To grovel, or not to grovel, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind of state to suffer The lawful slings and arrows of statutory duty, Or to struggle against Falstaffian trumpeters, And by opposing, send them to oblivion. To apologize? Why? Where is the insult? To follow the law is an insult!? […]

Ever wondered why the jillions of things we say and hear all the time are never called “old husbands’ tales” instead of the usual “old wives”? I don’t know either, so we’ll leave that for another time. The tale I’m thinking today about comes from long, long ago, although maybe people still say it, most […]

The Trump Doctrine now takes its place in American history. Trump joins presidents who adopted broad world policies that became identified with them. President James Monroe warned that Europe should stay out of the Americas, creating the Monroe Doctrine. President Harry Truman pledged U.S. support to governments opposing authoritarians, creating the Truman Doctrine (though probably […]

When Donald Trump gained power, he began signing sundry, legally dubious executive orders that challenge the foundational principles of American democracy. Congress is responsible for passing laws, the judiciary is an independent arbiter of their legality and a president’s duty is to either enforce or reject legislation. Under Trump’s administration, these checks and balances are […]

My hometown of Lisbon is, like many towns in Maine, amid its FY26 budget process. Since (now more than ever) we don’t know what the next four weeks are going to bring, it’s hard to make accurate projections regarding the future. Yet, we’ve constructed a process (albeit one I disagree with) and we must make […]