Last June, Justice Anthony Kennedy fired a damaging, if not fatal, salvo into the already enfeebled 1st Amendment of the Constitution. Whatever one thinks about the institution of marriage, homosexuality or religion, the right to express and practice one’s religion as he or she chooses is an inalienable one that no court or government can take…
Author: J.J. Sefton
Extra! Brave Artist Takes On World’s Greatest Evil!
On the northwest corner of Houston Street and the Bowery in what is now Manhattan’s hipster central, you’ll find a wall that is the site for a rotating display of murals. Living in the area, I walk by at least once a week on the way to shop at the Whole Paycheck that sits kitty-corner to…
Maybe Tina Fey Can Do Something With This
“We can see Alaska from our pu-pu deck.” So while President Obama is in Alaska slapping the memory of President McKinley and American history upside the head, five Chinese warships are no doubt ready to give him a 21 gun salute: Five Chinese Navy ships are sailing in international waters in the Bering Sea off Alaska,…
It Depends On What Your Definition of the Word “Navigable” Is
“Politics ends at the waters edge!” Many years ago, I saw a fairly large graffito scrawled on a wall somewhere in Manhattan stating “U.S., OUT OF MY PANTS!” and for whatever reason, it just stuck with me. I guess I must have just appreciated the author’s mashing up the evils of Yanqui imperialism with misogyny and…
Paddy, We Hardly Knew Ye.
“A real mad prophet.” 39 years ago, as my senior year of high school was just kicking off, I wandered into the converted classroom that served as the office of our school paper. Desks, chairs, a cabinet, a few typewriters and our mascot, a deer head which we called “the moose” mounted over the blackboard. Not exactly…
I Want YOU (To Tell Me If This Is Hate Speech)
So, you nick round to the local pub for a pint and when you excuse yourself to go to the john to “have a gypsy’s” you come face to face with this; what at first seems like an iconic shot of Lord Kitchener on the public message board is in fact pure unwashed, unreconstructed bigotry. Wow!…
Great Escapee Passes Away at 101
Paul Royle, one of the 76 airmen whose legendary escape is immortalized in “The Great Escape,” passed away on August 23rd at the age of 101. Royle, an Australian serving in the RAF, was shot down during the Battle of France on May 17th, 1940 and initially spent time in Stalag Luft 1 before being transferred…
“…And miles to go before I sleep.”
“Green is the new red.” If you’re of a certain age, you might recall the 1977 spy thriller “Telefon.” The set-up is, just after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviets plant several dozen deep-cover spies on our shores, brainwashed to the point that they have no idea they’re agents. In the event of a future conflict,…
No, They’re Not the Stupid Party.
“…You’re neither sold, nor betrayed, nor given up. Come to me with confidence.” Y’know, I have to laugh. Today, Bob Corker is lamenting the fact that the there won’t be enough votes to stop the Iran deal. Now, flash back to just before the summer when these negotiations were announced. Under Article 2 Section 2…
Of Mussed Hair and Legacies
You want us to attack WHO?!” Barring something completely unforeseen (otherwise known as “a miracle”) the Iran deal will most certainly be approved by Congress, as the cynic in me has always believed it to be predestined, thanks to Corker-Menendez. For Iran, this means a green light to accelerate its nuclear program (if it doesn’t already have…