Recent travels presented several opportunities for comparing today’s issues from differing perspectives. To some of our fellow citizens life in America reflects a lack of appreciation for the unacknowledged good, while the bad is either blown out of proportion or simply completely made up. ‘Never let a crisis go to waste’ So spoke Chicago Mayor […]
Dennis Lund: Considering the People’s Budget by the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Occasional forays to the dark side of progressive thought can serve to remind us of how invidiously damaging their proposals can be. Such trips serve to reinforce the importance of keeping such political elements at bay. This past weekend such a trip was undertaken; it was not a pretty sight. Recently the Congressional Progressive Caucus […]
Dennis Lund: The domestic terrorism count
I’ve known Richard since 1981, as a mentor, competitor and colleague, and I consider him a friend. I only recently though found out how liberal he actually is, but I do not hold that against him. During a recent business trip, he brought up the subject of terrorism. He stated that the biggest terrorist threat […]
Dennis Lund: A modest proposal for the Supreme Court
Once again the nation has suffered through the process of a Supreme Court nomination. Having done so, we can now either sit back and wait in dread for the next one, or we can consider modification of probably the most divisive process in politics, save for presidential elections. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has played […]
Dennis Lund: Did ‘The Godfather’ really turn 45 this week?
It seems hard to believe that, “The Godfather,” considered to be one of the “best” movies ever made, was originally released 45 years ago this past week. Trying to determine the “best” movie is a fool’s errand, as there would be no winning that argument. I will say this though: “The Godfather Part I and […]
Dennis Lund: Freely admitting to being completely flummoxed by recent events
The word ‘flummoxed’ is one I have never used to describe reactions to any past events. But what we have seen post-election, more specifically since the inauguration, have indeed made that word appropriate. Many aspects of the events of the past 90 days are bewildering indeed. Reflecting on some of the high (or low notes), […]
Karen Love: A rebuttal to those 12 words and phrases
By Karen Love Special to the Herald This has been a divisive year for the USA, though luckily, much of the national nastiness passed Benicia by. In that context, I cannot let Dennis Lund’s mean-spirited column of Dec. 27 go without a rebuttal. He chose 12 words and phrases to lose in 2017, and in doing […]
Dennis Lund: Twelve words and phrases to lose in 2017
During a performance at Yoshi’s in Oakland, legendary Texas wordsmith, the late Guy Clark, asked the question: Is there a synonym for ‘Thesaurus’? He added that he never found one, but the word ‘lexicon’ was about as close as he could find. The lexicon, the words and phrases used on a daily basis, evolves, as […]
Letters: The Electoral College and Dennis Lund
Electoral College debate I am not a Trump supporter, but I do believe in reason. According to most news accounts, Clinton won the popular vote by about 2 million votes, and many believe we should change the system so she wins. However, she won California by about 3.4 million votes (source: www.cnn.com/election). That means Trump […]
Dennis Lund: Trump victory resulted from failures at many levels
In the opening week of November, the nation was stunned by the remarkable and unexpected victory of President-elect Donald Trump. On election night, my wife and I left what was to be a celebration for a Trump victory with the full expectation that Hillary Clinton was on the verge of becoming president. We should have […]