barry wrote a classic column about the opera in 1995. As one who thinks ballet is the second-most wonderful art form created by humanity, and I mean that seriously, I just don’t get opera. I’ve tried regular opera (the screeching Italian kind) and various other forms, to include rock operas, operettas, etc. More often [...]

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Humor
Categories: Arts, Humor | Comments (0) | Home

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