Oh, this country sure looks good to me But these fences are comin’ apart at every nail. — Neil Young I love me some Neil Young. Saw him live a bunch of times in some truly epic concerts— rocking with Crazy Horse, solo acoustic; the whole wild, erratic, eccentric range from the deep Americana of Harvest Moon to a bone-crunching Sedan Delivery. […]
It’s Just Indifference
A friend of mine recently told me that he can’t handle a Joe Biden speech — it’s literally painful to watch. They’re all like that for me. I thought about it for a minute and realized that the last presidential speech I can remember watching was President George W. Bush’s post 9/11 State of the Union Address. That’s more […]
The Law Of Suspects & Civil Death
At the febrile height of the French Revolution — the political event that created the modern world — the General Council of the Paris Commune issued a kind of passport for citizens who could demonstrate that they were politically reliable — the certificat de civisme. Proof of civic virtue and political reliability was absolutely vital. Without […]
‘Victory Or Death’ — Triumph Of The Winter Patriots
It’s the most important Christmas story in American history. The Battle of Trenton, fought in the early morning hours of December 26, 1776, saved the American revolutionary cause. After a series of devastating defeats in New York through the summer and fall of 1776, General George Washington’s Continental Army slogged in a long retreat across New Jersey, […]
Brewing Up Some Saltwater Tea
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the 18th Century, prepping for the Frontier Partisans Podcast series on Pontiac’s War (1763–64). If, as medievalist Dan Jones says, history is always a conversation between past and present, I guess I’ve been palavering with the ghosts of the founders of the American Republic that now seems to be awash […]
Breeding Robots In The Slo-Mo Apocalypse
It’s fine, I’m sure. Nothing to worry about. (CNN)—The US scientists who created the first living robots say the life forms, known as xenobots, can now reproduce — and in a way not seen in plants and animals. Formed from the stem cells of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) from which it takes its name, xenobots are […]
If At First You Don’t Secede
A couple of weeks ago, the newspaper I work for published a very sad letter to the editor. The writer was mourning the death of his oldest friend, his loss made the more painful because they had become estranged. Over politics. We’re seeing more and more of this. Friendships and families fractured, celebrations tainted, days darkened by political […]
Dammit Dan Jones!
Look, I’m NOT a medievalist. Sure, I’ve posted a thing or two here and on Frontier Partisans about medieval plagues and warfare and misrule and such — as one does. Actually, my most recent post was on the Ottoman Empire and the Taking of Constantinople, wasn’t it? And I did kind of go on a Yorkist binge last winter… Oh, […]
Tentmakers & Turks — The Long Shadow Of The Ottoman Empire
Synchronicity has been chiming, as it does. The Ottoman Empire looms on my historical horizon. It started with a tent… Next weekend, our hometown hosts the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. My newspaper created the program for the event, producing about a dozen features on particular artists and events. The Show’s fundraising event is a virtual presentation on The […]
Hung Up On The Horns Of Hattin
President Biden’s announcement that some 9,000 Afghans who served the United States during our long war in their country will be evacuated and protected is most welcome. From the New York Times: President Biden said on Thursday (June 24) that his administration would begin relocating thousands of Afghan interpreters, drivers and others who worked with American forces […]
Teach Your Children Well
Race, racism, and how to teach our children about it has roiled school districts across the country. Here in Central Oregon, the Bend-LaPine School Board election school board election became a scrum over the purported threat of the infiltration of Critical Race Theory into local curriculum. The issue has been raised, albeit in muted form, in […]
The Robots Attack
“This is probably the first time a robot has autonomously attacked and killed human beings.” — Ed Nash’s Military Matters Anybody who is familiar with the historical fiction science fiction Terminator series knows that the shit hit the fan when the AI network Skynet became self-aware. Humans tried to shut it down; Skynet fought back and… welcome to […]
