So were the birds gay?

by | Jan 17, 2011 | Ten Gallon Liberal

America, we’re told, is “great.” That extraordinary piece of vagueness seems mostly to serve as a palliative. Still, from time to time, I think it’s possible to get glimpses of what people may mean by that. Today’s entrant, especially in...

Not in the Club; A Sweet Disaster

by | Jan 24, 2011 | Ten Gallon Liberal

92 years ago yesterday, molasses invaded Boston when a holding tank exploded: To this day on hot summer days in an old Boston neighborhood, residents swear that they can smell a vague odor of molasses. It’s a sweet-smelling reminder of a day when some 150 people...

DIY CIA

by | Jan 26, 2011 | Ten Gallon Liberal

It’s hard to say what’s the most terrifying thing about this NYT story on a private contractor sort of mini-CIA. Could be that it stands to foul up more-official efforts in foreign policy. Could be that private contractors shouldn’t be paid to do...

Things Not to Do

by | Jan 28, 2011 | Ten Gallon Liberal

Number 1: Urinate on Jorge Luis Borges’ grave. It may be necessary to read that brilliant, blind librarian’s works without considering his rather wholehearted embrace of Augusto Pinochet (and what he knew initially of the Operation Condor fascists’...